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staywritten · 4 years

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Studio Time│Bang Chan

Studio Time│Bang Chan

Synopsis: Your boyfriend is producing your groups comeback and you learn the downside of dating a perfectionist.

Genre: one shot, angst-ish? Happy ending, idol!Chan, idol!reader, fluff with more fluff at the end.

Word Count: 2108

I wrote this fic like 5yrs ago for a different artist lol But I re-read it recently and still really liked it so I re-vamped it for SKZ. Especially after that episode of Weekly Idol when the members said Chan was sweet to them but he was really serious when he was making music, so I figured this was the perfect fit.

When your label announced that your comeback album will be produced by Chan you weren’t really sure what to think. You prided yourself on keeping your careers separate, but on the other hand he was an amazingly talented producer and it wasn’t often that he produced for idol girl groups.

At this point of his career he was expanding outside of doing work for just Stray Kids. It was an opportunity at which both parties benefited. He could grow his portfolio in a way that wasn’t possible when just producing for Stray Kids and he was an up and coming name in the industry.

You two didn’t date publicly but your members and management were aware of the relationship, so some of the pressure was lifted. You didn’t have to pretend like you didn’t know each other.

Walking into the JYP building, you led your members to Chan’s signature studio. Despite coming to his studio pretty regularly, it was a little nerve racking coming to it for work. You felt just as nervous as you did when meeting a new producer. “Are you excited to work with Channie? How lucky are we! What kind of producer is he?” Your youngest member chimed, hooking her arm with you.

You nodded laughing, giving her hand a little pat. “I guess we are pretty lucky.” Not many producers would be open to input, but since your members had a close relationship with your boyfriend you figured the atmosphere would be lighter. “I’m not sure how he is as a producer honestly. He’s never let me see him work before. Like I’ve seen him make beats, but never recording.”

As you all walked into his studio you smiled seeing him sitting with Han on the couch. “Wally!” you chimed giving the bright green wall a little pat.

“What about me?” Chan pouted.

“What about you?” you teased, giving him a wink.

You did your group greeting and bowed, laughing at how silly it felt. Normally that would be saved for broadcast and fan meetings but it was a force of habit as a leader.

“Awww cute!” Chan chuckled before formally introducing himself just to cover the formalities. It wasn’t often you got to see your boyfriend while working, but you also had to keep in mind that you still had to work.

Chan walked over to you, pulling you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around his neck, smiling brightly. “I missed you” he grinned. You did your best to ignore the aweing from your other members and Han. His nose brushed down the bridge of yours.

“I saw you this morning” you played with the hair at his nape.

“I know, I missed you this afternoon” he laughed, pecking your lips, lingering just a moment too long.

You giggled, melting into his arms. “Aww, you’re being really cute today” you whispered, pulling back to look at him. “Don’t look at me like that” a smile tugged at your lips, as you gently grazed your nails against his scalp. “We have work yo do”

“Mmmm” he sighed into your touch. “I’m just excited to make this song. I worked so hard on it, it’s perfect for you” he smiled. “I made it just for you”

“I can’t wait” you chimed, pulling away from him. He whined letting you step back, a cute pout on his lips.

“Awww you guys are cute, it’s kinda gross” Han pretended to choke back a gag before laughing and grabbing his bag. “I gotta head to an interview, so I’ll catch you guys later.”

After the formalities, he played the demo track for you. Your members loved it. It was fun, playful and it had a bit of an edge to it. You couldn’t wait to record it. That was one of the plus sides about working with your boyfriend. You were actually very vocal at home about the direction you wanted to go in with your group.

This would be your first track of the new year, and all of your members were officially adults now. You wanted something teasing, and mature, yet still youthful and in true Chan fashion, he nailed it.

All that was left now was to record it.

One by one your members did their lines, recording their parts in manageable segments. Chan was very caring with them, almost holding their hand through the process. “Minah, try singing it like this.” he coached her through it, reiterating her part, and changing the articulation toward the end.

She was your youngest, and still wasn’t completely confident in her own voice yet so she was a lot to handle. She did her best to follow directions, but sometimes things were just out of her vocal range and when that happened Chan adjust accordingly. He coached her to give her the confidence that was needed to reach the note. Once she adjusted he clapped and gave her a thumbs up. “Very good, that was perfect! One more time, from the top.” In the end he changed up her part to best suit her voice and she had a cleaner take.

You were proud seeing him so kind. You couldn’t help but watch him with the brightest warmth in your eyes. Your group were like your baby sisters and he was being so good to them.

Unfortunately Minah wasn’t the most difficult take of the day, but he worked with each one of them carefully. In their defense it was a difficult song to sing. It was a very dynamic with lots of changes, not only was this a genre change from your groups usual music it pushed your vocalist and rappers to step up.

Soon enough it was your turn to record.

Although you couldn't really call it recording.

Chan wasted no time in stopping you every few words. Perhaps you were spoiled with how doting and sweet he was with your members. Because it seemed that he had no intentions of treating you in such a manner.

“Babe, can you do it seriously?”

“No- Again that sounds horrible”

“Do it again”

“Again, from the top.”

“Again”

“It’d be nice if I had a single sample I could use.”

“If you can’t do it, perhaps we should have someone else do it?”

“This is kind of embarrassing”

Was this even the same person? You understood constructive criticism. Constructive is what he was with your members. This was just being mean. You slipped off your headphones and glared at him when he stopped you again. That time you were in the middle of another take. It would have been nice to get a single line out with his opinion.

You hated that you wanted to cry.

You had to deal with some pretty tough critics. Producers, songwriters, choreographers, your CEO. Making an album was a high stress process with a lot of hands on deck. It was your job, so naturally it wasn’t going to go smoothly. Especially when everyone had different creative views, but this was the worst recording you’ve ever dealt with in the entirety of your music career.

You just hated being yelled at.

He knew that better than anyone. All those nights, you would come home from work and he’d have to console you after you’d been scolded. Chan knew that yelling immediately shut you down. You bit back your tears, wanting to hold it together for your members. You could see them struggling from behind the glass. It looked like they wanted to say something, at least tell Chan to ease up, but you shook your head and took a deep breath.

Normally you would avoid confrontation and just sing it the way the producer wanted, but you just couldn’t do it. Because what Chan wanted, wasn’t you.

You finally set the headphones on the rack inside before walking out. “Where are you going?” he frowned watching you take your backpack. “We don’t have anything for your part. We need to start from the beginning”

You shrugged. “Give my part to Jieun, she’ll do it better”

Jieun gasped before reaching out to you, shaking her head profusely. “What? But Unnie-”

“It’s fine” you gave her a small smile, trying to calm her. “I’ll call the company directly and tell them I can’t participate in the recording”

“But it’s our comeback track! You can’t not have a part in it” Minah grabbed your hand. She looked back at Chan “Tell her to stay.” Seeing the hesitation in his eyes she frowned more “Chan tell-”

“That’s enough.” you gave her head a small pat. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get out of here. I’ll check in on you later.” you looked to your second in command “Jieun you’re in charge.”

Chan rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest. “So you’re just leaving? Do you always quit like this? Is that the way you lead?”

You froze, hearing his words.

Was he trying to hurt you? What could you have possibly done? He was fine earlier. You gripped your fist, your body shaking before leaving the room with your head held high. You knew when someone was trying to get a rise out of you, and you weren’t going to give him the satisfaction.

On your way through the lobby you ran into Han. He smiled initially seeing you, but as you wiped away your tears he frowned. “Hey…” His gentle voice pulled you out of your thoughts. It was too gentle. Almost sympathetic. You looked up, scrambling to bring a smile on your face. That signature idol smile you gave to the cameras. “You don’t have to do that…” he gave your shoulder a small pat. “Do you wanna get some coffee?”

You sat across from Han at the cafe across the street. He didn't push you to speak. He just gave you a moment to sort out your feelings, let you take your time and figure out what to say.

He sipped on his drink. “Chan-Hyung was being a jerk huh?”

It wasn’t really a question. There was a certain understanding in his voice. You looked up at him, your eyes narrowing. “Is he always like that?”

He chuckled. “Sometimes. Chan is a perfectionist. Always was. Always will be. There are times when our group has come to blows because Chan can just be a little too much when criticizing. Threatening to remove Changbin-Hyung’s part from the song, getting frustrated in vocal ranges…real harsh criticisms...things like that. I don’t even think he’s aware of when he’s doing it.” he sighed. “Like when we record it just seems like the stress finally gets to him.”

Your shoulders slumped. “But he was really nice to my members…Absolutely sweet to them…he was only mean to me. Not that I would want him to yell at my girls-I’d literally kill him. But…” you sighed staring into your coffee. “Why was he being so mean…”

“He was probably being extra careful with your members…”

“What do you mean?”

“When we were recording our collaborative stage with Niziu, Chan was really nice to them. Doting, constructive, an angel. But that day was hell on us. It’s like he had pent up frustrations and just couldn’t hold it in any longer. I swear Minho-Hyung almost quit that day.”

“What type of bullshit excuse is that?”

He shrugged. “No excuse. Just how it is…Like he can only be himself with people that he knows will forgive him. He can be an ass sometimes, but he sure does put out amazing songs.”

“But at what cost?” you sighed, taking a sip of your coffee.

Later that night Chan came home, sheepishly poking his head inside to see you sitting on the couch. His eyes widened as he entered. “You’re still here?” his voice a little more surprised than he’d like to let on. A lingering bit of reliefe to his tone.

You sighed turning the page of your book “I was going to leave your ass. But I figured we should at least talk. Despite what you make think of me. I’m not a quitter” you set your book down before crossing your arms. “So talk.”

“Look, I’m sorry about earlier. It’s just-” he groaned, raking his hand through his curly hair. “The track wasn’t going where I wanted to. It was getting away from me…The only way I’d like the track was for your part to be exactly what I envisioned...for you to bring everything back”

It made sense he did give you the biggest part of the song. The chorus, and bridge were the most memorable of his demo and he gave them to you. He even had you sing the demo for the company to pitch the idea. At the time you thought it was sweet, you had no idea the burden it’d be.

It was obvious this song was made to be a solo for you.

“Your members did their best, but they just didn’t have the vocal range to do the song the way I envisioned it… So I made adjustments and compromises...” he sighed heavily. “And more adjustments...and more compromises...” he rubbed his temples. “Especially because if they can’t sing it at recording they wouldn’t be able to perform it on stage. So one change became another….” he sighed heavily, slumping into the chair. “I loved the song so much because it’s what I knew you wanted to release… But they just couldn’t...and…”

“I don’t think we can work together Chan…” you frowned. “You’re my boyfriend, and an amazing producer…but you can’t be both. In order for us to be happy with the track, and in order for me to be happy with our relationship we can’t work together.”

“We can still make it work. Let’s try again tomorrow.” he looked so hopeful. “I promise I won’t yell, and I-”

“You don’t understand Chan. You made me hate you.” your voice small, as you looked down.

He sank down into himself. His shoulders slumping, hurt etched on his delicate features. Never in his lifetime would he have thought you’d say that. “You…You hated me?”

“I did…for a little bit…You made me hate myself…You made me feel like an inadequate leader, you made me question myself.” you hugged your knees. “I can’t feel like that ever again. I’m responsible for six other girls who look up to me. It’s so easy to get ransacked in this industry, to be pushed and pulled into concepts. They need to believe in me. I need to believe in me and my ability, but with you… I couldn’t. So for my sake…Let’s drop the project.”

He closed his eyes before nodding. “Alright…” He hated that he made you feel that way. He never intended it on getting that bad. He just panicked when he listened to the track, and you were the last person to record. You were supposed to be the saving grace of it. He wasn’t going to release something he didn’t at least like. Once again his overly perfectionist ways almost cost him something he wasn’t willing to lose. “I am sorry…” he whispered.

Producing was one of his greatest joys in the world, and singing was yours. There was just something so utterly heartbreaking knowing that you could never share your passions together. “I know…I’m sorry too.”

He bundled you in his arms, letting you lay your head on his chest. He pressed a kiss on top of your head. “I have one more compromise”

“You don’t give up do you?” you felt your lips tugging to a smile. “What’s your compromise lover boy?”

“What about I talk to your company into giving you this song for a solo for later this year? And you, me and Jisung write up a new song for your group comeback?”

“There’s no time”

He chuckled. “If anyone can write a song in crunch mode it’s Han Jisung” he smoothed down your hair. “I think with your help we can write something that’s mroe ideal for your girls”

“But a solo-”

“Baby I wrote that song for you.” he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against yours. “That song was yours...And I need you to have it. You said your company was planning a solo debut anyway... so sing this.”

“Chan I love you so much...But I can’t record an album with you”

His beautiful brown eyes gazed into you. “I offered you a compromise, offer me one too”

You pouted. “Fine, since you’re in the mood to make a deal. I��ll take your solo song only if I record with Jisung, and Changbin.”

“Deal” You smiled gently scratching his scalp, and placing a kiss at the base of his throat. “Mmmm...” a groan echoed from his throat. “I’m so sorry about today Baby”

“It’s fine” you relaxed into his touch as he traced patterns into your skin absently. You grinned. “It’s nice to know that you’re not perfect”

He chuckled, throwing his head back. “I never claimed to be perfect”

“Oh yeah?” You sat back, crawling onto his lap. A smile on your lips as you gazed into his eyes. “Mr. Perfect hair” you played with the hair on his nape. “Perfect smile” you placed a kiss on his lips. “Perfect dimples” your thumb brushing against his dimple. “Perfect voice” you pressed a kiss on his adam’s apple. “You are perfect in a million different ways.” you giggled “You’re just not meant t be my producer”

“I can live with loving you in a million other ways.” he stood up, lifting you in his arms and carrying you into the bedroom, your laughs echoing and filling the house.

End.

Hey Friends! I hope you enjoyed that. It was nice revisiting an old fic and breathing some new life into it. If you liked it let me know <3

I’m sorry my Felix scenario is taking so long... I’ve rewritten it like 8 times and I’m getting a bit overwhelmed I’m gonna try and revisit it when my mind is clearer. I’ve been starting at the screen for far too long.

Masterlist

∘Tags List:

@skzsprinkles @tophuphu @hugs4chan @channieboyo @tonfilm @innivspearb @mini-meanhoe @poutychangbinnie

#stray kids #stray kids scenario #stray kids oneshots #stray kids imagines #stray kids imagine #bang chan #bang chan oneshots #christopher bang #bang chan scenarios #bang chan angst #skz angst #skz chan #kpop scenario #kpop imagines

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vanityloves · 4 years

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anyways im gonna listen to/read the fuckin...rise of the ogre shit bc ive been putting it off 🪓🥴 im gonna put stuff under the cut bc im gonna be TALKING n dont wanna make a new post everytime

piss

ok he performed for 2 pounds 50. which is basically $3 today i- well it was absolutely a power play on his father behalf that also had the promise of money so.

also lol he said Rejection fueled my ambitions which, yknow,, i already knew but it still hurts and i will continue to talk ab it xoxo

AH HELP. "...if ebay had been invented at the time he would've sold me online there and then,"

"man hands on misery to man, yknow"

THEN PROCEEDS TO CONNECT IT TO MUSIC/HIS CAREER. this man said :) the one thing i truly have a passion for. the one thing i fucking like.

oh yeah. bullied by students AND teachers.

oh god hes 42ish during this interview? ok.

the fuckin school bully saying he wouldve acted differently if he knew what hed become

getting called "faceache", then proceeds to call 2d that. jfc he really does just repeat what everyone says. really "treating others how i was treated/how they treat me"

maybe thats why? hes kinder to fans? bc :] you support me and like me so, ok ill return that energy

MURDOC GETTING HIS ASS BEAT N PARADING HOME LIKE WELL I WON BC 'I PISSED YOU OFF' SJDJD

a real rowdy boy. absolute nasty boy. fraud and arson... shooting ppls windows with his air pistols

black sabbath being a huge inspiration? fucking absolutely.

became a satanist n shit at age 16? "it fitted me like a glove" "heavy metal and devil worshipping became my favorite past times" ajsj funny that ppl in trying times often seek religion or following of some sort

heavy metal being his favorite, n loving the clash, while hannibals was more punk based

hannibal breaking murdocs nose for the 2nd and 3rd time for playing his music on hannibals turntable

he doesnt sound that bitter? ab hannibal? he doesnt sound incredibly fond but he talks ab how he got him into a lot of music. so, i imagine they we're a bit closer than i thought?

international baccalaureate in antisocial? anthropology?

MURDOC IS ACTUALLY SMART HE WAS JUST. NOT INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECTS? I GUESS? (also,,, he literally Built cyborg noodle and i think he had a PhD too lol. but its always nice to hear hes actually...yknow, interested or good at other things)

alright but murdoc having a fascination w/ other cultures - or at least some interests, that lead him to actually study the damn subject and "pass with flying colors"

'fuck college though. im gonna be a rockstar'

he sold his soul at 18ish? whenever the fuck he got kicked out but college was mentioned so my brain goes to 18ish idk

he lived with his father still and paid rent via low paying jobs one including 'part time dressing as santa'

help he was ab to take a Personal Job for quick cash and uhh well, "still made me call him sir though" he really said 20 dollars is 20 dollars, huh "that story was totally true"

alright, 1997,,,

2d stuff

loves zombie stuff? thats really cute, and is freaked out by the way they move. god he rambles

both he and murdoc are horses in the chinese zodiac

[[jfc ok if the official shit compares them a lot i understand why ppl ship them but Dont. its a narrative foil and that doesnt always mean Romance jfc.]]

SUMTHINK.

truly... a lil stinker. super cute bouncing baby and a "bit thick" which is stull so endearing to me. hes just a happy man!

excitable 10 year old and would dance around his room

jfc the fact he has normal/caring parents. i kinda forget how opposite hes supposed to be from murdoc but i think thats another thing jsjsysg (murdoc said why isnt my tragic story making me famous why does he get to be the Star. no wonder he acts like a loon)

i still dont get how gettin bonked by a tree branch made him go bald and also turn his hair blue

big tiddy nurse mommy,,,

went to the same school as The Cure and got decent grades despite hittin the noggin quite hard. WANTED TO BE A STORM CHASER... OMG??

oh thats really cute, hed bond with his dad by building keyboards toegther 🥺💕

messed around with paints and graffiti? artistic king

MURDOC AGAIN: QHDJ 'VILLANOUS' GANG HELP

oh yeah d day...new instruments, new band, new singer - and 'had to be the best or no dice' and absolutely CONFIDENT that his songs were bangers ajsjd

but on that same note, had absolute faith (or desperate) in 2d which i love

ransacked the fucking music shop jdjdj and 2d said he was Just Standing There behind the counter the whole shift hdhdh

"thats when your eye came out, yeah" "yeah!-" HELP WHY DOES HE SOUND SO HAPPY AB IT ?? yes he said ut hurt but he sounds...ok

jfc murdoc ragdolling this poor mf around. dunking him and slapping him around. actually? so incredibly terrible and abusive and i hate him for that 🔫 im sorry 2d stans. we dont condone that behavior here ong.

how and why the FUCK did 2d's parents allow that fucker near their child after that i??? help. wtf. his moms a nurse why didnt she just have murdoc sit in plain view of other people. god damn.

2d flying out the window n hitting the curb "whoops"

"just two black holes...[ah] it looked great...a blue hair, blacked eyed GOD- the girls would go wild-" "pretty boy looks" ???? HELP. HE DOESNT GO LIGHT ON THE COMPLIMENTS, HUH

RUSS TIME

oh yeah, he straight up kiddnapped this man help. idk how he managed that, russ is a Big Man??

AND MURDOCS MUSIC WAS SO FUCKING SEXY GOOD that russel said hm alright ill stay, :] out ifbhis owm free will im screaming.

"oh this is one of them febreeze commercials" "uh . yeah sure. *murdoc turning on his Sick Tunes*" but that either means? it was just his guitar playing the convinced russ? unless he and 2d recorded sumn?

"2d was the looks, murdoc the brains, then russel truly was the heart"

'while 2d and murdoc liked music, this man was a MUSICIAN' god fucking bless this book holy shit ny man russ getting some respect. he said back hurts from carrying this band.

murdoc basically heard this guy had big trauma that gave him So Many Skills n said "thats what i want" ok idk thats actually really? inch rest ting to me. seems that murdocs fine handing out compliments but i guess that where his charisma really helps out yeah?

"he was going to be in my band whether he liked it or not" ...murdoc-

HELP. 2D IS LIKE BRO GO ON IM LISTENING 🥺 despite hearing the story 50-60 times and murdoc said fuck off you lil shit.

ok irrelevant but i love his voice! its super comforting n nice to listen to 🥺

HELP MURDOCS SO BITTER. "NOTHING THAT HAPPENS TO US IS NORMAL" WELL YEAH. THIS IS TRAUMA CENTRAL.

idk how/why he sucked up all his friends souls though ... how are they all possessing the same person. they said "its my turn on The Russ"

DELL IS HIS ACTUAL, LITERAL SOULMATE...KING...😭

went to a private school,,, and was already possessed? and the thing where he gets bigger and smaller is a reoccurring thing?

was in a coma for 4 years?

hiphop machine...time and history...the ultimate set i guess.

his knowledge was infinite and hes a "Renaissance man" hes so fucking smart our king. jack of all trades but a master of drums. he said i know im good and what of it

PAULA.

HELP. HE RMBRS THE STALL: CUBICAL NUMBER 3 🥴 IF I DO RECALL 🤤

yes russel our king. fuck up his nose 5 more times. probably stunted his growth too. he shrunk after russ gave him a wallop im sure

why dies paula sound like tracer overwatch

also only dated 2d for 2 months before joining the band?

HELP SHE REALLY WAS THE FIRST MURDOC FUCKER: "but when i saw murdoc with his thick greasy hair, green teeth and yellow skin i thought 'oh this is the ine for me!'" "OH HES SUCH A DANDY-" HELP ME IM HQJDHD

sick in the head...like i want to hurt people help girl. shes fucking Crazy. but she rly said damn i didnt hear back from him again 😭 and my purse is gone JSHHD

MURDOC: SHE WAS DEPRESSINGLY UGLY *still fucked her*

NOODLE TIME

"small japanese person!"

2d: we werent gorillaz until noodle arrived!

im dying the reason he chose gorillaz. 'swinging through the jungle baring my ass'

noodle really said "im just happy to be here" and she balanced everyone out 😭 "she gave off pure love and the fact that she could laugh at murdoc REALLY helped too" RUSS... IS BABY

JFC MURDOCS SO FUCKING CONFIDENT IN THIS BAND IM LIVING FOR THAT. HE SAID YOU WANT US SO BAD IT MAKES YOU LOOK STUPID. THE CHARISMA

2d rambling ab some girl he met and "ssSs" "whats the s stand for hawhaw" "i dont know!".

THE RECORD LABEL GUY.

one song is all it took i ❤ good for them

just murdoc talking ab the party that they threw for thier deal and saying "you dont know how much of a dick i felt like [when carrying one of those huge checks]" like oh thats whatll make you a dick? alright.

A FOOD FIGHT THAT WENT SO HARD THAT IT KNOCKED 2DS TONSILS OUT? WHAT THE FUCK

ahshdj damon and murdoc not getting along bc of Rival Band One Uppery + damon calling murdocs cuban heels crap since ge wore steel ones with gold spurs.

MURDOC FEELIN EMBARRASSED BC HES 'QUITE PROUD OF HIS SHOES'

but the band and damon getting over music and their ambitions and became a "paternal figure"

HELP MURDOC SAID AWIOGA @ RACHEL WHICH MADE HER THROW HER DRINK IN HIS FACE AND SPLIT FROM 2D. kinda sad actually, she said i still like 2d but murdoc kinda ruined it by trying to get it in with me, it put a strain in our relationship :/ oh god murdocs That Dude

nov 31 1998: started recording :]

40 tracks that got cut down to 15 holy shit

KONG STUDIOS 🤲

hooking up cameras in every room ejdjsu

webby artist of the year in 2006? holy shit

noodle learning ab kong studios omfg

JFC. YES I KNEW KONG WAS BUILT ON/IN A CEMETERY BUT I DIDNT KNOW PPL FOR THE FUCKING PLAGUE WHERE THROWN THERE HDJD

built in 1739?

the ghost of the first owners ghost still roams around in the kitchen in the early hours and moans 'aaa glass of water'

theres some rotting bullshit near the studios and in the summer its fucking TERRIBLE

the former owners were a biker gang, and they all died in a fire

murdoc said this place has bad vibes. i want it.

grim weather

the building feels impossible to escape from huHgg

#rip lol i feel annoying but my blog my rights ig #brainworm ivy #gorillaz rambles

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debunkingtaytaysbeard · 5 years

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💭 Let is chat, shall we?

I was asked in one of my post what I thought about Taylor and Karlie and their relationship. Where I stand etc, I figured I should state where I’m coming from.

I was introduced to Kaylor by my sister through TTB. My sister started telling me about it and once I began reading about it I WAS HOOKED. In my mind, everything all of a sudden made sense to me! The songs, the Easter eggs, Taylor & Karlie’s friendship etc. I was a hardcore Kaylor. I would say this all happened around the time Taylor let us know Lover was done. I seriously went as far as to watch 45min long YouTube videos about Kaylor to “better understand it”. I tried to crack spades riddles. It became so consuming. I was on the ride for a while, through ME! Through YNTCD! Through just about right after the BMR sale happened. That’s when my “Kaylor Konfidence” was shook. For many many reasons.

This was the first time I really learned about Scooter & his relation to Josh and Karlie. Though I knew about Josh, this was the first time I decided to insert myself more & figure out who he really was. That’s when I saw soooo many pictures of him & Karlie. Their wedding. Vacations. Looking happy. Looking in love. I, ironically haha, stepped into the daylight. When she didn’t come out on the last day of Pride & then TTB labeled it as a pivot....that’s when I said wait what? Why? It just started to not make sense.

I’m an aspiring actress. I’ve worked in some shows on small roles, I’ve gone to University to study acting, film & production. I’m well versed in the industry & way of working. THIS IS NOT ME SAYING IM SOMEONE OF IMPORTANCE. I don’t work in PR, I don’t hear the “whispers”, I don’t know things lol. I just understand how the industry works, because I need too.

I mention this because, when people started saying she re-recorded Lover because she wasn’t coming out. I was like WAIT STOP, yeah no, not possible, not a thing. Like, musicians are paid in advance, but theoretically that money isn’t theirs, it’s a loan, they don’t make an actual profit on that album until they have paid that back in sales to the recording company. YES I KNOW TAYLOR HAS MONEY, but she’s new to this label, there are somethings that don’t work, stopping mass production on an album for WORLDWIDE sales is just not a thing. There are contracts in place, etc. I get more into this in a post on my feed.

I took a break from everything until Lover came out because I just wanted to listen to the album. Some songs, I was like oh my gosh she so in love I’m happy for her. It was a new kind of love she was describing. Then songs like Cornelia street, I was like oh my gosh Karlie. I couldn’t help it. To this day I will openly say I still relate it to Karlie. Also because I’ve never taken time to see how much time she might of spent there with Joe.

After the album, I thought about all kinds of theories before I came to where I am now & here they are;

- Karlie & Taylor weren’t officially together but they fell for each other. They flirted and they hurt. To everyone close to them they were friends but to each other they were lovers. Something happened though along the line and they started arguing a lot and broke up.

- Taylor & Karlie started hanging out a lot, and Taylor started to develop feelings. We all know Taylor is very touchy with her friends and how she shows love. I feel like Karlie went along with it for the most part as well. I had a thought that maybe Taylor took it to a point where Karlie felt uncomfortable and said “hey no, I have josh, I can’t.”

-Taylor dates Karlie & the boys we have see her with. There were breaks, maybe overlaps, but overall Karlie chose Josh.

Now though, as I’ve said before, I just believe what Taylor has presented to the GP and wants us to believe. She’s dated these men, she’s wrote these songs about them. She’s straight. I’m not saying she DIRECTLY said this lol. I have to keep saying that. & no I’m not saying she can’t be bi, but you don��t assume all straight people are bi right? So when I see how’s she’s presented herself I don’t say “oh yeah she’s bi” I see a straight woman. I hope that makes sense.

MEANING I AM AN EX KAYLOR THAT NO LONGER BELIEVES THEY DATED.

I understand Kaylor/Gaylor has given people, specifically LGBTQ, a chance to identity with Taylor; but I’ve also seen the disappointment. I’ve seen Kaylors get so deep wrapped up in it, then they pivot & are hurt and upset at Taylor. When she didn’t label herself this. This “ship” did. That’s what’s upsetting to me.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of me.

Just my thoughts,

👩🏻‍⚖️💭

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let-it-raines · 5 years

Note

Hey! I saw your answer to anon about musician Killian and of course had to go reread it. And if I may be so bold, may I request the Mystery Musical Man from Killians point of view?

Of course you can request it from Killian’s POV! It made for an easy prompt request to fill. lol. 💙

Original Prompt: CS fic where someone walks by a street musician every day in her way to work and she always bring him coffe and something to eat because she thinks he’s poor and could use some help, but actually he’s like a super star and just plays in the street for fun?

Part one: Mystery Musical Man

-/-

The first time she places a cup of coffee at his feet and a five dollar bill in his guitar case, he nearly stops singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and asks her for her name, but he doesn’t, the music continuing to roll off of his tongue and his fingers as she walks away, her golden hair falling down her back and nearly reaching the top of her black pencil skirt. He’s noticed her before. She walks this route nearly every day, and she usually comes by when the streets are pretty empty. It’s the same reason that he plays early in the morning on Murray Hill. It’s New York City so it’s crowded, but it’s not a madhouse.

Or maybe it is, and he’s got no clue since he’s distracted by the blonde woman who walks by him five days a week. She’s usually dressed professionally, modest skirts and pants with blouses, and if he had to guess, the sneakers on her feet are only for her walk to work and not what she wears all day. He’s got no bloody clue what it is that she does for a living, but he’s curious about her.

He stays curious about her as the weeks pass by and she continuously brings him cups of coffee from The Bean. It’s always black, and even though he usually likes a little milk in his coffee, he learns to accept it with a kind smile and nothing else. Many times he almost talks to her, asks her for her name, but despite the fact that words are constantly flowing out of his mouth as he sings, the words are never the ones that he wants to say.

“What’s your name?”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Why do you buy me coffee every day?”

He wants to ask that last question even though he knows the answer. She thinks he’s a struggling musician playing on street corners for tips, and while he is a musician playing on a street corner, he’s not struggling nor truly asking for tips. It’s been years since he had to do that, but he remembers the struggle of needing to supplement his income and get a little extra cash on the side. He honestly didn’t think he looked too poor off, but he does usually walk here from his apartment and wear torn jeans and a battered Yankees cap. Maybe he should dress a little more nicely, but then again, then the beautiful lass might not buy him coffee anymore.

He swears that one day he’ll talk to her.

She is his muse after all.

-/-

“We want you to do a concert,” Arthur tells him as he sits in his recording label’s office in Los Angeles with Will, Robin, and Anton sitting in the chairs next to him.

“We don’t have any new music,” Robin points out, leaning forward in his chair. “Why would we do a concert without any music?”

“You have new music,” Arthur sighs as he takes a sip of his tea from behind his desk, a view of the ocean behind him. “You’ve got enough for half of a set, which will be a perfect preview of the album for when Killian finishes writing it, and then you can mix in old favorites. This will keep you all relevant.”

He chuckles a little bit at that, but he always does whenever he has to talk business. He plays guitar and sings songs and writes lyrics because he enjoys it. Yes, the success and adrenaline of playing in front of thousands of people is wonderful and he wouldn’t trade it in, but at the end of the day, none of that matters if he’s not enjoying making music. That’s what it’s always been about. His mum taught him to play the piano and his brother taught him to play the guitar, and he never feels closer to them than when he’s playing. Really, he never feels closer to them than when he’s standing on the street singing songs form decades past because they’re the songs his mum always had on in the house whenever she would cook or do laundry to make it all a little more exciting.

His mother used to always be dancing with this beatific smile on her face and laughter on her lips, and he likes to remember her that way instead of weak and pale in a hospital bed. It’s the same with Liam. Killian likes to remember him refusing to dance with their mum, too old and too proud, before eventually giving in and dancing. It’s easier than remembering the knock that came to his apartment door with two Naval officers standing outside.

It’s happier too.

Music has always been his safe haven. It’s how he’s processed things, how he’s fallen in love and how he’s healed from broken hearts. It allows him to put his thoughts and feelings into a set of lyrics that go along with a melody, and maybe, just maybe, it makes all of that heartache feel a little further from home while still keeping it close where only he knows every meaning behind each word and note in a song.

Having the White Sails take off and be successful has been amazing, more than he could have ever dreamed of, but as Arthur asks them to play some of his new songs to a crowd full of people, all he really wants to do is play them on the sidewalk and have the pretty lass with green eyes and a beautiful smile hear him sing.

He’s rather fascinated with her and the coffee she always brings him, and most of the songs he’s written in the past few months have been partially written about her. A part of him wonders if she listens to much music as she has never recognized his face or his voice, but he’s not conceited enough to think that everyone on the street should know who he is. He likes the anonymity.

Just maybe not with her.

“We don’t need to be kept bloody relevant,” Will groans, his accent coming out a little stronger than before. “We are relevant. I haven’t worked my arse off for – ”

“Where and when?” he interrupts, an idea sparking in his mind.

“What now?”

“Where and when do you want us to do the concert? If we’re going to play some of the new songs, I need to fine tune them, and I’ll need a couple of weeks for that.”

Arthur smiles, and it’s the one Killian recognizes as it meaning something big.

“Two months from today in Madison Square Garden. Our marketing team is ready to drop both promotion and ticket sales tonight.”

“Do it.”

He spends the next twelve days in the recording studio trying to fix his songs and make them perfect. They won’t be. They’ll still need some work before they officially go on the album, but he thinks he likes them for now. He also thinks that he likes the tune that he can’t get out of his head about the woman with emerald eyes and hair that shines in the morning light, and he makes a promise to himself to actually speak to her when he returns home.

-/-

The morning after he gets back to New York, he takes his guitar and walks then ten blocks to his usual spot, deciding that today is a Queen day, and sings acoustic versions of most of their hits. He’s in the middle of We Are the Champions when he sees her. She’s got headphones in and only one cup of coffee in her hand. He didn’t tell her that he’d be gone for weeks, but honestly, he didn’t really know that he would be. It was only supposed to be a weekend. Besides, they don’t know each other. Just because they have this routine doesn’t actually mean anything.

Right?

She stops to watch him play, and there’s barely another soul around as he finishes out the song, letting the music die as his fingers stop moving.

“Where have you been?” she asks, her voice a pitch lower than he thought it would be. He likes it.

He quirks an eyebrow, shocked at her speaking, before he flashes her a smile and looks down at her coffee mug before looking back up to those emerald eyes with a smirk painted on his lips. “Did you miss me?”

She shrugs, and he has to stifle his laugh. He can’t believe they’re finally speaking after dancing around each other for months. Or really, singing around each other. There has been no dancing involved. He bets she’d be a good dancer.

“I guess so. I didn’t – I stopped buying your coffee. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, love. I wasn’t around. Wouldn’t want you to waste your money, but I did miss you and your coffee.”

He obviously doesn’t have a filter, but he’s somehow comfortable talking to her.

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely,” he sighs, encouraged by the little spark of excitement in her eyes. “They don’t make black coffee in LA, and they don’t have pretty lasses bring it to you.”

It’s been a solid year since he flirted with a woman, but he thinks he’s doing alright. Because that is what he’s doing. Flirting. He’s missed it.

“What a pity,” she mumbles, her cheeks flushed red even as he can tell that she’s downplaying her reaction. “I wonder how you survived.”

She’s got spunk. He likes her.

(Spunk? Does he suddenly live in the 1950’s?)

“The hardest few weeks of my life honestly. I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

She laughs, a real, genuine laugh, and if he could turn that into a melody to have forever, he would. Hopefully he’ll get the chance to make her laugh again.

Hopefully this conversation isn’t a one-time thing.

It’s not.

The next day she brings him his coffee, and they chat for a little while, stumbling into the fact that they both enjoy comedies more than any other genre of television, though he does love a good historical drama every now and then. But she’s a fan of shows like The Office and The Good Place, so they talk about last week’s episode before she has to go to work. It goes like that for a few more days, and in those days he learns that her favorite food is a grilled cheese hold all of the fancy toppings and that she runs every other day after work. If she doesn’t, she’ll apparently go crazy. He gets that. She obviously sits at a desk most of the day, and he would go crazy staying still for that long.

It’s a Tuesday when he finally learns her name. He’s between songs, his throat a little scratchy, when she shows up, so instead of placing his coffee on the ground like she usually does, she hands it to him.

“Thank you, love.”

“Yeah, no problem,” she mumbles before bringing her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes darting anywhere but to him. He takes a sip of his coffee, the liquid warm and soothing on the way down, and just before he finishes swallowing, she blurts out, “what’s your name?”

It takes him back a bit, but mostly all he can think is finally.

“Killian,” he answers, flashing her a smile. “And you?”

“Do you not have a last name?”

He thinks on it a minute, debating whether or not he wants to tell her his last name. He doesn’t think she knows who he is, or maybe she does and doesn’t care. Either way, he doesn’t want this little routine between them to change. He comes out here in the mornings for himself, but he would be remiss to think that he didn’t also make his way here to the same spot every morning to see her.

“I do,” he slowly begins, tapping his fingers against his coffee cup. “I just didn’t think you’d care.”

“I care. I’m Emma Swan if that helps.”

Emma Swan.

He likes it. God help him he thinks he might like her.

Is thirty four too old to have a crush?

“Jones then. Killian Jones.”

Her lips twitch, threatening to pull up into a smile, and he already knows that he’s got a smile painted on his lips. “Did you phrase it that way so you could say your name like James Bond?”

He winks. “I guess you’ll never know.”

They continue on as usual, getting to know each other over their ten minute chats every weekday. She brings him his coffee, he calls her Swan, and on the days when he’s in the middle of a song when she walks up, he changes the lyrics to her name to make her smile. It works every single time, and no part of him cares that it’s a little cheesy.

He’s a little cheesy when he’s tired. They’ve been having rehearsals during the day and during some nights, and it’s exhausting. It’s been awhile since they’ve played outside of a recording studio or one of their living rooms, so it’s a bit frustrating for them not to be perfectly in sync. It’s just one night, though, one show, and as time nears for it, he finally starts to feel like they’re getting ready.

But in the mornings he desperately needs his coffee from Emma, the family lawyer (how badass is that?) who still doesn’t seem to believe him when he tells her that he’s a musician.

So one morning, a week before the concert, when there’s a practical monsoon taking over Manhattan, instead of staying in his apartment, he makes his way to the closest The Bean shop in hopes that he can see Emma. It might be taking it a step too far, but honestly, it’s not the craziest thing he’s ever done for a woman.

He sees her when she walks in, her red rain coat dripping with water, and he tugs at his beanie while she talks to the barista who points over at him. Emma’s head twists to look in his direction, and she stalks her way over to him, plopping down in the chair across from him.

“So you stalking me now?” she laughs as her eyes come into contact with his. “Because I’ve got to say, I’m not sure the coffee I bring you every morning is worth all of the hassle.”

He gives her a lopsided grin, knowing that it’s charming, and reaches up to scratch at his ear, adjusting his beaning again. “I’m not stalking you. I, well, I can’t perform in all of this rain, and I still needed my coffee fix.”

“How’d you even figure out it was this store? You know this is a chain, right?”

He shrugs. “Google, some powers of deduction, and a whole lot of luck.”

“Well color me impressed mystery musical man.”

What in the world did she just call him? Mystery musical man?

He can’t help but laugh, and it ends up being louder than he expected, making several people stare at him. His ears are suddenly far too hot under this beanie.

He’s not alone, though. He can see the blush on Emma’s cheeks. “Um, nothing.”

“No, no,” he teases, leaning forward on the table and waggling his brows while flashing her another smile, completely amused and besotted by this entire situation. Man is he glad that she’s not mad that he showed up here. “You called me mystery musical man. Swan, I didn’t know you had a nickname for me.”

“Yeah, well, I went a few months not knowing who you were. What was I supposed to do?”

“Ask me my name.”

“I did…eventually.” He shakes his head from side to side as he smiles, remembering to slide her coffee cup over to her. “So, um, can I ask you a question? And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Sure, love, but I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t tell you unless you’re about to ask me some deep, personal secret like if I’ve ever dyed my hair.”

She snorts into her drink. That’s not quite as melodic as her laugh, but he likes it just the same. “No, no. I’d never ask such a deeply personal question, but I do, um, what the hell is it that you do for a living?”

His brows furrow as he clicks his tongue. Wow, she really doesn’t believe him. “Didn’t we talk about this already? I’m a musician.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but do you do anything else besides performing before eight in the morning? I know this is rude, but I’m just…curious.”

“Tis not rude,” he admits, hoping to calm her. She doesn’t need to feel awkward around him. He hopes that she doesn’t, that they’re friends, that they have…potential. “What someone does for a living is basic conversation. But seriously, no. I’m a musician, and I do play more than the mornings. That’s honestly just for fun.”

“So where do you play? I’d love to come see you.” He raises his brows, curling the right side of his lips into a smirk and closing his eyes halfway as he stares at her, trying to get her to blush like she was earlier. “To see you play,” she clarifies, hiding behind her mug. “I’d love to see you play.”

She’s adorable, and he’s utterly, officially charmed.

“I know what you mean, love. I, um,” he hesitates, knowing that what he’s about to tell her could change their relationship but wanting to tell her anyhow, “I haven’t had many gigs lately, but I am playing on Friday night if you’d like to come.”

“Really?” she asks excitedly. “Where?”

He clenches his teeth down and looks up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to say to keep some of the mystery alive so she’ll be more likely to show up to the show. He is mystery musical man after all.

“Tell you what, love, I’m going to get you some tickets for you and a friend, and the address will be on them. Does that work for you?”

“It makes you seem like the definition of mystery musical man.”

“Yeah, well, that’s apparently who I am.”

They chat for a little while longer before he walks with her to work, holding his umbrella over both of their heads, and when he realizes that she’s not sure how to say goodbye, he boldly leans down and brushes a kiss against her cheek that he swears lights his entire body aflame.

-/-

Adrenaline runs through him for all of Friday. He’s nervous. He’s a professional, and he’s so damn nervous that he might vomit as he paces back and forth in their dressing room after sound check. He’s not sure if it’s the combination of pre-show jitters and showcasing new songs or if it has to do with him wondering whether or not Emma is going to show up tonight. It’ll be fine if she doesn’t. Really, it will.

But he wants her here.

He’s got feelings for the woman, and he’d like for her to know what it really is that he does, no more vague secrets.

“How much coffee did you drink, Jones?” Will chuckles, calmly propping his feet on a coffee table and taking a sip of his water. “You’re vibrating.”

“No coffee. I’m tired.”

“He invited a lass,” Robin not so helpfully supplies.

“I should have never told you, you arse.”

“Yeah, but then you wouldn’t have known how to get her tickets.”

He rolls his eyes and keeps pacing. This is all going to be just fine. It has to be. The show will be fine, great probably. Two songs in, and he’ll be back to his normal self on stage.

And it’ll be a damn good time.

And Emma will be here.

“Hello, everybody,” he says into the microphone when they’re finally on stage minutes later, lights blaring down on him and the audience talking under a loud murmur as he takes several deep breaths and plasters a smile on his face. “I’m so glad you all can be here tonight. I know it’s been awhile since we performed, but it took a bit to get some inspiration for our new songs, though I finally found some lately. So I thank you for being patient with us. I’m Killian Jones, and we are The White Sails.”

-/-

After the concert he’s on a high that he hasn’t felt for a long time, his body practically buzzing with excitement and a little bit of the rum he drank before the show. It went well, the new songs getting a good reaction, but now that he’s changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt and has had time to digest all of that, all he can think about is the fact that Emma bloody Swan is waiting outside in the hallway for him.

His mates are going to tease him about this for a solid month.

It’ll be worth it.

He steps out of the dressing room, his hand already at his ear with nerves, and walks right toward Emma and who he assumes is her friend.

“I’m sorry I didn’t buy you coffee,” she blurts out before her eyes widen, the mortification practically broadcasted on her face.

He shrugs and laughs, unable to help himself. “That’s okay, love. I think maybe you can have a pass this time.” He leans forward and wraps his arms around her, embracing her and hoping that he doesn’t smell too much like sweat when he hasn’t taken a shower. Emma smells like vanilla. He’s never noticed that before. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she answers as she pulls back, “that was incredible. You’re incredible. I’m just entirely confused.” He expected that and is about to address it when the woman next to Emma coughs, and they both turn to look at her. “And this is Ruby Lucas,” Emma tells him.

“Nice to meet you, mystery musical man. I came with to make sure my girl wasn’t going to get murdered tonight.”

“Totally understandable,” he laughs, reaching for Ruby’s hand. He forgot to take off his rings from the show, and he feels them against her skin. “That’s why there were two tickets. To prevent the murder, you know?”

“I’m sorry,” Emma interrupts, and his attention turns back to her, “I just have a lot of questions.”

“Well Swan, maybe I have some answers. Do you – ” Arthur calls his name behind him, and he twists to look at him to see him motioning his hand. “ – can you and Ruby wait here while I do a bit of quick business?”

“Sure. That’s fine.”

He jogs off to talk to Arthur, hopefully telling him that this won’t take long because he’d rather be talking to Emma than to Arthur about what he’s sure is some deadline for the new album.

“Great show, Jones,” he greets, clapping his hand and pulling him in for a hug and patting his back.

“Thank you. It went better than I thought it would.”

“It always does. The new songs were great. The label loves them. We ended up sold out on tickets and merch tonight. That was what was unexpected. Not the show going well but us having an audience.”

“Quite a lot of faith you’re putting in me there.”

Arthur rolls his eyes, always the realist. “You know what I mean. I just wanted to let you know that and that we have a meeting with the label tomorrow.”

“God, please tell me that it’s in the New York office. I’m not flying cross country tomorrow.”

“It’s in the New York office,” he sighs, smiling a little bit. “At one. Make sure Will shows up.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Good, go back to talk to your girl.”

He almost protests, but instead he winks at Arthur and starts making his way back to Emma who is probably going crazy with thoughts right now. She gets up to greet him, and before he can even open his mouth to apologize for leaving, she’s wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, her lips soft against his. It takes him far too long to kiss back, the moment shocking him, but when he does, he tries to keep it soft and slow, treating her with all of the care she deserves instead of pushing her back up against the wall and devouring her. Though, now that he knows how Emma kisses, he wants to do that too. His lips caress hers and his hands reach up to cup her cheeks before threading into her hair while hers does the same, another pleasant buzz spreading across his skin.

He absolutely cannot believe that he’s kissing Emma Swan.

Drinking all of that black coffee without creamer was totally worth it.

When she pulls back, he growls, not able to stop himself as he chases her lips and rests his forehead against hers, breathing in even though he knows that she’s taken his breath away.

Maybe he gets a little cheesy all of the time.

“So the whole being in a band thing really did it for you, huh?”

“No,” she promises, quickly brushing her lips against his again while her fingers keep playing with his hair. He’d like to keep doing that for a long time. “I don’t care about that. It’s awesome, but I don’t care.”

“Yeah?” he asks, all of his nerves over the whole thing beginning to fade away. Maybe this will all work out.

“Yeah. All I really want is to buy you a coffee.”

He laughs against her lips, unable to help himself. Tonight is a good night.

Tonight is a damn great night.

“You know what, Swan? I think I can buy this time.”

He and Emma get coffee two days later. He buys despite her protests, and it goes on like that for days and weeks and months as coffee dates turn into actual dates and dates turn into overnight stays and overnight stays turn into moving in together. Eventually moving in together turns into getting married, and all along the way he writes far more songs than he thinks he has in his entire life, filling albums with his love.

Emma Jones is a fantastic muse.

#mystery musical man #cs fic #cs ff #cs prompts

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lcighz-blog · 5 years

Text

❛ new york’s very own leigh st ares was spotted on broadway street in black+white vans. your resemblance to matthew daddario is unreal. according to tmz, you just had your twenty sixth birthday bash. while living in new york, you’ve been labeled as being reckless , but also sweet. i guess being a virgo explains that. three things that would paint a better picture of you would be summer afternoons on the balcony with music coming from a vinyl record with a guitar in hand, following along to the music. & ( cismale & he/him ) + JJ, 23, she/her, best)

hi, it’s me JJ, and I’m going to be adding from my previous intro, so if you want to know the origins of leigh CLICK HERE, and if you want to just read that new new, read below. I’ve made a bit of a cheat sheet but if you want to know more then you can check his original intro. this is still long

PSA: THERE ARE A LOT OF TRIGGERS IN THE INTROS SO PLEASE BEWARE OF THEM.

TRIGGERS: DEATH, ABUSE, RELAPSE, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, OVERDOSE.

STATS

birth name: quincy morrison jr.

name: leigh st ares.

birthday: september 10th 1993 | VIRGO

ethnicity: italian-american

gender: cismale

sexuality: heterosexual

occupation: musician

drug use? yes

alcohol use? yes

THE RUNDOWN

leigh’s mom left early on in his life, and he was raised by an alcoholic/abusive dad, his dad chilled out when he got into a relationship with a woman named Tiffany but even she wasn’t safe for leigh.

he grew up with siblings and he always took care of them before himself.

at 14 he was put into foster care with his siblings after a lot of social workers passed by the house. leigh was ripped away from his family and he started to rebel with each foster home he went to.

he eventually landed a nice foster home with a nice couple (leighton & Andrea Holt) and they gave him the chance for a whole new life.

through learning how to be a part of the Morrison family, leigh grew a relationship with Mr. Morrison. they conversed about music, specifically 80′s rock and roll. Leigh learned to admire bands like Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, KiSS, etc.

didn’t mean he wasn’t a bad kid bc oh boy he was super bad, did all the drugs, all the parties. he grew addicted and had an overdose at 17, giving up on everything and it wasn’t until he saw his foster parents the next day along with his siblings that gave him hope, and the thought that he wouldn’t fuck it up again.

so he tried, and his foster parents got him a guitar, that’s when he started his own band bc he discovered he really has a passion for music.

LIFELINE

Lifeline is the name of leigh’s band.

I basically base their sound of Skillet, and other bands but MAINLY Skillet.

Lifeline got big once leigh and his friends graduated high school.

they toured with VANS: Warped Tour almost every summer, that’s how his band got recognized.

The band started collabing with pop stars and other artists to create a rock fusion kind of sound while keeping rock elements in the music.

Personally, leigh doesn’t stick to the rock genre, it’s just the one he’s most comfortable with.

leigh doesn’t have a relationship with his father, he choses not to look back.

once Lifeline took off, leigh changed his old name and gave himself a new one honoring leighton morrison, the man that he considers his father now.

the morrisons officially adopted leigh when he was 18 - yeah he was old, but they wanted to be considered family legally too. so leigh was super emotional during that day, and he never is.

everything was going good until ... leighton morrison passed away from a heart attack and leigh didn’t hear about this until after one of his shows. it was supposed to be a good show but it wasn’t when he got the call from mrs morrison.

it’s been tough for leigh ever since.

Lifeline is already known to be ... a lot to handle (think motley crue), but now with leigh caring less, they’re a lot worse. they trash hotel rooms, blow cars on fire, go streaking --- and most of it are leigh’s idea

CURRENTLY

leigh and Lifeline are touring, during promotional work, but a lot of their promotional work is in New York so he doesn’t really leave too often.

he’s secluded himself from his band unless he’s performing, so most of the time you can catch him in his small apartment, playing on his guitar or bass, figuring out some lyrics.

he’s doing his very best not to spiral down again, and thankfully because he’s older, and so are his siblings, he’s able to have support from his adopted family and his actual family.

he’s really shit at relationships, it’s just that it never works out somehow which is weird cos this guy is oddly affectionate, i wouldn’t say cheesy but when he likes someone he loves to be around them. but yeah, it’s just never worked, probably his schedule and his need to not listen to others.

PERSONALITY

throughout everything, he’s managed to stay pretty humble.

he’s got a joking personality but a lot of people assume he’s an asshole over how critical he is on himself and others.

everyone he works with sees him as a hard worker, he likes everything to be perfect from the lights to the notes on the keys. think beyonce when she’s prepping for her shows. he’s THAT bitch.

he’s pretty serious on responsibility. it’s that ‘i dont have time for this shit’ personality. he’s super blunt about everything, and if you’re not the same way, he really will get super ANNOYED bc he’s not a mind reader.

this guy is so stubborn, idk how he gets everything done, but maybe that’s why he always gets his way.

he’s a fun time when it comes to parties and doesn’t mind.

I like to think of him as a huge bear that is sometimes cuddly.

he really loves to be creative and he’s good at it. he finds he can best express himself through music. he’s written love songs for girls in the past. ew i know but he did it, it got him brownie points lol

CONNECTIONS ?

literally anything you can think of, i’ll probably be down for it but here’s some ideas ??

band mates

old friends

childhood friends

rehab friends

pre-fame friends

exes with benefits

exes turned friends

friends turned exes

childhood crush

friends with potential for more

angsty plots hmu, i love angst

siblings (?)

cousins/anything familial

music collaboration or some other creative kind of collab (modelling? movies? etc im here for it!)

#wealthyhq:intro #{{ intro .#NEW TAGS LEGGO #{{ trigger warnings .#{{ tw . : death #{{ tw . : alcohol+drugs #{{ tw . : relapse #{{ tw . : abuse #{{ tw . : overdose #wow this took forever

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archivedeunhee · 5 years

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*Jisoo vc* IT’S ME! Hey guys, I’m definitely not a newbie here lol it’s Kim (Guanting’s mun) and this is a revamped version of my old muse, Eunhee. She’s had a lot of revamps and she’s had a lot of FC changes, but I think this version of herself is the best one yet. If you’re interested in any of her plots, you can find them here and if you see anything you like, you can click that heart bottom in the bottom righthand corner of this post and I’ll shoot you an IM! And before I forget, you can check out her profile here!

She was born in 1993 and was the only child for the first few years of her life

Then her brother came along

Her parents neglected her in favor of her brother, who did acting as a child

While they neglected her, she learned how to fend for herself and started developing talents of her own

She asked her music teacher to give her private singing lessons after school, and that went on for about four years

They weren’t aware that she could sing until she asked if she could audition for record labels

She was almost immediately offered a spot as a trainee at her first label, and her parents were shocked when she passed the audition, but signed the papers allowing her to become a trainee

She didn’t really speak to them during her time as a trainee, and only called her brother every once in a while when she knew her parents wouldn’t be around

She was a trainee for about fourteen months before she debuted as a soloist in September of 2008 when she was just fifteen years old.

She was on cloud nine at first, but then she slowly began to realize that the music she was given wasn’t what she wanted to perform. She didn’t feel a connection with the music, and she was left with an empty feeling whenever she performed.

After her contract with that label expired, she left and found a new home with Gold Star in 2009.

Her next few singles garnered her a small, yet loyal fanbase, and it wasn’t until she released Good Day that she blew up and everyone started to learn her name and fall in love with her.

Gold Star capitalized on that, of course. They sent her on variety shows and pushed her on the public. Usually that would make people sick of someone, but the Korean general public loved it and their love for Eunhee grew and grew.

They forced her into taking on a supporting acting role in a drama in 2011, something she didn’t really want to do at first. Then she chose her own supporting acting role in 2013 and found out that she actually did like acting, not as much as singing, but enough for her to want to pick it up as a hobby when she had the free time and when she found a role that she connected with.

Eunhee was never really an outgoing or vivacious person. She was/is an introvert and likes to stay to herself. The only time she’s really outgoing or lively is when she’s onstage or when she’s acting (or when she’s drunk lol). She also has a horrible case of Resting Bitch Face, which doesn’t mesh well with an introvert. Some netizens began to push the narrative that she was a bitchy diva that was stuck up and thought she was better than everyone else, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Eunhee’s actually really, really sweet, she’s just quiet and shy and doesn’t speak much.

Some trainees and idols avoid her because they hear that she’s a stuck up bitch.

In 2015, she was caught up in a dating scandal. He was a fellow celebrity that she had met earlier on in her career and they became close friends. She went over to a dinner party at his apartment and ended up falling asleep there after one too many glasses of wine, and she left the next morning wearing the same clothes. Dispatch snapped pictures of him walking her to her car and the netizens had a field day. It almost completely ruined her because her fans, mostly her male fans, felt betrayed by her “relationships”, some even going so far as to burning her merchandise and photocards. It took a lot of damage control and an issued apology from Eunhee herself for it to blow over, but her reputation still took a huge hit. Netizens still try to push her as a promiscuous girl to this day, which she hates because not only does she not date often, she hasn’t even slept with anyone, so it’s a major lie. What hurt her the most was the fact that the guy got away with it unscathed.

Now that she’s over a decade into her career and she’s been at the top of the charts for over half of that time, she mostly has control over her music, which is why she doesn’t make releases often. She’s a perfectionist when it came to her art, and she only wants to release albums that she’s proud of because she wants the best for her fans (and because she doesn’t want to lose the public’s love and attention like she lost her parents’ love and attention when her brother came along.)

Fun Facts!!

She loves to cook and bake!! Let her fatten your muses up

She’s small (5′1″) although her official profile claims that she’s 5′3″

Don’t make fun of her height unless you want her to have a permanent frown saved just for you.

Out of the closet nerd. She loves anime and comics and all that good shit and she’s not afraid to admit it

A huuuuge supporter of the LGBTQA+ (as well as a member of it), and she often posts happy coming out day messages and stuff on social media

Can be lowkey crude, although it’s not really like?? outwardly crude. The type to make dirty jokes that people don’t pick up on as being dirty until a few seconds after the fact.

Seems emotionally constipated but she’s literally the most sensitive ass girl you’ll ever meet like wow she gotta keep a box of tissues on standby.

Bbibbi is her favorite song she’s written because it’s her polite way of telling netizens and the public to butt the fuck out of her private life.

#[ ooc. ]#fmdintro #[ // this is so long i'm so sorry guys ]#[ // i suck at getting to the point ]

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nuclearblastuk · 6 years

Photo

FIFTH ANGEL released their first album in nearly thirty years, 'The Third Secret', in autumn 2018. Before the quartet will perform at Germany's Metal Assault Festival (Würzburg) on February 16, they have launched a brand new lyric video for the track 'Stars Are Falling', the opening track of the aforementioned record. Watch now: https://youtu.be/1ssywrl5hgY "'Stars Are Falling' is a song that will probably have different meanings for different people," states Ken Mary. "Lyrically I don't want to get too specific as again, I believe different meanings will be found by different people and I don't want to ruin that for them. But the overall idea is that there is this race of life that we're all in...where we strive, we fight, we struggle, and we depend on the fact that the sun will rise and that tomorrow is going to be here one way or another. There's a time where that may not be the case; whether that's on a global level or on a personal level. So really it's a song to ponder some of the deeper meanings of life, actually. And with that, I believe I've said enough, lol!" But additionally, there's bad news from the band's camp too as guitarist Kendall Bechtel has left the band. In an official statement from FIFTH ANGEL, this change was clarified: "Kendall is a brother and will always be a part of the FIFTH ANGEL legacy. However, if we are going to be honest, he has chosen a path that has left the band, the fans, our label Nuclear Blast, and our promoters in a very difficult situation. He decided that rather than fulfil the commitments that were already in place, he would leave the band with short notice, making it very difficult for the band to find a suitable replacement."

Further, the band says, "After the success of 'The Third Secret' the timing is again difficult to understand. In an email to the band, Kendall Bechtel stated that the paths of FIFTH ANGEL and he were "incongruent" and that he wished the band well. We feel that Kendall's actions speak for themselves, but nonetheless, the band will be fulfilling its commitments. As a band, we feel we had success and made great albums before Kendall, and we hope to have the opportunity to continue doing so in the future as well." "In regards to the business at hand, filling in on guitar will be the incredible Ethan Brosh from ANGELS OF BABYLON. Also, we always intended on having an additional singer handle all of the material from the first two albums and a singer that sounds more like original vocalist Ted Pilot. The singer for Metal Assault will be Steven Carlson, another Seattle native now based in Phoenix, who will now cover vocal duties on the three new songs in the set from 'The Third Secret' album as well as the first two albums. It is our sincere desire to play the music of FIFTH ANGEL with as high a level of excellence as possible, as it is our goal to leave the fans with an amazing live experience. We will do our very best to make that a reality, and we look forward to seeing you all very soon!" Sincerely, FIFTH ANGEL

Ed Archer, John Macko, Ken Mary

'The Third Secret' entered the charts in Germany on #48 and in Switzerland on position #51 - which marks the first chart entries for the band ever.

'The Third Secret' also reached the #1 position on soundcheck reviews from Rock Hard, Rock It!, and Powermetal.de, and the #2 position on Deaf Forever and Metal.de.

'The Third Secret' is available in various formats, here: http://nblast.de/FATheThirdSecret

Listen to the songs in the Nuclear Blast Novelties Playlists: http://nblast.de/SpotifyNovelties / http://nblast.de/AppleMusicNovelties

'The Third Secret' - Track Listing:

01. Stars Are Falling

02. We Will Rise

03. Queen Of Thieves

04. Dust To Dust

05. Can You Hear Me

06. This Is War

07. Fatima

08. Third Secret

09. Shame On You

10. Hearts Of Stone

More on 'The Third Secret':

'Can You Hear Me' OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Nkjoai-GY

'The Third Secret' OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3119Fnjzgbg

Trailer #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrP5PiQ01BY

Trailer #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrYaDKSZRFk

Trailer #3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCM5cmfupNg

FIFTH ANGEL live 2019:

16.02. D Würzburg - Metal Assault

07. - 09.06. D Gelsenkirchen - Rock Hard Festival

www.fifthangel.com www.facebook.com/fifthangelofficial www.nuclearblast.de/fifthangel

#fifth angel #stars are falling #the third secret #nuclear blast #heavy metal

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fratboykate · 6 years

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I'm probably the only one but the kids are my favorite part of CFAU. I'm obsessed with all of them for different reasons. I hadn't heard of Lennon and Maisy before you started talking about the for Costia and Roa. That's when I started following them and stuff because I can't stop seeing them as the kids. Anyway the point of this is that I agree with you on Lennon's new music. It's so good. The second point of this was that because you've made me love them the La Di Da video hit me in the heart.

Ok like...wow so many things I that make me happy here. Let’s start with the fact that Geryon-Woods kid love is my favorite so bless you. I know I created them and I’m well aware they’re not real but when I tell you I’d take a bullet for each of them I mean it lol. I love those kiddos so much. It’s unreal.

My next point...I’ve been slammed at work today so I’ve just been hearing the album on repeat on spotify but haven’t been really been on Insta for longer than a literal second today so all I saw was that Lennon has huge billboards on the streets but I haven’t seen neither hers nor Maisy’s Stories. I got the YT notification that a new video was up but I just thought they uploaded the official audios or something but now that you said the “video” I was like OH SHIT and ran over.

Hear me out here because I almost fell off my chair. The reason Costia went to LA was to make music. While she was there her life was all about recording demos left and right with different producers, trying different sounds, working with different songwriters...the whole deal. She was really hustling because making music is all she wanted. That’s actually how she met August’s dad. He was a legendary producer for one of the biggest labels in the world and he actually thought she was amazing and had she not been an idiot who made Big Mistakes and hadn’t fallen for/slept with him he was probably her ticket to a successful career. He could’ve gotten her there but she just had to be her usual Hot Mess. Ok...I’m digressing. Point of this is that she had all this music laying around and Roa - as usual - was Fan #1. She could’ve started a fan club for Costia if she could’ve lol. So she knew all the words to every song and was super hype about all of them...even the objectively bad ones. They were all good to Roa. Ok...I’m digressing again. WHERE IM TRYING TO GO WITH THIS is that every time Roa went to visit Costia in LA on summer breaks or whatever Costia would play her all the new demos she hadn’t heard or they’d just jam to her favorite old demos and let me fucking tell you...the car rides when Roa was in LA looked fucking exactly like this fucking video so I’m over here like...

...pain. Feelings. Just look at this bullshit.

youtube

#i love them?????#like...so much....#and i mean both the real people and the characters #the amount of brain food im getting from all this content so blessed #i could write a 10000000k words chapter just because of this video alone #cfau #cfaut #Anonymous #KG Answers

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daggerzine · 3 years

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Never too late. Sorrows’ Arthur Alexander brings us up to speed.

Though NYC power pop band Sorrows began way back in 1980 (the year their debut LP, Teenage Heartbreak was released) my introduction to them was about a decade ago when the Bomp label released the Bad Times Good Times record. Ok, so I was three decades late, that’s ok. Arthur Alexander, Joey Cola, Ricky Street and Jett Harris made up Sorrows and these guys made the NYC scene, wowing crowds at CBGB’s. Max’s Kansas City and other NYC clubs. Fast forward to a few months ago when I read that the Big Stir label is reissuing Sorrows 2nd album, Love Too Late…..well, sort of. Arthur and the guys re-recorded it (with 3/4 of the original lineup…Luis Herrera replacing Jett on drums) and retitled it, Love Too Late……the real album. You can read all about the specifics below but this new version sounds fantastic! The songs are punchy, hooky and, well, just great songs. I tossed some questions Arthur’s way and he was more than happy to gimme the skinny. Read on, dear readers and do check out the “new” album (also check out Bomp’s Poppee’s compilation, Pop Goes the Anthology. Arthur and Jett’s pre-Sorrows band).

Old-school Sorrows

So going way back what happened to the original album Love Too Late?

Our well-received debut album “Teenage Heartbreak” under the belt, we were ready to record a follow-up. We were going to London to record it, got the legendary Shel Talmy (The Who, The Kinks, The Easybeats, etc.) to produce it and the world was ours for the taking.

Well, the stars were not exactly aligned the way we had hoped, and literally, right from the start.

First, after landing at Heathrow, Her Majesty’s Immigration Officials took exception to a bunch of guys in black leather jackets, hauling a music store worth of guitars and wanted to know what do they owe this pleasure to. “What do you mean?! Step aside, we’re here to record our masterpiece album!”, said the clueless foursome us. Turns out, in their infinite wisdom our record label didn’t even bother securing work visas for us, so our “Welcome to UK” passport stamps quickly turned into “Order to deport”. After long negotiations at the airport by yours truly, playing Henry Kissinger for a day, I managed to convince them to let us in, somehow, with a special short term tourist visa. Say bye-bye to any possible gigs while we’re here as well.

On the second (first?) day of recording Shel decided to replace Jett Harris, our drummer. Out went Jett, in came some studio hack with a feel for rock ‘n roll of a… studio hack. In all fairness, a nice enough chap, quick study and a proficient drummer, but played with the fire and intensity of a McDonald’s jingle session he probably just came from.

Right there, the heart of Sorrows was no longer beating.

In the ensuing days we discovered that we also no longer had three lead singers, but instead, Joey Cola became the “lead singer” of the band; a bunch of studio singers were singing all of our harmonies; our ferocious two-guitar onslaught was gone, drowning under the layers of synthesizers and the singing army of castratos.

When I heard the work in progress, I realized I basically had very limited options: fire Shel Talmy (or throw him down the stairs – plan B); shred the tape, or leave. Being a well-mannered idiot that I was I chose the latter. I packed my stuff, wrote Shel a note that I want nothing to do with this record, requesting that he erase all my guitar tracks (which of course he didn’t honor, no surprise there) and walked out of the studio, never to return.

After coming back to New York we were on an immediate collision course with the label. We told them this record is a total fake, we want nothing to do it and are going right back to being the band we are (were)… wait, or how about back to being the band they signed?

It didn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone, except for the label, that the record was a total stiff. The DJs didn’t want to play it and our fans, even though they liked the songs, knew instinctively this was not a “Sorrows record”.

LTL...the original album cover. Arthur says- “For what it’s worth, I always liked the cover. Maybe, subconsciously, I was desperately looking for something to like about this piece of shit with our name on it we were forced to live with.”

Did the band break up immediately afterward?

No, not immediately, but the writing was on the wall… Joey turned into a full-blown junkie, disappeared into a haze of drugs and alcohol and was fired from the band; a replacement was found, which the label would not accept; then Ricky left, another replacement…

Finally, I said ‘enough’ and dissolved the band.

What came next? Did you (and the other guys) keep writing/recording music?

Yes, I put my own studio together and immersed myself in working on my own stuff and producing other artists; Joey… who knows what he did, I’m just glad he eventually reemeged from the land of the dead, is thriving and back to making music again; Ricky played with a couple of other bands, and Jett too, before retiring from the business altogether.

Had you been in touch with the other guys the whole time or not?

On and off, absolutely. There’s no “bad blood” between us, just life taking its course and the fact that I moved to Los Angeles so we are now bi-coastal, the rest of the guys still live in New York/New Jersey area. And of course we would get together for the sessions in the process of working on this release.

The Bomp comp (Per Arthur- “essentially, a re-release of “Teenage Heartbreak”, with bonus tracks and vastly improved mixes”)

Was there a legal issue with being able to record the songs again (did a label own the rights)?

Yes. like with so many other bands, we signed our lives away. Musically speaking, they owned us lock, stock and barrel. It took years and years of negotiating with CBS, then SONY, all of it going nowhere. It wasn’t until the Orphan Works Act was passed by the US Congress in 2011 that allowed us to reclaim the rights to our songs and recording masters.

At what point did you decide to re-record the songs?

As I like to say, I made that decision the first week of our London sessions with Shel Talmy, after I walked out of there and never came back. I didn’t know how or when. I just knew I was not going to allow this piece of fake crap with our name on it to be our legacy for this record. They decided to fuck with the wrong guy. It just took 40 years to get it done, but who’s counting?!

How did drummer Luis Herrera come into the picture? He’s excellent!

When in 2011 “Bad Times Good Times” album was released by Bomp! Records (essentially a re-release of “Teenage Hertbreak”, only way better sounding!) we started touring to support the album. Since Jett was out of the picture we needed a new drummer. On one of my nights out to LA clubs I spotted Luis playing with his band at the time. Couldn’t take my eyes off of him… and the rest, as they say, is history. Luis is also a part of my Arthur Alexander Band here in LA and played on both of my solo records, “One Bar Left” which came out in 2018 and the new one I’m finishing right now, coming out soon.

How was the first rehearsal?

Amazing. It was just the three of us, Luis, Robbie Rist on bass and me. Joey was about to fly into LA to join us. We started running through the songs and from the first downbeat it felt like a jet taking off… uplifting!

How was it to work with Robbie Rist?

Excruciating and orgasmic, all at the same time!… I hate that guy! He makes me feel so woefully inadequate! Kidding aside, I love this guy! Robbie is a true child prodigy, an amazing drummer, guitarist, singer, you name it. I don’t think there’s anything this guy can’t do. But he does like to march to his own drum machine and that can be problematic at times. Other than the times when I’m chasing after him with a meat cleaver?... a total joy to work with! lol

How did contact with Big Stir Records come about?

It was really “organic”… They were holding a series of monthly Big Stir concerts and invited my Arthur Alexander Band to partake. It went from there. I got to know them not only as fellow musicians but also as people. When the time came to look for a label for “Love Too Late… the real album”, it was a no-brainer. The label profile was tailor-made for the kind of music Sorrows do, and even more important, they were the kind of people whose circle I wanted to be a part of. Heart and soul, no bullshit – that’s the only thing I have room for at this point in my life.

LTL...the new version

Who are some of your favorite current artists?

Not much to speak of on the national/international scene, I really can’t think of any. On a local LA scene Pat Todd and The Rankoutsiders. Great fucking band, these guys should be playing stadiums, not LA dives!

Will there be more recording? Any live shows?

Funny you should ask!... After coming back from that Shel Talmy London cluster fuck, we were soooo totally disheartened, deflated, feeling beaten and betrayed.

There ain’t no cure for rock & roll blues better than some balls-to-the-wall rock ‘n’ roll, the Sorrows way!

We reconnected with Mark Milchman, one of the producers on “Teenage Heartbreak; reconvened at Mediasound Studio in New York where we recorded “Teenage Heartbreak”; set up mics, our amps and drums and in the course of one night ripped through an album’s worth of material. And that’s the next Sorrows album you’re gonna hear!

Live shows?... ummm…waiting for the anti-vaxxer assholes to get a clue or die. I have no appetite for going to a club to play a show, get 2 drink tickets, a few bucks and Covid as an extra bonus.

Arthur giving the one finger salute.

www.bigstirrecords.com

www.bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com

www.bompstore.com

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rockrevoltmagazine · 3 years

Text

IBOTW: LENNE

Introducing LENNE, the new project with Jim Taylor, Morgan Rose, and Lenny Cerzosie Jr.

NEW SINGLE “Letting You Down” OUT NOW via IMAGEN RECORDS can be downloaded/streamed at

https://songwhip.com/lenne/letting-you-down

Back in the early 2000’s, Leonard Cerzosie Jr. started a band with his brother called The Infinite Staircase that did very well as an independent band. the band worked with artists like Earl Slick from David Bowie’s band, Candlebox, Sevendust, and even Zakk Wylde. In 2009, they scored a slot on tour with Black Label Society, Sevendust, and Dope that sealed a lot of friendships they still have to this day.

“In 2010, the love of my life passed away suddenly. Pill overdose. It was a devastating time. She was only 27. Morgan Rose and I wrote and recorded the EP, No Amends that was a dedication to my love” says Leonard Cerzosie Jr.

He continues, “Over the years, I’ve had my hand in multiple projects. I formed “Le Projet” around 2013 that featured members of Candlebox, Sevendust, and The Infinite Staircase. I also joined the Baltimore band “The Mayan Factor” a few years ago and have toured with them in Mexico City and the states. During all this, my mother was diagnosed with ALS. One day- after performing a friend insisted on introducing me to someone. He was confident we needed to meet. That was the day I met Jim Taylor. We did get along immediately and have since been composing all sorts of music together.”

“When my mother passed away, Morgan got very involved with what was going on with me and my dad. He invited us out to his place in Atlanta multiple times. We started recording songs with Corey Lowery that would ultimately become “LeNNe”. We spent much time digging deep for the right lyrics and tones. There were multiple artists involved over the course of a few years, but the official line up is me and Jim led by Morgan” he adds.

“Lenne is one of the most real artists I’ve ever come across. He wears his heart on sleeve, and expresses vulnerability that hits you in the heart. I love how he tells a story. These songs are an emotional roller coaster into the mind of a tortured soul” says Morgan Rose.

“We are very excited to have Lenne on the Imagen Records roster. I can’t wait for everyone to hear the music” says Bob Winegard, President of Imagen Records.

“Letting You Down” is the first single to be released. The song features Leonard Cerzosie Jr., Morgan Rose, Jim Taylor, and Corey Lowery.

Why did you pick your band name?

Lenny: It kind of picked itself. We had various musicians record with us. The only constants were me, Jim, and Morgan. So, a name for the project never seemed that urgent until Imagen was interested. We were writing very personal stuff & had no gimmick. Just naked. So, Morgan felt we should just call it “Lenny”. Plain and simple. We decided to change the spelling to differentiate from other artists like Lenny Kravitz, among other reasons.

Anything you would like to share, from new merch to upcoming shows/tours or songs/albums?

Lenny: “Letting You Down” is just one of 5 singles we’re going to release over the next few months. Hopefully, we’ll release a full album after that. If a touring opportunity comes up this year, we’ll definitely jump on it.

How do you describe your music to people?

Jimmy: Big melodious heavy hooks with an ambient soundscape.

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Jimmy: Adapt depending on the situation but DON’T STOP altogether!

Lenny: Pretend it didn’t happen. Laugh about it later. Learn from it for next time.

Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition? What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?

Jimmy: ALWAYS!!! Take a step back, breathe, then give it hell!!

Lenny: Nervous every single time. Best advice is to be prepared. Practice. Know your material so well you can play it without thinking. It’ll give you confidence on stage.

What type of recording process did you use? Who produced your recording?

Jimmy: We started recording these in Corey Lowery’s studio in Georgia, then headed to Jose Urquiza in Illinois for additional overdubs and vocals.

Lenny: The songs themselves didn’t have much pre-production. We did most of the writing “in studio” and recorded as we went. Morgan is credited as producer. His brain is a wild place.

How often and for how long do you practice? What do you practice – exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?

Jimmy: It depends but it’s generally a couple hours a day and I tend to switch it up between keys, mando, or guitar. I have books I’ve used over the years with music theory and scales. I’ve also been developing odd patterns and repetitious exercises for practicing. A HUGE one for me is playing alongside Youtube playlists or our own mp3s and finding something different each time. Lenny: My practice habits depend on if I’m in home mode or show mode. If there are shows lined up, I strictly practice the material I’ll be performing. In downtime, I like fingerpicking classical acoustic stuff or running modes on the electric. Jim and I always say you should touch your instrument at least once a day. Pun intended.

How does music affect you and the world around you?

Jimmy: Simply put,I cannot live without it.

Lenny: It’s been such an important part of my life for so long. I can’t even imagine not having it to escape to.

How did you form?

Lenny: Introduced by a friend. Invited to Atlanta by another friend. Studio chemistry with a new friend. It was a few years of this particular group just getting together every so often to record music. It became a thing. There was a natural vibe. Sometimes a bit dark but always honest.

Which instruments do you play?

Jimmy: I do my best at keys, mandolin and guitar and typically weird stringed instruments haha

Lenny: I’m just a guitar player. I’m only a singer in the rock world. lol

Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

Jimmy: We jam from the gut and then take the pieces that fit for a particular song we jam out and Len constructs his vocals around that. The riffs that we cut away we throw to something else! Morgan has this way of not only his insanely brilliant drum patterns but these hooks and melodies that grab ya! It’s wonderful!

Lenny: Inspiration for songs typically come from life events. It can start as a lyric or a chord or riff. We usually hit the studio with some idea or maybe a set of lyrics. Everyone does it differently but with this particular project the songs are molded as they’re recorded.

Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD’s?

Jimmy: Metallica, The Chieftains, movie composers like Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, Max Steiner, Junkie XL, Dire Straits, Floyd, In Flames

Lenny: Sabbath, GnR, Floyd, Tool, Alice in Chains, Pantera, BLS.. I really dig Blues Saraceno & Richie Kotzen, too. My guilty pleasure is Sarah Brightman. Ha!

Connect with Lenne (click icons):

IBOTW: LENNE was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

#Corey Lowery #Jim Taylor #Lenne #Leonard Cerzosie Jr.#Morgan Rose #RockRevolt Magazine

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fameinhistory · 4 years

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Naira Marley

Naira Marley biography Naira Marley, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is known as the president of his controversial fan base, "Marlians". Background information Full Name: Azeez Fashola Born: 9 May 1994 Birth place: Agege, Lagos State, Nigeria Famous as: Singer, Songwriter Genres: Afrobeats, hip hop Albums: Lord of Lamba, Gotta Dance EP Record labels: Cash Ellz Entz, MOVES Recordings Nominations: City People Music Award for Music Artist of the Year Instruments: Vocals Years active: 2014–present Labels: Marlian Records Religion: Muslim

Early childhood and educational career Naira Marley was born in Agege, Lagos State, Nigeria. At the age of 11, he moved to Peckham, South London, England. He studied at Porlock Hall before attending Walworth School, where he obtained his General Certificate of Secondary Education. Naira Marley graduated with a distinction in business from Peckham Academy. He also studied business law at Crossways College (now Christ the King Sixth Form College). Also Read About: Sade Adu

Music career Naira Marley had plans of becoming an MC and voice-over artist while growing up. He began singing in 2014 after discovering his passion for music and was encouraged by close-knit friends to pursue music. He released the Max Twigz-assisted track "Marry Juana" before releasing his debut EP Gotta Dance in 2015. In December 2017, he released the Olamide and Lil Kesh-assisted single "Issa Goal"; it became the theme song for the Nigeria national football team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The official remix of "Issa Goal" was released on 16 June 2018; it was sponsored by Coca-Cola and features vocals by Olamide, Lil Kesh, Falz, Simi and Slimcase. On 3 May 2019, Naira Marley released "Am I A Yahoo Boy", featuring Zlatan, and was arrested by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) afterwards.

On 27 June 2019, he released "Soapy", just days after he was released from prison. On 11 January 2020, "Soapy" earned him his first major award as a singer, winning "Viewers' Choice" award at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards. On 18 December 2019, Naira Marley released his second EP Lord of Lamba LOL encompasses Afrobeats and hip-hop. The EP which is a 6-track project features guest appearances from Cblvck, Young John and Mayorkun. It's production was handled by Killertunes, Rexxie and Studio Magic.

Style of music Naira Marley sings in English, Pidgin and Yoruba; his music is a blend of Afrobeats and hip-hop. He derived his stage name from Jamaican singer Bob Marley, whom he admires; his dreadlocks is also a tribute to the singer.

Marlian Records During the "Marlian Fest" which was held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos on 30 December 2019, Naira Marley announced his new record label "Marlian Records" with the signing of four artists, Cblvck, Zinoleesky, MohBad and Fabian Blu. Also Read About: Foluke Daramola

Arrest by EFCC On 10 May 2019, Naira Marley was arrested by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alongside his friends, Zlatan, Tiamiu Abdulrahman Kayode, Adewunmi Adeyanju Moses and Abubakar Musa. The arrest was made a day after he released the video to his controversial song "Am I A Yahoo Boy". On 15 May 2019, Zlatan and three others were released on administrative bail, leaving only Naira Marley in the EFCC custody, because of overwhelming evidence against him. On 16 May 2019, EFCC filed 11 charges against Naira Marley before Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, bordering on internet fraud and cyber crime, the 11 counts carry a potential sentence of seven years in jail if he is found guilty. On 19 May 2019 while still in prison, he released a song "4 Nights In Ekohtiebo", in the track, he talks about his industry friends, foes and other people who have showed him love and also hated him while he was away.

On 20 May 2019, he was arraigned before the Lagos court and pleaded "not guilty", a bail hearing was set for 30 May 2019. On 30 May 2019, Naira Marley released a song "Why", accompanied by an image of him in handcuffs, in the track, he talks about why people always makes him the major player of any controversial incident, he also talks about the betrayal of trust, deceit and pretence from his friends. Later that day, he was granted bail in the sum of ₦2,000,000 and the case was adjourned till 22 October 2019 for commencement of trial. On 14 June 2019, he was released from EFCC custody after perfecting his bail conditions, barely 14 days after being granted bail. On 22 and 23 October 2019, he returned to the Lagos court to face his charges. On 12 December 2019, his case was again heard and was subsequently adjourned to 27 February 2020, after an EFCC witness testified against him.

Family and personal life Naira Marley is married to two wives and has four children. Reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naira_Marley Read the full article

#AzeezFashola #marlians #NairaMarley

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allthingsfuckingconsidered-blog · 5 years

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Scorpion / One Year Later

To say that Drake has captured mainstream media attention to heights that only dreams are made of is an understatement. Born Aubrey Graham to Dennis and Sandra Graham in Ontario Drake’s musical roots can be traced directly to his paternal lineage. It was while performing at Club Bluenote in Toronto that Dennis and Sandi first met. Flash forward to 2018 Drake is one of the worlds biggest stars and anytime he decides to release new music he moves the needle and stops hip hop and sub genres promptly in their tracks. January 19, 2018 “Scary Hours” the EP was released to digital platforms confirming what many of us had assumed from photos of him in the studio on his instagram page @champagnepapi that Drake had new music to soon share with the world. At the stroke of midnight we received two new records “God’s Plan” a light hearted song that would end up charting and earn him his fourth Grammy the following year. Also on the EP was “Diplomatic Immunity” which was straight bars, no hook. Drake addressed his rumored quick relationship with Jennifer Lopez as well as his light beef with former rapper turned podcast giant Joe Budden. The video for God’s Plan took off and was one of the years most viewed videos on YouTube it unfortunately drew the ire of some who felt it was all a publicity stunt namely Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97 (click here) . Skip to April and Drake releases “Nice For What” a ladies anthem with a New Orleans bounce to it with a video featuring some of Hollywood’s leading ladies (Tracie Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Tiffany Haddish, Zoe Saldana and Tara Shahidi to name a few. It was officially Drake SZN. Shortly thereafter via instagram tons of celebrities started posting pictures of satin jackets with the title Scorpion on the back and we had our album title. Now this story is very much Drake’s but there are so many moving parts we must address to understand the final version of Scorpion that we received on June 29th. Good Music headed by Kanye West which features Drake’s current number one nemesis and Bar Gawd Pusha T were also slated to release a plethora of music during the month of June. The first shot fired (double entendres) from the G.O.O.D. camp happened to come from Terrence Thornton aka King Push. “It was written like Nas but it came from Quentin” from the song Infrared a direct reference to Drake’s alleged ghostwriter Quentin Miller who was credited as a writer on 4 of the standard version of the albums 17 songs (19 total on the physical cd release). Now remember Meek throwing the ghostwriter allegation out and DJ Drama’s ex wife exposing him as the leak for the reference tracks do to her alimony payment not arriving in her bank account on time put serious chinks in Drizzy’s armor he had no choice but to step up and go toe to toe with Meek. In the end Drake came out victorious in his war with Meek but there was an underlying beef that was still lying in the weeds. Drake and Push have been trading barbs since Pusha released “Exodus 23:1″ on May 23rd 2012. Drake sent subs and some direct shots Pusha’s way after a botched performance with 2 Chainz that didn’t go over too well Drake brought out Titty Boi and stated “that’s how the fuck you bring 2 Chainz out!” also then giving the crowd an inpromptu freestyle “If you was doin' 16s when I was 16, and your shit flopped and you switched teams, don' t talk to me, my nigga!” Ouch, well let’s do the math Drake was born October of 1986 which means he would’ve been 16 in the year 2002 August of that year the debut album by Virginia brothers and rhyme duo The Clipse “Lord Willin” was released featuring arguably one of the most infectious beats in hip hop history (click here). Yes the same group that featured Pusha T and his older brother Malice who eventually gave his life to the Lord and now is an ordained minister that goes by No Malice. The duo was under the label Star Trak which is headed by super producers The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) who happened to be old neighborhood friends of the Thornton brothers. So if we are paying attention Drake was 16 when Lord Willin was released. Pusha would eventually end up on G.O.O.D. Music sometime between 2009 or 2010 the dates still aren't clear. So in this freestyle without saying his name it was a direct shot at King Push not bad for a former child actor from Canada right? (Don’t sleep Degrassi is a good fucking show! you can watch it here) Ok back to current times sorry I got a bit carried away. I was in the shower with Pusha’s “Daytona” album playing on my beats pill when I heard the shot thrown at Drake also keep in mind the song that directly precedes “Infrared” on the album is titled “What Would Meek Do?” I swear to you this stuff can’t be made up. I remember getting out the shower drying off, getting dressed for a doctor’s appointment thanks to my employer (bleh). I remember texting my cousin asking did you listen to the Pusha album and did you hear that direct fucking dart he sent towards Drake. We both were under the belief that there was no way he could tip toe around the situation he had to come right for him say his name or give direct references. I’m sure we’ve all heard “Two Birds, One Stone” where Drake threw subtle jabs at Pusha but nothing direct funny thing is Kid Cudi caught the most direct shot “you were the man on the moon now you just go through your phases” which of course are direct innuendos to the title of Cudi’s debut album and his struggles with mental health. But his El Chapo bar as nice as it was within the cadence just didn’t hit like the Cudi bar did. Now keep in mind if you’ve been following all of this in real time on your own time you would’ve heard two responses from Pusha about “Two Birds, One Stone”. His first stance was “he aint talking about me” Pusha would later recant this statement by saying that “Infrared” was a response to Drake throwing the shot on “Two Birds, One Stone”. Wait what? Yes rappers are walking, talking, living, breathing contradictions. So here we go back to May 25th 2018 the release date for Daytona. I had gotten back from my doctor’s appointment was scrolling my twitter timeline to find out The Boy had dropped a new song on Soundcloud “Duppy Freestyle” which is by far my favorite Drake diss of his career. Truth be told I have to admit I can’t really consider this a full diss to Pusha because there was not really anything Drake said that was detrimental to Push most of the heavy lifting came at the expense of Kanye who Drake felt had played him. Drake had arrived in Montana to help Kanye work on his album that would follow Daytona a week later. Drake’s right hand man and OVO Sound in house producer and basically the man responsible for Drake’s sound OVO 40 showed up a day early and told Drake the energy was off. Per Drake’s telling of the events on HBO’s “The Shop” produced by LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter; Kanye convinced Drake to tell him the release date of his album Drake also shared some very personal details about having recently learned he had a son by former adult film star Sophie Brussaux . Now for myself I had heard this rumor on the podcast “The Read” cohosted by Kid Fury and Crissle West as early as May of 2017. It wasn’t the first time Drake had been accused of fathering a child but this would be the first time his camp didn’t vehemently deny the allegations (where there’s smoke, there’s fire). Fast forward March 2018 a night that gamers will remember as the night Drake, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Juju Smith Schuster played Fortnite on Twitch and set a streaming record. It was during a break in the live stream that Drake had found out via results of a DNA test that was indeed a father. Ok so this information found it’s way to the ear of Terrence Thornton aka Pusha T, remember where I referenced above that DJ Drama’s wife spilled the beans on Drake’s reference tracks yes pillow talk is a dangerous game guys but we will cover that a bit later. So Duppy is out and twitter is going crazy as a fan of hip hop and being the chief reason for the song Pusha T heard and it asked Drake to send the invoice over he referenced at the end of the song. Ok so we wait........ for a response that is, but in the interim we got “I’m Upset’. Keep in mind it’s Memorial Day weekend and we all kept refreshing and in my mind I said to myself Pusha is going to respond after we’ve all had our barbecue and are getting ready to return to work and then...... nothing or so we thought. Leaving work Tuesday I was sent a link “The Story of Adidon” wait what? Pillow talking ladies and gentleman, pillow talking Pusha shot back at Drake and brought baby Adonis into the war as well as Dennis and Sandi. Y’all remember the face y’all made while listening? I do lol! So Drake went quiet, we knew Scorpion was coming June 29th. But what were we getting? Drake poked his head out to respond to the artwork for Pusha’s response via his iOS notepad and that was it save for him pressing the emergency button. Wednesday June 13th Drake gathered his Degrassi : The New Generation alumni together on their old stomping grounds for the video to “I’m Upset” Remember how I referenced Degrassi earlier in this piece? Ding ding this was the video that made me sit in front of the tv for hours watching old episodes. Drake had survived the coup de grace from Pusha with some help from his adolescent friends just remember whatever it takes, I know I can make it through! So the two weeks before the album’s release promotion kicks into high gear billboards with lyrics from the forthcoming album also a billboard that referenced “A Side” and “B Side”. If you remember the promotion leading up to the album Views the artwork for the singles, Pop Style and One Dance were similar one in white cursive script on a black background the other in black cursive script on a white background had people thinking Views would be a double album some went as far as to say there was a white disc and a black disc. Contrary to these thoughts Views was one succinct album though it featured 20 songs they were all part of a single composition, interestingly enough Views is the album that initiated the rift between Drake and Joe Budden but nonetheless let’s continue shall we? Mal of the Joe Budden podcast dropped the info that Scorpion would in fact be a double album with “A Side” being the more aggressive rap offering whereas “B Side” would be more of Drakes more melodic records. As I refreshed and refreshed OVO 40′s instagram for more info all we could do is wait. Eventually we got the album artwork which is very basic if we are being completely honest but its honest just a black and white headshot of Drake with his signature and the word Scorpion which I would assume is in his own handwriting. Thursday June 28th the track list was revealed and hours later the features - Jay Z, , Ty Dolla $ign, the late great Static Major and the late iconic Michael Jackson (current social climate notwithstanding) also included concert audio from his Young Money family Nicki Minaj, the City Girls, Lil Wayne audio and an instagram clip of Plies. The trackless resulted in one of the funniest tweets about Michael Jackson considering the fact that the Jackson family patriarch Joseph Jackson had just passed away earlier that week. “How’d Drake get Mike on his album......Joe Jackson died got to heaven and told Mike to get back to work”

And then 11 PM CST came which meant it was 12 AM EST I went directly to Tidal on my iPad and Apple Music on my phone to refresh and there it was Drakes double album Scorpion. His power move all of hip hops true legends have done the double disc Jay - Z “The Blueprint 2″, Tupac “All Eyez On Me” , Nas “Streets Disciple”, The Notorious B.I.G. “Life After Death” , Wu-Tang Clan “Wu-Tang Forever” Clearly the precedent was set in order to consider himself among the greats Drake felt a double disc was necessary hell even his one time nemesis Chris Brown had give us a double disc worth of content albeit in the streaming era it actually broke down to 3 albums worth of content but schematics.

I HATE WHEN DRAKE RAPS

DRAKE SINGS TOO MUCH

DRAKE IS A POP ARTIST

DRAKE DOESN’T EVEN WRITE HIS OWN SONGS

DRAKE TOOK AN L

DRAKE DIDN’T START FROM THE BOTTOM

DRAKE IS FINISHED

I LIKE DRAKE’S OLDER STUFF

DRAKE MAKES MUSIC FOR GIRLS

DRAKE THINKS HE’S JAMAICAN

DRAKE IS AN ACTOR

DRAKE CHANGED

ANBODY ELSE > DRAKE......

YEAH YEAH WE KNOW

the aforementioned excerpt comes directly from the iTunes / Apple Music page for Scorpion. Clearly Aubrey and his camp are well aware of the pundits and their feelings toward Drake and everything he represents. Having said all of that let’s talk about the music side A opens with Survival in which Drake references his previous issues with Meek Mill and Diddy “I’ve had real Philly niggas try to write my ending” “I’ve had scuffles with Bad Boys” I’ve always said Drake’s biggest strength is being able to live in his own truth and Survival is just another track where he excels at this. The album then goes up a notch where Drake and Taykeith meet again for one of my favorite songs on the project that is still in my heavy rotation to this day “Nonstop” is as self explanatory as you can get the crazy thing is per Drake this wasn’t on the original iteration of the album it was his feud with Pusha T the month before that birthed this and other songs on the album such as the commercial standout of the album that is found on the album’s B Side “In My Feelings”. Drake told LeBron and Maverick that in the wake of his back and forth with Terrence he got back in the studio and used the energy to create these songs. Elevate the albums third song is still a skip for me but it’s the albums 4th track “Emotionless” where Drake finally decides to allow us into his personal life on a deeper level when first referencing his son Adonis “I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world, I was hiding the world from my kid” The Mariah Carey sample that 40 flipped is masterful and it serves as the perfect canvas for this moment. Emotionless is followed by the albums second single and God’s Plan which originally appeared on January’s “Scary Hours” EP. After these we get Drake’s routine hookup with Boi-1da “8 out of 10″ which features the Plies vocals from IG (word to Plies please bring back “Sweet Pwussy Satday). I would be remised if I didn’t express that this is where A Side takes a dip to me with “Mob Ties” and “Can’t Take a Joke” neither song has grown on me a year later still they don’t grab my attention. Sandra’s Rose a dedication to Drake’s mother is where the first volume picks back up for a fantastic crescendo. Finally Drake get’s to rap over a Preemo beat which he had been campaigning for since the early days of Take Care, if this is the end result I’d love to hear what other instrumentals Preme cooked up for The Boy the collaboration had been in talks since the pre production days of Take Care which is widely viewed as Drake’s opus. “Talk Up” is the next song up with a gritty Memphis 808 supplied by Three Six Mafia alum DJ Paul which also has a verse from the Brooklyn God Sir Shawn Corey of Carter aka Jay Z. Honestly listen to this song and tune the vocals out just listen to the 808 kick in the background masterful very reminiscent of early Three Six Mafia / Tear The Club Up Thugs real Memphis shit. One very important moment of note surrounding this track is Jay’s verse music now lives in real time because of the advent of the internet a verse can be recorded emailed and mixed then released in half a days time thanks to the internet. Jay recorded this verse within weeks of the release of the album and you can tell by his bar “y’all killed X let Zimmerman live, streets is done” Xxxtentacion was murdered in Florida June 18th 2018, his funeral service was June 28th 2018 the day before Scorpion was released. The first part of the album finishes with “Is There More” which features a sample of “More Than A Woman” by the late Aaliyah. On any standard Drake release this would serve as the conclusion to the album but on Scorpion it only closes out the album’s first half. Post intermission Scorpion opens with “Peak” which couldn’t be more of a 40 creation if it tried. This is Drake in his bag the Drake everyone came to know and love on So Far Gone (now available on all streaming platforms). Honestly most of the content on the B Side much like it’s A Side counterpart could’ve been left on the cutting room floor the standout from this side is definitely the Ty Dolla $ign assisted “Jaded” If you haven’t put this song on repeat and slipped into one of those moments Drake is so masterful at crafting then I question if you are even living. Finesse is another powerful moment but other songs like Ratchet Happy Birthday feel completely out of place here. The commercial standout “In My Feelings” was created out of complete happenstance if memory serves me correct and it initially wasn’t going to be a single for the album but Shiggy’s dance craze was a moment that Drake and his camp just had to capitalize on. Blue Tint is another song that feels lost on this particular side of the album not that it fits the A Side either which suggest that maybe Drake and Future leave this in the vault for “What A Time To Be Alive 2″ which is coming at some point. The other songs like “That’s How You Feel” which features tour banter from Nicki Minaj and her DJ is a great song I often wonder though would the song sound more cohesive if you removed the Nicki vocals and add a hook sung by Drake or someone else. The album eventually builds to Final Fantasy which I assume would absolutely have some sort of a reference to the Squaresoft turned Square Enix video game franchise and the March 14th in which Drake closes the album having a conversation with himself that he hopes his son will discover as he is older and understand. Though March 14th officially closes the album it is the closing of Is There More that gives us a glimpse into Drake’s future “soon as the album drop I’m outta the deal”. Many had speculated when Drake’s deal with Young Money/Cash Money would cease to exist even going as far back as If You’re Reading This It’s too Late some thinking the title was a nod to Drake’s original contract coming to an end. As of late Drake has released new music to celebrate the Toronto Raptors first NBA Championship the music is licensed to Frozen Moments LLC under exclusive license to Republic Records a division of UMG Recordings. Drake is apparently prepping another full length project which was teased for the end of 2018 by Young Money president Mack Maine. Oh yea remember earlier where I kept telling you guys how bad pillow talk was. Drake months after Scorpion was released appeared on The Shop with LeBron and Maverick and insinuated it was Kanye who told Pusha about Drake having a son. Days after the episode aired on HBO Pusha T reached out to Joe Budden of all people to appear on his podcast finally revealing that it was Drake’s producer, business partner and friend Noah “OVO 40″ (click here) who had been involved with a woman who had loose ties to people close to Pusha T. For sometime 40 had been complaining to this woman about his positioning within the business end of things and how he apparently didn’t think he was being compensated fairly. Noah also disclosed information about Drake and others flying to meet Adonis and to bring him gifts. There has been no word from Drake’s camp on these allegations or the fact that Drake offered money to people around Pusha T for information about his personal life. There was also the fact that Rap A Lot Records founder J Prince that Drake had indeed recorded a response to the story of Adidon but it would’ve potentially been damaging for Pusha T and Kanye. If hip hop history has taught us anything at some point if this is true the hard drive holding those files will come up missing and that song will leak if it in fact exists. So here we are a full year later and what have we learned well Drake is as teflon as teflon can get had any other rapper experienced what he did in the lead up to Scorpion it could’ve had long last effects. Ja Rule was one of if not the most played artist on terrestrial radio until 50 Cent started throwing jabs at him on wax next thing you know everyone was screaming G-G-G-G Unit and Ja was an afterthought. Drake weathered the storm by staying the course sticking to what he does best and and then jumping on one of the hottest songs of summer 2018 “Sicko Mode”. Pusha T came back to cause a ruckus among the OVO camp because quote “that narrative has to die, Kanye didn’t tell me anything it was 40!” Yet Drake remained unbothered he went across the nation on his Aubrey and the 3 Amigos tour squashed long standing beefs with rivals Meek Mill and Chris Brown. Patched things up with his son’s mother and came to some sort of a cordial understanding and then toured the UK. In the middle of all of this he told us he had a new album coming, gave Nick Nurse the head coach of the Toronto Raptors a shoulder massage during an NBA Playoff game. Drake partied and celebrated the Raptors title as if he suited up and played actual minutes and then took a million pics with the Larry O’Brien trophy with his friends no less. The question I pose for you will the music on Scoprion stand the test of time? Take Care still sounds as good today as it did in November of 2011. I admit I like Scorpion but I don’t love the album I have my own condensed version of the album where I’ve removed the filler songs in favor of the standouts in my opinion. I invite you all as readers to revisit Scorpion this weekend and give it a grade based on its replay value, how it holds up today and if you really love/like the album or if you were a prisoner of the moment.

#aubrey graham #drake #dizzy drake #scorpion #ovo sound #young money entertainment #cash money records #republic records #universal music group #canada #toronto

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thotyssey · 7 years

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On Point With: Blake McIver

Beginning his career as a child star with memorable roles in “Full House” and “The Little Rascals” reboot, this actor / writer / producer / director / singer / songwriter / ex-gogo boy has definitely sashayed his way into our hearts and minds. New Yorkers can enjoy a pair of performances from him this week at the Laurie Beechman Theatre: first covering a legend’s songbook in a solo show, then as a supporting player of a drag queen’s showcase that he’s directed. It’s the charming and talented Blake McIver Ewing!

Thotyssey: Hi Blake, thanks for talking to us! So, are you mad busy now with rehearsals and finishing touches on your two shows (Blake Sings Barbra and I Dream of Jackie), or are you comfortable with what you have down now for both of them?

Blake McIver: Well, I am admittedly a rehearsal addict, but I had to come back to LA for another show. So, we'll do a couple quick clean-ups before next weekend!

You've certainly been performing for nearly all of your life... have producing, writing and directing always been part of the equation as well? I've actually been directing for over a decade! I started a theatre company in Southern California at 19, and cut my teeth as a producing major during my time at UCLA. Writing came shortly thereafter, first with songwriting, and then it expanded from there! So are you pretty much open to a variety of projects, or do you have a pretty specific wheelhouse? I like wearing many different hats. It keeps my passion alive, and keeps me learning and constantly refining my skill set.

Are you still basically based out of California? I am still based out of LA. As much as I love my time in NYC, the West Coast is always home. I was born and raised in the heart of LA, which is very rare. I consider myself a unicorn, haha!

Unicorn indeed! You've had a long and amazing career as an actor, beginning with some choice gigs as a child star... including Derek from Full House, Michelle's adorable friend who slayed “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in his debut episode! When you're that young and that famous/successful, can you even fully understand what is going on... or is it just normal because that's all you know?

For me, it was just going into the family business at a young age. Both my parents have lifelong careers in entertainment, which meant that many of their friends were in the business as well. I went to regular school, with non-working kids in between gigs, so I was aware that my life wasn't exactly typical. But I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Nor would your fans! I understand Derek was meant to be a one-time-only appearance, but that evolved into a beloved recurring role for several seasons.

You're right! Derek was supposed to be a one episode thing, that turned out to be three seasons of the show until it ended. It was a joy to be on that set every single time. It really was a cohesive family by the time I entered the cast, and they all made me feel right at home.

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One fun part of Fuller House is seeing many of these supporting characters and their actors from the original show return as adults for cute cameos. It would be difficult without the Olsen Twins on board for this version, but would Derek stop by Fuller House if it were up to you?

YES! If it were up to me, Derek would definitely be the flamboyant show choir director at the School of the "new generation" kids! Have you noticed the show is so gay now? DJ and Stephanie are hitting on gay guys, and Kimmy's ex-husband is basically the New Trade. It's wonderful! Haha! That's awesome to hear. I have to be totally honest and tell you I haven't actually watched any of the reboot past the first episode! I know, sacrilegious! There's just only so many hours in the day, and I have so many Real Housewives franchises to keep up with! But I'm so glad people are loving it, and I hope it goes on and on.

Speaking of Housewives, you made appearances on a Bravo show a few years ago, "The People's Couch!" What was that experience like?

Well I have to say, when they pitched the show to us I thought, "Okay, we've officially reached the end of entertainment! You're making a show about people watching other shows on TV." Of course I hadn't yet seen the brilliant original British version, Gogglebox. And then when I saw the rough cut of the pilot, I was blown away with how fresh and funny it was.

We really had the opportunity to engage in social commentary in a way I couldn't have predicted. Of course there was plenty of silliness along the way, but we did get to talk about some real issues on Bravo primetime, which I'm proud of.

Your album The Time Manipulator was such a diverse collection of songs and styles.

Indeed! The Time Manipulator was intentionally stylistically diverse. It wasn't until I began writing music that I realized the diversity of my musical influences. Each track on that album represents a story from a moment in my life; some happy, painful, frustrating, etc. The narrative is quite dramatic, and I felt the genres really needed to serve the narrative.

Of course, that's the last thing any record label wants to hear... which is why it was important for me to self produce / release the first one so that my un-diluted musical story is there.

That's the way to do it! Who would you consider some musical influences?

I'm inspired by everyone from The Beatles and Queen to Diana Ross, Carole King, Elton John, Antonio Carlos Jobim, to Gaga and Beyonce. I'm a real music nerd so if the melody and lyric meet a pure emotional intention, I'M IN! Do you have any plans for another recording? I do! I'm in the middle of a (much more musically cohesive) new EP that is inspired by my love of Motown, Blues, and Soul.

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Right before recording The Time Manipulator, the internet-browsing public was alerted (thanks to Perez Hilton, I think) to the fact that you--a former child star!--were gogo dancing to fund its production, and the Thirst Pics were abound. You've already talked a lot about that experience with honest candor and charm, but I was wondering.. does being a stage and screen performer prepare you for gogo dancing at all, or is it a completely different animal?

The performative aspect of it definitely felt familiar to me. Performing for an audience has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. But does anything truly prepare you for shaking your moneymaker in a jock on a box? Not sure, lol!

It was like playing a role to a degree. I had a character / persona in my head. He had a name and a personality that was admittedly bolder than my own. So I guess it kind of was like a fun acting gig. Def, and it paid! Is that also how you got to know people in nightlife, like promoters and drag queens, or did you already kinda know that crowd from just being a gay entertainer in LA? It all sort of happened simultaneously, in a beautiful way. Just as I was becoming more comfortable and free in my queer identity and expression, I was meeting wonderful queer artists and brilliant performers who challenged me artistically and mentally, which was really wonderful.

What's been your history as a stage performer in NYC?

Well, my NYC stage debut was as an honorary member of "The Broadway Kids" in the early 90s. I believe a Gavroche got sick before one of their big shows, and my friend Kathryn Zaremba (who was Lisa on Full House) was Annie Warbucks on Broadway. She said to the director, “my friend can learn this show in four days.” Before I knew it, I was singing and dancing alongside all these young Broadway vets who were very gracious to let the TV / Film brat come play with them! What's a dream role for you, as far as Broadway is concerned? Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. Which I realize is extremely problematic on every level, and will never and should NEVER, EVER happen.

I wish that Disney could get it together and put Hunchback on Broadway. I would do just about anything to bring Quasi to the Broadway stage. Oh God that would be incredible!

So I saw I Dream of Jackie during its initial run at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, starring NYC queen Jackie Cox, which you directed and also co-starred in. I absolutely loved it, it was cute and very funny, and even had sincere moments! How did you get involved with that show, which I’m happy to see returns to the Beechman on Sunday, August 20th?

I'm so glad you enjoyed IDOJ! It was such a joy bringing it to life. Jackie (aka Darius) has been my best friend since we met on day one of college at UCLA. We actually came up with the character of Jackie together, which is why I am referred to as her "Drag Father," hahaha!

It worked out that my schedule opened up enough for me to be in NYC for the month of July, and I jumped at the chance to direct and choreograph the show. Can't wait to do it again next Sunday!

Amazing! Have you / would you ever try drag yourself, by the way?

I have very strong, angular features. Me in drag just looks like Idina MANzel.

Ha! Well, the night before IDOJ returns, the Beechman will see you solo on the stage for the return of your own hit cabaret revue, Blake Sings Barbra: The Concert! What role does Barbra Streisand's music play in your life, and what made you want to bring this show to the stage?

I've been captivated by Barbra since I first saw Funny Girl at 7 years old. But it wasn't until her 1994 comeback concert that I became completely obsessed. It was a crazy year for me: I was in my second season of Full House, I filmed The Little Rascals, and my parents’ house was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake. In the show, I take you through all these things via The Concert, which basically taught me everything I know about being a performer.

I've wanted to do this tribute show for many years, and finally sat down one day last year, during the tumult of election season, and wrote it all down.

Now that you mentioned The Little Rascals--where you play spoiled villain Waldo-- and the election, I have to quickly ask about how surreal it is that Donald Trump plays your Dad on the other end of a phone conversation in a brief cameo. That must be so surreal to process, nowadays.

It really is! And I tell the extended version of the story in my show. It becomes relevant at a certain point in the concert! Intriguing! What's your favorite song to do in the show? I love the setlist from the concert so much, so it really changes with every audience. Last month I had some true 94 concert superfans in the audience, so during "The Way We Were" they were quoting her ad libs at me, then I quoted some back at them during the interlude, and we all screamed and it was a fabulous moment. I explained it all to the rest of the crowd after the song, haha!

Sounds like a remarkable experience, congratulations! Anything else coming up for you? Yes, in September I am directing and choreographing a tour for the wonderful cabaret and burlesque artist Ariana Savalas (of Postmodern Jukebox fame). I built the first version of her show last summer, and now it's expanding into a full Caburlesque extravaganza, which is so fun! And then I'll be back at the Beechman in October with two more shows! Excellent! So, lastly: what do you think The Little Rascals’ Waldo would be doing today, as an adult?

I feel like he'd be on a yacht in the South of France, spending his father's money as rapidly as humanly possible!

Sounds about right. Thanks, Blake!

Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Blake McIver’s scheduled NYC appearances. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and his own website.

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