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Kendrick Lamar - Artist Review

   Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, known as Kendrick Lamar, is an American award-winning rapper and songwriter born in the town of Compton, California  born on June 17, 1987 who has pursed his musical career since he was a teenager. Kendrick’s previous stage name, K-Dot, was the name that he used when he first started performing and writing his own music. Soon after, he released a mixtape named “My First Mixtape”, and it gathered local attention and led to him being signed with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment. After his signing this recording label, he began to release a series of increasingly popular mixtapes, these of which captured the attention of hip-hop super-producer Dr. Dre.

  In an interview with Zach Goldbaum, reporter for Noisey, Kendrick describes his struggles living in the city of Compton, California saying, “It definitely is, it definitely is. I could've easily came out and said, 'I did this, I did that, I killed a whole bunch of ni***s and whatnot,’ just giving out fact. Where I'm from. But that ain't me, I'd rather talk about my reality. I'd rather talk about something a little bit more; deeper than that. The reasons and the problems and the solutions behind it. So when you hear these stories in Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, when you hear these stories in To Pimp a Butterfly, it’s a little bit deeper than just the music. It’s kids out here really trying to do something and really spark the idea of positivity in the community. Let me tell my story, let me tell the story of others as I were here that’s why they wanna do something different. But can’t. Because you’re in an environment where you just gotta learn to adapt. And what happens is, it invites people in and get another perspective. It brings a whole another side of the world to Compton, to this backyard out here, and say, ‘Okay, these are actually people.’” In the documentary by Noisey, "NOISEY Bompton: Growing Up With Kendrick Lamar", they include the city of Compton, California, one of hip-hop's most celebrated locales, the birthplace of acts like N.W.A. and, more recently, Kendrick Lamar. It's also home to a complicated gang culture. Noisey Bompton centers around Kendrick Lamar and the friends he grew up with on the West Side of Compton, many of whom feature on the cover of his album 'To Pimp A Butterfly.' in the first of six segments, they sit down with Kendrick to talk about his acclaimed albums, pay a visit to his high school, Centennial, and get to know his childhood friend Lil L.

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Joseph Vincent Artist Review

     Joseph Vincent Encarnacion is rising YouTube artist who specializes in performing covers of famous songs by famous celebrities in acoustic form. He also composes and posts videos of self-created songs, but his covers outnumber his own songs. He is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is of Filipino descent. His can speak the Filipino Language, Tagalog and has performed many songs in Tagalog such as “Gitara” by Parokya Ni Edgar, “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” by Rey Valera, and “Our Song” by Nadine Lustre and James Reid.

     He was born in Los Angeles, California in 1989 and is currently 28 years old in the year 2017. According to his biography, started playing song covers of his main musical influences such as Jack Johnson, and Jason Mraz at the age of 15. Joseph began writing, composing, and performing his own original songs at the age of 16 and he started in YouTube channel on June 6, 2007. According to his official website, josephvincentmusic.com,  After launching an online voting contest, Australia-based Star Central Magazine named Joseph “Youtube Artist of the Year 2009”  In April 2010, Joseph was featured on NBC’s The Ellen Degeneres Show for their “Wonderful Web of Wonderment” segment, where he performed his acoustic cover of Iyaz’s “Replay.”  Just weeks later, he was invited back as the featured artist to perform Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me” for Ellen and her nationwide audience. In 2012 Joseph released his debut album, Blue Skies, which contains 11 songs all written and composed by Joseph. He has put out several singles since then (such as “All I Wanted”, “Stardust”, & “Our First Song) and is currently working on his follow up EP “Here’s 2 You” which will be released later this year.

     He has played at several LA-based musical venues including The House of Blues, The Knitting Factory, El Rey Theatre, The Roxy Theatre, and the Troubadour, and has played at smaller venues and local coffee shops. He has played internationally in countries such as Australia, Singapore, and Canada, and has been recognized by the television channel NBC and has been a guest star on Ellen DeGeneres’ show “The Ellen De Generes Show”. According to the article by last.fm, “Joseph Vincent’s Biography”,  In April 2010, Joseph was featured on NBC’s The Ellen Degeneres Show for their Wonderful Web of Wonderment segment, where he performed an acoustic cover of Iyaz’s Replay. Just weeks later, he was invited BACK on The Ellen Degeneres Show, this time as a featured performer, to perform Mike Posner’s new single, Cooler Than Me, which aired nation-wide. Joseph Vincent is currently WRITING new songs, playing shows, and looking to RECORD and get his big break.

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Location - Khalid Dance Audition

     Khalid is an eighteen year old young artist from the city of El Paso, Texas. He was born into a military family where he and his family moved around the world constantly due to being deployed from area to area. He has lived in several places around the world such as Germany, New York, and finally he settled in Texas. He stated that “My mom inspired me to make music ‘cause she was a singer who loved R&B.” Khalid’s mother was famous for performing songs by various artists such as Brandy and TLC who were famous in her time, the 90′s. 

     His hit song, “Location” has been heard by over 137 million individual listeners on Spotify, over 40 million plays on SoundCloud, and his music video has over 45 millions views on YouTube. As said by DJBooth, “...his voice--gentle and mellifluous. Khalid’s dulcet tone is like applying honey to your eardrums. There’s also a unique warmth to his voice as if inhaling all the hot El Paso, Texas air has left his vocal chords with a permanent Southern drawl.” Many are impressed by his songwriting ability. He has written many songs but “Location” has been his biggest hit so far. He says, “Location” is a song that came to me out of no where. From the first time I heard the beat play, the words flew out. Hearing the chords instantly took me the first stage of a relationship. Young love, man. It’s a crazy thing. I first started making music in the winter of 2015 so this is one of my most developed songs so far.” He has been in association with other famous artists/producers such as Syk Sense and Tunji Ige who produce similar music and he said that their crazy, dope creativity helped greatly in the creation of the song.

     The reason why the title of this blog post includes the words dance audition is something that greatly excites me. Since freshman year, I have always wanted to join Ipoly’s dance team because of their popularity and how the crowd is always impressed by their performances. During pep rallies when one member of dance team does an amazing move or a solo, the entire school just cheers insanely loud and they support them. I’ve wanted to be one of them I this is my chance. I am going to audition for dance team soon and this is the song that I’m going to be auditioning with. Nathan, a junior currently on dance team, is going to be helping me come up with a routine and he’s going to be giving me tips on what and what not to do. I greatly appreciate him because he is going out of his way to make sure that I make dance team and he said that I will do great on my audition.

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Music Appreciation Post

     This post is very different from the regular topics that I write about every week. Today’s post will be about how music has affected my life both positively and negatively. Music has played such a big part in my life, such that I am not sure if I can sum this up in this short post. For as long as I can remember, music has played a significant role in my life. 

     My family has always been very musically inclined. My grandfather played over 6 instruments including the guitar, piano, flute, and many more. Out of his six children with his wife, all of them could play over three instruments. My dad and his three brothers even had a band where they played for their local town and they were named “The Victoria Quartet”. I know it’s a lame name, but in their time, they were the most famous band in town. My dad and his brother Arrigo were the guitarists, the oldest, Higino, was the drummer, and the youngest, Ricky was the lead singer. They performed many songs such as Blue Velvet, Don’t Touch That Dial, The Chapel on the Hill and similar songs. 

     When I was about 6 years old, my parents decided to enroll me in piano lessons because they saw that I liked the musical arts and they wanted me to get involved, to see if this would lead up to a career opportunity. I would attend piano lessons every Monday at 3:00 o’clock and it would be 45 minutes long. I loved taking lessons because I would learn a new song about every two weeks and when I finally perfected them, I would show them to my family and friends and they would all be impressed. Piano, for me, is a way to relax and to express myself because when I was playing, it would feel like I was in another place just playing alone by myself and really “feeling” the music. 

     One story of how taking piano lessons helped me was when I was in elementary school. I has shown my class and especially my music teacher that I could play the piano. We had a show and tell type of day where my teacher would bring her keyboard and she would let us play our new songs in front of the class. Since I learned a new song every two weeks, I would perform a new song almost every time that she came to our class. One day when she was absent, one of my teachers told me to play the piano in church as her replacement. At first, I was really nervous because I had never played in front of such a large crowd before and the fact that I had never played these songs before, but eventually, I got the hang of it. I had to read the sheet music and play by ear simultaneously, and as some of you know, this is not an easy task to complete. I had to play alongside the singing choir and I only had one chance to get this right. There were four songs that I had to learn on the spot and surprisingly it was pretty easy. I made few mistakes and the choir didn’t complain, so I assume that I did a pretty good job. Since that day, I am still playing the piano and I have been playing for nine years and it has been fun all the way through it. 

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Moana Movie Music Review

     Moana is a family-friendly Disney Movie released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2016. Moana, along with Zootopia, was the first time that in over 10 years that Walt Disney Animation Studios released two feature films in the same year. Moana has earned almost $640 million dollars worldwide. Auli’i Cravalho plays Moana along with co-starts Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Nichole Scherzinger, and many more. 

     Moana tells the story of Moana, the daughter of the chief of a native tribe who is destined to rule after her father to eventually become chief. This tribe lives on an atoll surrounded by a coral reef and they have only one rule. Do not venture past the reef. Against her mother and father’s approval, Moana wishes to venture past the reef and see she’ll go and let her curiosity take control of her. Surprisingly Moana’s grandmother supports Moana’s urge to go out into the ocean and she says, “If you can hear the ocean calling, follow it.” One day, Moana’s grandmother calls her away from her father to show her something that she has found. She shows her a mysterious cave filled with massive ships that her tribe once sailed across the oceans, proving that they were once voyagers. It is revealed that in the past, her father and his fellow tribesmen hid these ships away from the public view so that no one will go outside the reef ever again. He did this because one of the chief’s relatives died in a storm outside of the reef trying to find a new home for their tribe. After having an argument with his daughter, he goes off to burn the hidden ships but he is urgently called back to hear that his mother, Moana’s grandmother is close to dying. His mother tells him to call Moana and she arrives in an instant. She calls Moana to come close and the tells Moana to go out into the ocean now while the entire tribe is distracted. After she says goodbye, she goes to the last stop at her home to pick up some supplies during her trip when she is faced by her mother. Her mother, encouragingly yet sadly wishes Moana a safe travel and they share a sweet moment between the two. As Moana ventures off into the vast ocean, she is met by a storm and rough waves and she has a hard time controlling her small boat that she is commandeering. Unfortunately, she does not know how to sail so her boat goes under and she get shipwrecked. After an unknown time of being unconscious, she wakes up on a mystery island. That is all I am going to say because I do not want to spoil this for the people who have not seen this movie and who wish to watch it in the future. 

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Back From the Edge - James Arthur(Album Review)

          James Andrew Arthur was born on March 2, 1988 in the town of Middlesbrough, U.K. His parents are named Shirley Ashworth and Neil Arthur. He began his musical career starting at a young age by writing and recording songs as both solo and in bands in his teen years. He released many of his early songs on the music on audio distribution company, Soundcloud and video social media, YouTube. His unique pop, rock, and hip-hop style and voice helped him climb the charts in the U.K. and in North America. In 2011, he auditioned on the U.K’s The Voice TV series and he made it into the final 200 contestants. Unfortunately, he was unable to progress any further and he was eliminated from the show. 

     However this temporary defeat, he auditioned into the U.K’s The X Factor TV show. He auditioned with Judge Tulisa Contostavlos’ song, “Young” and he made it into the first round and into the live shows. James was slowly more noticed by both the crowd and by his mentor and Pussycat Dolls beauty Nichole Scherzinger. He slowly rose to fame and the audience more and more and he eventually made it to the final round of the contest. He was to perform against equally talented singers Jahméne Douglas and Christopher Maloney. James greatly impressed the audience and the judges by subgubg Cy Grant’s “Feeling Good”, Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love”, and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”  In the end, he was triumphant in being the winner of the TV show in 2012. This was the ninth season of the show and it was the complete opposite of his performance on The Voice. Immediately after he was announced as the winner of X Factor in 2012, his version of Shontelle’s “Impossible” was immediately released and it became number one in the charts in the U.K, Ireland, and all across .

He has now produced several albums such as “James Arthur” and “Back From the Edge” and both have reached the top 10 in the U.K. album charts. His cover of Shontelle’s “Impossible” became the fastest-selling and best selling X Factor winner to this day. His song, “Say You Won’t Let Go”, is personally my favorite and I have since learned how to play it on the guitar and I have “perfomed” it various places. I remember when we were at the Fullerton College High School Theater Festival when we had free time, we would go around with a sign that said, “Free Love Songs”. People would approach us and they requested this song multiple times. Thanks to Joaquin and I’s vocal and instrumental practice from “21 Guns” we were used to singing and we performed it perfectly. 

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THIS IS A MAKEUP FOR THE BLOG POST OF THE WEEK OF 2/6-2-12!

Panic! At the Disco (Artist Review)

2/11/17

     This week I’m going to be reviewing the band known as Panic! At The Disco. Panic! At The Disco is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that started in 2004. The band’s founding members were Spencer Smith(drums) and Ryan Ross(guitari), and both are still currently part of the group. They started at first, barely after graduating high school, covering songs by the rock band Blink-182. A year later, they recruited two additional members, Brendon Urie(guitar/vocals) and Brent Wilson(bass). This quartet of close friends formed the band today that we know and love. Currently, their songs are in several movies such as Suicide Squad, Nightmare Before Christmas(Special Edition), and more.

     Panic! At The Disco currently have five albums in total and at least four of them were hits. My favorite album that they released is Death of a Bachelor and strangely, my favorite songs from that album is named Death of A Bachelor. Each album has a specific theme and every song in the album follows that theme. In Death of A Bachelor, the theme is releasing your own potential, and it shows in their song Crazy=Genius. In their album Too Weird To Live, To Rare To Die!, the theme is to live life to the fullest. Lastly, their album Pretty. Odd. has the theme of mystery. 

  ��  Even though Panic! At The Disco had not yet played a live show, they had caught the attention of the recording label Decaydance Records, the same label that had signed another famous rock band, Fallout Boy. Currently, they are signed with the label Fueled by Ramen. Panic! At The Disco has been influenced from a great range of bands such as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the Beach boys, and many more. Along with these influences, they have added their own type of twist, creating a style that I’ve only seen in this group. 

     Their most successful album, Death of A Bachelor, was said by Brendon Urie himself to represent the time that he spent alone as a child creating music. Brendon Urie said,  “When I was a little kid and I heard a song I liked on TV, I would jump up and run to the piano to try and figure it out by ear. When I was 10 or 11, I built myself a drum kit in the garage made out of empty laundry detergent buckets, old lawn chairs, paint cans, and old trash cans. Around that time, my parents got me my first guitar. A baby acoustic. I jumped between all of these instruments constantly to satisfy the ideas I heard in my head. At this young age, I realized that music would play a huge part in my life. I had no idea. ‘Death of a Bachelor’ is in honor of those times I spent alone as a kid. Allowing music to consume me. Playing everything myself just to get the idea right and out of my head. It’s a beginning to a new era. And an homage to how it all began.”

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Matilda the Musical

     Matilda The Musical is a stage musical that has been performed in various cities around the world such as London, New York, and Australia . It is based off of Roald Dahl’s children’s book, “Matilda” and both have received praise to both be inspiring and hopeful, says Dennis Kelly, an acclaimed British writer for theater, television, and film. Roald Dahl has written several famous children’s books that have also been adapted to film and theater such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, The “BFG”, and “The Witches.”

     In eighth grade, I was fortunate enough to travel to Washington D.C. and New York with my class during our spring break. We saw several national monuments such as the Capitol Building, The Empire State Building, and The Statue of Liberty. The most memorable attraction that we visited however, was Time Square because that is where I was to see my very first Broadway show. That show obviously, was Matilda, and when I heard we were going to see it, I was really really excited. Our seats were great because we had an clear view of the entire stage from the upper part of the audience seating. I distinctly remember walking into the theater and seeing the red velvet curtain on the stage and saying to myself,“This is going to be a great show.” We found our seats and I was seated with my friends who also shared my love for theater and we were all ready to see the musical. When the curtains opened, we were all hyped for this show to get started.

     “Matilda” is based off of the story of an extraordinary young girl that lives with an uncultured and abusive family. Unlike her family, she is incredibly intelligent and she has a great love for books, school, and learning in general. She struggles with her family because she does not know where she belongs because her family often criticizes her for her love of books and they try to crush her spirit, but she does not break. She continues to enjoy books greatly and she gets even more inspired when she meets her teacher, Miss. Honey that  is well intentioned, but she is shy and fragile. Matilda faces another struggle in her life as Miss Trunchbull, the cruel and repressive principal or headmistress in Britain constantly picks at her love of books. Miss Trunchbull believes in the Latin phrase, “Bambinatum est Magitum” meaning “Children are maggots”, and she tries to terminate all elements of happiness in her school. She soon discovers her exceptional powers of telekinesis she decides to stand up to Miss Trunchbull and that results in Miss Trunchbull leaving the school. I personally really loved the musical because it showed many examples of hope, perseverance, and confidence which really stood out to me. I really loved the songs in the musical such as, “Revolting Children”, “Quiet”, and many more, and many of them were stuck in my head weeks after I watched the performance. Them most impressive part of the entire musical was the set because it was just made out of countless letters of the alphabet which I could tell were handmade and they were just set up in a disoriented wall pattern and it really made my jaw drop.

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American Idiot - Fullerton College Theater Group(musical review)

     This week, I’m going to be reviewing Green Day’s Musical, American Idiot. This musical was based off of the Original Broadway Musical produced by Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman Ruth, Stephen Hendel, and several more. Its musical arrangements and orchestrations were organized by Tom Kitt and also based off of the book by Billie Joe Armstrong, who also wrote the lyrics for the songs.

     During the Fullerton College High School Theatre Festival, we performed the song “21 Guns″ by Green Day.  Before auditions, my English teacher, Mr. Hogan, who also specialized in theater greatly encouraged me in front of the whole class by calling me out and asking me to audition. At first, I was unsure whether I should join because I knew nothing about the musical except that you obviously had to sing. I was nervous because I thought that we had to act, but after I auditioned and after I got a part in the main ensemble, I realized that this was going to be fun. During the first 21 Guns practice, we were divided into groups by the best seniors Ashley and Lizzy, drama teacher Hogan. I was first put into the 1st group or the group with the lowest voices. 

     Three months passed and we were halfway to Fullerton. We had already began the choreography and we were almost done perfecting the song. All the way through the practices, we had been doing improv games along with singing and this really helped me bring out my emotions in the final performance. We played a game called “Emo Party”, short for “Emotional Party” where we were assigned an emotion and we had to interact with other players in the game. I was assigned many bizarre and interesting emotions such as suspicious or shameful, but the emotion that I displayed the best was anger. That greatly helped me because in the performance, we were told to the emotion of anger on our faces. 

      Now on to the day of Fullerton. When we arrived, we were of course nervous because we had never performed in front of such a large crowd and especially because of the fact that we were going to be judged. Fortunately we were not chosen to go first which relieved some of my stress but not much. When we saw how talented the other schools were, my heart dropped to my stomach. But Ashley, our director, gave us a very inspiring pep-talk that raised our spirits. She told us to try our hardest and that we were just as talented as they were. 

On the second day of Fullerton, we performed again and we did just as well as we did the day before and we had just as much fun. At the end of the day we were fortunate enough to see the musical, American Idiot. This, personally was the best musical I have ever seen, and I was not alone in my opinion. Basically everyone in my group really loved this musical and after the show, we were just talking about how good the musical was. The musical tells the story of how 3 teens, Johnny, Will, and Tunny struggle with drugs, heartbreak, and family issues. The singing, costumes, and the sets fit together perfectly and there were many phenomenal visual effects that made it seem even more spectacular. They even had the band, Feste that played alongside the cast’s singing and they did an amazing job. As a warning, this musical has countless mature themes such as violence, drugs, and strong language. I cannot count how many times “f*ck” was said and how many times the middle finger was put up. There was this hilarious scene where the main characters said, I’m going to a concert and the band probably sucks” and the live band that provided the instrumentals for the musical said, “Hey! F*ck you!” This added to the greatness of the musical and I especially loved the rebellious nature and the freedom of being to be able to do whatever you wanted.

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La La Land(Film/Music Review)

     This week, we’re going to be reviewing the Grammy nominated film for best picture, La La Land. This story tells of how an aspiring actress falls for a jazz musician.  La La Land is an American musical film written by Damien Chazelle and stars Emma Watson as Mia, and Ryan Gosling as Sebastian. This film is set in Hollywood, LA and shows many of the common landmarks. The film has many colorful aspects, both literally and metaphorically such as the bright, vibrant costumes of the actors and the beautiful scenery, but also the passionate acting of many even including the extras. La La Land has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 84% audience score. The film was released to theaters on December 9, 2016 and has grossed the box office amount of $148,445,589.

     This is shown in the first scene, which is performed with the song “Another Day of Sun” where it shows typical Los Angeles traffic. When this scene first starts, you just think, “Oh, it’s just showing the traffic.” But it surprises you when all of the drivers and passengers in their cars jump out and starts singing, dancing, and just having a good time. “Another Day of Sun” tells that even though life can be boring, you should enjoy yourself and take advantage of the great weather. 

La La Land stuck to the boy-meets-girl tale with modern rhythms and actions, but with a twist of 1940′s-like aspects. The story starts in LA traffic where Mia(Stone) has a moment of road rage with Sebastian(Gosling) where he honks at her, and she flips him off. Soon after, Mia’s friends encourage her to go to an extravagant party even though she does not want to attend, they persuade her to go and she ends up having a great time(”Someone In The Crowd”). At the end of the party, she notices that her car is being towed, and she has to walk home. On the way home, she hears a spirited pianist ,Sebastian, playing inside of a restaurant and she decides to check it out. During his gig at the restaurant, Sebastian is told to stick to the songs assigned to him, but he does not want to be just a boring pianist. He starts off playing the song “Deck the Halls”, but he beautifully transitions into an extravagant jazz improvisation(”Mia and Sebastian’s Theme”) which in my eyes, is the best song in the movie. After Sebastian’s boss hears his little freeplay on the piano, Sebastian is fired because he didn’t stick to the songs assigned to him.

      Months later, Mia sees Sebastian at a party playing with a pitiful 80′s pop cover band, and she requests the song “I Ran(So Far Away)”, which he took as an insult for a serious musician. After the party, the two walk each other to their cars, teasing each other on how they don’t particularly like each other, even though they secretly have chemistry(”A Lovely Night”).

     That’s all I’m going to say for now because I don’t want to spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, but for those who have, you know that it ends with a happy ending for both of the main characters. I highly encourage this movie to anyone who enjoys the usual love story, but with the addition of conflict and hardship. This movie personally blew my mind with its amazing music, acting, and just the performances by the acting in general.

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Ed Sheeran(Artist Review)

     Edward Christopher “Ed” Sheeran is an successful English musician, singer, and songwriter born in Halifax, West Yorkshire. At a young age, he was recognized for his talent at playing at the guitar, and soon moved to London to pursue his music career as a teenager. At the age of 16, while still in school, he had created a YouTube channel and had written and performed many songs such as “You Don’t Need Me, I Don’t Need You”. Soon, this song gained half a million viewers and attracted the attention of singer Elton John. But even before he had signed with a record label, he had already reached number 1 on Itunes. After securing a recording deal with John Elton’s managment, he was signed with Atlantic Records and became the third artist to score a Top 75 album solely on download sales. 

     When Sheeran headed to the U.S. in 2010, he had no contacts other than one close friend. He played open mic nights all over the city and he was soon spotted by actor/singer Jamie Foxx. Foxx was so impressed that he invited Sheeran to star on his radio show named the Foxxhole. He even allowed him to use his recording studio free of charge. Throughout 2010, Ed Sheeran’s fame grew as be began to be seen by more people through the newspaper and Youtube. 

     With Atlantic Records, Sheeran released his major album, “+” and the album instantly sold a million copies in the UK in the first six months. Soon after he began to co-write songs with other bigger artists such as One Direction and Taylor Swift.  A video that he posted online got the attention of rapper Example, and Sheeran was asked to go with him as his opening act. This led to Ed Sheeran’s fame growing even more.

     By the end of 2013, Sheeran shifted his focus from performing to recording his album, “X”, keeping with the math theme.  In June 2014, his next album, x, appeared, debuting at No. 1 in the U.S. and U.K. The project featured three Top 10 singles—"Don't," "Photograph" and "Thinking Out Loud"—with the latter winning the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2016. In a span of three years, Sheeran wrote more than 120 songs for the album, the earliest of which was composed shortly after + was released. He continued to win awards while promoting X, most notably at the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards, where he was awarded Best Live Act, and the 2016 Grammy Awards Ceremony, where he won Song of the Year and Best Solo Pop Performance.

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Loverboy - Pryde (Album Review)

     Russell Llantino, aka Pryde(formerly D-Pryde), is a Canadian rapper/singer from Brampton, Ontario. Pryde is of Filipino and Spanish descent and now currently lives in New York. He was born on October 13, 1993 in Toronto, Ontario. In many of his song lyrics, he repeatedly states about how hard it is being an Asian rapper in the current music industry. Many people have ridiculed him for his interest in rap and many said that, “You’re supposed to be a doctor and be good at math.” Clearly, he shows that you don’t need to fit the stereotype to become successful. 

     Pryde released a new album in 2017 named Loverboy, or Loverboy EP. This album has a RnB, rap, and soul feel, and he manages to successfully blend these together into a type of “masterpiece”. This album has a total of nine songs including Prove Me Wrong, Things to Do, Emrata, and several more. This album was signed by record labels Richvale, and Fleur De Lysze. As the title states, this album is about finding love, but while having fun in the process. On soundcloud, Prove Me wrong currently has 41.7k plays and over 5000 likes. Things To Do has 38k plays and about 1475 likes. Emrata has 34.3k plays and 6350 likes. 

     I personally feel that Pryde is an underrated rapper. He has as much talent as today’s “big rappers” such as Migos, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and many others. His songs actually have meaning unlike many songs today, with many of his songs talking about hardship, heartbreak, and loss. The song that hit my feelings the most was his song Rest Of My Life. This song is a memorial of his mother that passed away from cancer and how he retells of their happy moments that they spent together. The first line of the song was,”Last night I talked to you, but I heard nothing back”. He said that he would relive every moment with his her and that there is no other woman that he would rather love than his mother. He knows that she’s watching him in Heaven and that he will be with her eventually. One of the lyrics of his song is, “Even if you’re not around, Ima hold it down for the rest of my life,” meaning that he will forever keep what she taught him. She taught him to respect everyone, live a peaceful life, and to treat others as you would like to be treated. The music video on YouTube shows that many happy times that they spent together and you can just tell that they had fun together. 

“I’ll remember those years, I’ll cherish those days”. 

[tricks75-blog]

Panic! At the Disco (Artist Review)

2/11/17

     This week I’m going to be reviewing the band known as Panic! At The Disco. Panic! At The Disco is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that started in 2004. The band’s founding members were Spencer Smith(drums) and Ryan Ross(guitari), and both are still currently part of the group. They started at first, barely after graduating high school, covering songs by the rock band Blink-182. A year later, they recruited two additional members, Brendon Urie(guitar/vocals) and Brent Wilson(bass). This quartet of close friends formed the band today that we know and love. Currently, their songs are in several movies such as Suicide Squad, Nightmare Before Christmas(Special Edition), and more.

     Panic! At The Disco currently have five albums in total and at least four of them were hits. My favorite album that they released is Death of a Bachelor and strangely, my favorite songs from that album is named Death of A Bachelor. Each album has a specific theme and every song in the album follows that theme. In Death of A Bachelor, the theme is releasing your own potential, and it shows in their song Crazy=Genius. In their album Too Weird To Live, To Rare To Die!, the theme is to live life to the fullest. Lastly, their album Pretty. Odd. has the theme of mystery. 

     Even though Panic! At The Disco had not yet played a live show, they had caught the attention of the recording label Decaydance Records, the same label that had signed another famous rock band, Fallout Boy. Currently, they are signed with the label Fueled by Ramen. Panic! At The Disco has been influenced from a great range of bands such as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the Beach boys, and many more. Along with these influences, they have added their own type of twist, creating a style that I’ve only seen in this group. 

     Their most successful album, Death of A Bachelor, was said by Brendon Urie himself to represent the time that he spent alone as a child creating music. Brendon Urie said,  "When I was a little kid and I heard a song I liked on TV, I would jump up and run to the piano to try and figure it out by ear. When I was 10 or 11, I built myself a drum kit in the garage made out of empty laundry detergent buckets, old lawn chairs, paint cans, and old trash cans. Around that time, my parents got me my first guitar. A baby acoustic. I jumped between all of these instruments constantly to satisfy the ideas I heard in my head. At this young age, I realized that music would play a huge part in my life. I had no idea. 'Death of a Bachelor' is in honor of those times I spent alone as a kid. Allowing music to consume me. Playing everything myself just to get the idea right and out of my head. It's a beginning to a new era. And an homage to how it all began.”

[tricks75-blog]

American Beauty/American Psycho - Fallout Boy(Album) Review

     It’s hard to figure out what Fall Out Boy wants to be these days. The real answer is probably a little bit of everything. When the Illinois band emerged from a three-year hiatus with 2013’s Save Rock and Roll — an absurd title, even if you wanted to believe it — they were something quite different from a rock ‘n’ roll band. The video for that album’s lead single, “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)”, featured rapper 2 Chainz, and the song’s pummeling hip-hop beat threw an odd bone to the jocks who might have relished kicking Fall Out Boy’s butts in high school.

      Somewhat miraculously, the rest of Save Rock and Roll was not a disaster, but rather a series of small triumphs and admirable stumbles. Still, nobody could quite answer the question lurking beneath the album’s slick veneer: Is Fall Out Boy brave, or are they trolling? 2013’s self-consciously aggressive Pax Am Days EP only cast the matter into further doubt with a back-to-basics approach to hardcore that somehow felt more cynical than reverent. If anything, Pax Am Days cast into relief the band’s identity crisis and opened the door to an even more interesting question than the first: Can a band succeed (wildly, even) without knowing what it is?

      First single “Centuries” sounds more like Maroon 5’s “Animals” than anything else they’ve done before (the song’s place as ESPN’s unofficial college football anthem doesn’t help its case). The tune samples both Mötley Crüe’s “Too Fast for Love” and the iconic “do do do” from Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner.” Later came “Irresistible,” the album’s ode to Sid and Nancy, a masochistic anthem that plays to the boys’ old Warped Tour fan base, and the days when their biggest concern was getting the girl. At moments, it feels like a track relegated to a Twilight soundtrack B-side, with Stump insisting on oversinging, extending his once-brief moments of complete control. It’s a perfect sketch of the album: ambitious, even admirable, yet rarely whole. Sometimes too much is just too much.

      The best (and most confusing) moment is found on “Uma Thurman,” with an intro that samples the Munsters theme song before Stump namechecks Kylie Minogue’s 2001 hit “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” The song somehow works, saving the record from its outlandish vision. It’s more ideation than practice, which is why the too-cluttered American Beauty/American Psycho won’t be this band’s American Idiot.

[tricks75-blog]

Red Roses - AJRafael(Album)

     I’m not going to give you a play-by-play album review of Red Roses I believe the album should be enjoyed as a whole though, in my opinion, each song has amazing moments that are noteworthy.  I recommend listening to the whole album straight through once or twice for you to understand where I’m getting with this album review.

     As a spotify user, I received the album in advance to listen to. To say the least, I still feel as surprised listening to it this time around as I was when I first hear the whole album.  I think it’s such a smart move and a humble thing for AJ to have even did an early release of the album to listeners with that inherent risk that people will leak the album literally two days before its release in stores.  It’s a good thing those who did back AJ are most likely supporters without any type of malicious intent like that.   I digress.

Back to the album:  

     I’ve listened to this album many, many times since I’ve received it.  For some people, this album may be something that they can listen to over and over again without being tired of it.  Most people will probably play this album on their drives along the west coast to a sunset or even play it during a Sunday clean up day with the family. Not to demean the artistry of the album, but this is something one might even just play to background one’s daily life.  In no way is that bad because like I said in my past review, this album is part of my Summer 2011 Soundtrack.  

The album as the tracks go has sort of a story arc to it.  Granted, most of these songs are love songs whether you like it or not, but each one signifies a type of love and a way to love. The feeling I get when listening to each song in progression is very much like how one would get when they’re going through a relationship.

The first few songs are very upbeat.  The title track Red Roses definitely gets me to feel that way.  It’s that optimistic, honeymoon type of love.  We Could Happen does that too. Perhaps it’s the ukulele solo that gets me there too.  Shortly after Without You comes in, and you start to feel like this “relationship” Is getting serious, and you want to make a statement with it saying “I won’t go another day without you.”  The relationship is getting comfortable, and some problems arise.  Listen to Mess We’ve Made.  Tori Kelly kills it by the way.

As time is passing on, you start to understand that things have ended with an ex.  500 days, reminds me of 500 Days of Summer.  *if it is related in any way, I’m sorry AJ that I didn’t really follow you when you posted roughs of some of these songs earlier*  It’s analogical to the movie really.  If you haven’t seen it, watch the movie.  

Skip a moment and go to When We Say (Juicebox).  This is an amazing version of the song.  It’s acoustic.  It has a different feel.  Lyrically the relationship is at the point of acceptance where he doesn’t want to keep her, but hopes her next man treats her perfectly… or else.  LOL

Starlit Nights is my absolute favorite because for me it creates hopefulness for a future love.  I get bummed out because the last song is Here All Alone.  That’s self-explanatory.

[tricks75-blog]

Green Day - Revolution Radio(Album)

     Green Day’s first studio release since the arguably over-reaching ¡Uno, Dos, Trés! Trilogy,Revolution Radio was unexpectedly announced alongside the release of premier single ‘Bang Bang’ back in August. Fast forward two more singles and a couple of months, and here we are – a long four-year, nearly five-year wait, during which it seemed both a number health issues across the band and their families, and Billie Joe Armstrong’s notorious breakdown at the iHeart Radio performance might spell the end for the punk rock band that has defined a generation, is finally over, and we can finally answer the big question: was it worth the wait?

“‘Somewhere Now’ falls somewhere between concept and stadium rock, with a little nod to The Who”

     Opening the album in a more sedate way than is usual for the Oakland punks, ‘Somewhere Now’ falls somewhere between concept and stadium rock, with a little nod to The Who, who have been present in the band’s mythology since 1992’s Kerplunk. Retaining some of 21stCentury Breakdown’s grandiosity, it is a big track, which is telling of the rest of the album as a whole. It still has huge ideas, a political agenda and whilst not officially a concept album it is cohesive and self-referential throughout, with key moments of ‘Somewhere Now’ recurring in later track ‘Forever Now’. After a less than punchy, but still powerful opener, Revolution Radio hurtles into first single, ‘Bang Bang’, which is easily the most visceral track of the collection. Armstrong’s internal monologue of a teen shooter is chilling, catchy, and goes hand in hand with the tightest, fastest rhythm section to date – an aggressive track that shows that they still have what it takes to be called punk.

“He’s been able to bounce back and become sober after the haze of prescription meds and alcoholism that led to his expletive-ridden meltdown”

     The Clash-esque eponymous single follows, which wouldn’t be out of place on American Idiot. This is Green Day at their best, bemoaning post-modern America and its racial injustice, inspired by Armstrong’s own spontaneous campaigning during a Black Lives Matter march in New York. With a slightly more stadium blues vibe and an introduction a la The Black Keys, ‘Say Goodbye’ is a hard-hitting anti-military anthem, with a simple but brutal message conveyed by the single sentence chorus: “Say goodbye to the ones that you love…”.

“With tracks like ‘Bang Bang’ it is easy to forget that they are in their 40s, married and with children, not to mention the band itself is turning 30 next year”

     Reaching the centre of the album we get a second nod to Kerplunk with ‘Outlaws’, a modern day sequel to ‘Christie Road’. It is perhaps here that their age starts to show, with a sentimentality and nostalgia for youth which can only come when it is long past. With tracks like ‘Bang Bang’ it is easy to forget that they are in their 40s, married and with children, not to mention the band itself is turning 30 next year, thus ‘Outlaws’ serves as a reflection of their heritage, as much as a reminder of their current status. ‘Bouncing Off the Wall’ follows, an upbeat, free sounding song, which is both simple and fun – it isn’t serious or angry, nor introspective and reflective, it’s simply a loud, punk rock tune that demonstrates some of the fun found on earlier pre-American Idiot era Green Day.

     The third single is a celebration of sobriety and acceptance. ‘Still Breathing’ is Armstrong’s thanksgiving tune that he’s been able to bounce back and become sober after the haze of prescription meds and alcoholism that led to his expletive-ridden meltdown. A slower more considerate tune, it has a similar power to 2004’s ‘Give Me Novocaine’.

“‘Troubled Times’ is an outcry against the darkness of intolerance, hate politics, terrorism, division and war and all the other evils that punctuate current events”

     To steer the album away from self-indulgent moping, however, ‘Youngblood’ is a classic punk rock love song, dedicated to Armstrong’s wife. This swings into another Old School style track in ‘Too Dumb to Die’, which is a phrase that has crept in here and there throughout the last 5 years of Green Day albums, and charts Billie Joe’s early days, and how it has led to this point, with an honest humility and more than a little confusion surrounding the question of how the hell did we make it to this point?

     Moving back to the anger driving the earlier section of the album, ‘Troubled Times’ is an outcry against the darkness of intolerance, hate politics, terrorism, division and war and all the other evils that punctuate current events. In spirit with this ‘Forever Now’ is another protest song, reprising part of ‘Somewhere Now’, some of Billie Joe’s internalisation, powerful political statements and satire, and clocking in at just under 7 minutes it is the closest to a modern ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ or ‘Homecoming’ that Revolution Radio has to offer, and is perhaps the perfect summary of the album as a whole, tying together the seemingly underlying themes of anger at the political establishment, personal scrutiny and nostalgia for lost youth.

     Finishing off the album is an acoustic masterpiece, written for Armstrong’s starring role in the film of the same name: ‘Ordinary World’. It is understated, but its strength is in this simplicity. It rounds off a complex album on a happy note, a reassurance that not all is bad, and that there is a beauty in the ordinary day to day, which we mustn’t forget.

    Overall Revolution Radio is a flawless offering for an older Green Day, who are settled but retain their edge. It is a well thought out album, which sounds more mature, and it is easy to tell that the band were not under any pressures to appeal to a certain audience, or to sound a specific way within an external producer’s vision, or to pedal out a certain amount of songs. It is the sound of the band as they want to sound, being self-produced and making music that it is clear they were excited to write and to play. Ultimately, shedding both the rock-opera and less than meaningful love song approaches that punctuated their last 5 albums (Idiot – ¡Trés!), Green Day has struck a perfect balance, which manages to be fun, serious, angry, angsty and humble, but the real winning factor in all of this is that there is no higher artistic purpose, just a simple collection of songs which are cuttingly relevant, and in keeping with the Green Day that long-time fans have come to love.

[tricks75-blog]

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops and Hooligans

     Welcome back to Music is Life and today we are going to be talking about another of my favorite albums, Doo-Wops and Hooligans by Bruno Mars. This is old album that was released in 2010, but it is still a favorite to many. Twenty-five year old Bruno Mars has had as successful a 2010 as possibly any other musician, and he came out of virtually nowhere. He could be considered the Steve Nash of the music industry, throwing up assists with writing and lending  vocals on some of the biggest tracks of the year. “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy, “Nothin’ on You” from B.o.B, and “Forget You” off the new Cee-Lo disc have all been ultimately successful songs this year, and Bruno Mars has had his hand in all of them. Just these accomplishments alone would have been enough for a big 2010, but he also released his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, which is arguably one of the better debuts released this year.The first track, “Grenade” makes you ask the question, “Who hurt you Bruno?” He tells about all of the things he would do for this “mad woman, bad woman,” including jumping in front of a train and putting a bullet through his brain. Ouch. This track, his second single, charted in the Top 20 and not only showcases his Michael Jackson-esque vocal range, but through the songs’ heavy, heartbreaking lyrics, makes you want to keep listening through the album to see what other stories he can tell.

     The number one smash hit “Just the Way You Are” is a sweet song for all the ladies who get too caught up in their looks. Mars sticks to the song’s name and insists that he wouldn’t want to change anything about his particular gal.You believe him, too. With an undeniably catchy chorus, it’s no surprise it’s already a radio staple this year (in addition to anyone’s wedding). The slow-jam R&B track “Our First Time” is a sexual song that again stays true to its name. With a Boyz II Men feel, it reveals yet another side of the young talent, using vivid images of a close encounter, portraying Mars as more than just a heartbroken soul. But that’s the beauty of these songs – the imagery. These songs come off as very real and genuine, and his nearly perfect vocal performances show his passion in these tender moments. He may have assisted other artists this year, carving up some big tracks, but don’t think for a minute that he didn’t save some of the best for himself.

     “Talking to the Moon” may be the best of this collection. As with most of the other tunes, this track is primed for radio; a soft, sincere, piano-driven song about a lost love that has now gone. “Talking to the moon/trying to get to you/in hopes you’re on the other side, talking to me too/or am I a fool? who sits alone/Talking to the moon,” belts the vulnerable Mars. He plays so many different roles over the album, it’s tough to find out which of these love-anguished and brokenhearted men he truly is. He mixes up all these personas with such an eclectic array of sounds that it almost doesn’t matter. Seemingly, everything he will touch, no matter which character he chooses to be, will turn to vocal gold.In return for all of his generous favors he has given other artists, they give back as well. Damien Marley joins him on the reggae jam “Liquor Store Blues”. B.o.B and Cee-Lo join forces on the album’s final track, “The Other Side”, a slow yet danceable tune which shines most when Cee-Lo takes over. And if you shell out the extra few bucks for the deluxe version, you can catch Lupe Fiasco on an alternate version of “Just the Way You Are”. Judging from this roster, it’s obvious that Mars has already gained the respect of his peers and that, after his banner year, his phone should continue ringing.

     What we have in Bruno Mars is a fresh act with full confidence in his abilities in writing, producing, and performing. To say he is the next Michael Jackson is false, but he may not be that far off. This fulfilling 10 track album has very few holes, and if this is just a taste of what he has in the vaults for either himself or for other artists, he should be racking up some Grammy’s shortly.