#I’ve always been really big on listening to albums so I only recently started listening to playlists that weren’t like

[harlowcomehome]

“What’s it like?”

You were sitting on the couch, looking through Instagram while you waited for Jack to get ready for the day. Your sleep schedule had been all over the place ever since you started your third trimester, so you were actually ready before him for once. 

He came out of the bedroom with wet curls, you smiled at the sight of him standing there shirtless with only boxer briefs on. “What?” He smirked at you and you shrugged. “Why are you naked in our living room?” He laughed at your over-dramatics “I have underwear on!” You still stared at him as he clearly didn’t answer your question. “Can you help me find an outfit for this interview?” You always loved when he asked you for help. 

He helped you maneuver yourself off the couch, your big belly in tow. He smiled at you and then bent down to kiss it. “I love seeing you pregnant” he used both of his hands to softly caress your belly. “I love that you love it” you smiled back. The two of you made your way back into your bedroom, you sat on the edge of the bed and asked him to show you some options. “I don’t know why you’re even worried, you’re likely just going to put a hoodie over it anyway” you teased knowing you were exactly right.

Jack laughed knowing you were right too, “maybe I just wanted your company” he confessed and you instantly melted. “You are so cute” you giggled as you pointed to the shirt he was holding on his right hand. “Blue?” He asked to confirm and you nodded “dark blue always makes those pretty eyes pop.” Jack batted his eyelashes at you making you giggle. “I love making you laugh, your belly bounces up and down” he confessed lovingly. You laughed “baby girl is probably wondering what’s going on out here.” You had one hand on your belly, something that was unintentional at this point. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what is that like? Jack asked as he got dressed. You looked over at him, confused, “what is what like? “He looked over at you his cheeks slightly pink, “being pregnant? Does it feel weird to know that there is a baby inside you?“ You could tell that he was timid to ask these questions, you didn’t blame him you had been on an emotional roller coaster the last couple weeks. You felt like emotionally, you had just come to terms with the fact that you were having a baby yourself. 

“It feels really unreal, to be honest. Sometimes I doubt that she’s even in there. Sometimes I lay here and wonder if the doctors made a mistake, I’m not going to believe it until I see her. “You couldn’t help but laugh, knowing that, that sounded crazy.  Jack was quiet for a moment, and he looked over at him, “you alright baby?” He smiled “Yeah! I was just thinking.”

“About what?” You handed him a hoodie from the closet. “ I’ve always wondered what it was like for you to be able to feel her.“ You giggled trying to explain it “it’s like an ocean wave! That’s the best way I can explain it. Sometimes she kicks really hard, so the two of you are gonna have a lot of fun playing soccer that’s for sure!” Jack smiled, checking his watch for the time “are you still coming with me?”

“Yes, of course!” You walked over to the closet to find shoes to wear. “Wear those red NBs, I’ll help you lace them.” You handed them to him as you sat on the bed again, “thank you baby.”

The drive to the radio show wasn’t that long, which you were incredibly grateful for considering you had to use the restroom almost immediately. When you got inside security led the two of you to the restroom and then Jack had to start his interview right away. You sat outside of the room, with headphones on able to listen, but not be seen by the cameras. If Jack could have it his way you would be next to him, but you didn’t mind the privacy.

The interview started how it always did with small talk, conversations about tour, the most recent album, and collaborations, of course. However, up until this point, the two of you hadn’t shared much about your pregnancy, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago when paparazzi photos of the two of you outside your place came out that everyone even became aware that you were pregnant. 

“And I wasn’t going to mention this but your team gave us the go ahead, which is nice because its all the fans wanted to know about when we announced this interview” the radio host laughed nervously “We do believe some congratulations are in order for you and your wife? You’re expecting your first child, is that right?” Jack was beaming, he was actually really excited to publicly speak about it since he hadn’t this entire time. He was smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt and you could immediately hear the happiness in his voice. ”That is right! Yeah! Obviously, the news didn’t come out the way we had originally planned for it too, but that’s life. We are very excited!”

“Baby boy or baby girl?” The interviewer asked excitedly.

“I think for now we’re going to keep that to ourselves, we have to leave a little something up to the imagination” Jack laughed.

“Fair enough!  I remember the first time you came in here for an interview, and now you’re going to be a father. It’s really exciting and insane to wrap my head around, congratulations man! How does it feel? Does it feel real yet?” The interviewer asked, knowing Jack was dying to talk about it some more.

“My wife and I were actually talking about this topic this morning. I was just asking her how it felt like to have a baby inside her because that’s a crazy thought, obviously. It doesn’t feel real until it gets real, at least that’s what I’ve been told.“ Jack let out a sigh, seemingly making the interviewer laugh.

“You have a lot of dads in your corner though man. I know Dj Drama probably lost his mind finding out this news.”

Jack laughed, recalling the moment that the two of you had told the team. “Oh yeah, I mean he’s been here for the come up, he’s seen me grow up essentially so he cried just as hard as he did on our wedding day.” 

“That’s beautiful man, it’s nice to see someone in the industry with such a solid team. You don’t see that everyday.”

“Oh yeah, this baby is about to have an entire second family of uncles and aunts so it’ll be great” Jack said with confidence. “It’s a beautiful feeling to watch the person you love carry your child, I love her on a different level than before which felt impossible to start with.”

“That’s amazing! You’re right, it really is a beautiful thing. Fatherhood is no joke though, it’ll test you two but I know you have a solid foundation” the interviewer was actually somebody that the two of you had known decently well. You wouldn’t say you were “friends” but he was a lot more personable than the others.

“Absolutely! I look forward to all that’s to come” Jack agreed with a smile. 

“Well man, congratulations again! We look forward to you coming back here and hopefully sharing photos of your baby… boy? I’m guessing boy! I haven’t seen your wife in person yet but that’s my guess!” The interviewer laughed as Jack and he shook hands. He was eager to get back to you and see what you thought of all he had to say.

You were waiting for him outside of the doors and he had the biggest smile on his face. “Did you hear all that?”

“I did, I love you so much” you sniffled and he wrapped his arms around you, holding you against his chest. “I love you too” he hummed.

“In just a few more weeks we’re going to be parents” you whispered.

“There’s no one else I’d rather do life with, you know that?” Jack reassured you back with a whisper, watching closely as his team got the car pulled up to the front of the building.

The two of you walked out of the building, holding hands. “You’re going to be such a good dad” you said with a smile as he walked you over to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for you to get in.

He didn’t respond, but he didn’t have to. You knew he needed to hear it. The smile on his face the entire car ride home was all the response you needed.

#Jack Harlow #Jack Harlow x reader #jack harlow concepts #Jack Harlow Imagines #Jack Harlow fluff

[thisaintascenereviews]

I Was Wrong About Deathcore

Deathcore as a genre has gone through quite a transformation over the last 20 years, especially in its early years. Bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Veil Of Maya, All Shall Perish, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, and Job For A Cowboy brought forth a style of metalcore that took death metal elements into the fold, creating a heavier and more menacing sound. Unfortunately, the metal community hated it, and deathcore was mocked incessantly by the metal community. I remember countless metal publications crapping all over the genre, like it was nothing, and many elitists would say it’s not “real metal,” which you also heard with metalcore, but look at how big both genres are now. In retrospect, those people that doubted the genre and mocked it, their comments haven’t aged well, because both of these genres are insanely huge. Deathcore, in particular, is doing well for itself, but it wasn’t always like that. You can say the same for metalcore as well, and I’ve got a piece in the works about that, but for now, let’s talk about deathcore, and where it’s been for the past decade and where it may potentially go in the future.

I’ve expressed before that I’m just not into the genre anymore, but I’ve recently spent some time with a handful of albums, both from bands I know and bands I don’t, and I’ve come to the realization that I was wrong about the quality of the genre over the last few years. That’s not to say I’m a diehard fan now, but I wanted to write this piece to explain how I went from loving the genre as a teenager to not being much of a fan in my late 20s, only to enjoy it more now at 30. It seems like things like this go full circle, because I was the same way with metalcore as well, and only up until about five or six years ago, I didn’t really listen to a lot for the longest time. I loved deathcore in high school, partially because it was the “heaviest” music I had ever heard, at least at the time. I had already been a fan of metalcore, but deathcore was even heavier. The genre reached its peak in the early 2010s with the second coming of the genre, and that included Carnifex, Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, and a lot of other bands. Those bands were already around, but they only ended up getting bigger. After a certain point, however, I saw the genre start to turn to how heavy and “brutal” a band could get, instead of writing good songs.

One of my biggest issues with heavier music that I run into a lot, depending on the genre, is that bands never know how to write a cohesive song, and instead, they want to be as heavy and brutal as possible, as well as cram as many riffs and breakdowns as possible. Bonus points if the vocalist sounds like a garbage disposal as well. I see this in progressive metal a lot, too, where the bands play as intricately and technical as possible, but they can’t make a catchy or accessible song worth a damn. There was a point where I thought musicianship was more important, but I don’t think so these days. These days, I’m more into listening to catchy and accessible stuff that has something to go back to, versus something that sounds impressive. Sure, you can play your instruments well, but why should I care if I don’t have anything to go back to? Deathcore has been going in that direction recently, being that bands are starting to be more accessible and memorable, versus trying to be as heavy and brutal as possible.

Lorna Shore’s latest record, Pain Remains, is a good example of that, but at the same time, that album is a good example of being over the top and overblown. Pain Remains is at an 11 constantly with its brand of symphonic and blackened deathcore, and while the album does try to get heavy and brutal, there is a lot of variety in both the musicianship and vocals. I reviewed that album a couple of years ago, and my biggest issue with it was how intense and over the top it was, but I don’t think it bothers me as much now, because I just needed to sink my teeth more into it. I didn’t spend enough time with it, and I see the album’s importance now, but I will admit that it’s a very overwhelming album at times, because it throws a lot at you. It throws a lot of different things, though, and that’s a good thing. Relistening to that album recently made me dive back into the genre for a bit, including the new Carnifex album from last year, Necromanteum. I liked that album a lot when it came out, despite it being pretty similar to what they’ve been doing, but Carnifex is a good example of a deathcore band that has more going for them than just being brutal and heavy. They utilize symphonics as well, and black metal riffery, so there’s more or less a good amount of variety on the album.

I’ve listened to a handful of other things, including the new Drown In Sulphur album, Dark Secrets Of The Soul, and I will say that blackened deathcore has become the new trend of the genre, aside from being brutal and heavy, but it all depends on the band’s ability to execute it. Like with all trends, it’ll fade, and the next new thing will come, but it looks like bands trying to be as brutal as possible is the thing of the past and the blackened deathcore sound is what’s big, so I’m looking at the genre with some optimism again, and I’m enjoying some of what I’m hearing. Another great album I’ve been into is the debut Ov Sulfur album, The Burden Ov Faith, in which the band tackles symphonic and blackened deathcore, along with some metalcore and hard rock influence by including clean vocals on the majority of the record.

It’s not that I don’t like bands being really heavy and brutal, it’s that I don’t care for it when that itself is the gimmick. There’s nothing with merely doing that, and sounding like that, but I want there to be more at this point in time. Maybe 20 years ago, it was new and fresh, but now it’s boring and played out, so I’m happy to see a band like Lorna Shore really do something with that. Other bands are following suit, and who knows where the genre will go in the next few years, especially when this trend dies down, but if this is where the the genre is now, I could get into this. Deathcore may not reach the same heights it did ten years ago, but times change, and it’s great to see some newer bands carrying the torch for any certain style of music.

#lorna shore #pain remains #suicide silence #thy art is murder #veil of maya #ov sulfur #signs of the swarm #carnifex #whitechapel #job for a cowboy #deathcore #bring me the horizon #metal #heavy metal #metalcore

[gamerswift13]

Speak Now (Taylor's Version)!

Hey!

So some of you will know this, others may not, but Taylor Swift recently re-recorded her 2010 album titled Speak Now, and it was released roughly 40 hours ago at the time of posting. When ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ was announced back in the first week of May this year, I wrote a thing about how I feel about the original album. If you haven’t read that, you may want to to get caught up on how and why I feel things so deeply for this record in particular.

Since way back in February 2021, when Taylor first announced that she was re-recording a bunch of her old albums, starting with Fearless, I have been waiting for this moment. I won’t get into the whole sordid story about why she’s doing it, or how much I wish Scoote* B*aun would get hit by a car, but it’s a whole thing. What I will say is that in the long run, I am honestly happy that this happened because the re-recordings are flawless. Seriously, I’m just wonderstruck (lmao 😉). I haven’t listened to this record as much as I wanted to before writing this - I’ve listened a few times, but mostly I’ve just been thinking about it. I was b i g excited for this to come out, but I can’t lie, there was some anxiety too - this record is so important to me so it had to be flawless; and I think Taylor nailed it. Anyway, I have waited for this for a long time, and now that it’s finally here I have Some Thoughts.

I went back and forth in my head about how to do this, and I decided the best way would be to nail down exactly which songs I was most nervous or excited about, and then do a broader breakdown of the rest of the album, so here we go: starting with…

Mine

‘She is the best thing that’s ever been mine.’

Taylor always opens her records with one of the strongest tracks on said record, and this one is no different. I adore the original, and the re-recording is incredibly faithful to it. The only differences I noticed in this track versus the original were a few unsubtle moments where the growth and refinement of Taylor’s vocal range in the past thirteen years really shine through. It’s the same song, but new again.

Sparks Fly

‘The way you move is like a full-on rain storm, and I’m a house of cards,’

This song has always been one of my all-time favourites from any artist ever, and this new version is just as intense and moving as the original was back when I first heard it somewhere around 2012. This re-recording gives me chills. I am literally trying not to cry right now as I sit here writing this and relistening to it. Every line in this song is flawless. And oh my god, the strings. During the track, I find it difficult with my audio processing problems to tell if it’s a guitar, a violin, another string instrument, or all of the above, but whatever it is it makes this song so much more powerful.

Speak Now

“She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen,”

‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ is the first track here where Taylor’s strengthened and refined voice is apparent in almost every lyric. While it’s maybe not one of the biggest or strongest stand-out tracks on the record, but it has a very special place in my heart from when the original record made its indelible mark on me. Not a lot is different here, besides the sound of Taylor’s voice, and I think that’s okay.

Mean

“You, with your switching sides and your wildfire lies and your humiliation.”

Mean is so much fun, it always has been. The up-tempo of it contrasted against the subject matter has always worked really well for me. The opening is so peppy while she talks about how hard critics had been treating her, and how badly she used to take it when it happened. But I love how the song goes from ‘upset’ to ‘f**k you’ by the end. This re-recording feels really good, too, because the line “some day I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me,” feels like both a prophecy from 2010, and a vindication in 2023 that she was right all along.

Better Than Revenge

“He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.”

This is the one I was most anxious about going into this new version. For one, I really love the original song, despite its one glaringly large problem, but I was also nervous about whether or not she would change the lyric, and if so, to what? The first time I heard the new lyric, I was reading the prologue in the booklet that came with the CD hard copy of the album, and even though I wasn’t super paying attention I noticed it. I skipped back a few seconds to hear it again, and looked up the lyrics in the booklet so I could sing along and get it into my brain. I really like the new lyric a lot, and I expect I am going to think about it a lot in the future, too.

Haunted

“Something keeps me holding onto nothing.”

Haunted has always been a big favourite of mine to just scream-sing along to when I need to release some sadness energy, even the acoustic version is great. This version is… something else. It’s always been something of a rock song, but I feel like Taylor really leaned into that here, and the result is flawless. I sent Castles Crumbling to my sister (not a swiftie) during my first listen to the record, and she liked it so much that she listened to the rest of the album - during her listen, she sent me back this text:

This new version is incredible, and I’m so happy to have it in my life. And I’m stoked that ‘Haunted (Taylor’s Version)’ may have made a Swiftie out of my sister. 😁

Ours

“The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours,”

I love the way Taylor kept the little southern drawl from the original track here. This is the one track on this record that really makes my heart flutter. There’s very little in this track that feels different from the original, but I think that was a really inspired choice because it was honestly practically flawless the first time around. This song also has a really special place in my heart because the original video was the source of one of my favourite reaction gifs to use on social media or in texts (see below!).

Wrapping up… 🎁

The rest of the re-recorded tracks here are gorgeous, and you really can hear the different inflections and tones in Taylor’s voice as she sings these classics from her early career in the studio again. Altogether, I love this release of Speak Now and I really feel like if someone were to ask me which version they should listen to, my answer would be overwhelmingly this one; it truly is the definitive version of the record. It was honestly tough to nail this list down to just seven favourites out of the 22 tracks, even with excluding the From The Vault tracks which I will get to in a second. I’m so happy to have this space to gush about this record, and I really hope you enjoyed reading about my feelings!

From The Vault 🔓

As I said above, I excluded the From The Vault tracks from my list because I simply don’t have a ton to say about them yet. I have only listened to them a handful of times, so expect a follow-up post in a few weeks, once I’ve had more time to sit with them and form Some Opinions. What I will say right now, though, is that the immediate stand-outs for me were Electric Touch, I Can See You, and Castles Crumbling. I’m excited to listen to them a bunch more times. I also wanted to mention the Surprise Announcement video at the end of the album on Apple Music, too. Many hardcore swifties will probably have seen a version of it before elsewhere, but I had not - I have been avoiding any streams from The Eras Tour in hopes that I’ll someday get to see a complete version on Netflix or something - and y’all, this video almost broke me. I so wish I could have been there in person to feel the energy of the crowd!

The End 🔚

Well that’s it from me for this week, friends. Thanks so much for hanging out and indulging me while I am once again back on my Taylor Swift bullshit. If you want to see more writing from me, as I mentioned above you can go back and read about why Speak Now is so special to me, check out other things I've written on Substack, and as always you can check out my Letterboxd movie reviews. I recently reviewed Single White Female (1992) and Poseidon (2006)! Also! Please remember that if you have comments, questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi, please hit me up in the comments or at any of the socials in the links below.

Stay safe out there y’all and have a great week. You’re the best thing that’s ever been mine! Ka kite anō au i a koe. 💚

Rebecca

| Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | Cohost | Substack | itch.io | Letterboxd | Instagram | Carrd | Email |

#taylor swift #speak now #taylors version #taylorswift #taylorswift13 #music #swifties #swifties 4 life #queer writers #trans writers #non binary writers #writers of tumblr #writers of aotearoa #writers of new zealand #substack #aotearoa #aotearoawriters #new zealand #lgbtqi+ #swiftie #tay #non-fiction #feelings #emotions #love #taylor swift owns my ass #letterboxd

[honeyquinns]

CLUB HELLFIRE

( prequel )

warnings // death, sickness, alcohol abuse, abuse, cussing, drugs, murder, s1 steve but younger

a/n: hey guys!! so i decided to post every Sunday for this series. i’m not sure how many chapters i want yet. this may become an ongoing series like “seasons” of a show where i’ll do a certain amount of chapters as ‘season 1’ and so on. depending on how much you guys enjoy it, that’s when i can decide. i will also be posting this on wattpad for those that don’t use tumblr. my username there is honeyxquinns and i will be posting there on Sundays as well. i hope you guys enjoy the series and i will continue to post little blurbs in between chapters just for funzies <3 *****for character descriptions of who will mainly be in the series, go to my wattpad*****

—————————————————————————

1978

Stacie was laying in her bedroom doing her algebra homework for Mr. Stevie’s class, blasting Judas Priests new album ‘Stained Class’. she was never a huge metalhead but her best friend Eddie introduced her to it. She were always more of a fleetwood mac, Tina Turner type of girl. Her mom used to blast plenty of Prince and Michael Jackson that she also liked to listen to sometimes. Her dad would play bands like black sabbath and mötorhead but it wasn’t until she met Eddie that she got more into metal. it was almost freeing in a way. Just head banging to the beat, jumping around to the rips of the guitar and the heaviness on the drums. it always was a good distraction for her when things would turn bad.

1968, Stacie had just turned 3 two weeks before her mom has given birth to her little brother Charlie, when she died from complications. it was just her, her father Don and her little brother Charlie. Don never took it well but did what he could for his children. Everything went further down hill from there when 2 years later, Charlie has been diagnosed with leukemia. he had been really sick for months and managed to get better but 2 weeks later died. it tore Stacie and Don apart and ruined their relationship. They had to move into hawkins, a quiet small town and couldn’t afford much so moved into a trailer park. Don would drink and become verbally abusive toward Stacie by saying everything was her fault and that he wished it had been her to die instead of her mom and brother. he would get physical by throwing things at her and pushing her into walls. Although Stacie was only 11, she felt as if she could handle anything and was super strong. Eddie always made her feel that way. They met in elementary school during recess. Eddie had been getting picked on my his bully Steve, calling Eddie a ‘freak’ and that he has no mommy or daddy, pushing him around. it really hurt her feelings knowing she knew what that felt like so she went ran over to Steve, pushed him back and punched him right in the eye leaving a bruise. he yelled screaming and running toward a teacher but she didn’t care. “Hi, i’m Stacie” she says helping up the little skinny boy who was slightly taller than her and had short, almost buzzcut like curly hair. “Hey, i’m Eddie” he says smiling but quickly frowns when we realizes his lip stings from a cut caused by Steve. “hey it’s not so bad.” she says pointing at his lip. “nothing a little baby wipe can’t help” they both laugh. “thank you for helping me but you really didn’t have to. Steve always pushes me around, he’s just an ass and only does it because of his friends” Eddie says shrugging “did you just move here or something? i’ve never seen you around before” she looked up at him, his big brown eyes being curious “yeah, i used to live in the town 30 miles from here but me and my dad recently came here” she looks down, a little sad but not wanting Eddie to know why they had to move there. “oh! well cool because i don’t really have any friends and considering you beat the shit out of Steve for me, i think this is the start of a very good friendship” they both smile at each other and laugh. “i would love to be your friend..hey! do you like lord of the rings?” she said happily, “what!? of course i love lord of the rings. i’ve read the book 5 times!” his eyes widen with excitement. “i’ve never met any girl who’s into fantasy! do you like dungeons and dragons too?” he starts getting even more happy that he’s finally found someone who’s interested in the same things he is “well no-“ Stacie says “i’ve heard of it but i don’t really know how to play. it seems hard” Eddie stands up straight, like a knight and puts his hand on his chest “no worries Princess Stacie, i can teach you all ways of the game! i’ve always wanted to create my own club. maybe you can be part of it..” he trails off a bit “although, it’s meant to be played with more people but i think we can manage. just use our imagination” she smiles at that, she never thought she could make a friend so easily let alone have them willing to hang out with her so quick.

“i would love that!” she says. “sick! you can come over to my house! my uncle wouldn’t mind and he makes the best roast beef sandwiches” Stacie’s smile drops. she’s never been to anyones house before and lately her dad has been very mean so she wasn’t sure if he’d let her. “well i don’t know. my dad hasn’t really been in a good mood lately and i’m kind of scared to ask.” Eddie looks at you sadly but perks up “well what if i come over? where do you live?” “umm i think it’s like san street, san something” she says like a question. “sandustin street?! that’s where i live!” he says excitedly. “i didn’t see you on the bus this morning” he says “my dad drove me, sometimes he does at least” Eddie still being excited says “well how about this? we can take the bus home and meet up later and i’ll teach you the basics about D&D. there’s a small park further down the street and we can just hang there. that way if your dad is looking for you, he can just look out the door” Stacie was hesitant but she couldn’t pass up on a friend, not a friend like Eddie anyhow. for an 8 year old, Stacie didn’t mind ignoring her fathers wishes. she knew it was just because he was an asshole and always drunk so even if he said no, she knew she could sneak away while he slept with a beer in his hand. she thought for a second if she should actually do it but smiled “yeah! i’m sure he wouldn’t mind. okay, i’ll do it!” they both smile at each other “cool!” Eddie says. after that the bell rings and they head back to class. Apparently Eddie really doesn’t pay attention because he had no clue Stacie was even in the same class as him. it could’ve also been because she was pretty quiet and would only talk to the other little girl next to her, Nancy but Eddie was never really the one to pay attention to school things.

back to present ‘78, as Stacie was still finishing up her algebra she heard a knock on her window. She looks up and sees Eddie smiling, walks over to the window and lets him in. “What are you doing here? My dad is not in the mood at all so don’t be loud or he’s gonna kick your dumb ass out again!” he trips coming into the window but catches himself on you bed. “He’s not gonna hear me! i saw him through the kitchen window before i came here, he’s slumped over with 3 beers in his lap. he’ll be out for hours.” Eddie knew about everything. the drinking, the abuse, everything in Stacie’s past and he understood it completely. Eddie lost his mom when he was 4 and his dad went to prison then later died after being shanked and left for dead in his cell. His Uncle Wayne ended up taking him in and while it was hard, Eddie was grateful that he had such an amazing uncle who he actually referred to as his dad. Wayne also in fact knew of Stacie’s situation and would always make sure she’d eat, had clothes, school supplies and more. Wayne didn’t have much but he always did what he could for Eddie and Stacie. A lot of times Stacie wishes that Wayne was her dad and that the nightmare she lived in would just go away. “what are you even doing here anyway? copy my algebra homework yet again?” she said smartly. She knew Eddie was incredibly smart, he just lacked a lot in the homework/test department “no i didn’t come here to copy your algebra homework” Eddie said mocking her tone “i planned on doing that tomorrow morning on the bus. i CAME here because that new movie Halloween releases tonight” he says with eyes super wide. Every month Stacie and Eddie would go to the movies to watch a new release. Last year they went to see The Hobbit and a month ago they went to see The Lord of the Rings. They tried sneaking in to see The House of the Dead but got caught and kicked out. “no way! we tried sneaking in last time and Wayne yelled so much at us, i thought i was gonna lose my hearing” Stacie said. “if we get caught again, you can kiss your freedoms goodbye Munson!“ Eddie rolled his eyes and smacked his lips “no way my dad is gonna find out this time. I have a plan” she looks at his smirking knowing exactly what he’s gonna do and squints her eyes at him “you’re gonna go through my dads stash aren’t you?” he smiles hugely “of course. he’s never noticed before plus i heard this guy Rick is a huge pothead, i’m sure i could bribe him with acres” she rolled her eyes at him “grams dumbass and fine but ONLY a tiny piece. he almost got my head with a remote last time” Eddie frowned, he never liked that she’d make jokes about her abuse but he knew that was just the way to cope with it sometimes so he let it be. “well let’s go! the first showing is at 9!” he goes through her closet, grabbing one of her jackets and throwing it at her. “go out through your window, i’ll meet you there” he quickly but quietly walked out of her room, heading to the living room. He sneakily walks past Don’s snoring body trying not to wake him, grabbing a small box that had nuggets of weed inside, he grabbed 2 nuggets and stuffed him into his pocket. Don moved a bit and Eddie stopped dead in his tracks. He held his breath and closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t wake the beast. Once Don adjusted into a new position, Eddie breathed out after nearly turning blue and sped walked quietly into Stacie’s room and crawling out her window.

the two hopped on Eddie’s bike and rode to the local theater, The Hawk. they both walked inside getting their usual snacks, Stacie grabbing fun dip, Eddie grabbing twizzlers and both sharing a very, unnecessary large bowl of popcorn. they both went walking around to find Rick. “where do you think he is?” Stacie says as she fills her cup up with a fountain coke. “probably somewhere getting high” Eddie says trailing off to find another employee “hey, you know where Rick is?” he asks a tall, red headed boy with braces and glasses. “who’s asking?” the boy said. Eddie looked at him enthusiastically “Tell him Eddie Munson has a present for him” he flashes the teen movie clerk a smile and looks back at Stacie, her giving him a blank face knowing they could possibly still get kicked out. “be right back.” the red head boy walked to the back where all the food was and out came Rick. “who’s asking for me?” he looks down and to see a small Eddie. “Who are you?” he looks at the kids up and down confused. “We heard you could get us into some rated R movies for a price” Stacie says as if she wanted to negotiate a deal and Eddie looks at her slightly surprised but matches her energy toward Rick. Usually Eddie makes all the dumb decisions while Stacie was more reasonable so to see her all in with it was surprising to say the least. “You two look like you just finished the 2nd grade, i don’t think you have the payment i’m looking for. How about i get you two some tickets to see ‘The Cats from Outer Space’ that seems more your thing” they both look at him unamused. “first of all, we’re in middle school” Stacie says, her voice monotone. Eddie leans over the counter and points his finger for Rick to come closer and he does “I have 2 big chicken nuggets with your name on it and i’ll trade it for 2 tickets to see Halloween” Rick leans back, contemplating if he should really make a deal with a 12 year old kid. after thinking for what felt like forever, Rick makes a decision “alright fine, i can’t pass up a good deal.” the kids smile happily, giving each other a high five and walk over to the register with Rick. “that’ll be $2.34” eddie pulls out the 2 nuggets wrapped in tissue paper and slides it over to Rick “really kid??-“ he smacks his lips and rolls his eyes “that’s not the way to do. when you get older, find me and i’ll teach you the ways” Eddie rolled his eyes “yeah sure, 2 tickets to see Halloween please” Rick hands them the tickets and they squeal with excitement running quickly into the theater and finding some seats “where should we sit?” they both scan the sections, not many people there but enough to fill a room “let’s go all the way to the back” Stacie says and they make their way toward the back. “i can’t believe he actually let us in. i heard he’s never made a deal with kids before” Eddie said as they sat down getting comfortable. “well that’s definitely a lie. he’s a creep, i’m sure he’s made lots of deals with kids. plus it seems like he wants you to work for him some day” Stacie said laughing at him “oh no way i will and even if i tried, you’d kill me or tell my dad. i won’t even chance it.” The lights turning off and the theater screen getting louder, the kids stopped their conversation and watched the movie. Eddie jumping constantly and hiding behind Stacie and Stacie pushing him to the side or constantly telling him to shut up every time he whispered “he’s behind you!” “don’t go in there!”

after the movie was over, they rode back to their neighborhood and quickly walked down toward their trailers. funny enough, their trailers faced each other from the back so they could communicate through their bedroom windows. “well kid, it was fun while it lasted but i have to get in there and finish the homework you interrupted me doing” Stacie said climbing up her window and opening it up “i saved you from that! Mr Stevie was messed up for the amount of lines and triangles he added on that paper!” Eddie said tossing it bike to the side and climbing up his window as well. they’re both sitting on their beds, leaning over the window seals. “they’re linear equations and it’s not that hard. maybe if you did less on writing song lyrics and practicing guitar rifts and more listening to me when i tutor you, you wouldn’t be flunking with a D minus” Stacie said as she walked away to take off her jacket and get more comfortable in her bed. “someday i’m gonna tour with my band and be a rockstar! selling out all the shows on a world tour and YOU my friend will be right next to me all ‘omg my best friends sooo famous’ ‘back away people! i’m Eddie’s body guard’” he says mocking her voice which causes both of them to laugh “bodyguard!?” she says laughing hysterically “you know better than anyone else i’d be playing the guitar right next to you, if not singing!” Eddie lifts his eyebrow slightly “singing? ok fine but you still have a mean hook on you so i still need your protection. the ladies will be all over me and the guys will be jealous” he said smirking. “whatever Munson. i’m going to sleep! goodnight frodo! love ya!” she said with a big dramatic wave “and a love you, goodnight to you my sam the wise!” he says doing the same dramatic wave. they both shut their window, closing their curtains and falling asleep.

[ credit to munsonfefe on ig. will delete if not allowed to be reposted ]

a/n : hey guys!! i hope you liked it. i loved being able to write Eddie being younger and adding his relationship with Wayne. i thought it was just so cute for him to just refer to Wayne as his dad 🥹 and having Wayne also take in Stacie <3 also reblogs helps a lot so reblog it to your followers 🖤 thank youuuu

reminder // #clubhellfire is where you will find all the chapters

#eddie munson #eddie munson x black!reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson masterlist #joseph quinn #joseph quinn x black!oc #club hellfire #eddie munson blurb #fanfic #hellfire club #joe quinn

[jo-dracona]

@pointofknowreturn tagged me to list 3 albums I’ve been listening to recently and well… I don’t really listen to albums usually. Honestly I hardly listen to music, and when I do it’s usually not something I’m consciously choosing and so there’s plenty of music I’ve heard before that I know I’ve heard before and know I like, even recalling from just a few notes or lines, but have never known the name of the song or the artist. This includes some songs I can recall having heard sporadically since I was like… 6. I can recognize it and start singing along after barely hearing one line in a crowded food court and start quietly singing along to the whole song to myself but I could not possibly tell you the name of the song or who sang it.

Basically, music is just kinda hard for me. What I’ve been doing for years is cobbling a big pile of stuff I know I like from my parents’ playlists because a lot of the stuff I like is what they played while driving and on road trips and stuff, plus some other stuff I’ve discovered incredibly slowly over the years. So I only had like… 3 albums that I listened to most-or-all of like… total.

BUT back in like October-ish, Juliet started telling me about all the cool music she listens to and I asked for some of her recommendations for music to try! She told me a couple albums and it’s safe to say she’s got damn good taste! But of all the things she recommended, the 3 albums that I keep listening to, even after months since she first recommended them, are all from only 1 band lol

It’s Kansas all the way down, baby!

Masque, Leftoverture, and Point of Know Return (hey wait a second…)

Bonus, favourite songs from each one because I wanted to :)

Masque: Icarus (Borne On Wings of Steel) - parts of this song have big Jo Dracona (the character that I’ve never made anything with but was my pfp for years and is the reason that’s my alias online) vibes.

Leftoverture: The Wall - Miracles Out Of Nowhere is a close second but The Wall is just very emotional in a particular way and it’s so so good.

Point of Know Return: Lightning’s Hand - this song absolutely whips, it grabs me every time and I always end up walking faster when I’m listening to it. Good if I’m late for class!

Now to tag people! How about @fembutchboygirl @kitty-mancer and @anonymousllama :)

#music #kansas #tag game

[allalrightagain]

I wanna ask all the writer emoji ones!! haha but I'll refrain and only ask for 🛒 🎶 and 💖

Hi friend!! Thanks for the ask 🥰

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

I think each work usually has something I’m aiming for specifically, but in general I think there’s usually two flavors of LT fics: complicated family interactions (especially for Harry lol) and tragic endings, specifically where it’s this long march towards The End. I also love playing with the fact that it’s fic and we as readers know the whole story— what do we know that the characters don’t? What happens if we change the information that they have, and give them more or less or crucial information at a different time? That’s something you just can’t do with traditional fiction, except maybe for a retelling, and HP as a series plays really well with it.

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I actually can’t write and listen to music haha, it’s too much distraction. What I end up doing is like, pregaming feels and listening to a song or playlist while I’m doing something else (driving home, walking the dog, doing the dishes etc) and then once I’m done, turning the music off and writing. I’ve been listening to Noah Kahan’s album Stick Season recently though, and while it’s not really the same vibes, it gives me a lot of Pocket Dad!Peter emotions.

💖 What made you start writing?

This is a hard one, actually!! In some ways I’ve always been writing, I won third in a school writing competition in like second grade for a story about superhero siblings in Australia, and I’ve got HP fic still saved from grade school (I kill Harry bc of course I did), but on the flip side I didn’t write a lot or very frequently— it’s been a short story here or there and then a few years before the next one. (This is, for the record, not the way I would recommend getting a degree in writing lmao. I skated through on personal essays and prose poetry because it was the path of least resistance to getting a bachelors in anything but I’m not particularly impressed by anything I created during those years 😅). I think it’s equally true to say I always have to be thinking of a story and sometimes a story is so big or compelling that the only thing I can do is put it on paper, no matter how long it takes.

Ask me questions on my sick day!

#ask games #LT talks #hp

[gillianthecat]

Annual Tag Game for 2022 aka Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

(it's still 2022 in a few time zones!)

Thanks for the tag @amos-reviews, @petrichoraline, @chimerasinourskyline and @catwalkninja ❤

• three ships •

I don’t know how to pick favorites, but these are three that I loved that jumped out when I looked through my spreadsheet.

Yai and Mangkorn, Big Dragon

Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi, We Best Love

Seo Joon and Ji Woo, To My Star (1 & 2)

• first ships •

I puzzled over this for a while, because I only thought in terms of “shipping” in the past few years. But I think the first fictional romantic relationship that I remember actively thinking about was Talia and Kris from Mercedes Lackey’s Arrows of the Queen. Which is an interesting place to start because (spoiler alert, of a sort) they didn’t have a romantic relationship, they were very good friends who became fuckbuddies (although I didn’t yet know that word at age 11 or 12) even though her soulmate was someone else. In retrospect, I think that set me up very well for thinking of relationships both in fiction and real life–that sex could be something fun and free and didn’t needed to be saved for one person, that sex and romance didn’t always have to go together. And although I wasn’t that interested in Talia’s relationship with Dirk, her soulmate, I didn’t want her to end up with Kris instead, I enjoyed their friendship as it was. So does that count as shipping? I don’t know. In terms of characters who weren't together in the story that I thought should be together? I have no idea who the first were.

• last song •

We were listening to Barbara Streisand Christmas album earlier this evening. It seemed appropriate somehow to listen to Christmas songs sung by a famously Jewish woman on New Year’s Eve.

Although technically, I suppose the last song I heard was whatever Billie Eilish’s brother Phineas was singing on ABC’s New Year’s Eve show in LA. I don’t know what the song was; we were too busy trying to figure out if he was Billy Eilish’s brother to pay attention to that.

• last movie •

Glass Onion

• currently reading •

ehhh. nothing. I didn’t even get any books for Christmas. I really haven’t been reading much of anything lately, which is odd for me, someone whose identity has often been “reader.”  I guess I’ve been keeping up with Taylor Fitzpatrick’s hockey stories as I’m emailed updates, but that’s about it. I think my most recent book was Naomi Novak’s The Golden Enclaves.

• currently watching •

To Sir With Love

GAP the series

Between Us

My School President

Never Let Me Go

Till the End of The World

Candy Color Paradox

True Beauty (Korean het romcom)

The New Employee

Although many of these I’m several weeks behind on.

• currently eating •

We had lasagna for dinner, which turned out quite well, I’m pleased with it, along with asparagus, salad and garlic bread, and for desert we had chocolate fondue with all sorts of fruit and marshmallows and pretzels, because my parents are very into fun little things and have all these little individual sized fondue pots with tealights they wanted to use.

• craving •

In terms of food, absolutely nothing, I am so full right now. In terms of other things, I guess a few days completely to myself? This visit has actually been pretty low key and I’ve had plenty of down time, it’s more that the week and a half I thought I would have to myself when I get back is not to be since I’m helping my brother move then and it turns out my parents will be coming with me to help as well. So I’m feeling a little stressed about getting overwhelmed by people, and thus craving alone time more because it feels like it’s been stolen from me unexpectedly.

I'm going to tag the last (taggable) 9 people who followed me, although I have no idea if any of you are interested in doing this: @0persimmon @kdramaandbts2022 @sweetsorrow059518 @gabriel-the-angel @rainbowstan @puppydeul-blog @bri-with-luv @angelsindeepconversation @99pacificpassions. Hi new friends!

#tag game #bl watchlist #about gillianthecat #gillianthecat's life #arrows of the queen #mercedes lackey

[glimmerbolan]

hey i'm trying to get into the lemon twigs before i see them open for mcr, i was wondering if you had any song recks or suggestions for other blogs to follow? thanks! :)

yes so happy to answer this question! i want everyone to get into them lol. and I’m sure you didn’t mean for me to go so in depth but oh boy i'm about to infodump LMAO. also which night are you going to? i’ll be seeing them in brooklyn on 9/11!

all of the lemon twigs albums sound kind of different so here’s a little break down of them:

Do Hollywood (2016)- came out when they were 17 & 19 years old! CRAZY good for a debut! gerard is a very big fan of this album and posted about it when it came out. i would start with this one! the biggest inspos musically i would say are like beach boys/beatles mixed with foxygen/tame impala. a fun mix of psychedelic rock and baroque pop and electronic with a vintage sound! i would say the stand outs are “I Wanna Prove To You,” “As Long As We’re Together,” “These Words,” and “A Great Snake” :)

Go To School (2018)- so then they were like ok now we’re gonna do something COMPLETELY different. how about a rock musical about a chimpanzee named shane raised as a human boy who wants to go to school??? it is incredible and it’s so camp but also heartwrenching. if you like musical theater influences and rock operas (like i do) give this one a listen, it’s my absolute favorite!!! their actual mother plays the shane's mom, and shane’s dad is played by 70s rocker Todd Rundgren??? that’s camp. i would recommend listening to it all in one go as it is a story, but there are definitely some stand outs that can be listened to out of context like fan favorite (and my favorite) “Queen of My School,” “Small Victories,” and “Never In My Arms, Always In My Heart.” if you’ve got a couple minutes and want to understand the story before you listen, this is a great video where they break it down track by track.

Songs For The General Public (2020)- so some people didn’t really like “get” the conceptual chimp musical so then i guess they were like “ok fuck it! this next album is gonna be called ‘songs for the general public!’” LMAO. if you like music from the 70s then this is the album for you!!! if you didn’t know it came out in 2020 you would honestly think this was from like 1972. it’s a love letter to early 70s glam rock and power pop and influenced by lou reed/velvet underground, bowie, big star, the replacements, etc the list goes on. stand outs from this one imo are “The One” (which i have a tattoo referencing! the art was inspired by @trytogethappy ‘s SFTGP flash sheet. i would HIGHLY recommend checking out their blog and their art if you haven’t already!), "Moon," “No One Holds You (Closer Than The One You Haven’t Met),” “Hell On Wheels,” “Only A Fool,” and “Hog.”

i actually made a spotify playlist for my friends when i was convincing them to get into the lemon twigs, so that could also be a good place to start!

i’ve seen them 4 times this past year, and they’ve recently been touring mostly with songs from their latest album and new songs from their album thats apparently coming out later this year. so i would say listen to Songs For The General Public if you want to recognize the songs they play opening for MCR!

they are an INCREDIBLE live band and they have some really fun music videos, so i’m gonna link a couple of my favorite videos under the cut if you’re someone like me who likes to get the full audio&visual!

"I Wanna Prove To You" music video (very wes anderson vibes)

"As Long As We're Together" music video (fun, surrealist, and synth-y)

"Never In My Arms, Always In My Heart" music video (introduces the story of Go To School very well, also really showcases michael's talent as a camp icon and frontman)

"The One" music video (glam alert!!! fun fact: my hair is blonde bc of michael in this video lmao he gives me insane gender envy)

Live at Amoeba 2016

Live at KEXP 2016

Live at KEXP 2018 (oooh a hot new backing band! brian is a fucking guitar god in this one and michael is out of his awkward teen phase and into his lou reed era)

Live on Jimmy Kimmel 2018 (definitely their best tv performance)

"Hog" Live Version (this makes me sob and michael's vocals are the best they've ever been)

Full Performance- Live @ Underground Arts 2022 (this is their entire show in philly a couple months ago if you wanna get a feel of their current live shows/what to expect when they open! and if you spot a cute fat little blonde bitch excitedly dancing in the front the whole time unaware that they were being filmed- that is, in fact, me LMAO)

#you did not ask for like Any Of This im so sorry #Go To School is literally my joker #i just have so much knowledge of them in my little brain and have spent the last year traveling to see them lol #is this coming off as very undiagnosed autistic bc im feeling like it is #the lemon twigs #lemon twigs #michael d’addario #michael daddario #brian d’addario #brian daddario #mcr #mcr tour #mcr reunion

[jungwnies]

hello maeby baby! <3<3

last weekend I went to the movies with my sister and my best friend that i haven’t seen in 4 years and girl-

we watched three movies, THREE

-the little mermaid

-spider-man

-guardians of the galaxy

omg i was crying so much, like i already knew i was going to cry with the little mermaid cause it’s one of my fave Disney movies and also since the first trailer dropped i cried when halley sang so i knEW i was gonna be bawling and yup. movie started, literally the title appeared and i cried like im pretty sure the rare moments were the ones where i wasn’t crying (loved it 🫶🏻)

spiderman was sooooo cool, i already loved the first one but man this was soooo good and the soundtrack? slay

and to finish, guardians of the galaxy FUCKED ME UP like, i’ve seen clips of people just saying that you cry a lot and in general it’s one of the best marvel movies recently and i was very excited about this cause I’ve been a big big MCU/MARVEL fan since the beginning but after end game i only watched a couple of them and honestly only loved a few but this one seriously it’s amazing, a masterpiece and i refuse to watch it a second time cause it’s just going to mentally hurt me even more, but seriously it did not disappoint

i also made my friend watch both taylor swift movies and it was awesome, he also listened to folklore for the first time and his favorite was mirrorball (mines are august, illicit affairs and the lakes)

right now im actually home alone for the weekend, one of my sisters friend from high school graduated an she invited her to the ceremony and after party and even though it was okay for me to come i decided to stay home and just have “me time” which has been mostly watching films and YouTube videos lol

also there’s this asmr creator that i love, ediyasmr and this week she did two tarot reading and omg i never felt so “seen” or “heard” with a reading 🥹💓 it was very reassuring and a wholesome time for me haha

i feel like it’s a time for change in my life and path so a lot of craziness and also tranquility in my life going on ( i hope it’s not weirding you out lol) but the good one of craziness I guess ^^

now the questions for you hehe:

have you watched any movies recently? when was the last time you went to the movies? do you like taylor? (if yes what’s your favorite song/album) do you believe in tarot readings and all that stuff? very excited to hear all your answers and what you’ve been up to ^^

take lots of care and please receive all my hugs and kisses that im sending all the way from my room in my pijamas cozy in my bed 🤎🤎

also take care of that ankle!! until a couple of months ago i also still felt some pain so I tried to not put a lot of pressure on it (but also life sometimes doesn’t give me an option ://)

mwa mwa mwa 🤧❤️❤️

- 🧸 anon

omgomgomg anonnieeee!!!

to be honest... i have a really hard time getting into MCU movies, i think the only time i actually watch them is in my myth class because we rarely do anything and all we do is analyze MCU movies because they usually have that hero timeline that we study LMFAO. i have been meaning to watch the little mermaid though it was one of my favorite disney movies growing up (despite the fact that i didn't even know there was a 2nd one...) one thing i will give to MCU movies is though are the cinematic, they are so good, i applaud!!! - i haven't watched any taylor swift movies but i do love her music, it's so good & it always gets me in my feelings to be completely honest with you >.> - me time is super extremely important so i'm super glad that you get to catch up on it, i spend a lot of my time with my sister even when i'm at school but i do enjoy my free time a lot ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ⎯⎯ now to answer your questions!!! (੭˃ᴗ˂)੭

have you watched any movies recently? when was the last time you went to the movies? - i've honestly been meaning to go to the movies but i'm either 1. too lazy or 2. too busy 💔 however i'm planning to watch a few movies over the summer since i'm finally more free ugh but i just haven't found the right time. however, over the summer i do plan on watching some movies, honorable mentions being: the little mermaid, barbie, no hard feelings, and evil dead rise (i love horror omgomgomg)

do you like taylor? (if yes what’s your favorite song/album) - yes, i do like taylor. i think some of my favorite albums by her are speak now, fearless, and of course midnights is so good!! i also loved folklore. my favorite song by her is definitely enchanted or love story but also lavender haze is so good!!

do you believe in tarot readings and all that stuff? - i believe in all of it, there was a time where i spent a lot of time practicing tarot and learning astrology (i'm still big on astrology but not so much tarot, i still have the cards though!) i really enjoy watching readings and doing my own, i feel like it resonates with me extremely well, and i'm glad you were able to relate to one on youtube!

⎯⎯ thank you for always leaving me the sweetest messages & take care as well! i wish you nothing but the best and i'm sending all my love and affection to you 🩷 mwamwamwa!

#🧸 — jungwnies #🧸 anon #🧸 #thank you anon #ily anon #📥 jungwnies #𐐪♡︎₊˚ ― jungwnies #jungwnies anons #jungwnies

[scenekidfancams]

19 Questions {Cuz I accidentally didn't send 20 edition} Ortega (@baphometlovesme) [FFO: Ramirez, Oujia Macc, Old and New eras of Shinigami, and David shawty.)

Ort3ga is a growing underground, hyperpop, digicore and trap metal/dark trap artist from the bay area in CA. His singles upset & obsessed, GOTH STAR (Featuring. Jimbo7) have collective 2k streams on soundcloud, On YouTube his single switch has 3k on one video. So Ort3ga is coming up and is grinding. Taking influences from the current wave of digicore and bubbly trap. His sound is mall goth inspired too. He is sure to be your new favorite rapper.

(ORT3GA HAS NOT PAID FOR A INTERVIEW BUT I HAVE KNOWN HIM PERSONALLY SINCE 2016 SO KEEP THAT IN MIND)

Q. Who are you, and What do you do?

A. I am Ort3ga I make music for depressed people and goth girls I am also 1/3 part of GKZ which is my new group coming 2023

Q. What is 666Lyfestyle?

A. Wow I can’t believe you actually know about this umm... 666Lyfestyle is my clothing brand that I’m trying to get up and running ASAP.

Q. Non Hiphop, Rap or trap influences?

A. A big influence for me non music wise would be definitely Steve O as bad as it sounds he’s a pretty amazing guy and he’s come a long way but lived a fire life. 

Q. Your Style both musically and Fashion wise have changed? What was this shift like or was it always this way.

A. I have always had great style but in the last few years I’ve been spending way to much on my clothes I have been only wearing robin jeans. My music style has changed drastically because recently I’ve become more and more goth and I’ve been trying to make a sound started I call it goth rage music just wait it’ll be big soon.

Q. Who is your biggest influence music or not. A.  A. Ramirez is my idol and I would love to eventually make music with him. it’s a life long goal. A few others are $uicideboy$, lil peep, juicewrld, and pretty much everyone signed to g59, and korn.

Q. You often have done tech and worked on shows, such as system of a down, korn, and many others. Do you have any advice for working class musicians trying to make it in music or anything really?

A. I don’t have nearly as many streams as some of my favorite artists and people I’ve worked with in the industry but my main piece of advice for musicians is to schedule your release a few weeks in advance and have a style that sounds original but also catchy but above all you have to be yourself and make music that you love.

Q. Have you heard of semetary. go listen to him lol this isnt a serious question just a recommendation.

A.  I love semetary my favorite songs by semetary are 10,000 weeping choirs and Pain!

Q. Favorite Goat.

A. favorite goat would have to be Rob zombie or Marilyn Manson

Q. Drain Gang?

A. Shout out bladee and all the Hyperpop goons I love ‘em all and am gonna be releasing more Hyperpop soon.

Q. Any producers or mv directors you'd like to collab with?

A. I would love to collab with Mikey the Magician, f1lthy, and dotcomnirvan

Q. How long did Upset and Obsessed take you? What was the creative process like?

A. It actually took me 2 years to fully complete Upset and obsessed I had a idea for it and a few songs out for it but just in the past year I have got down my sound and banged out the album in about 8 solid months of working. To be honest so many tears went into this album I kept getting my heart crushed by these “wonderful” girls and I needed an outlet so I didn’t lose my shit.

Q. Favorite art or visual influence?

A. My friend ACER the world famous graffiti artist.  he’s just amazing!

Q. Do you like horror movies?

A. I love horror movies! my favorite horror movie is the terrifier if ya haven’t seen it you should definitely check it out at your own discretion.

Q. How do you feel about inspiring people to make music?

A. I hope before I die to inspire at least 500,000 people to do something they love I believe everyone should be doing something they love.

Q. Youtube Recommendations?

A. Trashgang definitely and also go check out my new album on all platforms I love Aidan ross too.

Q. Gas Fast food or recommendations for food in the bay area.

A. There is my favorite burger joint out here is called the Smokehouse if you want good Mexican food the best spot isn’t in the bay it’s in woodland where I used to live it’s called El Jaliscience

Q. Hyphy or Bay area Hardcore?

A. I grew up in south Berkeley and east Oakland and would slap e40 everyday before middle school so imma have to go with the hyphy movement 

Q. Video Games?

A. I’m a warzone demon and I love me some scary games too I recommend outlast.

Q. Any thoughts or anything else? Shoutouts?

A. Shout out Saegoe that mf believed in me when no one else did and I will always have his back a big shout out to Jimbo7, Max Riley, and 9aradox

Check Out Upset and Obsessed.

https://tidal.com/browse/album/261247565

#SoundCloud #Spotify #goth rage #berkeley #oakland #ort3ga #saegoe #jimbo7 #bladee #semetary #hauntedmound #digicore #hyperpop

[lizzygrantarchives]

Radio.com, August 16, 2013

As a remix of "Summertime Sadness" brings her to radio in a big way, we sit down with Lana Del Rey to discuss the past and the future.

By 10:30 p.m, almost 100,000 people have filed out of Chicago’s Grant Park following the first day of Lollapalooza 2013, held a couple weeks back. As the mass of coming-down kids move toward the exits, Lana Del Rey sits at a picnic table backstage, just far enough away from the noise. It’s so dark where she sits that until you come close enough to catch her eye, the only thing you can really see is the cherry of her cigarette. This post-festival scene is in stark contrast to her “pretty crazy” headlining performance earlier that night.

“I had to go around the world for two years just to have an audience in Chicago,” she told Radio.com. “I mean, I could just have been unpopular forever, that probably would have been a lot less tiring.”

A year and a half later, after all the panning and parodies of Born to Die have come and gone, there’s a touch of fame PTSD in how Lana Del Rey speaks about herself. She references her “not great welcoming into the American public eye,” but the truth of the matter is, we’re in the midst of the second coming of Lana Del Rey. When tastemakers grow tired, artists of a poppy temperament can try the most mainstream, “of the people” medium: radio.

Those who wrote off Lana Del Rey may be surprised to learn that she has a No. 1 song on a Billboard chart (Dance/Mix Show Airplay) this week. And a Top 5 (Hot Rock Songs, where she has multiple songs charting). And a Top 15 (Digital Songs). And, most noteworthy of all, a Top 20 on the Hot 100, where French house DJ/producer Cedric Gervais’ remix of “Summertime Sadness” currently sits at No. 16. Originally released on Born to Die, “Summertime Sadness” has been given new life through its remixes, with Gervais’ version racking up adds at Top 40 stations nationwide throughout the last month.

Meanwhile, “Young and Beautiful,” Lana’s contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack, is receiving airplay on alternative, not pop, stations. Radio isn’t quite sure what sure what to do with Lana Del Rey, but stations are playing her nonetheless. And not surprisingly, she couldn’t be more thrilled. She discussed all this and more in a meandering chat, including her plans for a new album, which she says have been thrown off by the recent barrage of leaks of her songs.

“To be honest, what really happened was, three years ago somebody remotely accessed my hard drive, so even songs I’ve never emailed to myself [were accessed],” she explained. “There are hundreds of them.”

Seeing your set tonight, it’s clear that your stage performance is more elaborate now than it was when you first started touring behind Born To Die, particularly because of the video vignettes. What were trying to achieve with this incarnation of your live show?

Well, I’m sort of influenced each day by whatever I come upon. Like I don’t listen to that much new music, but I actually really love Father John Misty, who kind of reminded me of my roots. I went back to listening to Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, whose life path really influenced my life path 10 years ago when I was 18. For the visuals, sometimes before the songs even come to me, I definitely have a picture first of something I want to paint with words. I remember when I was 16 and I read Howl by Allen Ginsberg; that was the first time I kind of realized you could paint pictures with words and I wanted to do that.

I actually kind of met my directorial soulmate with Anthony Mandler. I always give him these mood boards and storyboards that he goes through and makes all of the visions I have come to life. He never says no and he asks me why do I want it to be about the kindness of strangers, like in the case of “Ride” [the video/short film] — why am I with different men and things like that? I tell him it’s not about being submissive to men or anything like that. It’s about not really knowing anyone close to you who can help you, and being really lucky enough to finding people who you just meet randomly, who can take care of you until you can take care of yourself.

This is to say, the visuals kind of come from ideas that I think are important. But when it comes to the live show itself, that’s the one thing I really don’t think too much about. I’m kind of traditional in that way, where I don’t have much of a magic show. I’m just kind of there to sing and I don’t have too too much to say.

Something that struck me tonight was that I was standing among all of these young girls and I heard at least five times, “I want to be her.” This whole festival is full of girls in flower headbands like you’re wearing right now. Are you aware of these things?

Wow. Well, my reaction is that it’s pretty surreal considering I didn’t have a great welcoming into the American public eye. I kind of feel lucky enough to have written those songs for myself and to tell my own story to myself. I think it’s important to be a witness to your own life through writing. And for me, I thought that would be where it’s really going to end because I’m not going to be accepted — that is my fate. But I’ve learned to go along with things. I toured all over Europe, which was totally madness — a lot of people, big crowds. I was kind of leading a double life, ’cause I’d come home to America and things were very quiet — I’d go about my day and take care of my brother and sister who live with me. So in a way, I’m just glad that nothing’s going wrong.

Considering this young female audience you have, do you feel any pressure to be a role model?

Well I think the good thing is, I do actually aim to live my life with grace and dignity, if anyone felt like emulating it. I know I look a certain way sometimes, or cast a certain vibe. But I really don’t like to be in trouble. I like to live a good life, it is important to me.

At a certain point, though, doesn’t your act become performance art?

Well it’s kind of become that. When the audience gets bigger, it becomes less for you and more of a performance, even though I’m not really a natural performer. I love to write, I love to record in the studio – that’s what I love.

Speaking of, are you working on any new music right now?

I was until my record got leaked last week, ’cause my life is like completely invaded. But yeah, I’m writing songs that I really like right now. They’re really low-key and stripped back, all sort of West Coast inspired. The further along I’ve gotten, the more I stay working with like the same four people. Like Dan [Daniel Heath, who co-wrote “Blue Jeans”], who’s not into pop music but rather, a composer for scores and studied under Hans Zimmer. Him and my boyfriend Barrie [Barrie-James O'Neill, of Glasgow folk-rock band Kassidy]. But I want to work with Lou Reed, and I’d like to kind of keep things low-key and cool.

I think the thought was that some of those leaked demos were of songs you wrote much earlier in your career.

Well some of them were, but some of them, like “Black Beauty,” weren’t…

Are you going to move forward with work on them, or do you feel too discouraged because of the leaks?

I do feel discouraged, yeah. I don’t really know what to put on the record. But I guess I could just put them on and see what happens. Each time I write… I’ll never write a song if I don’t think it’s going to be perfect for the record.

That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.

That’s the way I kind of do it, which means I don’t write all the time. My muse is really fleeting. Sometimes it’s six months. I don’t really push it. ’Cause you have to go do things to write about. You have to go get into to trouble to write about it. (Laughs)

Do you feel like where your life is at right now is more conducive to writing music more organically than before Born To Die came out and you were so shrouded in hype?

Yeah, I didn’t like that. I don’t think it’s been conducive to writing, being on the road and all that. I don’t really feel inspired to write at all, but beforehand, when I was in Brooklyn for nine years… I was kind of a night owl and just walked around and met weird people. That was me picking up life experiences and meshing them into my own. That really did it for me. Actually, Lollapalooza is my last live commitment. It’s too bad ’cause it’s been such a long time since the last record. I really feel like I need six months to live again, time to be like, normal or abnormal. I don’t have anyone writing anything for me. It’s such an internal well and if it’s not full, it’s just not full.

You could work with outside songwriters. Are you open to that kind of thing a bit more now?

Yeah, I’m more open to it now, ’cause personally I’m not really feeling it. (Laughs) Like this guy I worked with eight years ago, Steven Mertens, who made my first record [editor’s note: David Kahne is credited as the producer of her debut, 2010’s Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant; Mertens is a member of the Brooklyn band Spacecamp]. He knew me really well. So I’d like to maybe go back and get reminded of why I thought I could be anything other than a writer. I’d like to maybe just go back and see what’s there.

Let’s talk for a second about new music you have released relatively recently. Did you write “Young and Beautiful” specifically for The Great Gatsby soundtrack, or was that a song you had previously penned but not released?

I wrote a different song, but when Baz Luhrmann heard it, he asked me if I could I write a memory cue for Daisy. So I sang him a chorus of “Young and Beautiful” that I had already — just a chorus — and he thought that’d be good for her. I wrote the whole thing after I watched her garden scenes.

Were you happy with how it was incorporated into the film?

Yeah. I mean, I’m always wary about super big projects that have a lot of glitz. But something weird that happened, was that “Young and Beautiful” got picked up by alternative stations. I come home [from touring Europe] after four months and “Summertime Sadness” is on the radio, too. So I’m grateful for that, ’cause I love that song.

I want to go back to something you said earlier. You acknowledged that you didn’t have a great welcoming into the American public eye, but now, a year and half after Born to Die came out, you’re connecting with a new audience via the “Summertime Sadness” remix at Top 40 radio.

It just reinforces the fact that… not that nothing really matters, but that other people’s opinions don’t really matter because it can change on a dime. And if people are so ready to change, maybe they don’t have the strongest character. I’m not as interested in flip-floppers. I kind of feel blessed the more I go along. I have a young brother and sister, and it’s gotten really basic for me and become about the family. How are we all going to live together if I’m on the road? Are they going to come with me? Will I ever go home again? Probably not.

My new product manager, whom I’d never met before, brought me a SoundScan to show me that “Summertime Sadness” was being spun, a lot of times in L.A. and in New York. It kind of just doesn’t feel like it’s mine, ’cause I’ve had such a hand up to my face for so long.

Originally published on radio.com with the headline Lana Del Rey on the Leaks, the Imitators & the Haters.

#2013 #Paradise #Radio.com #Jillian Mapes

[hidekomoon]

Hey Lucie, I'm back! Sorry it's been .... so long ... I've been buried under exams and just been in a bit of a slump lately ... but I'm figuring it out!

I’m glad your examwent just okay! Hopefully that’s positive … When do you find out about your exams? I’m finally through the minefield that was my exams … 2 weeks of utter anxiety, let me tell you. Glad it’s over. I’m now in the anxiety ridden minefield that is waiting for results.

Ahhhh gifted kid syndrome … gotta love it (not)

I’ve been thinking a lot about good company … I’ve found out recently that I’m going to have to move for work, most likely, which I did not want to do, but it is what it is … I’m sort of thinking now that moving on may be really good – find some new good company, leave some of the heaviness behind ….

In terms of the wedding, I have over a year to get mentally prepared for big crowds and dancing (two things I don’t typically like). Do you like to dance?

I have bought a copy of the new album but haven’t heard it yet ….. I haven’t been in  the right headspace lately, with exams. And also I’ve been sulking because I didn’t get tickets to see them. But all the buzz around the new album is really exciting ..! also your review makes me excited too, I loved after laughter, when it came out it wasn’t really something I would have ordinarily listened to, but I fell in love with it FAST, so hearing something which may actually be reflective of how we’re all going through it may be really satisfying … we shall see!

How have you been?

hi! dw I know how it is with exams, and late winter/early spring (I'm always tired during that period, probably the lack of sunlight). I should get news about my exam very soon.

as a former gifted kid myself, i sympathize!

honestly moving away could be very good for you! it's always stressful but it allows you to truly step into a new era of your life, let go of the heavy things you were carrying, and embrace new things.

on the topic of dancing: I usually don't dance in public because I'm very shy, but in some occasions I can do it without being awkward. These occasions include when I drink, or when I'm with my best friends (I feel most comfortable moving around with people I'm close to), or when the crowd is so thick people can't look at you. Oh and also when friends teach me to do couple's dances (mainly waltz)! Are you more comfortable dancing? Because I love to do it but the social anxiety just stops me in my tracks every time and I have to work around it

When you get around to listening to it more you can review it to me! I love hearing people's opinions on music

I've been okay, work isn't too busy these days so I can read novels when there's nothing to do :D the only thing I'm stressed out about is what I'm doing next year. I don't have any clear plans yet because it's too scary for me to figure things out, but applications processes will start soon :/

#ask

[purplesurveys]

1581

satiating my craving for bts-related questions part 1/5

what's the first bts song you heard? To be honest with you I don’t think I’ll ever know the True Answer to this because they’ve been mainstream for a while now, and I know I’ve caught some of their songs on the radio back in college. If I had to guess it’d probably be something like DNA or Boy With Luv; but I would say the first song I heard when I was starting to give them a chance in 2020 was Dynamite. I feel like that song was a massive entryway for many of the current fans.

what's the first bts music video you watched? The first time I willingly watched a music video of theirs was in December 2020 when I watched Dynamite. At the time I wasn’t invested in the boys themselves and only watched the video because I liked the song.

who/what made you start stanning bts? So Angela urged me very early on and was always telling me stories about the guys, but I was pretty unmoveable until my Facebook feed fed me a short video from the Hawaii season of Bon Voyage – it was a snippet from that episode where they entered a restaurant one by one to order and speak with the nice old lady completely in English, and from there it was color me smitten lol.

Literally right after finishing the video I rushed to ask my sister to teach me their names, which took me a good few days to memorize.

who was your first bias and is now your current bias?

So from that Bon Voyage snippet, I formed a Hobi bias, right off the bat. 

Then it turned to Jin, which I’d say was largely an influence of Angela’s since she’s a Jin bias hahaha.

Though once I started becoming a more invested fan and having my own thoughts about the group and all, it became Taehyung – and it was Taehyung for a really long time up until very recently.

Around a month ago I’ve switched biases and since then it’s been Namjoon.

you can only listen to one album for the rest of your life. which? the tweet i saw this from included photos of be, ly tear, mots 7, and dark & wild. This would be a very easy MOTS: 7 for me. Obviously I love the group’s entire discography, but personally Map of the Soul 7 is the album I’d listen from start to end without feeling like skipping any single song, ever. 

You’ve got the guys’ intensity shining through on every OT7 track, the vibe of every subunit in their respective songs, a taste of each member’s personal music taste in the solo tracks, idrk what else you can ask from such a great release. Big shame Covid ruined the massive hype that was building up around the album.

what's your favourite collab? Steve Aoki. I really can’t live without that Mic Drop remix. Who with Lauv is amazing too! I’m also a fan of Coldtan largely because of the mutual respect and bond within the two.

what's your favourite bts japanese song? Your Eyes Tell. I’m obsessed with their Japanese discography in general, but I will say Your Eyes Tell is an extremely easy decision to make.

you can only choose one cypher! Contrary to most Armys’ preferences I’m not actually the craziest fan of the cyphers hahaha since they’re all very in-your-face rap, but I have to say Killer is my favorite. Triptych is also great, idk why it doesn’t get nearly as much hype as Killer and Cypher 4.

if your @ is bts related what does it mean? Obviously my username here isn’t, but I do have a secondary Twitter account for BTS fangirling stuff – sparklythv. It’s pretty self-explanatory, it’s just me and my appreciation for all the times Taehyung has looked all sparkly and pretty.

whose birthday is closest to yours? Yoongi’s is a month before mine.

favourite rap line song? UGH! Another easy decision to make, but Outro: Tear also gives it a run for its money.

favourite vocal line song? The Truth Untold. 00:00 is another favorite on other days.

zodiac compatibility with your bias?  Idk and don’t care for this.

what’s your mbti compatibility with your bias? I actually researched this recently and saw that I’m apparently most compatible with Taehyung. I honestly thought it would’ve been Namjoon.

favourite songs in d2 and agust d? The Last from Agust D; Dear my friend from D-2.

favourite songs in hope world and jitb? Base Line or Blue Side from Hope World; Arson or What If from JITB. I’m just obsessed with everything j-hope lol

favourite songs in mono and RM? Joke from RM; everythingoes or uhgood from mono.

what official merch do you own? Uh...so many hahaha should I really delve on this?? I’ve got all albums in all their versions save for the LY series, MOTS Persona series, and MOTS 7 series; all the DVDs released starting April 2021 when I became a fan; a bunch of photocards and postcards I’ve bought individually; BT21 plushies; and a bunch of other miscellaneous merch like the BTS coffees, BTS Meal packaging, postcard books, mood light, a TinyTan V pen haha the list goes on, really.

ever seen the tannies live? I haven’t. The most beautiful moments in life take some time.

who are tannies to you? Best friends.

[chorusfm]

Guardin

Recently I was able to catch up with Nicholas Kerr (Guardin) for a brief interview. In this chat, we discussed his new record called Creatures Together, artists he admires in today’s music scene, as well as further insight to his songwriting. Thanks for your time today, Nicholas. Let’s first discuss your new album called Creatures Together. Where did the inspiration come from to title the record this? When I was 14, my mom & I had adopted a kitten & named him Creature. He always hung out with me in my bedroom whenever I was working on music which led me to naming two of my earlier projects after him (creature pt. 1 & creature pt. 2). Sadly, he passed away a few years ago. I wanted to pay homage to him & that series of projects. With this being the final chapter, the title Creatures Together really ties things together as the death of an era. Can you describe the lyrical inspiration behind the song “jetlag”? I had just returned home from a full U.S. tour where I had sprained my ankle & broke a bone in my foot. Not being able to really go out & do much with my foot stuck in a boot, I had a lot of time to reflect on things & really think about not only all that I had accomplished while on that tour, but everything I’ve done over the last few years with my career. I started writing “jetlag” with all of this in mind, talking about the highs & lows between being home, being on the road & being in this weird gray area in between. I understand you’ve partnered with legendary musicians like Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance. What was it like collaborating with Ray and others in the scene? Working with Ray Toro was an incredible experience. We met back in 2019 through a studio session with our mutual friend Tom Rasulo (Patchwork_) and worked on a few ideas together there. Being able to see how both of those dudes approach the creative process & how they bring things together was really insightful. Going from a laptop and a microphone set-up in my bedroom to a full blown studio is usually very intimidating, but that session was anything but that & the energy in that room was beautiful. A lot of the songs on Creatures Together address mental health awareness. What do you hope listeners will take away from this new album? I just hope people find peace with themselves in listening to this album. I think it’s really easy to fall into the cycle of feeling awful about yourself & deeming yourself as crazy for how you feel sometimes, but nobody is truly alone in that & I just want people to know that more than anything. I think I want to know that too. Do you have any plans to tour on this material? If so, what tracks are you most excited for audiences to experience live? I don’t have any concrete plans for an upcoming tour currently, but I do have a holiday show with Hot Mulligan and a handful of other bands/artists coming up in December. I’m really excited to perform “eugene”, “geronimo” & “homebound”. I’ve got a few really cool ideas for lights/visuals/etc. surrounding those songs that I can’t wait to bring to life. What artists in today’s music scene do you admire, and are there any attributes you bring from other bands into your own music? I really admire my friends. I think a lot of what I create is heavily influenced by what they’re making or by whatever I am listening to at the time. My friend Miles who goes by Sewerperson is a prime example & his work ethic is one that I really admire.  I think a lot of my belting vocals derive from a variety of midwest-emo bands & other alternative acts I listened to growing up. I’ve been really big on the new Death Cab For Cutie record too. That’s been my ultimate vice as of lately. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/features/interviews/guardin/

[whatsonmedia]

Saturday Report: In Conversation with- The Kut!

Everyone, meet one of the newest female vocal forces to take the British music scene by Storm. Her interest in music first began when she was only 14, and since then she has honed her talents and a slowly but surely become one of the new fresh voices to take centre Stage. Growing up she developed quite an eclectic taste in her own musical collection, developing an interest in Rock and drum and bass. Quite interesting music combo, though she's a rock chick at heart. Like everybody else she faced her challenges during the covid-19 pandemic but now looks too to take the stage again with her upcoming tour "I don't really know if it was a choice. I've always loved music – writing it, playing it, listening to it "You've been working in the music industry for over 5 years now, how's the journey been so far? Hey! What can I say, it's been an absolute rollercoaster – from start to this moment. Absolute chaos in extreme highs to lows. It hasn't been the easy journey that the click bait would have you believe artists have, and it's definitely not been an overnight success... but I am beyond thankful that things are going so well! The new record hit Number 1 in the UK Official Rock Albums Chart last month and it's all massive thanks to our fans, Team Razors.   The Kut Supporting an independent band is like supporting a small football team – you know you want them to win, but they face a lot of setbacks, they don't have the budget and they all work on the side. You see them constantly outshined by teams that have big backers and world class managers. So, if that's us, then us getting a Number 1, released on my Criminal Records label, is the equivalent of that local team then going on to win the FA Cup against all the odds. But that makes it all the more special – it was a vision and now it's a reality. We get to bring it home for the fans and then tour it like a homecoming party.  So, while I'd say the whole experience has been, let's say stormy, that this is counteracted by incredible people who love the music and inspire musicians such as myself to do better. Why did you decide upon a life in music? I don't really know if it was a choice. I've always loved music – writing it, playing it, listening to it. It's one of the only things I can do where I can simultaneously be focused and unwind at the same time if that makes any sense. My experience of playing music is probably what some people would call their 'flow'. I mean there's also something really expressive and personal about playing – just like the feeling you get when you sing in a pack. Music starts as a mental construct and you play it out through an instrument as though it is an extension of your body. It's projecting or releasing energy and emotion into the world and pushing for a reaction. Or maybe that's a bit deep? More recently, I had to make a conscious decision about whether I did actually want to be a musician and if I had the fight in me to pursue that. As you know I have a PhD, so it's not like I have nothing else to do, but if I do something I want to do it properly or not at all. This feeling led to me taking a moment in time to really decide if I wanted to quit or release my debut 'Valley of Thorns'. I need to say, breaking through in music is hard – there’s a million books that will tell you it's not, and there's artists backed by big machines, that the industry would have you believe popped up through whichever social media platform is in vogue in an effortless way. I consciously decided that I wanted this life after a lot of soul searching. I came to the conclusion that this is who I am, that I couldn't stop if I wanted – and that I don't want to stop. But could you imagine a life without music? It can be everything from dancing all night with mates or devouring a randomly discovered masterpiece on repeat because it speaks directly to something in you. There's not many ways that you can channel and connect with the many emotions that music can touch in seconds. If I love a song and find out someone loves that song too, immediately you have a shared understanding for a moment of who they are and how you connect. So yeah, I have thought about it – and because of the conditions of being a musician, I was very close to quitting. But then I also feel, if I can do it then surely I should? But if you didn't love music, you couldn't be an independent musician – not anymore. I end up channelling a lot of my emotions out into the songs I write. Sometimes those tracks are literal, and I write them straight from the gut – or maybe after a thought has built up, bottlenecked into pressure cooker level reality – and suddenly there it is in a physical form – a song, or maybe a bunch of songs that are linked in some way. It's not forever, it's a moment in time and sometimes I mix my own experiences up with elements of storytelling from others' perspectives. But it's pretty rare I'll write an entire song without it having a real personal connection about it – something hidden in it that deeply resonates with me.  Now your stage name is an interesting one, what made you decide on it? You've also spelt it with a 'K' as well  Ah yeah! There's a couple of reasons behind it really... there's actually a street in London called The Cut, and I remember seeing it when I'd moved back here – I thought it was a statement, kind of like The Close or equally dramatic street names haha. Simultaneously I crossed it with a scissor necklace that my Mum gave me when I was 14 and it became The Kut. This wasn't for music purposes though, I used it as a tag for my street art. At some point, it crossed over with my music and became a nickname for a project that was, at the time, called 'Subsister'. Growing up which artists were you listening to and how much of an influence did they have on your music? I was listening to almost everything – and I love a lot of genres. Rock is where I'm really at though, but equally I've loved drum n bass artists and everything inbetween. I'd listened to a lot of Nirvana, Green Day, Faith No More, Deftones, 90s grunge and still rate Linkin Park as one of the all-time best (RIP Chester). Bands like BMTH, My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds From Mars, Subways, Pendulum – I've seen Enter Shikari and Chemical Brothers more times than any other artist! I'd say they all had some kind of influence on me yes, in that I love their sound and it inspired me to make my own guitar sounds. I'd been writing songs long before I heard guitar music though. I've been compared to a lot of female artists over the years, and I am influenced by them all – because they tread that ground first and made it possible for women to be an equal force and do things like top the rock charts. As an artist what's your work ethic, describe a typical working week in your life when at work  I'm a conscientious person, so I have a strong sense of responsibility – live music is escapism for me – gigs – they are where I can let my hair down and be with people I love, see familiar faces, new faces and basically be a good enough reason to get me to leave my flat. Rehearsals are like a ritual by this point - I used to do many rehearsals a week with the band at one time, but now it's less frequent and more focused, usually in the run-up to a tour or recording. But anyway, my week is quite knuckled down, working on my day-to-day. By night I'd like to say I'm playing guitar or hanging out with friends, but ACTUALLY more often than not (and more than ever recently) I am working solidly on running the label, because The Kut is at this break-point where there's a lot that rests on my shoulders and it could go either way if not treated with care and attention. I'm not trying to say this is a good thing; it's not. It's unsustainable. It's also hard to maintain close relationships if you are busy all the time. I have a lot of mental energy that I need to channel, and it tends to translate better into mental exertion and then jumping around on a stage for an hour a night surrounded by friends and a bar. Simply put, I like to work hard and then play hard as well, which is where I was going with our recent single and video for 'And 1 More...' As a female in the industry do you think that there's been a positive change in regards to representation for females or do you think more can be done? I definitely think there's been positive change. Artists like Joan Jett and the Runaways had to learn how to hit bottles away from their bodies with their guitars while they were on stage because they got so much abuse for being girls! Women's place in music was quarantined by whatever script decided that every female in a band was actually a vocalist, who had to resemble the sound of Mariah Carey, 18 and dress like a page 3 wannabe. Meanwhile, guys could take on a range of vocal personas and styles, sing speak, be 70 years old, headline the festivals and look and dress however they wanted. It's all changing, which is brilliant. So yes, while things have dramatically changed, there's a lot more work needed. A couple of months ago there was an article stating that only 13% of festival headliners at a range of festivals in the last year were female. I feel I can speak on this because The Kut was in the 13% in the study, having played a recent Isle of Wight headliner on their River Stage. Not every festival is as forward-thinking as Isle of Wight. There aren't enough female headliners on our stages, and that is because the industry is failing to sign and represent acts from the grassroots circuit to the level that they can break their projects and be worthy headliners to be shared around the hundreds of festivals. It's a problem if you go to a festival and can't see anyone like you on those stages; it says that the festivals think you don't matter.  But it's really not just a festival problem, it's a management company problem, it's a booking agent problem, it's an independent label problem – it starts from the ground up. Let's have a look at the management company rosters and booking agency rosters and see how many % of instrument-playing female musicians they have. It would make an interesting read! We couldn't find that support, so I applied for Arts Council Funding and broke the project independently. When I found out GRIT was the first album to top the rock charts with women on guitar/bass/drums though, initially I was really shocked. Like, how could this be right? It's 2022? But actually, now I can see exactly how it could be; it's because of the gatekeeping at every rung of the music industry. It's women's time to break out into rock, right now! There's a wave of female musicians coming and if the industry don't get behind that, it's going to break it down. As 2022 continues we're officially back into the swing of things, did the Covid pandemic and national lockdown have much in the way of an impact on you? I mean yes definitely. It still does really, as there's quite a lot of fear still remaining around live gigs, which is sad. We took part in the Music Venue Trust tour in January and March. The purpose of it was to #ReviveLive music and it was funded by The National Lottery. Some of the venues we played had not had a touring band come through since before the pandemic. I mean, a lot of independent venues focus on bringing in travelling bands and at the same time showcasing their local talent, and that's really their bread and butter. That's also how bands of all sizes grow, through connectivity with each other at all points of their careers. So local scenes have taken a lot of effort to get back on track. There were too many cancellations, reschedules etc and even then, when ticket sales recovered, there were a lot of attendee no-sales recovered, there were a lot of attendee no-shows across the whole industry. So, the pandemic has definitely impacted us heavily and all the touring bands. Live gigs are very much back though. Touring is also back, but they are still not quite where they were at before the pandemic. I know it's hard, but it's time to let the vaccines do their job and get back out there, if nothing else just for the purposes of sanity, drinking and bad decisions. Anyways, you've got a tour planned for September, I take it you're looking forward to it? Absolutely! It's turned out to be an awesome run of dates. We get to head back to a few places we haven't played since pre-pandemic, including Manchester and Peterborough with our friends Fyzz Wallis Band – as well as play in Huddersfield, which is a first for us. We'll also be playing at The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham where we played in January on the Music Venue Trust tour – as well as at our local Underworld Camden where we got to support Electric Six for the first time earlier this year. I am totally psyched. I wish it was tomorrow, but at least 7th September isn't THAT far away. What is it that you're most looking forward to with the tour? I tour a lot, we all do, and we are known for long tours, so this run is not a long tour by our own standards and it doesn't span six, seven countries this time - but it’s definitely one of the biggest and most exciting Kut tours so far. We're buzzing to be joining Japanese power-metal band BRIDEAR on a couple of their dates as part of this tour. They've been touring their new album across Europe and so we'll get to join them at Manchester Academy 3 and The Parish in Huddersfield. When we get to London we will also finally celebrate our album release and its breakthrough status – so the show at Underworld is the official album release party. We'll be joined that night by Atrocity Girl, a neat grunge band from Seattle, so it's all really exciting. What can we expect from this tour? Getting the new album on the road has been incredible, and touring out with the collective this year has been epic. All seven of us have been tearing it up at different shows, and some incarnations of our live line-up have only come together for the first time this year. Don't get me wrong, I've toured with each member of the collective a lot, but as we usually perform live as a three or four, then some haven't gigged heavily with each other before. This year is a year of pent-up gigs for us. There were three years in which we didn't play – one was due to health reasons, which morphed with two years of covid lockdowns. So, when the lockdowns ended we were fortunate to have got straight back out on the road thanks to #ReviveLive. Six months later, our September tour will be our third tour this year – so I'm really buzzing about it. We've still got a lot of the big hitters from Valley of Thorns in the set, but there's definitely a lot of punch coming in from the new track additions from GRIT - - we've managed to play as many as eight of the 10 tracks in the set some nights and it's been just as strong as ever. In fact, a lot stronger. You can feel the energy lifting in the room, it's really fun and intense. It's an amazing feeling because the second album build-up was so long and constantly rising – so by release, the live show was like a volcano waiting to erupt. Kut Grit How long did it take to put it all together? The campaign build-up was just under 10 months in total – and thanks to the Arts Council England it could happen. I can't put a time on how long it took to write the album really, or the songs, as they come when they want to and/or when I allow myself space to write them, but we are so tight as a unit. When you tour with a band, and I mean, I've done at least 15/16 tours now as The Kut, you gel quickly working on new tracks. So, there was some time in rehearsals, but it was clear early on that the tracks were sounding solid enough to spend about two / three days tracking the record. They were full-on days yes, especially with all the filming taking place, and days where we'd track instruments at the same time to save time/money, but then comparatively a lot more time was spent in the mixing and production phase of the record, and things like editing and sharing the behind-the-scenes footage, or creating merch, pressing physical releases, approval processes, artwork, music videos and so on. Depending on the success would you do it again? I mean, I'd say yes. Doing the follow-up record was always going to be scary, because Valley of Thorns did so well and charted at Number 7 in the Rock Albums Chart and #18 in the Independent Albums Chart – so it was almost a risk to ever release another record haha. When GRIT charted at Number 1 in the Rock Chart and #5 in Independent – I mean, wow – we are all so blown away. We are STILL so blown away, and I think I will ALWAYS be blown away. Would I do it again? Absolutely! When – I can't think that far ahead just yet because it's all about the gigs right now. And where can fans hear your music in the meantime? The new album 'GRIT' is out in all the stores, on all streaming platforms and there are at least 10 music videos on our YouTube, including the latest one 'And 1 More...'. It just released and was filmed over at London's neon museum, Gods Own Junkyard, so that was a lot of fun and 100% eye candy. The track is inspired by switching off social media and looking for fun in the real world – and being open to what the world has to offer. I guess that's what happens on tour – and what happens on tour, you know what they say, it stays on tour! There's nothing quite like being at a live gig. It's just something you have to experience and our fans, Team Razors, are literally the best and most welcoming people in the world. So sure, check out the videos or get a copy of the album, but if you want to immerse yourself in that record, in the flesh, I'd say come to a show, say hey – we'll be hanging out in the venue or over by the merch. Come say hello and check out some music in the real world. Read the full article

[thisaintascenereviews]

Artist Spotlight, Episode I: Anik Khan I don’t know what it’s like for other people, but sometimes when I get into a new band or artist, I don’t just listen to one album, I try to dive into a bunch of their projects, so I can get a full idea of who this band or artist is. In the past, I’ve reviewed each album from said band or artist and that can take awhile, especially if I don’t have a lot to say, or there’s a lot of history with them, so I thought I’d bypass that a bit by starting a series where I just talk about an artist or band I like, especially if I’ve been listening to multiple projects of theirs. Instead of reviewing each one, I’ll just talk about them as a whole, and talk about why I enjoy the band or artist in question, ultimately recommending them. These aren’t going to be standard reviews, so don’t expect the same ideas and tone; it’s more or less a casual and conversational look into an artist I’ve been listening to, or one that’s very deserving of your time, but I don’t want to review all of their work at once. I could easily do that, but I’d rather not. These also won’t be extremely comprehensive pieces, either, I don’t plan on diving deep into these artists, or really exploring their history, but I just want to talk about them as a whole, as well as the albums I heard, briefly talking about them as well.

For the first episode of this series, I wanted to talk about a very underrated artist that I found pretty recently -- Anik Khan. He’s a criminally underrated rapper and singer from Queens, New York, and I bring that fact up, because he wants you to know that. For good reason, too -- Born in 1989, Khan is an immigrant, and his family came to the US from Bangladesh in 1993, just when he was five years old. Most of his life, he’s been here, but he’s only just recently gotten his citizenship, and that’s a big part of his most recent projects, including the double EP, Approved and Denied. Being a Bengali immigrant shapes a lot of his music, and one thing I really love about Khan’s music is that he brings his South Asian culture into it. He covered a Bollywood song very recently on a single that came out in May, but he features a lot of language, imagery, and instrumentation that you’d find in his culture. On his debut LP, 2017′s Kites, songs like “Habibi,” “Mango Nectar,” “Cleopatra,” “Tangerine,” “Sunlight,” and many more feature a South Asian flair to them, and it’s really cool. I absolutely love it. I love hearing music from other parts of the world, because here in the US, we’re not exposed to it. On the EP, Approved, where he talks about finally getting his visa, he moves more into a reggaeton, Caribbean, and Latin sound, which is really cool as well. I’ve watched some interviews of him where he’s talked about being influenced by music all over the world, as well as being friends with a diverse group of people while growing up in New York and that’s shaped his music as he’s gotten older. Aside from his sound, which I do think is very unique, especially for a rapper in today’s day and age, his lyrics are also very unique, at least in spots. He does write a lot about the generic money, women, and fame kinds of things, but it comes from a more genuine place, where he is an immigrant, and he’s always wanted to be successful, especially when his parents sacrificed everything for him to be here. In other spots, however, he talks about that, and what it’s like being an immigrant. The song “Columbus” from this debut album, 2017′s Kites, is all about taking the myth of Christopher Columbus and deconstructing it, ultimately talking about how America was built on the backs of people of color, and how people are mislead to believe that he “discovered” America, when in fact, Indigenous people were already here, and people of color built the country even further while being oppressed by the settlers and colonizers. He also just flavors his lyrics with South Asian imagery, like I said earlier, and it makes for a more interesting and unique experience, versus the generic bragging and flexing that a lot of rappers engage in. I also just think he has a great voice; he can rap very well, even though he doesn’t utilize straightforward hip-hop too much anymore (Kites is more or less a hip-hop / R&B record, because he sings a lot on that album, versus outright rapping), but he can also sing very well. A lot of his more recent material has him straight up singing, and it sounds awesome. I’ve also seen some videos he’s done recently of him singing some songs in a live setting, and they sound fantastic. I’d love to see him live, I bet he would sound absolutely fantastic. I wish more people would find him and listen to his work. I found him through Apple Music, but more specifically, on the recommended artists page while going through Riz Ahmed’s page. I was looking up his music, which I’m going to be talking about as well, and I found Anik Khan under the artists that sound similar section at the bottom, and I decided to give him a shot, so I’m glad I did. Khan is a rapper that is proud of his heritage and his culture, whether it’s through his lyrics or the music itself, all the while exploring more styles of music from all over the world. He really takes a lot of influences into his sound, and you don’t hear artists like that very often. Not only that, but he’s proud of where he’s from, and he’s proud of being an immigrant (one of my favorite lyrics is from the single “Big Fax,” where he says, “Damn, it feels good to be an immigrant,” and that’s such a powerful thing to hear), but he’s also proud to be from New York. He loves his city, more specifically his borough, but he also loves his culture. Khan is such an interesting, unique, and really cool artist that I was very happy to find, so I hope more people listen to his music after reading this. That’s what this series is going to be about, at least if I ever take a deep dive into a band or artist and don’t feel like reviewing all of their albums individually, I can write about them as a whole here. As a first episode, I’d say this was pretty successful, so hopefully you’ll join me for the next one.

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