#also bülow's cover of this song

[nobully]

⭐️☎ 🎼 👋 📱

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Send ⭐️ (or multiple) for a headcanon about our muses.

Aside from that brief awkward period when he was not-so-subtly stalking her, Wang Yi probably follows Nicolette's accounts on social media out of curiosity. Under an alias, of course, (because why would either of them try to be honest with each other first).

Send ☎ for your muse’s info in my muses phone (name, ringtone, picture, last text received/sent).

photo: (Amazingly, he does have a photo, but it's one she took with his phone as she attacked hugged him by surprise from the back one day. It's been carefully cropped so just her face is showing in the frame: smiling, bright-eyed, lies.) name: 女魔头 ("demoness") but also 妮姐 ("elder sis Ni") in his notes ringtone: Tudo (something cooling, calming) last texts received: [txt] wtf yiyi that was bad even by your standards 😂 [txt] hey [txt] do you need help because seriously [txt] you've got that kid kicking your /ass/ right now last texts sent: [txt] wow since when did you care 🙄 [txt] i'm fine btw [txt] Sun doesn't break people's bones when he plays soccer anymore

Send 🎼 for a song that reminds me of our muses.

bülow - "Sweet Little Lies" (it's not perfect but it's got the vibes you get me)

Send 👋 for three things that describe our muses relationship.

It's like mentos and coke—there's heat and explosions, but beyond that it's just foam and sugar if that makes sense?

The way ice cubes crackle when you pour water over them

Prettily wrapped present in boxes in boxes in boxes in...

Send📱for a voicemail my muse left yours.

Voicemail 1 - Friday, 3:32PM

'Hey, so...about last night.'

'I know you're mad, which is probably why you're not picking up my calls and making me go to voice mail at 3:30PM on a Friday...but I'm not here to apologize either. Like seriously? I get that you can handle yourself, but you don't have to do it all the time?'

'Also, was that guy even worth your time? I mean, both of us could tell he was trying to get you to cover his tab, right? It's not gonna make you any less shitty to reject his ass from the start instead of putting on that weird cutesy princess thing you do sometimes with the voice and—' Beep. [Message recording ended due to time constraints.]

Voicemail 2 - Friday, 3:49PM

'Anyways, I'm here to say I'm not sorry! The bar even said they'd make him pay for the bottle I smashed over his head, so why are you still pissed?!'

Voicemail 3 - Friday, 4:26PM

'...don't forget we have Board Game Night at Zhilan's place today. You're gonna make him cry if you don't show up.'

#nicawlette #answered; #i realized i've been doing the “ringtones” as “text tones” i hope that works lol #also don't know how nini texts so i just went with generic sentence structure *SHRUGS* ouo

[ikyw-t]

hi hello I was tagged by @s0livagant to post 5 songs I've been listening to lately ❣️❣️❣️ and I've actually been making more of an effort to find new music over the past few months so here's a few that have been on repeat ❤️

1. Blender by 5SOS (actually the entire album has been on repeat. esp haze. and ydgtpa. and bloodhound. and tears!. and-)

2. Heat Waves by Lunelle (glass animals cover but this one is sooooo much better. the vibes are absolutely impeccable. so groovy and fun. a little punk. i love it sm!!! has also been on repeat!)

3. Revolver by bülow (oh this one slaps soo hard. the rhythm is so fun and funky. absolute banger. soo good. cannot understate how much it slaps.)

4. Nite Swim by Luna Shadows (a very fun song, modern-day romeo+juliet vibes. very fun.)

5. It Can't Be That Hard by Good Boy Daisy. (a local band from az and you know what this song is very very good. the chorus is chefs kiss. so fun to sing along to.

(6. Ok I have to mention that I've been listening to Sticks Stones and Techno by All Time Low, the hidden final track off their incredible and iconic debut album hahaha. It's a joke track but not to me ❤️ like it does make me laugh but it's also just genuinely very fun so I've been listening to it every day before I go into work lol. instant good mood tbh 🤭)

(also just wanna do a quick special shout-out to a few remixes I've been loving recently lol

- You're Not Sorry (CSI remix) is actually a banger that I'd somehow never heard before??

- Alsooo Sleepwalking by All Time Low (Mokita & Goldhouse remix) is sooooo good. an instant banger.

Ok I obviously surpassed the 5 songs that were intended to be listed but I haven't talked about music in quite a while so I rly wanted to rn!

I don't ever know who to tag but if you see this and you feel like sharing your recent music faves then please!!! feel free to say I tagged you :)

#sav!

[edamamechips]

music tag :)

Thank you @thetaoofbetty @latenightcoffeetalks , @easyluckyfree45 , @minimyz , @moons2stars, @fallout-mars@raymondebidochonlifechoices and @jellybean-jb-jones for the wonderful tag and remembering me you gorgeous fandom angels

rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to! put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people

i have a billion playlists for different eras and this one of is for the recent times. also i listen to very basic music because i am very boring and new things scare me

billie eilish - bitches broken hearts

alec benjamin- jesus in LA

bülow - euphoria

joji - pills

kacey musgraves - high horse

ashe - cold in california

conan gray - affluenza

hozier - movement

still woozy - habit

the japanese house - lilo

i feel weird talking about music without mentioning ABBA so here’s a few songs from my other playlist

ABBA - lay all your love on me

Paul Anka - put your head on my shoulder

Lennon sisters - tonight you belong to me

Frank Sinatra - fly me to the moon

Frankie Valli - can’t take my eyes off you

Bee Gees - how deep is your love

Ben. E. King - stand by me

Roy Orbison - oh, pretty woman

The Foundations - build me up buttercup

Dean Martin -  blue moon(cover)

tagging @stillhidden @mrscolesprouse @lilireinhartsboobs  @sublimateradiate @velvetsugarbabexo @feisty-aquarius4 @castiellss @directioner-swiftie @lucivar @colesgolden @thatiranianphantom 

#tag game #the amount of people the tagged me pressured me into this #i am not proud of my music taste #i mean it's not something i really put my thought into #its just there to get me through anxiety attacks #whereas jaba literally expresses herself through playlist #i mean she's 10000 times cooler than in every way #and this is yet another one of them #anyways i am rambling

[atelophobicdreamer06]

21 Tag Game

Tagged by: @tapedtothebackofthecloset

Answer 21 questions and tag people you want to get to know better

Nickname: Grandma/Grandmother, Egghead, Honey(bear), Dico (short for dictionary in French)

Zodiac Sign: Virgo ♍

Height: 160 cm// 5 ft. 3

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Last thing I googled: SAT dates 2019 :(

Favourite Musicians: The 1975, The Cab, The Chainsmokers, The Neighbourhood, The Pirouettes, The Script, Alan Walker, Alec Benjamin, Arctic Monkeys, Astrid S, Bastille, Bebe Rexha, Blackbear, Blackpink, BTS, Bülow, Clean Bandit, Coldplay, Cœur de Pirate, Dodie, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Fall Out Boy, 5SOS, Halsey, Hayley Kiyoko, Holland, Hoshi, Hozier, Imagine Dragons, King Princess, Lana Del Rey, Lauv, Lee Hi, Liam Payne, Lindsey Stirling, Little Mix, Lorde, Louis Tomlinson, Mamamoo, Marina (and the Diamonds), Mitski, MCR, Niall Horan, Nina Nesbitt, NF, Oh Wonder, Olivia O'Brien, One Republic, Panic! At the Disco, Pomme, Rauf & Faik, Sam Smith, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, Stray Kids, Taeyeon, Taylor Swift, Tessa Violet, Troye Sivan, 21 Pilots, Vendredi Sur Mer, Videoclub, Wrabel, Zolita

Song stuck in my head: 17 - Julia Michaels

Followers: not that many lol.. I don't post much.. I just look at cute lgbt posts haha

Following: 99

Amount of sleep I get: 3-5 hours, 6 if I'm lucky

Lucky numbers: 6, 36, 2, 5

Dream job: probably a teacher.. or a psychologist ( I just wanna help others)

Wearing: hoodie + jeans

Favourite Songs: oh wow I have so many.. I'm only gonna list a few

Mansion - NF ft. Fleurie

Paralyzed - NF

Daddy Issues - The Neighbourhood

Fallingforyou - The 1975

Weak - AJR

Girls Like Girls - Hayley Kiyoko

Mercy/Gatekeeper - Hayley Kiyoko

West Side - King Princess

Je pense à toi - Hoshi

Mistral Gagnant - cover by Cœur de Pirate

Empty - Olivia O'Brien

1-800-273-8255 - Logic ft. Alessia Cara

Marry Those Eyes - MKTO

I lost you - Havana ft. Yaar

Je vais t'aimer - Louane

First Love - Suga

Love Song - Bülow

Instruments: I've been playing the piano since I was 7. I also played the violin, guitar, and drums for a bit.

Random Facts: I'm a polyglot (I know many languages). I can also make a duck & hedgehog sound🦆🦔

Aesthetic: uhh classy, elegant & gay lol.

I tag: @sadvisuals @hellabii @takenbysleep23 @notcrystalbutkrystal @cha-writer @chilltm

[trustthemagentamadman]

I was tagged by @gejnialnie, so here goes!

Name: Sam (Samantha feels really stiff and formal)

Birthday: December 9

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Height: I haven’t checked in a while, but I’m taller than my mom, who’s 5’3” and that’s all that matters

Hobbies: Reading and writing, watching way too many hours of YouTube videos, and recently, going to great lengths to convince my parents that I have work on Sundays so that I can hang out with friends instead of going to church

Fave colors: basically anything bluish-greenish. Just, the whole spectrum. Cyan, teal, cerulean, any of it.

Fave book: Really anything by Brandon Sanderson, but specifically the Stormlight Archive. I could rant for twelve hours about why I love it, but I’m not gonna take the time right now

Last song I’ve listened to: I don’t know. Any time I listen to music, I’m just listening to my playlist on shuffle, usually in the car, so my best guess as to the last song I listened to is probably something from Starkid, Fall Out Boy, Pentatonix, Cro, or one of various other artists. My favorite song right now, though, is “Not a Love Song” by bülow. (All my fellow alloaros out there should check it out, it’s quite a relatable bop)

Last film I watched: I don’t watch movies all that often (which is ironic, since I work in a movie theater), so I don’t actually know. With the aforementioned job, I have the opportunity to see some movies early, but I can’t remember what the most recent team screening I went to was for. Lion King, maybe?

Inspiration: I draw inspiration from literally anywhere, at random. Of my current WIPs, one came from a hybrid of a YouTube video and an unrelated tumblr post, one from a particular line in a required reading book for my English class, one from the design on the cover of a notebook I was gifted, and I can’t remember any of the others’ inspirations.

Dream job: Author, hands down, but I also want to live in Germany, and so an option I’ve looked into is getting a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, or an idea that came from the person who tagged me, I think being a translator could be a great option

Meaning behind my URL: in my 9th grade English class, we had a unit on narrative fiction. I wrote a short portal fantasy story, and one of the characters had pink hair and was a psychic. He told the MC about something that was going to happen and she didn’t believe him, so their other friend, who had known him for a lot longer, told her to “Trust the Magenta Madman.”

Tag 8 people: @aplpaca @pachimew @skarosdrones @grimkava @squirrelgirlsinnerdemons @pervy-pichu @ascindio @evikholin

[dicrkisses]

.

#kinda want a plot based on frank ocean's lost #drugs tw #he's a narcotics trader #employs her as an international smuggler #he ends up developing strong feelings for her #she gets lost in the profession #falls in love w the jetsetting lifestyle #he wants to take her out of the game #but there's also a financial dependency there #so its not that simple #idk ... just angst #whos gonna give it to me ���� #also bülow's cover of this song #chefs kiss #❪ ❀ ❫ 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒔 » ooc.

[sylphmarketing]

Bunbury Music Festival: 2019 Review

I almost always have music playing. The need for music changes with each location – the car, the studio, the living room, the gym. In an effort to keep things fresh, I am constantly looking for music I haven’t heard.  With hopes of discovering new music, I let my son choose the music when riding in the car together. Photographing and covering music festivals also helps.

You can’t see every artist perform at most festivals. If you’re not a die-hard fan who is prepared to camp at one stage for an entire day, then it is recommended to plan ahead and make a schedule of the acts you most want to see. Like most festivals, Bunbury offers help with a customizable schedule through their online app. I listen to a few songs from each performer, and prioritize which stage I want to go to next. Listening to studio recordings doesn’t reflect which stage performance is the best. Most of the profits musicians make is not from album sales. Ideally a band would be judged purely on their music, but that’s not the case. Please keep in mind my reviews below are based primarily off the first few songs I was able to witness before moving on, and a consensus of festival goers. Here’s my breakdown of all the performers I was able to capture:

Bunbury Day 1

The Orphan the Poet

Genre: Rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 8 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 7

They have refined their sound since I saw them 3 years ago. More pop flavor than I recall, but with the same great energy. Vocalist, David Eselgroth made it out into the audience within the first few songs.

Radattack

Genre: Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 9 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 8

More grit than pop. More mature than you would expect from a group just a year or so out of high school. Each member has their own style, but it goes along with the other’s looks. This is where I’d like to see rock be in the future. I hope they stick together for a long time to see how they grow as artists together.

Taylor Janzen

Genre: Indie Folk Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 6 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Fascinating to hear a 19-year old write and perform such heartfelt music that I wasn’t interested in until I hit my 30s.

Poppy (Moriah Rose Pereira)

Genre: Electropop Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 8 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor:  6

Consensus: “Weird, almost creepy”, but possibly the future of the pop music scene.

Witt Lowry

Genre: Hip Hop Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor:  7

Witt has a lot of energy for performing the saddest song I’ve ever seen live. Not afraid to bare his emotions on stage. Keep an eye on him.

Bayside

Genre: Pop Punk Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

They formed 19 years ago. Have a wide range of songs for the genre. I’ve heard upbeat, angsty, and sullen.

Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker)

Genre: Rap Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 8 Energy level: 9 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 8

I’ve seen him crowd surf during other artist’s performances. Seems to play well with others unless you’re Eminem.

NF (Nathan John Feuerstein)

Genre: Rap Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 6 Performance: 7 Coolness factor:7

There were a considerable amount of performers wearing hoodies during their performance this years despite the heat. NF’s looked custom-made to hide most his face and fit over his hat. With a cage that he would retreat to, and a shopping cart with black helium balloons, his performance was lo-fi, but effective.

Stone Temple Pilots

Genre: Alt Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor:  7

Age can be a damper for these performances. Replacing the original vocalists can be too. They have already put together a studio release together and Jeff Gutt fits in fine. He was lively on stage as if it were his band from the beginning. If you didn’t know who Scott Weiland was, you might think this was the original lineup. Note: Their latest eponymous release does not sound like the same band from the late 90s.

Fallout Boy

Genre: Pop Rock Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 4 Performance: 4 Coolness factor: 5

Consensus:  “They seemed like they were going through the motions.” I saw this band on this same stage 5 years ago. They hardly looked like the same people. With the exception on the pyrotechnics, this group offered little excitement on stage.

Bunbury Day 2

Shaed

Genre: Electropop Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Overall performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

I was immediately impressed by Chelsea Lee’s soft speaking voice change to the  low, bold, and soothing lyricist. Trampoline is a good single, but they do have more to offer. Looking for a full length from them soon.

Great Good Fine OK

Genre: Synthpop Music: 2 Presence/fashion: 2 Energy level: 6 Overall performance: 3 Coolness factor: 4

Great Good Fine OK was none of these things. This was a challenge for the senses. John Sandler was wearing a black and gold homemade outfit, while the rest of the touring band was in street clothes. The lyrics may have been touching, but I couldn’t get over the sound.  This duo was delayed in starting, but continued their set as if time was not an issue. Promising two or three more songs, the fans at the nearby stage were booing while they had to wait for them to finish before the next band could start. There is a very real possibility that synthpop will be the end of rock music.

The Blue Stones

Genre: Blues Rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

One of those bands when you first see live, you’re amazed it’s all done with just two people. With only two members, everything has to be precise. They need to set themselves apart from some of the bigger names out there doing similar work, but they have started in the right direction. Long live the rock duo.

Flora Cash

Genre: Indie Pop Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 5 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 7

This married couple met on Soundcloud. Now they reside in Sweden. They have some feeling in the studio, that got lost on stage.

Tropidelic

Genre: Uncategorized Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 8 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

Tropidelic is always a high-energy and fun performance. I was only there for 3 songs, but I’m sure more than one of them climbed off the stage to play in the audience.

Jukebox the Ghost

Genre Indie Pop Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 9

Ben Thornewill took the time to sign autographs and allow photos with him for a mob of people just behind the stage when they were finished on stage. I’ve seen their performance several times. Every time I think I know what to expect from them, they change it up. With seven studio albums, they have a large catalog of music to choose from.

Dashboard Confessional

Genre: Emo Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 6 Overall performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Surprised to find out they’re really big in the Philippines. Most people did not recognize Chris Carrabba on stage, but they recognized his music. Their most recent release, Crooked Shadows, has a lot more synth and anthem rock qualities than their debut, The Swiss Army Romance from almost 20 years ago.

Jeremy Zucker

Genre Pop Music 8 Presence/fashion 7 Energy level 7 Overall performance 7 Coolness factor 8

He has more monthly listeners on Spotify than any of the four remaining artists on Saturday. But he appeals to a very young crowd. If this guy keeps it up, he’s going to be gigantic.

Blue October

Genre: Rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Overall performance: 7 Coolness factor: 8

Last year Bishop Briggs was at this stage and it was overflowing with fans. This year, the same stage (different placement), and the band that had the most overflowing audience was clearly Blue October.

Awolnation

Genre: Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

For years, there was a stigma I had to overcome to enjoy Awolnation. Admittedly it was all me. That’s all I know. I was wrong. Fortunately, I was able to get over it. They have a lot of music that I recognize and enjoy.

Sublime with Rome

Genre: Ska Punk Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 5 Performance: 5 Coolness factor: 5

The music was fine. Rome’s vocals are solid. The band was happy to be performing. They even put out new music since the line up changes and loss of Bradley Nowell. Ultimately though, they’re a bunch of old dudes too out of shape to do much on stage. I prefer their studio releases. If you want to follow a band around the country, but Phish is too hardcore for you, then this is your new old favorite band.

Greta Van Fleet

Genre: Rock Music: 9 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 8

There’s no denying that they remind people of another band from a different era. That band isn’t making new music together. Great Van Fleet is, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to witness their live performance, especially after hearing about their poor performance on SNL. The state of rock looks a lot like the state of the republic right now. If we want it to get better, we can’t be divided and hate on what’s right. Aside from Josh dressing like Abu from Aladdin (1992), they were terrific.

Bunbury Day 2

Bülow (Megan Bülow)

Genre: Pop Music: 8 Presence/fashion: N/A Energy level: 6 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 7

The songs I’ve posted for each band reflects my favorite of their music. I had to change out Bülow’s song four times. I landed on You & Jennifer, and it’s going to be near impossible to dethrone. If Rebecca Sugar decided to tap into some forgotten pain, she would write and perform something very similar. With only 7 songs on Bülow’s full-length release, it’s hard to judge how good the music is (going to be). At this point, I can’t tell if her look is ironic or not, so I’m uncomfortable judging it. She may just be an iconoclast.

Lauren Sanderson

Genre: Hip Hop Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 9

The greatest thing about Lauren Sanderson is that her album Don’t Panic has two versions — a regular hip hop version, and an acoustic version. This says a lot because there is a lot of cool about her. At the end of her set, she organized a meet and greet for anyone who wanted to wait in line.

The Aces

Genre: Indie Pop Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 6 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

At the end of a tour, a performance can suffer burnout while every day becomes laundry day. That may have been the case the last time I saw the Aces. It was a pleasant surprise, despite some tech difficulties on stage with Katie Henderson’s guitar, to see the performance I hoped for this time.

Reignwolf

Genre: Blues Rock Music: 9 Presence/fashion: 9 Energy level: 9 Performance: 9 Coolness factor: 9

So good, you’re cursing aloud in wonder. Reignwolf provided the best performance of the weekend. The energy; the music; the performance blew my mind. Jordan and Stacey-James  become the music. Their presence was undeniable. Overlook that Jordan Cook was dressed for a Seattle February in the mid-1990s, and they were near perfect.  Below is a link to when Jordan first started out. Seven years for a full album was worth the wait. I already have plans to photograph them again because it’s better live.

Streetlight Manifesto

Genre: Ska Punk Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Ska has been getting a lot of grief lately for being something we used to listen to in the 90s, but to be honest, it's still better than some of the new style of things. Streetlight Manifesto has a lot gong on stage and is fun to watch, albeit, difficult to capture on camera.

Clutch

Genre: Blues Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Consensus: “I think [Neil Fallon] used to be a reverend. He sounds like he is delivering a sermon.” Somehow, I had never heard of them before and they’ve been around since 1991 with 12 albums! The more I listen to them, the more they are growing on me.

lovelytheband

Genre: Indie Pop Music: 5 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 5

I walked around the pit giving others the opportunity to photograph this band that they were more excited to shoot, but Mitchy Collins kept giving me shots to stick around for, drawing me back to the stage. If you already like this music, you should definitely see them live.

Run the Jewels

Genre: Rap Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 9 Performance: 9 Coolness factor: 10

One of the best performances of the weekend and vocally advocated for consent norms. Killer Mike wants to want to change the world. If you haven’t seen his documentary Trigger Warning you should.

Girl Talk (Gregg Michael Gillis)

Genre: DJ Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 8 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 7

To compensate for the typical still life that can become a DJ set, Girl Talk arranged for several festival goers to join him on stage for a dance party, which spread into the crowd within seconds. Gregg created what looked like a flattened basketball player out of the stage with the arms and legs extending from the floor. To put a DJ this late in the day was a bold, and satisfying move. It was a party.

The 1975

Genre: Pop rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 9

Consensus: “OMG OMG OMG. I love them so much.” Of everyone I talked to, this was the most anticipated of the weekend. This isn’t music for me, but the crowd loved them. The performance was lively and well lit. I hear it’s a trademark of his performance, but I have a lot of photos of Matty Healy with his tongue out of his mouth that I can’t use.

Bunbury

An excellent option for me to find and enjoy more music. Some artists I had never heard of, or some I wouldn’t be crazy about from their studio release, found an opportunity to make me a fan. Most notably Bülow and Awolnation, while Reignwolf and Run the Jewels heightened my excitement for their next thing to come.

[thepermanentrainpress]

CONCERT REVIEW: iHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL AT SCOTIABANK ARENA - DECEMBER 2ND, 2018

I left Jingle Ball with a sore throat and a full heart. This year’s show brought some serious heat, both metaphorically and literally. With good vibes and a festival-quality line up, I had the best time singing along to all my favourite songs at the top of my lungs. iHeartRadio Jingle Ball was a four-hour haven for all pop music lovers.

Jingle Ball brought together a line up that was diverse, but with artists that complemented each other well. There was also a celebration of homegrown talent, with a core group of renowned local acts. First up was breakout duo Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, who performed “Better Off, “Ain’t Easy,” and their brand new Christmas song. Singing to a lit up crowd, their high-energy tracks and popularity from The Launch kicked off the show’s momentum. This was followed by bülow singing “Two Punks in Love,” “Not a Love Song,” and a cover of Post Malone’s “rockstar,” as well as YouTube sensation Johnny Orlando with “What If” and “Last Summer.” The best part about Jingle Ball’s format was that it was easily digestible. Several acts were limited to only three to four songs, so the show could curate only the latest and greatest music. The excellent selection of Canadian radio hits was designed for a dance party.

This lent itself well to Loud Luxury, who played an immersive set that warmed everyone up. They brought out not one, but two, special guests – Brando and Anders – to join them for their performances of “Body” and “Love No More,” respectively. It was unfortunate that they were both lip-syncing their songs, but the energy from the crowd was insane. A special mention goes to their Avicii tribute and happy birthday wish to Andrew. Lauv was up next, decidedly tailoring his show for a mainstream audience. Unlike his own headlining show, he went for a produced approach instead of stripped-down acoustic. Nonetheless he performed really well, even though he said he was nervous for his first Jingle Ball, showing off his smooth vocals and suave dance moves on “The Other,” “I Like Me Better,” and his latest song with Julia Michaels, “There’s No Way.” Rounding off the emerging artists was Delaney Jane, who sang singles “Bad Habits” and “Easy Go.” 

Alessia Cara was a clear crowd favourite, as both a Brampton native and teen pop icon. Unlike other acts, she dedicated time to several lesser-known tracks off her repertoire, namely material off her second album The Pains of Growing (released just over a week ago). She kept it real with her minimalistic set, and brought home the nostalgia in tracks like “A Little More” and “Trust My Lonely.” Dua Lipa then turned everyone up with a hype performance full of club bangers that came one after the other. Wearing an impeccable slinky red dress, she made great use of the stage with her futuristic set-up and high energy dance moves throughout “One Kiss,” “Electricity,” “IDGAF,” and “New Rules.” It was the world’s hardest job to follow Dua Lipa after that, but Tyler Shaw got the job done, singing “Wicked,” “Cautious,” and “With You.” 

Khalid was adorable, giving off chill vibes the whole time and not pretending to be anyone he wasn’t. The audience was on their feet for his entire set, consisting of “Young Dumb & Broke,” “Love Lies,” an acoustic rendition of “Eastside,” “Silence,” “Better,” and “Location” (where he customized the last lyric to Jingle Ball). His back up dancers were having so much fun onstage that he had to join in, along with a bit of cheekiness with a certain dancer at the very end. Last but not least were the loves of my life, The Chainsmokers, who transformed the concert into a rave with their pyrotechnics and pop anthems. Their set was literally fire, as fifteen seconds into their first song, “Don’t Let Me Down,” fireworks had already exploded. This went on for “Paris,” “Beach House,” “Sick Boy,” “This Feeling, “Something Just Like This,” and a dozen other tracks until I was out of breath and hoarse from cheering. I’ll admit that I’m guilty of eating up everything they release, but I’ll always have a soft spot for teen drama and catchy synths. They finished the show with the iconic “Closer,” reintroducing bülow to sing Halsey’s verse in the process.

iHeart Radio Jingle Ball was a night to remember. I’m already penciling next year’s Jingle Ball into my calendar as I write this.

Written by: Si Jia Wen

#concert #concert review #The Permanent Rain Press #The PR Press #iHeartRadio #iheartradio jingle ball #jingle ball 2018 #jingle ball tour #The Chainsmokers #Khalid #Dua Lipa #bülow #Lauv #Johnny Orlando #Alessia Cara #Loud Luxury #Tyler Shaw #Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine #Delaney Jane #si jia #sijia #Si Jia Wen

[mrchristopherbyant]

Honest Insights and Some Forgotten Exercises

British concert pianist Nick van Bloss has written the third guest post in my new series. Technical exercises often receive a bad press by pianists, teachers and students alike, but, practised carefully and diligently, and with the help of a talented teacher, they can be extremely helpful for building various aspects of piano technique. In his post, Nick examines the forgotten exercises by German composer, Louis Plaidy. Over to Nick…

I was fascinated to see Melanie’s recent post (two videos) about the teaching of Rosina Lhévinne, particularly the accounts and anecdotes of her teaching by the late John Browning, who studied with her at the Juilliard School. In both of the videos it would be easy to miss a hidden nugget of information that was imparted about a wonderful book of technical exercises by Louis Plaidy which, in my opinion, puts the likes of Hanon to shame. It’s a book that should really be on the music desk of pianists of any standard.

But what about Hanon? Let’s face it, most pianists know several of his famous and catchy five-finger exercises – from amateurs to professionals, we hear people rattling them off, stuck in a monstrous, never-ending loop of C major, always messing things up halfway through, and playing them with little regard to shape, tone or evenness. Ultimately, Hanon does no good at all unless one diligently plays each exercise in every key – and no one does that. And I wouldn’t recommend anyone to, either, as those obsessive-compulsive little patterns would surely drive any sane person crazy! Like any catchy song, I’m convinced that Hanon is only still played and used today because people like the ‘tune’ of the first three exercises.

Years ago, when I was playing to John Browning in New York, he mentioned the Plaidy exercises to me – and I had no idea what he was talking about. At the time, we were discussing how best to warm up at the piano before actually grinding away at learning and polishing pieces. The answer: Plaidy. Well, actually, a specific exercise from Plaidy’s book, but more on that later. What Browning did say, however, was that the Plaidy exercises focus on a very natural way of playing, incorporating patterns that are found in works throughout the piano repertoire at every level. Unlike, say, Hanon, where the mind-numbing repetitive patterns are wholly unmusical.

So who was Louis Plaidy? I’d certainly never heard of him before Browning spoke of him, and I’ve never heard any pianist mention him since. Plaidy was a  nineteenth century German pedagogue who taught, amongst others, Edvard Grieg, Janáček, Hans von Bülow, Arthur Sullivan, and many other notable musicians. He was clearly a big-wig teacher of the time, was friends with Felix Mendelssohn, and attracted pupils from all over the world. And he became famous for writing his book, ‘Technical Studies for the Piano’, which, in itself, makes him sound like a dull old goat who needed a life, but, in reality, and according to his pupils, he was the kindest soul who cared deeply about all of his students. And, more importantly, he really got results in his teaching.

There is, indeed, a ‘naturalness’ to all of the exercises in Plaidy’s book. Granted, his little essay, along with drawings, at the beginning of the book might seem a little old-fashioned to us now, but it’s all very sound advice. The exercises themselves, though, can certainly benefit pretty much any level of pianist. I’d never urge any pianist to go through a book of exercises from start to finish, working on each one. I recommend Plaidy as a kind of ‘go to’ book if you need a solution for something, if you’re struggling with a certain aspect of playing – rapid finger work, chords, scales, double notes… – then Plaidy has an exercise for you. And the great thing is that none of the exercises will do any damage – quite the contrary – which leads me to a specific exercise in his book, the one mentioned by Mrs Lhévinne and John Browning in the videos.

There’s a lot of performance-related injury going around at the moment. At least, to me, it seems there is. And it’s worrying. Perhaps, in reality, we’re only all becoming so much more aware of these injuries because of people sharing their experiences on-line – and that’s great, as we all learn from listening to others. But not a day goes by where I don’t hear ‘tendonitis, carpal tunnel, focal dystonia’ mentioned somewhere. Is it because people are being taught badly, have been taught badly, or that they’re over-working, or they’re just not in touch with their own bodies and don’t know when to ‘stop’ certain, destructive movements? I don’t know the answer, although suspect it could be a combination of all of the above. Bad teaching, though, has to be high up on the list. A good teacher has to be able to spot signs of potentially calamitous technical issues. That has to be a given.

Hand and wrist freedom, bodily freedom, relaxation, necessary and unnecessary tension, breathing, awareness – all of these must be monitored by a diligent teacher. It’s a crying shame, though, that many teachers are shamefully negligent in this area. I’ve seen some ‘big-name’ teachers produce injured student after injured student – and let’s be real here: historically, some of the most famous teachers have been more into their own egos and fat fees than the well-being of students. A caring and aware teacher is a godsend, a teacher who watches the student as well as just listening and correcting wrong notes.

One thing John Browning inherited from Mrs Lhévinne was an interesting use of the Plaidy exercises to not only prevent injury but also to treat and even cure injuries. One particular exercise, that is – the scales in double sixths. Yes, scales in double sixths! I’ve mentioned this to various pianists over the years and all have baulked at the idea – but, reality check again, many pianists, even top ones, struggle to play a smooth and even scale of any description in isolation, let alone in double notes. But, when I worked with Browning, he was adamant that playing scales in double sixths every day would benefit pianists of all levels, if they only but bothered to learn how to play them with the Plaidy fingering! Browning inherited this from Mrs Lhévinne, who speaks about their value in the video.

The belief with scales in double-sixths, is that they create a concurrent and healthy push and pull on the forearm flexors and tendons, thus strengthening and nurturing them, whilst simultaneously opening the carpal tunnel slightly. Indeed, once the fingering has been learnt, playing them is perhaps one of the most soothing and beneficial things a pianist can do. I begin every day of work at the piano by playing the double-sixth scales in all keys. It was hard going at first, but the benefits were such that I knew Browning was onto something. In my case, he suggested them as a way to warm up – to really render the hand malleable. But he used to use them to treat pianists who had tendonitis and carpal tunnel problems and I believe that most were permanently injury-free after only a few months. And, along with Mrs Lhévinne, he believed that they should be mandatory for everyone learning the piano at whatever stage.

I know that scales in double-sixths might sound out of reach for anyone but the most proficient pianist, but they are not. Give them a go. Whether amateur, professional, for warm up, or to treat injury, I genuinely think they will super-charge your technique, heal issues, and help prevent future problems arising.

As Mrs Lhévinne said: play scales in double-sixths with the Plaidy fingering and you feel like you’ve been playing for hours. In other words, they are powerful things!

You can peruse Louis Plaidy’s Technical Studies for the Piano, here.

My Publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.

  from Melanie Spanswick http://ift.tt/2GDpy0M

[queerstorypodcast]

Episode 2- Magnus Hirschfeld

Hello and  a good gay to ya’ll today! Welcome to Queer Story Podcast, I’m your host oso and I’m here with Jaz.

(thoughts on the show Transparent and the ties tothe story of Magnus Hirschfeld’s life.

Thank you to the ancestors for bringing us to this place, without you we wouldn’t be here.

Today’s episode is all about the godfather of all the gays and trans folks of the world: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. Who once said this quote: “The woman who needs to be liberated most is the woman in every man, & the man who needs to be liberated most is the man in every woman.”  

One of the best tauruses to ever live, in my humble taurean opinion. Lets dive right into today’s Queerstory

Story:

Once upon a time in Germany, there was a man, an openly gay Ashkenazi Jewish man, who fully believed that being gay is a reasonable human experience. This man spent his entire life fighting for "Justice through science", for homosexual and transgender people to be recognized.

-He studied philosophy in undergrad. In 1892 he earned his doctoral degree

-He started a naturopathic practice in Magdeburg; in 1896 he moved his practice to Berlin-Charlottenburg.

-In 1896 he issued a pamphlet, Sappho and Socrates, on homosexual love under the pseudonym Th. Ramien

-In 1897, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee with the publisher Max Spohr, the lawyer Eduard Oberg, and the writer Franz Joseph von Bülow.

- The Scientific Humanitarian Committee focused their work on defending the rights of homosexuals and to repeal Paragraph 175, the section of the German penal code that since 1871 had criminalized homosexuality. They argued that the law encouraged blackmail. Their motto was "Justice through science"

- This reflected Hirschfeld's belief that a better scientific understanding of homosexuality would eliminate social hostility toward homosexuals.

-Under Hirschfeld's leadership, the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee gathered over 5000 signatures from prominent Germans on a petition to overturn Paragraph 175. Notable folks who signed this: Albert Einstein, Ranier Maria Rilke, and Herman Hesse.

-The bill was brought before the Reichstag in 1898, but was supported only by a minority from the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Hirschfeld considered what would, in a later era, be described as "outing": forcing out of the closet some of the prominent and secretly homosexual lawmakers who had remained silent on the bill. He arranged for the bill to be reintroduced and in the 1920s it began to make some progress, before the takeover of the Nazis ended hopes for this support of homosexual communities.

 One of the most prominent parts of Magnus’ career was his involvement with the homosexual sex scandal that emerged in Kaiser Wilheim II’s cabinet in 1907-1909. This was known as the Harden Eulenberg Affair. This affair was such a scandal it could be compared to the trial of Oscar Wilde 20 years earlier. We won’t get into the details of the accusations and the accused, lets just stay focused on Magnus’ involvement.

 Like Oscar WIlde’s original trials, this one was in regards to suing for libel.In 1907 when General Kuno von Moltke sued the journalist Maximilian Harden after the journalist had run an article accusing Moltke of having a homosexual relationship with the politically powerful Prince Philipp von Eulenburg, who was the Kaiser's best friend. Hirschfeld testified for the journalist, Harden. Hirschfeld in his role as an expert witness testified that Moltke was gay, and thus what Harden had written was true. This had alot to do with Magnus’ personal agenda— as he was a gay scientist who passionately wanted to make homosexuality legal in Germany — he believed that proving that Army officers like Moltke were gay would help his case for legalization, and as such he also testified that he believed there was nothing wrong with Moltke. Hirschfeld testified that "homosexuality was part of the plan of nature and creation just like normal love." This caused OUTRAGE all over Germany. Various newspapers called him out as "a freak who acted for freaks” (thanks dear Dr for being for us freaks!) in the name of pseudoscience" and "Dr. Hirschfeld makes public propaganda under the cover of science which does nothing but poison our people. Real science should fight against this!" one of the newspaper’s stated.

SInce this isn’t a podcast on the Harden Eulenberg trial, I will move on to some other aspects of Hirshfeld’s career and work.

In 1921 Hirschfeld organised the First Congress for Sexual Reform, which led to the formation of the World League for Sexual Reform. Congresses were held in Copenhagen (1928), London (1929), Vienna (1930).

In 1904, Hirschfeld joined the Bund für Mutterschutz (League for the Protection of Mothers), the feminist organization founded by Helene Stöcker. He campaigned for the decriminalisation of abortion, and against policies that banned female teachers and civil servants from marrying or having children.

So, the Wiemer Republic is considering a bit more liberal than past German governments, during that time- between WW1 and WW2- Magnus created his magnum opus- Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute of Sexual Research). It was opened on July 6th, 1919.

In Germany, the Reich government made laws, but the Länder governments enforced the laws, meaning it was up to the Länder governments to enforce Paragraph 175. Magnus’ villa purchased for the institute was technically in Prussia, where the lander did not enforce Paragraph 175. This is how Prussia became a homosexual hot spot of the time.

 As for Magnus and his institute- it thrived. It was where Hirschfeld's immense archives and library on sexuality and provided educational services and medical consultations; the clinical staff included psychiatrists, a gynecologist, a dermatologist/ endocrinologist, and a dermatologist. The institute was also where you could find The Museum of Sex, an educational museum that was visited by schools.

It was a place intellectuals, writers, and general people came to understand their own sexuality- without discrimination and with full support. Their expertiences were validated and even recorded, to provide future validation and proof regarding various experiences of gender and sexuality.

In addition, a number of noted individuals lived for longer or shorter periods of time in the various rooms available for rent or as free accommodations in the Institute complex. Among the residents were Isherwood and Turville-Petre; literary critic and philosopher Walter Benjamin; actress and dancer Anita Berber; Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch. Dörchen Richter, one of the first transgender patients to receive gender confirmation surgery pioneered at the institute. at the Institute. Lili Ilse Elvenes, better known as Lili Elbe , was a Danish transgender woman who also received gender confirmation surgery and treatment. Her autobiography was release 2 years after her death: Man into Woman.

 It was while he was on an international tour for the League,had attracted over 130,000 members by 1930, that Hirschfeld was forced into exile. National Socialists in Berlin had launched a campaign to cleanse the city's libraries of 'un-German' material.

May 6, 1933 a crowd of students, backed by gestapo, stormed the Institute's offices. The they stole the contents of the library and it culminated in a public bonfire that destroyed 10,000-plus books, articles, magazines, and research material that the Institute had collected and produced.

In 1933 Magnus went into exile in France and by 1935 on his birthday passed away.

Documentation of concentration camps destroyed, no way to gauge how many homo sexual and transgender people died in the Houlcaust.

  Bump: You’re listening to Queerstory

 Music: The song ‘Wenn die beste Freundin’ ( When My Best Girlfriend)- Marlene Dietrich and Margo Lion 1928

 Lyrics in english!

 When the best girlfriend

Duet:

When the best girlfriend

With the best girlfriend

To do some shopping,

To do some shopping,

To get some exercise,

Wander through the streets,

Blabbing about everything,

Says the best girlfriend

To the best girlfriend:

My best, my best girlfriend!

Oh my best girlfriend,

Oh my pretty girlfriend,

Oh my faithful girlfriend,

Oh my sweet girlfriend!

Walks the best girlfriend

With the best girlfriend,

says to the best girlfriend

to the best girlfriend:

My best, my best girlfriend.

Spoken:

1. Girlfriend: Yes, what does the best girlfriend say? Tell me what crosses your mind!

2. Girlfriend: Well, I can only tell you one thing, if I didn’t have you ...

We get along so well …

1. Girlfriend: Yes, we get along so terribly well. How well we get along together!

2. Girlfriend: It's just hardly bearable, how well we both get along together.

1. Girlfriend: There's just one person I get along with equally well, and that is my cute, little husband.

2. Girlfriend: Yes, with your cute, little husband

Duet, sung:

Yes, my husband is a man!

Such a man, like my husband!

Like the husband of the woman,

like the husband of the woman!

We used to have paramours,

but that's all past!

Today, instead of paramours,

we have girlfriends!

Spoken:

2. Girlfriend: Your little man is a bit pushy!

1. Girlfriend: Really?

2. Girlfriend: Yes.

1. Girlfriend: Why?

2. Girlfriend: Well, I think so

1. Girlfriend: Well, why?

2. Girlfriend: Why I think so …?

1. Girlfriend: Why you think so?

2. Girlfriend: He does such things …

1. Girlfriend: I don't like it.

2. Girlfriend: Helloo!

Husband: What's this?

1. Girlfriend: You cheated on me with her.

Husband: Because you cheated on me with her.

2. Girlfriend: And you cheated on with him

1. Girlfriend: Because cheated on me with him

Husband: What's this for intricate family relations! Don't we want to get along?

2. Girlfriend: Yes, we would rather get along.

Husband: Stupid, silly love.

Husband accompanies with:

mmm - da-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta

When the best girlfriend

With the best girlfriend

To do some shopping,

To do some shopping,

To get some exercise,

Wander through the streets,

Blabbing about everything,

Says the best girlfriend

To the best girlfriend:

My best, my best girlfriend!

Oh my best girlfriend,

Oh my pretty girlfriend,

Oh my faithful girlfriend,

Oh my sweet girlfriend!

Walks the best girlfriend

With the best girlfriend,

says to the best girlfriend

to the best girlfriend:

My best, my best girlfriend!

 Bump: You’re listening to Queerstory, a podcast about the histories of LGBTQ people, hidden from us in school, brought to you by me: oso and the Queer elders and ancestors that came before me.

 The song you just heard is called ‘ Wenn die beste Freundin’. This song came out of a 1928 cabaret set in a department store. The scene this song was in featured a relatively still unknown Marlene Dietrich duetting with rising-star Margo Lion. The pair play two affluent women on a shopping trip. As the song unfolds it becomes  clear that they are both dissatisfied with their husbands and their relationship with each other is more than a little intimate. Was a big hit and became an anthem for German lesbians in the late 20′s and early 30′s.

 Dialogue:

 We are now at the part of the show when we have a lil’ conversation about what we just learned. This is _____ my friend.

 (conversation)

 Thanks for reading Queer Story Podcast! Be well!

#transcript