Wicked Site: Soundgirl

Everyone loves free indie music right? After creating an account on Soundgirl (which is completely pain free) you can download all of their mixes of indie music for free. If you want to check out some of the music they offer you can stream their "mp3" player without creating an account. They've also interviewed just about every artist they feature on their site. Though technically they design clothes inspired by music, Soundgirl has become one of my favorite music resources. Happy listening!

Band I Dig: The Getaway Plan

   

The Getaway Plan is an awesome band from Australia, they put out a new album recently, although I'm currently blanking on when it was (agh, I'm such a bad blogger!) Wikipedia describes them as combining pop and screamo rock -- the result is pretty darn addicting if you ask me. I'm ususaly not all that into bands that do the whole "screaming" thing, but The Getaway Plan does it in a way so that doesn't really take away anything from the music itself. But as usual there music speaks to what they sound like way better than I can describe it. There new album is called Other Voices, Other Rooms most of the song below are from that album except for "If The Suspense Doesn't Kill Us..." (from their album Hold Conversation) and "Strings" (from their Demo.) Here's a link to their Myspace,  and their website (is it just me or doesn't it totally look like they use blogger too?)

Cool Movie: GO: The Schools for Schools Movie

I don't have much time, but Invisible Children has a trailer out for a new movie that looks pretty intense. For more Videos from Invisible Children click here. I recommend "Displace Me 2007" and "I Got Soul", they're the most spine tingling.

Here's a brief history of Invisible Children:

Trailer for film GO: The Schools for Schools Movie

Kick Ass Program: Samsung Mobile Fresh Films

Since my passion is film I concluded I had to to a post about film since almost everything else so far has been about music, ( though music is my second favorite thing.) Fresh Films is a film program exclusively for teens. For one week teens work to make a film, taking over everything from casting, shooting, and editing. The best part is they don't charge tuition, you just have to provide your own housing and transportation. This year they're expanding, calling out for teen writers and musicians as well as designers for a tee shirt contest along with their traditional filmmaking. After the films are made, they're scored and critiqued by a panel of industry pros and fans can vote for their favorite online. Some even make to film festivals.

I really think this is an amazing program since it's pretty hard for teens to gain access to professional equipment and resources (unless you're the child of Steven Spielberg.) The deadline to apply for filmmaking roles is May 5.

(Thank you to every one who left me comments! I promise to return the favor, I'll probably be a little busy trying to submit some assignment in the next few days, but I'm pretty sure I bookmarked you blogs so I can keep reading about all of the interesting things you have to say. :)

Wicked Site: RCRD LBL

RCRD LBL (which is "Record Label" without the vowels)  is an online record label that releases "exclusive and completely free music from emerging and established artists." They offer free MP3s from indie artists from independent record labels. They're a gold mine for finding new artists. All of their artist profiles include a bio, a link to the artist's website and the option to stream (listen to online) or download a song (sometimes more.) If you click on the "genres" tab, you can see there's something for everyone. Different "genres" you can click on include "nerd," "Jungle," and "ghostly" in addition to many others you would expect to find. They also put out podcasts, (looks like their aiming for weekly updates) where they talk about songs they've recently posted. Although I can't really vouch for the podcast because I haven't listed to on e in a long time to to the busy-ness that is my life. The definitely seem cool though, and there are links to download the songs featured in the podcast conveniently below the link to the podcast itself. If you're confused or wary of the whole "free music downloads" thing their FAQ does a great job of explaining the whole thing. Including that they're cool with you mashing up or remixing tracks you got from them, and they'd love to hear them. Plus, if you're an unsigned artist you can send them a link to your music so they can check it out. Happy Music Hunting!

Thingy: Delicate Tomboy Tees

Delicate Tomboy makes shirts that caution us to never date guys with certain qualities. The designer became inspired after breaking up with a boyfriend. 

You can also see their never ending list of lessons here, they range from "doesn't eat chocolate" to "has a hotter roommate" to"wears ugly shoes." The lessons on Delicate Tomboy's Shirts range from silly, to serious, 

to political. You can also create your own on their site, if you have your own idea. The prices are a little high, but you can be pretty detailed in what you want on your shirt.

They also have a line for infants with phrases like "I can't wait for my first cupcake" "Hi, I'm New Here" and "My daddy is smarter than your Daddy."

Right now junior tees are $25, custom tees & hoodies range from $78 -$85. Most infant things seem to range from $28-$35. Click here to start shopping.

Thingy: The Modern Mixtape

In the days of mp3s the mix cd is rare enough, and the mixtape was banished into oblivian many years ago. What to do? Behold the modern mixtape. A USB stick nestled in retro cassette tape packaging. It holds 64 MB which equals about an hour of music. Best price found at Insound where it's on sale for $16.49 (reg. $16.99) however fredflare offers a "Surprise assortment of mixtape styles" for $22. Don't forget to cover in doodles before giving to the lucky recipient.

Band I Dig: The Spill Canvas

I first found out about The Spill Canvas when I saw their video "All Over You" during a commercial break while I was watching Radio Free Roscoe (cool Canadian show with decent music from early 2000s, a little cheesy now, but I still love it.) That's actually saying a lot because I was really hungry at the time and I was going to go get some food but I had to stop and watch the video. Not too long later I had developed a full blown addiction. The Spill Canvas hails from South Dakota, and from what I've read they're definitely making it in the music industry the old-fashioned way (recording, touring, and working your but off, which seems to be less common with Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel building disturbingly popular tween empires)

Below are some of The Spill Canvas's songs to make your ears happy.

"All Over You" oozes emotion and basically says everything you wish you could say to the person of your unrequited affection.

"Staplegunned" I think is summed up in the line "The chemistry between us could destroy this place" (I know!)

"All Hail the Heartbreaker" Obsessing over someone, especially in the unrequited sense (What!? I'm not obsessing, I just... am thinking. Thinking. No obsession here. Nope.)

"Polygraph, Right Now" Technically I think there's many different emotions crammed into this one, take the lines "Fate is an elegant, cold-hearted whore" and "I'm scared to death to know what you think of me" as examples. This will probably get stuck in your head for awhile.

"Lust A Prima Vista" Title describes this one more eloquently than I can.

"The Tide" One of The Spill Canvas' many songs that tell a story, this is my favorite though.

"Saved" This song is on the Sounds of Superman album (random album featuring songs that could be associated with Superman) I've also seen it used in some fan videos of various shows. It'd be nice if life was like the movies.

"Low Fidelity" Distance. It's a bummer.

"Hush Hush" Ah, why must we sometimes fall for the, er, loose people? Oh and I always remember the meaning of the word "nonchalant" because of this song.

"Sunsets and Car Crashes" Maybe a little bit of nostalgia. Paints pictures.

"Lullaby" Probably the sweetest song, come on "Just let me sing you to sleep" there's really no surpassing that in my book.

Music Map

I thought I'd try to make a map of where all the bands I listen to are from, it turned out to be a pretty big task, this is probably only half of them.

CommunityWalk Map - Map

16 Things to do to find new music that will make your ears all kinds of happy

1 Go through your music collection

Is there anything in there you've forgotten about? Did you get a [insert band name here] Album but then [insert name of band you go koo-koo bananas for] had a new album out and you kinda forgot about the other cd? 

2 Go through you parents/siblings/cousins/friends music collection

You obviously like (at least some of) these people, who's to say you wouldn't like the music they listen to? your parents may have even influenced your music tastes. My mom was always playing stuff like: Dave Matthews, Van Morrison, Stevie Ray Vaughn, U2, when I was little, so now I listen to lots of music typically classified as 'rock' or 'alternative.' 

3 Know what you don't like

On the other hand, if your parent's music makes you want to gag at least you know what you don't like in your music. It's important to figure out why you don't like certain things about music. Don't tell some one their taste in music is stupid (even if it is).  Maybe you just don't like music that doesn't have words, or sounds whiney, or goes too slow, or you can't dance to, or that has screaming. If you figure out what you don't like, it makes it easier to block that stuff out and zero in on stuff you do like.

4 Find out who influenced/inspires the bands/artists you like

Think about it. In a way it's like having this artist you adore come up to you and say "OMG I absolutely LOOOOOVE this band, you should check them out!" or like going through their ipod, without having to deal with sneaking onto their tour bus , going through their stuff, and being chased by security guards. And chances are something about band A's music will be similar to Band B's music since Band A was inspired by Band B. I kinda experience this when I was listening to some of The Smiths, I swear parts of it sound like some of today's punk/pop/rock bands' music, I got chills. Sometimes bands might thank influences in the liner notes of their CDs, so it doesn't hurt to check there.

5 Email bands and ask them about music they like

Now, obviously Mick Jagger and P. Diddy aren't going to respond to you, but lesser know artists or some indie bands (like The Spill Canvas!) might respond. If most of the bands you like seems to busy to deal with fan email you can always look for interviews where they might have talked about their influences, or do a little googling.

6 Who are your faves top friends?

Myspace has really taken over the band website. Who are in some your favorite bands' top 8? These are artists you favorite bands like enough to put them in their top 8, they must be pretty good.

7 Check record labels

Small Record labels will often sing artists that fit a certain "something" Basically, artists with the same label may be similar.

8 Who have your faves toured with?

Bands tour with bands that have similar sound, think of it as your favorite bands giving other bands their seal of approval.

9 Yay music festivals!

Music festivals generally cater to a specific genre (Ex. Bamboozled typically aimed at teens & young adult into rock/punk kind of music). Even if you can't go to one, check out who played/is playing. This is a great way to discover up and coming bands. Or sometimes it can help you discover new bands even if they're thousands of miles away. For example, I stumble across a flyer for the " Come Together" Festival in Australia on the site of an Australian rock band I like, I looked up some of the other bands playing and probably ended up adding a couple hundred new songs to my music collection.

10 Scour music stores

Walk around the artsy part of a nearby city, you'll probably find a music store that has stuff you haven't heard of. Don't be afraid to ask the people who work there for help, they're there because they love music, they can probably help you in your search.

11 Check the Movies

Want to add some 80s music to your collection? Try renting some classic 80s movies, this way you  get to 1) See a movie 2) Pick up on some new tunes and 3) Gain a greater understanding of the music you're liking. Music can play such a huge role in movies! Imagine Dirty Dancing without (I've Had) The Time of My Life or The Breakfast Club without Don't you Forget About Me or Juno without Anyone Else but You. They wouldn't be the same.

12 Random google searches

I can't really vouch for the accuracy of this one, but hey if you're bored and you've got time to kill,  it couldn't hurt.

13 Lists

VH1 makes lots of tv specials of the "100 greatest metal bands" or "top 50 songs of the 80s" almost all of the lists are available online. Other websites put out lists too.

14 Find some Press

There's a magazine out there for every kind of music try looking in a big bookstore (Barnes &Noble, Boarders ect.) or googling example: 'alternative rock magazines' or check out music stores.

15 "Listeners Also Bought"

That category on the artist's page on itunes can be pretty handy sometimes, it's not always effective for more popular music though.

16 Keep an Open mind

Tis is probably the most important, it's ok to not be into certain sounds, personally I'm not into rap, but I try to keep the philosophy that I'll listen to any song once. I don't promise to like it, I don't promise to hate it. Now obviously, if someone sits me down and tells me to listen to the latest single by [insert name of rapper here] I'm going to have some preconceived notions about it, (I'm human, I judge stuff, I know I shouldn't but I do anyway) but I'll listen to it once. If I don't like it I can say "Eh, it's not really my thing." As hard as it is sometimes I really think we shouldn't criticize music as crappy as it may come. Your music kinda represents you in a way, it grows with you, you have songs that remind you of certain events in your life, no matter what happens you've got your music. It shows all of your sides. It's your story. A little bit of your soul.

Spring Photos! Part 2

Looking up.

I tried to take a Picture of the wind cause there was a really nice breeze.

Close Up!

This is my favorite, it took about a dozen shots to get it right.

Spring Photos!

I could only upload three before the thing stopped working. I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe.

The Cat likes to sit under all the Forsythia. I have some really cool pictures of it, but I couldn't up load them :(

 

Dandilions I didn't get why people didn't like them when I was little, they're technically flowers. I tried to make them look pretty. The grass smelled good, It was cut yesterday.

Daffodil. Though I'm not sure what's going on with the bush next to it. I think the sprinkler in the background is a nice touch. :)

My Brain is a Blackhole of Ideas

I keep having tons of ideas of things to do. The problem is I have a tendency to not get them done, or forget about them all together. Or sometimes I can't even get my ideas out. It's like there's so much spewing out of my head I can't find the idea I need. Lots of times when I have some sort of creative project to do, I have this totally awesome idea of something to do, but I don't know what it is yet. If that makes sense.

I'm also in the middle of making some really cool mix CDs. There for my sister, even though her birthday was almost a month ago, she lives kinda far away so I get away with not really being gift-prepared cause I can say "I'll give it to you when I see you next." I like them, I still need to add more songs, but I'm trying to make them for different emotions/events. Here's an example: This one is called Bummer (I use the word all the time for some reason) this is the playlist of songs for the melancholy day, you're not super upset or sad or happy. Just kinda bummed, the day wasn't perfect, things could have gone better, but then again, it could have been worse. So here's some of the songs (keep in mind this is a rough draft of sorts, I started picking out songs last night, they're not in the right order yet either)

Bruised-Jack's Mannequin

Back in Your Head-Tegan and Sara

All Hail the Heartbreaker-The Spill Canvas

Melt Into the Walls-Pilate

If I Could Write-Sam Phillips

If You're Up Late-In Fiction

How Soon Is Now?-The Smiths

Lost & Found-Addrine Pierce

Ocean City Girl-Ivy

Liar Liar-In Fiction

Under the Weather-KT Tunstall

Other stuff to do:

Write letter to Yellowcard (long story, perhaps I'll explain later)

find more stuff for "life" collage

watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the Asphalt Jungle

Finish going through all the special features on Juno

Do some work in my classes

Write stuff for Light&Sounds, Film Noir and OnTheRadio projects (story/movie ideas, I can never come up with titles so I just named them after songs that kinda influence them)

Work on Music Mixes

Finish how to find cool mixes entry

Watch more "Arrested Development" (can't get enough)

See if there's any kind of occupation involving following around my favorite bands

I don't know what it is about you but you always leave me shaking/ Yes I'm a trainwreck in the making - "Wasted" by The Donnas on the album Bitchin'

Update-ness -ish

So I pulled my blog from being viewable to the public for awhile... it's a long story. It wasn't really up for long anyway. I really don't know that anyone's going to read what I write, but I feel like writing it like someone's reading this. I keep finding all of these cool new things and I've finally decided to put them here. I've also decided to try to make more collages (collages seem to be the type of art I make the most of), I might put some of them up here, though, I'm not sure how I'd scan in some of the bigger ones. I don't know.. I'll have to see how stuff works out, sometimes stuff happens and I forget about posting things or whatever.