Silly Love Songs...

I should seriously consider a career in novelty songwriting. Here's a little diddy I came up with the other night.

I Don't Wanna Be Your Yoko

Sit yourself down
Let's talk awhile
And let me assure you
You still make me smile
But I came to realize
That I kinda need some space
when I overheard your friends
The other night at your place

They were talking of Bed Peace and Beatles
And not in a good way
So after that I figured out
What they were trying to say

I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be your Yoko
Oh no, oh no

Don't get me wrong,
We've been so great (We've been so great)
You're perfect for me
This may even be fate
But we've been virtually inseparable
And your band's starting to complain
The fact that I could lead to your demise
Just drives me insane

Not saying we should break up,
Of that I am sure
I love you, but let's be honest,
I love your band a little more

Don't wanna be the one they blame
40 years down the road
But I really don't want to lose you
And this confusion is starting to show
So stop bringing me to practice
And focus on your jams
Just don't forget about me
Among those thousands of fans

Ok, so it's no Keystone, but I had some inspiration and I just had to act on it. And it's not based on personal experience, don't worry. I get inspiration in the most inconvenient places. i.e. the shower, or while driving.

Blah, blah, blah...

Going back to school always makes me sad for some reason. Ok, the reason is obvious, but I'm taking it pretty hard this year and I'm not sure why. I'm a senior. Life is good. Not to mention yesterday was my 18th birthday. I should be so happy. Why do I feel like a truck hit me? Maybe it's this whole college process. Maybe the fact that I'm a senior and I have to leave this place is slowly hitting me. Sure, I sorta felt it when I was leaving for Syracuse, but I knew I was coming back. Now I'll have to start all over. I'm officially an adult and I am sooo not ready for that.

However, my birthday weekend didn't suck too much. The torrential downpours of Friday got me out of the football game, and although I didn't get to see my band friends from the school we were playing (sadness), I had a lovely night off anyway. Thanks to my dad (but mostly his job), I got to spend four hours in a skybox at the Phillies game on Saturday, which I must say is awesome. Free food, lots of comfy seats, extra TVs, shelter from the rain...it's the way to go. However, the crowd didn't have the same vigor as that of the regular seats, and I felt like a bit of a daddy's girl. What can I say, though, it was a good time. Sunday (my real birthday), I went to New York with Mama Dow and my aunt. I missed the city, seeing as the last time I'd visited was January. It was good to be back. I got some pretty sweet gifts, too. Highlights include a car ('06 Honda CR-V...love me some small SUVs) and The Beatles: Rock Band, which I have yet to play, but believe will be both sick and nasty in the best possible way.

Among this craziness, there's two things keeping me going: my friends and various forms of entertainment. I've compiled a list of some of my "musts" for the late summer. Because I want to be Entertainemnt Weekly.

Must See Movie - (500) Days of Summer - There's something to be said for music video directors: they're definitely the some of the most creative filmmakers out there. And when you have to tell a story in about 3 minutes, you really have to be. However, it's sometimes questionable whether short form directors can make the jump to feature films, but Marc Webb does it beautifully in this film. The stories seems typical - boy meets girl, boy loses girl, so on, so forth - but it is told in a very creative way, jumping to different points in the plot and effectively utilizing fantasy sequences, which I love in anything. It also helps that the stars, Zoeey Deschannel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt rock in pretty much anything they do, including this flick. I've already seen it twice. You should, too.

Must See TV - Glee - I fell in love with this show, as many did, when I saw the pilot in May and anxiously awaited its return all summer. And boy, did it deliver. As a fan of musical theatre, of course I was going to love this show. However, it is so far from the hokey High School Musical crap that's been out there in the movie/tv musical category as of late. It's witty, well produced, well cast, just so well done. Also, whenever I can hear choral versions of popular music, I'm all in. This show is even great if you don't like musicals, it's just fabulous TV. Watch it on Wednesdays at 9, watch it on Hulu, just watch it somehow. You won't regret it.

Must See Theatre - Billy Elliot - Though this musical is a British show at heart, it's themes are universal: fighting for what's right, the struggle to be seen, being yourself. I believe that this show deserved every bit of its 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical. It has everything; a great story, a fabulously talented cast, exciting choreography, exciting and creative direction, high overall production value. And the Billys! They're only 12 or so years old, and they dance with more precision and passion than some people 20 or 30 years their senior. I'm certain that they'll all enjoy healthy careers and totally deserved their Best Actor Tony. I'm also fairly certain that this show isn't going anywhere, so if you get a chance, head over to New York and see it.

Must Hear - Imogen Heap's Ellipse - I love this woman. She makes electronica...beautiful. I wasn't quite sure if her new album was going to live up to her last effort, Speak for Yourself, but it did. In fact, I think she surpassed it in a way. She seems to have matured on this album, and her songs have a great deal of variety. Their exciting one moment, slow another, pensive the next. I particularly like that she's stepped away from the vocoder on some of her tracks; she's even included an instrumental piano track ("The Fire"). This has to be one of my favorite albums this year. Key tracks: "Little Bird", "First Train Home", "Canvas", "Earth", "Swoon", "Aha!".

Thoughts...

Band camp is this week, and it's just a little bit insane. The actual marching isn't too bad, but I've been so wrapped up in learning new work for color guard and trying not to suck at it that I haven't really learned much of the marching show. Hopefully that can change today, since we're really behind the rest of the band. The color guard work is much more challenging this year and I'm also starting to realize that I really don't work well at night, which is unfortunate because that's the only time our instructors come. So I end up looking like shit for them when in reality I can generally do the work. Not only that, but I get super-frustrated with myself. I honestly don't think there's much I can do about it other than get more sleep and keep repeating my "I love color guard, I love color guard, I love color guard," mantra. I have to go through this for everything I do, whether it be color guard, theatre, singing, band, school, swimming, whatever. I've just gotta push through; the end product is worth the pain.

In other news, the blink-182 concert totally lived up to all the hype I gave it. The whole night was just amazing, despite some minor setbacks (not getting to meet up with my districts host, spilling on myself, the drunk guys behind us, psh whatever). Weezer was ridiculously good; I had no idea Rivers Cuomo had so much energy. He seems so chill in the media, but he's freaking electric on stage. They put on such a good show, I will most definitely see them again. blink-182 themselves were epic; they actually surpassed my expectations, as the general consensus is that they suck live. They were insane in my opinion. Every song totally rocked and the energy was amazing. Not to mention, I had one of the best concert buddies ever :). Overall, I'd say it was a very very good night.

Anywho, I must go, but before I do here's a little mixtape of excellent back-to-school jams.

"Does He Love You?" - Rilo Kiley
"Will You Return" - The Avett Brothers
"First Train Home" - Imogen Heap
"Hate Everyone" - Say Anything
"Open Your Heart" - Lavender Diamond
"Hallelujah" - Paramore
"Now, Now" - St. Vincent
"(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" - Weezer
"Ignorance" - Paramore
"Run This Town (feat. Rhianna & Kanye West) - Jay-Z. That's right.

Countdown to 18 - 11 days

This is Why I Love Max Bemis

Max Bemis is amazing. He's been answering questions about Say Anything, their new album, their old stuff, etc. via Twitter recently and today he was asked a question about songwriting. Here's what he had to say:

@danenglishh songwriting; I think the first step is coNfidence; realize what u have to say is worthwhile; u can write as well as ur idols

I completely agree. I've always had confidence issues with my art; I can't live up to my heroes, I'm just not that good, I actually think something's good but I don't want to sound cocky. I'm starting to realize that putting myself down is such bullshit. Letting those vampires get to me isn't going to get me anywhere. So I've been going with an attitude of "Fuck it, I'm awesome,". I won't boast or be douchy about it or anything, but I'm done putting myself down in public. I'm going to start speaking up for my work; if I think something's good, I might as well say so. It's some weird complex that comes with being a girl; we seem to have contests where we sort of brag about how lame we are (i.e. "I'm fat," "I can't sing," "I'm not as pretty as Megan Fox,") and whoever has the most problems wins. I find it kind of really annoying. I'm making it my goal this year to complain less and feel as awesome as I possibly can (without being a douchbag and putting anyone else down). And it's going to start with trying new things. Screenwriting, songwriting, photography, coaching color guard, I'm gonna try to do it all and maintain my sanity. It's gonna be a fun year. :)

Syracuse Reflections and Ramblings

As my time at Syracuse is coming to a close (crossies for now, at least) I've been thinking about my time here. It's going to be pretty strange coming home. I've gotten so used to living here, sometimes I forget what my room looks like. Ok, that's kind of a stretch, but you get the point. This has become like a second home. Sure, there's not much to do off campus. Sure, I have a pretty small circle of friends. Sure, I've been working pretty damn hard in the summer. Otherwise, though, I've had a pretty good time here. I've learned so much, and I've solidified my choice to be a communications major. Yeah, whatever, I'm still a little torn between journalism and TV/Film, but I've learned enough about both subjects to make a decision at some point. Besides, with most of the schools I'm applying to, you don't even have to declare a specific major within the communications school before your junior year. Plus, taking voice lessons here, I'd be happy to minor in vocal performance. I'm not going to let myself stop singing just because I'm not majoring in music. As with everything here, this program has made me realize that I can do this whole college thing. I'll be alright. Honestly, I'll be happy to come home but I'll be really sad to leave. I like Syracuse and I'll definitely be applying here in the fall. Better start stocking up on warm clothes. :)

On a different note, there's some super-sick concerts coming up back home that I'm dying to see:

8/27 - blink-182, Weezer, Taking Back Sunday, Chester French - Susquehana Bank Center - Chances of going: Very high, seeing as I already have tickets. I just had to add this again because I'm that excited. :)

9/17 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Nightman Cometh Live - Tower Theater - Chances of going: Mediocre. I would love to see the live version of the completely absurd musical from the TV show (which was absolutely hilarious), but considering the amount of concerts in September (and the possible lack of tickets available) it may not happen. However, we can hope.

9/19-9/20 - Dave Matthews Band - Susquehana Bank Center - Chances of going - Relatively high, I mentioned the show to my parents a few weeks ago and they seemed game. Yeah, going to shows with your parents is a little lame, but everyone needs a good excuse. I'm a big fan of the DMB and have yet to see all of them live (I saw Dave alone at Farm Aid '06). And I'm fairly certain I won't be the only Radnorite there.

9/23 - The Walkmen - TLA - Chances of going: Medium. I do like the Walkmen, though I only know some of their music. I'm always up for a good show, and I jumped a little at the chance to see these guys with my friend Laura. However, my chances of going have been lowered by the fact that this next show is the next day...

9/24 - Regina Spektor - Electric Factory - Chances of going: In my opinion, high. I will be at this show. I kind of need to see my idol live. It's on a weeknight, you say? Psh, hasn't stopped me before. :)

9/25 - The Spring Standards - Kennet Square, PA - Chances of going: Unfortunately slim. Yes, this trio is one of my faves (definitely check them out if you haven't heard of them, they're delectible), but unfortunately they scheduled a concert on a Friday night during football season, which means I will be twirling a flag on the football field instead. The things we sacrifice for love.

11/1 - Say Anything with Eisley, Moneen, and Moving Mountains - TLA - Chances of going: High. I'm going to this one, no questions asked. Say Anything is just too good to miss, and Eisley ain't half bad either. I'm so excited for what's in store from SA; new single and video in a few weeks, new album in October, concerts galore, all of which I'm sure will be excellent.

Needless to say, It's gonna be a fun fall. :)

Lists and Things.

Since I haven't blogged in a little while and I don't have anything substantial to write about, I figured I'd make some lists.

3 Things I'm Not Proud Of:
1. My impulsivity - I have AD/HD, and most of the time, you'd never know it. Except when I act out of impulse. Like when I get carried away and don't think things over. Or like Friday when I dropped $205 at American Eagle in about a half an hour, and then proceeded to return $60 of it five minutes later out of fear that I wouldn't be able to eat for the next 2 weeks. Which leads me to...
2. My anxiety - I'm a worrier. I get stressed out by things that I can't control and start worrying. I think it's in my DNA, I come from two families of worry-warts. I'm learning to control it, though, along with my impulsivity. Plus, I'm learning to embrace spontaineity, rather than let it stress me out. But enough about my psychological woes...
3. The music I've been listening to lately - i.e. Pitbull, Lady Gaga, "Stanky Legg", Solja Boy...it's bad. However, catchy as it may be, I am deeply disturbed by Shakira's "She Wolf". What happened, Shakira? WHERE'S THE BELLY-DANCING? THE LATINA SOUND? And auto-tune? Really? I thought you were better than that.

3 Things I'm Looking Forward to...
1. My 18th birthday - Holy poop, how did I get this old? I don't really feel 18; I feel a little more innocent than my peers since I don't drink or party and I didn't get my license until last June even though I could've had it in March '08. For being one of the oldest people in my grade, I feel like the least mature. Then again, sometimes (and this is going to sound soooo hipster) I feel a little more emotionally mature than them. It's a weird place to be, but I'm OK with who I am. I don't really feel the need to do anything more I am now. Getting back to the subject, though, I just love birthdays. They're a good time: presents, friends, being princess-for-a-day :). Besides, I'm gonna have to make up for the semi-suckfest of a birthday I had last year; true I had a solid party, went to Broadway on Broadway, and saw [title of show], but I had a driving class and a practice SAT test on my actual birthday and some people kinda bailed on my party. I shouldn't really talk, though, it ended up being a good time.
2. The End of this Summer College - Yes, I'll be sad when it's over. Yes, I'm having a good time. However, I'm ready to come home. I miss my family, Teddy, my boy, my friends (many of whom are leaving for college before I get back) and my bed. Not to mention not having to do work, although with my luck, my mom would be nagging me to do college apps/summer reading anyway. Plus, when I leave I get to go to my uncle's lake house on Canandaigua Lake for 4 days of sun, swimming, wakeboarding, and family nagging (annoying, but endearing). I could really use a vacation at this point in the game.
3. The blink-182 Concert - Thanks to the wonderful Mr. Russell Weidenmiller, I've been rediscovering blink's jams and getting really pumped for this show. The setlist looks awesome, and Travis's spinning drum solo just sounds so epic. Not to mention the fact that Weezer is opening for them! This will be a musical event/blast from the 90's past of epic proportions.

3 Favorite Youtube Channels
1. jaaaaaaa - Julia Nunes is my ukulele hero. She's so very entertaining and seems like a legitimately nice person. Not to mention, she's out there doing what she loves, which I really admire. She makes her covers her own, and writes super-sick songs. One time I did a stickam chat with her and she answered my question ("How do you feel about the song 'Birthday Sex'?" She's not a fan.)! Of course she's playing a show near me next weekend, and of course I can't go. Damn field trips to Niagra Falls! Ok, I'll stop geeking out now, go check her out! Personal fave videos: "Woe", "Balloons", "Jesus Walks", "Bubbly", "Underdog", any of her answers videos.
2. The Battery's Down - I've followed this online comedy series about a guy (generally unsuccessfully) trying to make his way as an actor since the beginning. Jake Wilson is a genius. As with any series, some episodes are better than others, but overall the acting, singing and dancing is great! Creator, writer and star Jake Wilson is really creative and rather talented. Plus, some episodes have some sweet Broadway guest stars. Definitely one to check out if you're a theatre dork like me. :)
3. schmoyoho - This is a recent fave of mine. These guys (The Gregory Brothers) do the popular "Auto-Tune the News" series, and whenever I get to see politicians and newspeople sing and dance, I'm all in. They're songs are damn catchy, too, addicting even. In this case, it's true: everything does sound better Auto-Tuned.

Wow, I get on a topic and I just keep going. So much for having nothing to talk about. :)

While We're On the Topic of Music...

I've evolved as an appreciator of music. I've finally started buying (and listening to) whole albums again. And in my mind, that's such a good thing. The way I listened to music totally shifted once I got my first iPod (a pink mini...it was totally boss at the time, but it slowly became only slightly more useful than an 8-track) and started buying individual songs rather than entire albums. Before then, I had to actually go out to Sam Goody or FYE or whatever and physically purchase Good Charlotte's The Young and the Hopeless, Aaron Carter's Another Earthquake! or Pink's Try This (I had a wonderful taste in music as a fifth grader. And I actually didn't buy that last album, I got it for Christmas. In retrospect, I probs should've left it off the list, Peaches's appearance on "Oh My God" was a little much for my 11-year-old innocent brain). I didn't mind that part, but it was the process of having to skip or sometimes sit through the tracks I didn't like, and eventually tiring of a disc but being too lazy to change it that I wasn't a fan of. I was more of a single-song girl rather than a whole-album fan. Naturally, iTunes was like heaven for me. I could sift through their vast catalog of tunage picking and chooosing the 20 or so songs I wanted that month (not that I still don't get a kick out of it. The first of the month [i.e. when I get my iTunes allowance] is my favorite day.) However, after a while I started missing actually listening to entire albums. Listening to a good album was like reading a good book, more or less; you get really excited in the beginning, go through the entire range of human emotions via song, take the stories in, and feel fully satisfied at the end. So, I started buying albums again, both physically and virtually. And it's been musical bliss ever since (more or less, I do get some duds occasionally, such as Duncan Sheik's Whisper House. Just dissapointing).

Anywho, I've been listening to a few albums this summer. Here are some of my faves thus far:

The Decemberists' The Hazards of Love - Somehow, even though I got tickets to the show backing this album, I didn't actually listen to any of the songs until a week or so before the actual show (damn you, Junior year!). I bought a few songs off the album, and instantly got pumped for he actual show. The Decemberists are known for writing folksy-rock, "story songs", but I'm pretty sure this is one of their first attempts at an entire concept album. The story here (which, I'll admit, I didn't pick up on at first) features a young woman named Margaret who basically gets knocked up by her shape-shifting lover, William, and faces the wrath of his forest queen mother and a lavacious rake (yes I did get the phrase "lavacious rake" from Wikipedia, eat me). The band played the entire album, front to back, at the concert, with Becky Stark and Shara Worden (my new idol) in the roles of Margaret and the forest queen respectively. The album goes from hard rock to folk to ballad, and transitions between its many phases beautifully. As a fan of musical theatre, I'm always a sucker for a good story, too, and the Decemberists deliver. This is one of those albums you have to listen to beginning to end though, so it could be a tough sell for the shuffle crowd. However, there are some solid stand-alone tracks on there as well.
Key Tracks: "The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)", "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)", "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid", "The Rake's Song", "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing"

Regina Spektor's Far - I honestly worship the ground this woman walks on. She kinda can do no wrong in my book. This album is like...the sound of sunshine. She's on top of her game in terms of songwriting; like the Decemberists, she tends to go for the storytelling approach, and she tells some really good stories, I won't lie. I mean, who else could write a song about a lost wallet and a Blockbuster card? Musically, her sound is a little different than some of her previous albums; cheerier, but it still sounds destinctively Regina. However, I think she could have picked a better first single. "Laughing With" is kind of a downer, and honestly doesn't represent the rest of the album. Then again, different strokes for different folks. Of course, my favorite effort of her's is probably still Soviet Kitch, but Far could overtake that soon. :)
Key Tracks: "The Calculation", "Eet", "Blue Lips", "Folding Chair", "Dance Anthem of the 80's", "The Wallet"

That's all for now. I probably would go on, but I do have a flight to catch in the morning. I'll do reviews from time to time. I'm a big music fan (and a musician myself), and love sharing my tastes with anyone who will listen. :)