Peace out, girl scouts!

I would categorize myself as someone with a creative mind. I don't like being put behind barriers and having only one way of doing something. This blog allowed me to go beyond the typical school curriculum and present my views on subjects I enjoy (like music). I like thinking critically on things, like I did with the lyrics of songs. We all have messages to send out for people to hear, but we all do it differently. People like Jack Johnson and John Mayer say what they have to say through their music. It is a way for them to relieve themselves of the issues pressing down on them. My creative mind, though, isn't the same as someone else's; this is what makes the human person interesting. I can look at lyrics and make my own interpretation, while someone else can look at it in a completely different perspective.

Through my blog I was able to exhibit curiosity. I was curious as to what some of the songs I always listen to really say. Being able to sit down and listen to them and blog about what they said to me was an interesting and fun task for me. Also, I have been able to see other people's points of view. I didn't necessarily do that with my blog (since I wrote about a familiar subject), but I read through other people's blogs on subjects I don't necessarily enjoy. I read them with an open mind and learned a lot. An example would be those who wrote on country music. I despise it but I can see why others enjoy the music and messages the songs have now. The reason I put so many videos up on my wall was because I was challenging other people's beliefs and attempted to present them with new ideas. Many people don't know of 311, for example, so I put up videos to try and get people to watch them in hopes of liking the style of music they play. Not everyone will like it but it is there to challenge them to at least listen.

What I learned through developing my blog is something I had previously touched on in this post here. I realized that lyrics are meant to be interpreted, and are meant to have several interpretations. We use music to apply to issues in our life, and sometimes a song can mean one thing one day, and another the next. That's the beauty of music; it is ever-changing. There is no "one meaning" of music. It morphs to what we see it as. Along with realizing this, I would like to thank Matthew Neylon for a comment he left on mine. My first posts were incredibly long because I felt as if it would look good if I wrote a lot. Matthew commented that sometimes less words is more powerful. A message can be squeezed to fit into less words but still retain its meaning. This is why my later posts were much shorter. I kept my objective of explaining music but without being verbose.

Well, this is it for me.... for now. Keep your minds open to music, and keep on keepin' on. The café is closing soon, so get that espresso now before the doors close. Peace.

You and Your Heart

I came across Jack Johnson's music video for his new single, You and Your Heart. JJ's style has changed a bit. He still has his relaxing and catchy guitar riffs that is recognizable in many of his songs. This song kick-started the world tour for his new album, To the Sea. This song is about the seperation that can happen between ourselves and our heart. We have to be able to trust our heart and go with it.
Cause you and your heart
Shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard

Now, along with this, let's talk about this new world tour. JJ has a contest to make the official poster art for his tour. For all of you creative and artistic kids out there, you could win this contest and have your poster used for his tour! Two free tickets and cash isn't too bad either.

Snow (Hey Oh)

So I am sitting here with my music on shuffle and this song comes on. I don't know why but every time I hear this song, I have the urge to listen to it again. There's more to this song than how drugs controlled Anthony Kiedis' life for many years. The lyrics speak of how drugs were a constant habit and would always draw him back to them:

The more I see, the less I know, the more I'd like to let it go

If you look closer at the song, the meaning of this song is about how we have to start anew sometimes in our life. This is troubling because it is difficult for us to let go of our old ways of thinking. It is a fight to become a better person and let go of the things that impacted our lives negatively. We have to find somewhere where those tracks of an old past can be concealed so we can start fresh:

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it's so white as snow
Running to the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go


It's a shame John Frusciante left RHCP....

Feeling Good

Hey, what's up? I'd like to look at someone who is becoming incredibly popular among many age groups. His last album definitely made him known to a lot of people. He has a tour coming up soon that begins in Europe. It sold out in 52 minutes. Yes you did that correct. He sold a whole tour of Europe out in 52 minutes. The song most people know him for is I Haven't Met You Yet. Yeah, I'm talking about Michael Bublé.

He seems to have mixed emotions on a lot of people though. You either love him or you hate him. People I know seem to be split between these two realms. I haven't really heard someone say "oh, he isn't too bad!" I can say that I thoroughly enjoy his music. I listen to many types and genres and sometimes some soothing Bublé is what is needed. Other times I need something a little more faster paced or louder. This doesn't take away from Michael's incredible talent. His singing ability is phenomenal. Some people think he isn't very talented because he does a lot of covers. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that his ability to singing isn't fantastic. Granted, he does do a lot of covers, but he writes his own music as well. For example, let us look at the song most people know him for, I Haven't Met You Yet. This is no cover and a song he wrote himself. Look at how many people enjoy it. To go off what one of my friends at Marian said, "he makes grocery shopping sexy."

I came across him only last year but since then I have procured all of his albums and have listened to them all. He definitely deserves the popularity he is receiving with talent like what he has. I mean he was even in the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics! He was able to show his heritage as a Canadian, as well as show the world how talented he is. I urge you to listen to him if you haven't. If you don't think it is your type of music, you may be mistaken. I know I fit that category. I have a new-found respect for him. He's taken the genre of jazz and contemporary music and has brought life back to it and made it popular among the hoi polloi once again. Enjoy his wondrous voice, people. Peace.