Sunday, August 7, 2011

Let Me Take You There


When my sister gave me her old IPod, I purposely left all of her old songs on there so that I would have another way to discover new music without actually having to search for it. I'm so glad I did this because I found a new song that I've never heard before although it has been around since 2007. I've been wanting to post about this song forever but haven't had the time. My new love is "Let Me Take You There" by Plain White Tee's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuPSv3A8jdQ

I actually have not kept up with this band since they blew up but I do enjoy their music whenever it comes on. "Let Me Take You There" is the first song of theirs that I've felt the urge to play on repeat (AND I DID). I think it is because the sound of it is reminiscent of a time in my life that is over but had given me beautiful memories. When I listen to this song, I feel almost nostalgic but not in the weepy, depressed way. Listening to this song makes me appreciate those memories despite the dark aspects of the time. These memories I speak of can best be described by a quote from The Notebook (yes it is my favorite movie and no I am not ashamed to admit that).

"Summer romances end for all kinds of reasons. But when all is said and done, they have one thing in common: They are shooting stars- a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity. And in a flash, they're gone."

This era of my life was dominated by songs like Ocean Avenue, Swing Swing, Just the Girl, Incomplete. For me, these boy bands really captured what it meant to be a teenager in love during this time.

On another note, I've decided to learn to play guitar with the help of my friend Andrew. Our first time hanging out he decides to give me a free guitar lesson on a ukulele! How luckkyyy for meee. When he asked me for a song, I still had this one up on Youtube and so he found the chords for this song and showed me how to place my fingers to play the chord. I'm still not even close to pro yet but he has agreed to continue these free lessons and even let me borrow his ukulele!
Hopefully after a few more posts I will be able to play this song on guitar.



Friday, July 22, 2011

Right By Your Side

Thanks to my older sister and of course Facebook, I discovered a new love, a song by James Morrison. I love James Morrison's voice though I've never really gotten into his music. I don't know why because every song I've heard from him I've really liked. This song "Right By Your Side" by James Morrison has a very soulful sound which is complemented beautifully with his soft raspy voice. It's a new song from his new album coming out in September.


James Morrison is definitely an artist I would love to explore more. Another song that I COMPLETELY love is a collaboration with Jason Mraz called "Details in the Fabric." I don't want to go into too much detail with this one because this post is dedicated to his new song and my new love- "Right By Your Side."

This song, aside from the calming sound of his voice and the resonating twang of the guitar in the background, has beautiful lyrics and an inspiring message.

Where was I when your tears were falling
Where was I when you needed a friend
Where was I when your heart was calling
Do you not remember well I'll tell you then

You know I remain right by your side
Push through the rain and into the fire
'Cause when I said I loved you
Its just what i meant
So when you asked me where was I when
Every time I was right by your side


This is what I want for myself and for others others. I aspire to have the strength to "push through the rain and into the fire" for those I care about- to really be there for those I value in my life.

On another note, I'm not actually in a slow, soulful sort of mood right now but as soon as I heard this song for the first time, I fell in love with it and had to share it. Funny how easy it is to fall in love with music compared to how difficult it is to fall in love with a person. This is why I love music. It's simple yet still able to help you deal with the most complex of emotions. There is no need to be careful or restrain yourself with music. No fear. If you love a song and you want to listen to it, you listen to it. Simple as that. Who ever knew something so simple could be so powerful?

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Tired and Uninspired

Probably not the best idea to start a blog the day before I start summer class -.- But I figure a blog isn't something I should feel pressured to update daily. I don't want to update just to update. I really want to have good stuff to put on here so that it's not just one boring post after another. Mostly, though, it's because I want to update when I feel ready- this blog is as much for me (if not more) as it is for everyone I'm sharing it with. So what you might ask would inspire me to update today?

Well, I happen to have an interview in 40 minutes, and I am driving myself a little bit crazy sitting at the dining room table in my dimly lit apartment (you know when it's still light enough outside that it would be weird to turn the lights on but it's getting darker so the room feels dim and quiet). This is my first time interviewing for an internship, and I am doing everything I can to maintain this calm facade. I'm on the verge of bursting at the seams! I feel like the ocean when it looks really calm and peaceful on the surface all the while underneath all sorts of craziness is going on.

I literally sat here and told myself "Relax, relax. Exhale. And breath." At that moment, I rediscovered an old love. This old love is called "Tired and Uninspired" by My American Heart.


I first heard this song when AJ Rafael, a Filipino YouTube singer, performed a cover of it a couple years back. Some may call it emo but I think it's a great reflection of those moments that I'm sure everyone gets (if not everyone then at least myself). Those moments when you feel lost or just tired and uninspired with your life. Those moments when you don't understand why things feel so monotonous or the ones when you feel hopeless. The reason why I don't think it's an emo song (in the negative sense that so many people attach to this term) is because regardless of all these depressing feelings I just described, the lyrics to this song call for strength and support.

"Be strong for me, I'll be strong for you.
You are the earth beneath my feet,
You are my gravity."

At first, I believed this song to only apply to romantic relationships. But I choose to see it differently now. Regardless of what type of relationship you may have with someone, they can still be your gravity- what keeps you grounded. It would be absurd to believe that only romantic partners could be that for me. If I believed that, I would have no one I feel I could turn to or to be my rock. And so this song for me has taken on a new meaning from when I first heard it. I can sit here, anxious and shaking, and remember the lyrics to this song and feel calmer knowing that once this new, scary thing is over, I have people I can go to afterwards. Similar to that "life goes on" mentality, it is comforting to know that one scary thing isn't the end of the world and regardless of the outcome, the people you need will be there waiting on the other side of it.

A Bit about My American Heart:

A rock band from San Diego with Larry Soliman as main singer, Jesse Barrera as bass guitarist, Clint Delgado and Jeremy Mendez on guitar, and Steven Oira on Drums. Entered the emo rock scene with debut album "The Meaning In Make-up." A couple years after their 2nd album, "Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather, " the band split in 2009.

"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness." ~Maya Angelou, Gather Together in My Name

Thursday, July 7, 2011

I've Been Loving You Too Long

I have been wanting to start a blog for months now, and today I had an epiphany! For the longest time I couldn't figure out what I wanted to blog about. I kept thinking to myself, "What was something that I loved and wanted to share with others?" I also wanted this blog to benefit me in some way whether it be emotionally, intellectually, etc. I'm not a big fan of openly displaying my emotions especially via social media, so this is not going to be one of those pour-my-heart-out-super-emo-bear-my-soul type blogs.

My realization came when I was scrolling down my Facebook mini-feed this morning. I came across this YouTube video of a homeless man singing a song. I've never heard this song before but after hearing it, I discovered something new to love. Today I realized that what I would consider one of the greatest feelings in the world is discovering a new love. With music, the possibilities are endless. There will always be new musicians to discover, old artists to remember and infinite ways to find new loves.

Allow me to introduce my new love- Otis Redding.

Our song (the one that made me fall in love with him) is "I've Been Loving You Too Long."













I'm not one to go off on profound spiels about the meaning/emotion of music nor am I trying to feign musical expertise but I must say that listening to this song was an experience. Only music like this, the kind that really digs into you, can make you feel emotions that you don't even want to feel- emotions that you've buried or "gotten over." Only music like this can make you feel these emotions and want to feel them because listening to the music makes it all worthwhile.


About Otis:

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was born in 1941. He was a soul singer and often referred to as the "King of Soul." According to the website of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his name is "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm and blues into a form of funky, secular testifying." He died in 1967 at the age of 26 in a plane crash.


This old school soul song gave me the epiphany to dedicate my blog to music. Every time I find a new cover/song/artist or rediscover an old one that I love I feel the urge to share it. I've been doing that through Facebook the past few years but now I'm taking it to the next level.

"Music is an outburst of the soul." ~Frederick Delius