Check out rapgenius.com

Many of today's rap stars write seemingly nonsensical lyrics.  On this website, members attempt to deconstruct the lyrics to ever rap song in existence-from the most complex to the most obvious. I recommend reading the analysis of 2 chainz's birthday song. It's hilarious. In order to access the site, you will have to quickly sign up and create an alias.

 

          

hitRECord

This past week I was fortunate to go home for Thanksgiving break. I was even more fortunate in that I was able to go see Joseph Gordon Levitt speak on behalf of his new undertaking, hitRECord.  

This project is a mass collaboration movement of the arts.  

Artist, singers, dancers, animators and many more post their material to the website, combine with others, remix and revise in an international effort for creative mashups.  

Some of my favorites include "Strawberry Bootlaces" and "Mademoiselle Noir."  

Through this project, JGL has also published two volumes of the "Tiny Book of Tiny Stories."  

Anyone can sign up.  

Push your creative boundaries and hitRECord!

Podcast #1: Middle School Music

In this podcast, I share with you three albums (and songs) that I enjoyed during Middle School. (What are some of your favorite songs from that time?)

Ideally, it would include the songs--but for now, I encourage you to click the read more and listen to the YouTube videos during the breaks of silence in the audio. (At 1.07 play "Fix You", "The Ghost of You" at 6.18 and "Running Out of Time" at the end.)

Enjoy!

Talk Write-Up: Live Theater

As I mentioned in class, here's a write-up of my talk.

The Flynn MainStage

In the past few weeks, how many of you watched a video on You Tube? How about watched a TV show? Went to a movie?

When you think about it, there are so many different ways that technology has enhanced entertainment. We now have Hi-Definition and 3-D and Blu-Ray. And for the last three decades, we have had several versions of surround sound.

The ideas behind these technologies are to make the audience feel like they are experiencing the action as it occurs on the screen. The entertainment industry is striving for the audience to have a real life experience. So I ask, isn’t technology wonderful?

I say yes, but, it can’t and should never replace the real life experience.

Movies, television, yes... All of these are incredibly entertaining but I want to argue that the truest form of entertainment is LIVE entertainment.

When I was in third grade, I had the opportunity to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway with my class. Being such a huge fan of the animated film, I was skeptical about it being anywhere close to as good as the Disney version. However, I was proven wrong. When I left the theater, my nine-year-old self was blown away and my life was changed. When we were asked to write about what we liked about the show the next day, I remember writing: “It was real!” I connected with the characters more than I ever imagined. It also made me wonder if magic could actually exist—what could possibly cause the feeling I had?

The Lonely Biscuits-Everybody

The Lonely Biscuits are a new band that I came across on one of my favorite music blogs, Good Music All Day (which you should check out!). I guess you could describe these guys as the Dave Matthews Band with a blend of hip-hop. This song was released after Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast a couple weeks ago. It's message: Keep your head up, even when times are tough. Enjoy!

Throwback Thursdays Are Back!!

It has been a while since I have posted any songs for Throwback Thursdays and I apologize, I have been extremely busy. Without further or do, I have a little Notorious for you all to enjoy today, mixed with XX's 'VCR'. I love this mash-up (and mash-ups in general) because it offers a new sound to a song. Different instrumentals added to a track can change the vibe you get from the song completely, for better or for worse. It's all about finding the right ones. Enjoy!

"The Graffiti Mecca"

5 Pointz

Recently I was introduced to a place by the name of 5 Pointz in Long Island City, New York.  It is a block long abandoned industrial complex that has been transformed into an "aerosol art center."  Artists from all over the world submit their ideas, paint massive murals and individual tags.  The building houses over 200 studio spaces, owned by the developer Jerry Wolkoff.  Attracting stars such as Doug E. Fresh, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, Rahzel, DJ JS-1, Boot Camp Clik, Joan Jett, and Joss Stone  It is a collection of all the great contemporary street artists and graffiti artists. The building is an ongoing process of art collection in the medium's intended form. 

For more information about 5pointz and their upcoming events be sure to visit their website

360° Book

Architect Yusuke Oono is the creator of this beautiful booklet. When left closed, the appears to be a small book, but flipping through the pages reveals a stunning assortment of carvings that together produces a 360° diorama. 

Oono managed to recreate the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves through this method of these tiny carvings. He states, "I like finding new ways to express dimension, and it occurred to me to create this palm-sized book that opens out to form a 3D world." In order to make the details of this booklet, Yusuke Oono utilized a laser cutter. This project was a top winner in a Fab Cafe laser cutter design contest--and it deserves it!

I'm absolutely blown away by the detail that each page possesses, especially since the work itself is so small. He was able to capture the likenesses of the characters from the Disney film version of the story perfectly. I had never heard much of laser design before--but after seeing this, I am definitely going to do more research into it.

(Check out Yusuke Oono's porfolio for more pictures of the booklet.)

"Do It Live."

Nope this is not about that one time Bill O'Reilly decided to lose his shit, not that we all haven't been there at one point or another, don't worry bud.  

I received a text message a few days ago from one of my best friends in high-school by the name of Chris.  Chris and I haven't seen or really spoken to each other in about two years, nothing dramatic, we just drifted off into our separate lives in college.  He was on his way up to Burlington on a whim with one of his friends and told me he wanted to visit.  I can't explained how ecstatic I was to be able to catch up with him and hear about his life since we graduated.  Later, when I asked the two of them why they had decided so suddenly to come up to visit, they replied simply "Well... do it live."  

"Do it live." was their new motto.  No longer ask the question why, but rather, why not?  They finished their homework at midnight, and made the decision to drive to Burlington from Boston at 1 in the morning and were on the road six hours later.  It often pays not to plan.  Throw yourself into things.  Make a move.  Do not just sit there and wait for exciting things to happen, go after them.  Do it live, folks.  If we sit in fear of the outcomes or are held back by the voice of Doubting Thomas in our heads, we are going to miss out on life. 

So I urge you, as they did me, adopt the motto.  

Do it live.

Thinking about Math

Below I have provided the link to an article written by Alexander Nazaryan on The New Yoker's website that I recommend for anyone who regularly thinks about writing. The article is about math's relationship to prose and the state of postmodern literature in general. As someone who was too lazy to battle the frustrations of math further than calculus,  I have recently felt an urge to retry and solve my deficiency with numbers, in an odd way, through writing. I mean to say that the challenges of writing that frustrate me feel naturally similar to those encountered in math problems. For instance, when I start attacking a math problem it is generally a fun, creative first few steps that feel promising; then I realize, in my excitement or lack of precision, that I have done something but not the thing I intended to do, which was render the problem solved or complete. The exact same thing happens in writing. But as Nazaryan comments in the article and as I've noticed, today's writing standards seem to wrongly encourage this kind of clumsy progress through writing towards accidental ends. I could say more, but the Nazaryan's article says it better. Read it:

To Read the Article Click Here: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/11/writers-should-learn-math.html

Sounds

I was going through Brain Pickings (an wonderful blog recommended by Johnny Redox at Broke N' Ballin') and came across a post discussing sound. Within the post is an insightful video that, after watching it, really got me thinking.

I love music. It helps me sleep, helps me work, and calms me down when I’m stressed or sad. It is magical. I’m listening to it as I’m writing this post. But really… what is music? It is sound. Although, I think the more appropriate question is: what is sound and can it all sounds be considered music? As the video explores, sound is something that we are exposed to every day. Footsteps, cars honking, birds chirping—they are all sounds that impact our lives.

"We all live in a kind of super-saturated audio environment."

The various speakers of the video state:

“Listening to all this random, disparate noise and sound that’s going on around us right now … when you actually tune it in and listen to it, you hear pitches that are like singing together, you hear harmonies, you hear weird textures. It’s about paying attention to the individual components more than the overall effect. The more differences you perceive, the better your life is.”

The natural sounds of our lives can be considered musical in many ways. As the quote states, sounds are layered and textured—much like songs. There are different pitches and harmonies as well. When we go about our daily lives it is difficult to take the time and actively tune into all of the different sounds we hear. I turned off the radio to experiment with the notion of attempting to perceive differences in sound: I hear the faint hum from my computer, the clacking of the keys as I’m typing. I can hear the wind rustling the leaves of the trees around my house.

But are these sounds music?

Everyone has a different definition of what is considered musical, but to answer the question, I would prefer to think about what music means to me. In my opinion, music is a combination of sounds that have the ability to evoke emotions. Music is specifically constructed to do this—but can natural sounds produce the same effect? Personally, I believe they can. Upon reflection, there are many sounds that fill me with happiness, tranquility and nostalgia. Both songs and specific sounds can bring me back to a specific period of time.

"Sound can be beautiful."

For example, I was obsessed with the album “X&Y” by Coldplay when I was in eighth grade. Whenever I hear any of the songs from the album I can place myself in various moments of that eighth grade year when I was listening to it: posting to my Xanga, drawing, chatting on AIM, etc. I’m overcome by nostalgia. The sound of the ocean can also take me back in time. Just by hearing the movement of the waves transports me back to when I was seven and exploring the beach for the first time.

There are so many ways in which we are connected to the world, and as the video explains, sound is one of them. I don’t think there is a right answer to whether or not sound and music can be considered the same. However, sound plays a large role in what makes up most music. Natural sounds individually as well as music can both evoke emotion—and that emotional response is a large reason why I listen to music. Overall, I believe the sounds that surround us can be just as artistic as music itself.

For fun, take some time try to differentiate the sounds you hear. What are they? Are there any sounds that bring you back to a certain time in your life?

Until next time!