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Ashley Frangipane gives a life-changing show every time she steps out on the stage with her huge personality and songs. See my experience here.
This year was huge for upcoming artists. The year of honesty is how I'll remember it. How will you?
Check out the albums that stayed in my queue all year long here. Be sure to check out my Blink-182 concert experience here for wild stories and up-close pictures of the punk-rockers themselves.
My music taste is always changing. Some days I love to get hype with Kendrick Lamar, and others I wallow with The Neighbourhood. It's always changing. These songs have stuck through my phases and moods.
Earth to Bella, Pt1 by Incubus This song is by a band I've loved since I was a toddler. It starts off with just a guitar and a voice, and progressively gets more theatrical. The singer gives advice, singing, "The world can be an unfriendly place, but hold your head up." As the song goes on, it turns from a soothing lullaby to a straight-up headbanger. Brace yourself. Build God, Then We'll Talk by Panic! at the Disco As far as theatrics go, this song takes the cake. The melody and instruments are something unheard of. The lyrics show a soap-opera type setup, where sex and drugs are the main plot point. Infidelity ruins their lives, leaving them with "a few more of your least favorite things." 100 Letters by Halsey I haven't known this song for very long, but I think it's The One. It tells the aftermath of a break-up, even before the dust has settled. Halsey's voice shows her regret and disconnect from the relationship. Her lover wrote her 100 letters, and stuck them in every single pair of her jeans. She's "constantly reminded of the time," she "was nineteen." This won't let her come running back, as "every single one's forgotten in a laundromat machine." Dear Universe by Lauren Sanderson If you want to hear one of the most honest, yet fun, songs in the music industry right now, listen to this song. The simple, yet effective beat and honest word choice that somehow flows together will keep you playing it on repeat. There's no chorus or structure, barely a rhyme scheme; but Lauren pulls it off. Baby Came Home 2 / Valentines by The Neighbourhood Every single genre of music is compacted into six minutes. I skip this after the interlude because there is spoken word at the end, but it's so faint I can't even hear it. Baby Came Home 2 is by far one of the best written songs in this band. Jesse Rutherford, singer and frontman, sings about his first love, Annie. She broke his heart, but only after they got their "names tattooed on each other just to prove to each other that," they'd do what they said. He gave her everything, but she still decided to cheat on him, leaving him broken and hurt. This song will make you wanna love someone as much as Jesse loves Annie. sad for you by Njomza My whole aesthetic, my favorite aspects of every form of art compiled into one song. This song boosts your self-esteem in the best way possible after a breakup. Having a "sad for you" mentality will make you realize just how awesome you are without the help of a relationship. As soon as you hit play on this song, you're transported to another world. The fairytale music and fascinating sound of Njomza will leave you wanting more, even after the five minutes are over. I highly suggest giving these songs a listen and looking at the lyrics. Lyrics are a gateway into the singer's mind, passion, and life. These songs will always find a way into my playlists, even after the seasons change. On Monday, April 17th, my class and I visited the beautiful home of the cardinals. The specific event we attended was called J-day, a workshop for young journalists to gain knowledge on better writing and to familiarize ourselves within the campus. Multiple sessions opened for specific targets, including asking better interview questions, avoiding the deadly sins of journalism, and seeing the opportunities available at Ball State.
The first session I attended was a general expo, every station held some importance to the whole Department of Journalism. There, I gathered my papers. I took every single pamphlet, paper, and packet they offered. I wanted to be connected, sue me. I talked with current students that played a role in the news distributing of Ball State and professors. That was surreal. That could be me in a couple years was the only thought running through my head when two young girls explained the function and distribution of their news show. Next, the 10 deadly sins of journalism. Mr. Jim Streisal taught young journalists what not to do when writing a piece, along with helpful replacements for these sins. These tips included changes to verb tense, gaining specificity, and overall becoming a better writer. The seminar room was filled. Kids and adults alike were standing, taking notes, and attentively listening. We all had the same goal, to become a better writer than yesterday. Last, a professor of Ball State helped young writers, including myself, work towards better interviews. Dr. David Sumner, a Ball State professor of 25 years and interviewer of 40 years taught the session. Dr. Sumner stressed the importance of face-to-face interviews, saying that the interviewee will give a more genuine response. Other tips were to never, ever do an email interview, who to interview, and what kind of questions to ask. He gave us a sheet of paper filled with a recap of his hour long session, and questions to ask in an interview. His interviews were more personal, asking lifestyle-focused questions. As I am working towards more journalistic-focused questions, this wasn't as helpful as it sounds. The whole session covered helpful tips to me, so it definitely wasn't for naught. J-day was one of the best learning experiences I've ever had. Seeing the beautiful campus of a college I'm leaning towards and widening my horizon was a great time. I learned so much, and my school even won some awards for the work we've done towards our network. I had so much fun, and I cannot wait to go back next year. I recently reviewed Halsey's 2015 debut album, Badlands. You can read my thoughts and review track-by-track here.
Every writer, no matter what business they're in, has to have somewhere to put their thoughts in. Things can get jumbled up, ideas and reminders and schedules, oh my! Why do you think journalists are called 'journalists'? Maybe they write in journals. That's what I do, to organize the chaos of my teenage mind. I use it for school, projects, notes, critique, and random ideas that pop into my head that I really want to do. Having a physical place to place your thoughts and ideas make it easier to work, everything is right in front of you. Try writing in a journal sometime, you'd be amazed at the ideas that come.
Here is some of my work done in my moleskin, bright red journal. |
Follow me on Twitter @abbiehembrecht
Follow my Spotify @thompsker |