I have to make one nerdy post. The last one I made was waayy back in September with the "Songs of Storm" dubstep remix (I'm pretty sure). Anyway, I stumbled upon this beautiful medley from the Smosh guys of YouTube. I'm quite a fan of this video. If you like Zelda or if you like violin, this video is for you!
Speaking of Smosh...and Zelda...these two hilarious guys posted the video down below about nine hours ago, and it's pretty great. You should check it out! They do a lot of parodies that are actually funny, and I recommend watching them!
It's been about two years since my dear friend, Kenneth (Kenny) Rivera, departed from the suburbs of Houston, Texas to spread his wings and fly to the crazy world that is Los Angeles, California. Since his graduation, he has been working nonstop, and once he arrived in L.A., he went on a mission to reach for the stars. I couldn't possibly tell you all the countless accomplishments he's told me about from the past two years...theatrical productions, tours, writing music, dancing on TV...just to name a few.
Two of the biggest things he's achieved, in my opinion, is the release of his debut single, "B Who U R," (with below music video) and becoming a dancer for the Nickelodeon hit show, Victorious, which you should watch and look for him!I remember being ecstatic when I found out that he had a music video coming out, and it looks like a lot of fun. The song itself (available on iTunes) is an empowering song about loving yourself and embracing who you are without giving a damn what other people think about you. Quite the inspiring tune.
Currently, Kenny is in the process of writing more music and working on another music video. Follow him on Twitter to get instant updates about what he's doing, and to read more about his journey in detail, read this feature article about him!
Ever since I've known Kenny, his passion was always (and will continue to be) about music. One summer I visited California, and it was amazing to catch up with him and hear all of the wonderful stories about his new life in L.A. His journey has been a great one so far, but I'm sure that it's far from over. I cannot say enough how proud I am of him and how much he's accomplished! It's unreal for me to see him pursuing his wildest dreams - just imagine how he must feel! Be on the lookout guys, he's the next big thing. He is the sweetest guy you will ever meet and probably one of the most inspiring. Hopefully one day I can embark on my own musical journey and join him in Hollywood, but until then, I wish him all the best and can't wait to see what's next!
After much anticipation, Punk Goes Pop Volume 4 released I See Stars' rendition of Britney Spears's "Til the World Ends." What can I possibly say? I love it. I will admit that at first I thought that it was just a mere carbon copy of Britney's song with some moderate tweaking, but what was really getting me was that I wasn't getting a full sense of the I See Stars guys. That is until I hate the 3:21 mark then I was extremely happy. Another note, I love Devin's voice, but at some points of the song I couldn't tell if it was really him singing or if they incorporated parts of Britney's vocals as well. You have to admit his voice is normally really high when he sings, so anyone could have made that honest mistake. Other than that, I still love this cover, and I'm even more excited for the album to be released next week!
The Dangerous Summer released their music video for "No One's Gonna Need You More." Normally you'd think this was just another punk/alternative rock band, but it's really not. Besides the captivating and somewhat raspy vocals of AJ Perdomo, the song lyrics aren't typical of most bands. Usually, I think bands try to have catchy lyrics that sometimes don't make much sense or they're simple little rhymes, but The Dangerous Summer's songs are deep. Forget that the song is upbeat, listen to the words, and it's almost as if AJ is pouring his heart and soul to whoever the lucky woman he chose to serenade this to.
I was supposed to see them tonight at Emo's East with Hit the Lights, but unfortunately they had to pull from the tour lineup due to circumstances beyond their control. In the meantime, I think I'll take a listen to their latest album from the summer, War Paint, and you should too!
Remember when I went to San Antonio last month to see Tyler Ward? Remember the talented San Antonio girl who opened up for him? Well as of today, Alyssa Bernal released her anticipated debut album, Love Hangover, which is now available on iTunes!
I have not purchased it yet, but I do recognize some of the songs she played at the Tyler Ward show. Her pop sound is coated with really pretty (and I do mean pretty) vocals that will put a smile on your face and could possibly turn your sad and rainy day - like today - into a sunny and happy one (I recommend listening to "Soaking Up the Sun" for that). As I mentioned in my concert post about her, I definitely still urge you to listen to "Cali, Cali, Cali" - it's catchy, it's fun, and it's easy to sing along with. Also on this album are collaborations with Pharrell in the song "One of Us Gotta Leave" and Jason Wade in "Hold Me Tight," which sound like two more awesome compositions.
Alyssa is a sweet girl with lots of talent and has been patiently waiting for her album to drop, so you should check it out and maybe buy it!
A few days ago, the lead singer of this band, Juneau, followed me on my Tumblr site so naturally I had to check them out. Not to be confused by the name of the character in the actual movie played by Ellen Page, Juneau is another Houston-based band!
Although they don't have actual music on their Facebook, they do have it on Reverb Nation. There are three songs on there: "Drive," "Bittersweet Surprise," and "Secrets." If you're looking for upbeat music to get your day started, listen to "Drive" and/or "Secrets," and if you want something mellow or heartfelt, listen to "Bittersweet Surprise." Their more upbeat songs are somewhat reminiscent of the band, Honor Bright, who unfortunately decided to call it quits this summer. They both have a sound that is borderline rock going into pop rock (especially "Secrets"), but I feel that Juneau is lending itself in the direction of pop rock.
I'm gonna say that I like this band especially because I really love the guitar. If they came back around to playing shows in Texas, I would definitely see them. Right now they're preparing for a couple of non-local shows in Winsconsin touring alongside Rookie of the Year, so hopefully they play shows here again!
I realize this cover video was released back in September (where has the semester gone?!), but one of my friends who occassionally does photography for There For Tomorrow showed this to me earlier and I really like it.
Maika Maile (such a beautiful name), lead singer of There For Tomorrow, recorded a cover version of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen as a tribute to Jeff Buckley. This song is incredibly pretty, and it's interesting to see this rocker maintaining the prettiness of it. There are still hints of a rock sound, but I feel as if it's sublte and still staying true to the song. On top of that, Maika's sweet and vulnerable voice is to die for. Normally, I've always heard it really strong and powerful, but in this cover, it's still powerful but in a soft way - if you can make sense of that. Listening to this song puts me in deep thought about life, and all I need to do now is light a candle in my pitch black room.
