Dunuhnuhnuhnuhnuh Part 1

I've noticed a lot of these posts have been super duper formal, especially for my writing. So for those people out there that are reading my blog for a reason other than this class (I'm talking to you Russia), I should explain. Most of my posts have been for this Convergence Journalism class I've been taking at Loyola University in Chicago for the past three weeks. I've met some amazing people and really really really got to fall in love with my hometown again. We've done a lot of really awesome things, but that's not what this post is about.

Seeing that this is a musical blog, I thought I'd share my own musical experience. Plus, Anna told me to post and there's really nothing else to do in this study lounge. So I hope this post is good... not great, but solid.

*Ahem*

For two years, I was sure this man taught me guitar.

I started playing guitar when I was about six years old. Then, I wanted to play the electric guitar so badly, but the man I was taking the lessons from wouldn't let me until I learned classical first. I really wish I could remember his name, but unfortunately, I can't. What I do remember was that he looked a lot like Qui-Gon Jinn to my six year old mind. I also remember being really good. Like, I'm not a braggy person, but I think I was actually better then than I am now. But we'll get to that.

I stopped playing guitar when I turned eight because all my friends were playing sports and I thought I was missing out. I wasn't. At seventeen years old, I can say with confidence playing sports has led me no where. I just wasn't born a sportsperson. I can, however, completely BS my way through a sports conversation with a group of guys... or my dad. So I guess there was an upside to that.

So yeah, I stopped playing guitar for quite some time. And then, out of no where, I was hit with a billion and one reasons to pick it back up again. Here are the big three:

1. I got a free electric guitar from a relative. It was used from Wal-Mart. And it was a rip-off Strat. But still, it was electric and that's all that mattered.
2. I met this girl that said she really liked guys that played the guitar. It wasn't a huge reason, okay? It was just, like, icing on the cake.
3. One of my friends, who's a prodigy on the guitar, was looking for people to form a band with. And I kinda wanted in on that.

I started playing again. Except, electric guitar is totally different from classical and I had no experience. "So I started taking lessons again."

That's what should've happened. But no, I was set on teaching myself. And that's part of the reason why it took me so long to become somewhat decent on a guitar. Also, number three on that list above never happened because the musical prodigy also happens to be a soccer prodigy. And soccer won that arguement.

After making to progress for what seemed like months, I was just about ready to call it quits again. But then I met good ole Mr. Conner Miles, who was the bassist in my band to come.

Oh wow, look at the time kids... isn't it past your bedtime (I'm talking to you, Russia)? But don't worry, I'll finish my story another time! So stay tuned!

Dub This

Walking by a dance club late at night, you're bound to hear that trademark sound of a heavy bass that shakes the very street around you. Chances are, you're hearing (and probably feeling) Dubstep. I asked ten people around the city of Chicago, "How do you feel about Dubstep?" Opinions varied between whether Dubstep is a work of art or just the start of the worst age music has ever seen.

The very first roots of Dubstep originated in Jamaica from hard steel drum beats. However, the Dubstep most people know today is actually from South London. Back in 2002, the term Dubstep became a term in pop-culture through a cover story that ran in the bimonthly magazine, XLR8R. Ammunition Promotions, who ran the first Dubstep club (FWD>>), released the first Dubstep CD (Dubstep Allstars Vol. 1) under their record label, Tempa.

Recently, a new type of “Progressive" Dubstep has become increasingly popular, especially in the United States of America. I sat down with 22-year-old Dubstep fan Sean Patrick Sukys who said “I love Dubstep, it’s the best thing ever.” The man with the plan from Cleveland, Ohio has been in the Windy City due to his work at a Pre-Colligate Program at Loyola University Chicago. “I have really loud speakers and love to feel the bass drop in my chest,” Sean told me as we sat in the hallway at Marquette Hall.

If I had stopped at Sean, it would appear that Americans love Dubstep. However, I came across someone who had a much different opinion.

Anna Allred, a 17-year-old student from Orlando, Florida, is also at LUC this summer. Outside the Information Commons right next the Lake Michigan on the LUC campus, Anna told me, “Personally, I don’t really like Dubstep. It’s just not my taste.” That was not the first and certainly not the last time I would hear someone tell me that.

My question to the masses did have a part two, something most people feel much stronger about then just the music of Dubstep itself. "Are Dubstep creators as deserving of earning money from their music than a traditional band?" By a traditional band, I mean with actual instruments instead of computer generated sounds. Emiliano Rojas, a 17-year-old student from Mexico told me “Music is just music, man.” Rojas elaborated later that all musical creations have equal merit when comes to sales. If you someone likes your music and buys it, then you deserve that money.

Anna also shared her opinion on the earnings of the Dubstep all-stars. “I feel like it’s not music. I’m a bit more traditional and I feel you should use instruments and write music as opposed to using a computer.” Being a member of a traditional band herself, it seems Anna might be a member of the shrinking community of artists who still use instruments to create music.

Going back to Mr. Sukys on this part of my question, “I (Sukys) have a musical minor in college, so I know all about chord progressions. They (Dubstep creators) use a lot of that in their music.”Sukys also said, “I think they’re more deserving. They’re  not only doing the work of the instrumentalist and the composer, but they're doing the whole thing."

Brielle Gregory, who is also from Cleveland, had a different view on the talent of these Dubstep artists. The 17-year-old said, “I feel they’re less deserving because anyone can mash-up songs on a computer." That’s not to say that creating Dubstep is an easy procedure, but I did master “Type to Learn” in less than a year while I’m still working to master a guitar. People agree that it's easier to learn how to use a computer program than it is to learn an actual instrument.

It seems that not just Chicago, but people from across the entire country have a split decision about this new musical craze. Whether you love it, hate it, or know nothing about it, Dubstep is here to stay, for now. But like all genres of music, its time will come and go. When that occurs, the real question will be, "What's next?"

There Is

When you have one band, the songs you play live are simple to choose; you play your most successful songs and the songs you enjoy playing the most. When you've had a band in the past, however, what do you do? Angels and Airwaves (abbreviated AVA)  is a band comprised of different musicians from different backgrounds. Their singer and guitarist, Tom Delonge, is most famous for his punk rock band, Blink-182. Bassist Matt Wachter can be recognized from another successful band, 30 Seconds to Mars. And the newest member, Ilan Rubin, used to drum for Nine Inch Nails.

Now, if you already know some information about AVA, you'll notice I've left one very important member out; David Kennedy. Kennedy is the second guitarist of the band, but he has a much larger role you'll probably laugh at when you first hear it; moral support. Though it might sound cheesy at first, it's safe to say without him, Tom Delonge might've disappeared with Blink in 2004 too far into the mix of drugs and alcohol he used to cope. Kennedy was responsible for slapping him sober.

After the break-up of his twelve year old band, Delonge was horribly lost and depressed. Kennedy, who had been a close friend to him since high school, consistently checked-up on Delonge and they eventually began to talk about another band.

Back up a few years to the year 2001

Blink-182 had just released their fourth studio album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, which was very successful. Along with that, they were still basking in the glory of their Platinum album, Enema of the State. However, Delonge wanted to grow as a musician in a way contrary to how his current band functioned. While still involved in Blink, Delonge formed a side musical project, a band named Boxcar Racer, which consisted of Blink's drummer, Travis Barker, and David Kennedy. Although this was meant to save the band from having to change their sound and tone to the darker side Delonge showed in Boxcar Racer, Blink's bassist, Mark Hoppus, saw this as an attack directed at him, considering he was the only member of his band not involved in this second band.

This dispute branched out into a whole web of anger and suspicion until Blink-182 broke up three years later.

When Delonge and Kennedy began playing together again in AVA, there came a dilemma; should they play Boxcar Racer songs at their shows? Is there even any reason to play them?

There is.

Ten Songs To Blast In Your Car This Summer

The school bell rings and you run to your car. Quick, turn the key and hope that piece of junk turns on! Now purchase these songs, get them in your car, and enjoy the best summer playlist you'll ever hear.

The Kids Aren't Alright?

Around the world, it's pretty well known that most teenagers would rather blast their music from a stereo or be at a concert that breaks the sound barrier than actually listening to their tunes at the recommended volume. However, a recent study from those darn Dutchmen and women gives parents yet another reason to think the kids aren't alright with their blaring music.

Ineke Vogel from the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam led a team of researchers whom studied the effects of loud music and how it effects behavior in teenagers. In this report, Vogel found that teens who listened to an MP3 player at a dangerously loud volume were twice as likely to smoke marijuana than those who listened at the recommended volume, which is sixty decibels. Also, teens who attended loud concerts or partied at deafening clubs were six times more likely to drink excessively than those who did not go to these ear-splitting outings.

A Concert that Brainwashes Teens Into Drinking

Personally, I think it's all garbage.

Yes, there is a link between listening to loud music and making those decisions, but it definitely is not what this team was trying to prove. It's highly unlikely that listening to loud music can somehow brainwash someone into some rebellious person they never were. What would actually be logical is that those kids who were smoking pot and getting incredibly wasted were going to do those things regardless.

Think about it; authority tells them to turn their music down, so they turn it up. If authority tells them not to drink and not to smoke, they're going to drink and they're going to smoke. But say a nice, well-behaved, red-blooded, American teenager is listening to their music over the recommended volume, they're not going to morph into this rebellious new version of themselves that is a polar opposite of who they actually are.

In the end, the only true thing your music really has an effect on his your hearing.

Rules For the Unruly

The last thing one might think of when the words "Rock" and "Concert" come up in conversation is a set of rules. Although most smaller venues that host shows for harder bands have guidelines for the crowd to follow, they are almost never enforced unless that one guy pushes it way too far.

For example, a local bar in my town that hosts smaller punk bands when they come through on tour very boldly states on the door "NO MOSHING, NO PROBLEMS." However, only seconds after The Story So Far launched into their first distorted guitar riff, this large man in front of me begins throwing himself into the tall and small in his vicinity. Most of the bands I saw that evening encouraged the chaos below, conducting the orchestra of anarchy with pride.

Most of this can be accounted for the fact that these smaller bands tend to attract strong fan bases in a hardcore crowd. Once these bands progress into a more mainstream scene, they begin to shy away from their old antics.

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE

In the video above, modern rock legend Dave Grohl shows his mature side. While initially the drummer from popular grunge band Nirvana, Grohl went on in the wake or Kurt Cobain's death and formed one of the biggest rock bands of our time, the Foo Fighters. In his younger years, Grohl was known for getting the crowd hyped up, much like the smaller bands I described earlier. But, as seen in the video, Grohl stops in mid-song during a recent concert in order to ask a pair of brawling boys to "get the **** out of his show."

While we've taken on two extremes of the spectrum, there are a few bands that can find a medium between their old, punk days and their modern, progressive ways, such as Blink-182.

Famous (or infamous) for their immature lyrics and hilarious music videos, Tom, Mark, and Travis have all grown up in the twenty years of their beloved band.

And it reflects in their music.

While they no longer write songs about Star Wars and making prank phone calls, they maintain their child-like humor at their shows. I can attest for this, considering I laughed harder than I had ever before when I saw them last October in Charlotte, NC. Inappropriate jokes and constant teasing between band members to transition songs provides Blink with an eternal youth as they approach their forties.

One thing most people don't understand is the fact that bands age, which will always lead to a sense of maturity one way or another. So although these old punk bands may have ended up conforming, the upcoming generation of punk rock can keep the spirit alive, while the seasoned vets keep the crowd in check.

Bad Snack

Learn from my friend Ethan: Keep the beauty products on the shelf and out of your stomach. Thank you.