Spence'd

Ok, I have to do this.

A good friend of mine introduced me to Spence a few weeks ago. Recently, I have started talking to the bassist and the singer. The friend and I have been "harassing" them so we can get more music. Spence has just put out its EP, and we're having fun getting "in" with these guys while they're getting big. The good news? Apparently we're funny :D

Either way, Spence is Hard Rock / Post-Grunge - Spence has been compared to artists such as Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Three Days Grace, 30 Seconds To Mars. If you like any of those, you REALLY should check out Spence. Mostly because I'm telling you to, because they're awesome. Also, they're fun to talk to. I know, crazy, ain't it?

Step onto the Stage

Card of the Day:	Six of Coins
Interpretation:	Giving and charity are written in this card. Does it mean I will receive, or does it mean I will give? I hope it really means teamwork, because I can see that working today.

Sometime in the future, probably after I graduate from college, I will learn how to play that bass guitar sitting in my bedroom. I want to be a member of a band. I want to make music. The thing is, I don't know where to begin. I am not a music writer, as I haven't had a lick of music theory education WHATSOEVER. However, I CAN write lyrics, so I'm not completely useless.

Frankly, when it comes down to it, I want to sing in a rock band. Yes, I have every intent of learning to play the bass, but that isn't really my true passion. I'll admit, I don't have the crazy high Tenor voice that most lead singers tend toward in the Rock world (I actually am a second Tenor, so I have a higher voice, just can't hit those REALLY high notes), but that won't stop me from trying. Again, I enjoy writing lyrics (an evolution of my poetry, I guess), and I hope that someday I'll be able to share those lyrics with the world. It's good to have a dream, isn't it?

I can't see myself being famous. This would be a hobby more than anything, but you never know, life works in mysterious ways.

Yesterday's Card:	Seven of Swords
Reflection:	I keep fluctuating between changing for the better, and reverting to my procrastinating ways. Changing is hard.

It's a Musical Life

Card of the Day:	Reversed Seven of Coins
Interpretation:	Anxiety? Check. Impatience? Check.

I have a problem: I love to sing.

I constantly have a song stuck in my head, and if the area around me is silent, I start to sing. Not hum, sing. Now here's the thing. I am in a choir, and I know SOME choral pieces and solos, but that is not my preferred choice of genre. I listen almost exclusively to rock and "metal". Mind you, "rock" is such a broad catch-all term that I actually listen to a wide range of stuff. From pop rock to nu-metal, I probably would listen to it (I'm not a huge fan of classic metal or death metal). One caveat, I have to be able to sing along to it. It's the main reason I don't listen to death metal: what on earth are they saying?

I've had this argument many, many times. I do not believe death metal screaming in music is necessary, or even has any value at all. The argument I've been told before is that "it conveys the emotion better". Ok, so you have this anger, and it would sound "wrong" if you conveyed it through pretty singing. That I can understand, but it is wrong. Yes, if you're not careful when singing, you can ruin the emotion. One of the things I have been learning in choir is how to convey emotion through the singing, anger is no exception. For an example, I will point you to the band Disturbed. No, I will not claim they are the best band out there (I like them, but art is subjective), but the vocalist knows how to inflect anger in his singing. But most importantly, you can UNDERSTAND what he's saying.

Note that last part. There are some bands that utilize death metal screaming that I listen to, although the songs that make heavy use of it are generally tuned out when they come up. I listen to All that Remains, Bullet for my Valentine, Chiodos, and Rise Against. The difference between them and most bands that use screaming? You can actually understand what they're saying! If you can't pick up the lyrics through casual listening, the singer is doing it wrong.

Of course, there are people who listen to the instrumentation as well, and enjoy guitar riffs and solos more than the singing. There are merits there, but I focus almost exclusively on the voicing and the rhythm. It's a bad habit of mine, so I apologize.
On that note, here are my top 5 bands, in no particular order:

• Blue October - Beautiful lyrics, a singer who's range is only slightly higher than mine, instead of playing around in the stratosphere, and a violinist. So much yes.
  • Genre: Rock
  • Top three songs:
    
    • Into the Ocean
    • Balance Beam
    • Picking up Pieces
• Rise Against - Mature topics to a driving beat, and the singer has a "hardcore melodic" style to his voicing. Very enjoyable, though it irritates me to no end that his range his higher than mine.
  
  • Genre: Punk
  • Top three songs:
    
    • The Strength to Go On
    • Dancing for Rain
    • From Heads Unworthy
• Boysetsfire - Very politically charged. Beautiful voicing and excellent topics.
  
  • Genre: Post-hardcore
  • Top three songs:
    
    • White Wedding Dress
    • Bathory's Sainthood
    • Last Year's Nest
• Foo Fighters - Honestly, slap the "alternative rock" or "progressive rock" on something, and there's a VERY good chance I'll love it. They also sing my theme song.
  
  • Genre: Alternative Rock
  • Top three songs:
    
    • Learn to Fly
    • Everlong
    • All My Life
• Disturbed - Hard, driving beats. Fast tempo. Rhythmic singing. Not to mention the singer is FANTASTIC.
  
  • Genre: Hard Rock (Nu-Metal)
  • Top three songs:
    
    • Indestructible
    • Down With the Sickness
    • Inside the Fire

Honorable mentions go to Avenged Sevenfold and Mindless Self Indulgence

Yesterday's Card:	Reversed Temperance
Reflection:	Last night was useless. Everything in balance? Not in this case. I need to get my act together.