BAM

24
1 B A M ! About Schmillion Choose your Pickup Dubstep: here to stay or just a new fad

description

A magazine about Bands and Music

Transcript of BAM

1

BAM!About Schmillion

Choose your Pickup

Dubstep: here to stay or just a new fad

2

Staf f Pages Welcome to BAM!Here at Bam we find things we love and try to bring them to you. We love music, so we made a music magazine. We read comics so we included that in our designs. We live in Austin so we worte a few stories about Austin. This magazine was a group effort where the reader’s enjoyment was the object. We were just lucky enough to have fun along the way. We collected stories about bands and new music genres. We wrote out lessons to Make guitars and we interviewed many people. Now it is time for our hard work to pay off. We are publishing our first issue of BAM. This magazine will be amazing. After all, the people that wrote it are awesome. We tried our best to give the magazine personality and to make it original. Now enjoy Bam, and to do that just turn the page. - The BAM Staff

In her spare time, 15-year-old Gabriella Lane slays dragons and listens to indie pop music. She goes to LASA where she is finishing up her first year of high school. She got into the magazine business this year when she stumbled onto the magcial land hidden in Ms. Richey’s classroom. Where she learned all about designing layouts and design elements. There she met her kick-butt team and they formed BAM, the newest and most awesome music magazine ever! Gabriella

Lane

3

15-year-old Benito Obregon has been stockpiling food and weapons in preparation for the zombie apocolypse for years, but aside from that. he listens to music. Music like Zedds Dead or Dead Mau5. He confused Ms.Richey’s classroom with a possible hide-out from zombies and wandered in. He liked it though, so he stayed, and found that learning about magazines was a great thing to do and stopped him always worring about zombies. He became BAM’s electronic music expert and a valuable member of the team.

Winston started fighting crime when he was just 7 years old. WIth his super strength and wierd glow-ing red eyes he became a vigilante hero. When a certain dasmel in dis-tress screamed from Ms. Richey’s room he came to the rescue and stayed to help save the BAM team from certain demise. An expert with layouts and drawing on Illistrator, he is a real hero in our team. When he’s not helping us out, he loves listening to the Black Keys and the White Stripes. He goes to Lasa and is currently a freshman.

Benito

Winston

Obregon

Harwell

4

BAM!

Bands

New band Schmillion

Music

Beat Ports top ten

Dubstep from the people

Our top five albums

Instruments

Pickups

Our Thoughts

SXSW

Censorship

Rock v Rap

Music in Numbers

8 19

614

5

24

1712

20

12

34

El Camino by The Black Keys

The new album by the Black Keys called El Camino. This album features many good songs such as “Lonley

boy”, “Gold on the Ceiling” and my personal favorite “Little Black Submarine”. The black keys partnered with

danger mouse for the Album. This is showed in the songs with less of a bluesy feel of some of the past CD’s.

Still it has some of the best songs of the year on it and is for us a must buy.

Blunderbuss by Jack White

The new album by Jack White named Blunderbuss is Whites first album released by himself.

The Album first leaked on April 15, 2012. It is very home grown being that White wrote all

of the songs himself and you can tell. This is not the White Stripes or the Dead Weather this

is the real Jack White and a good Album.

My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men

This album although old has not gotten enough exposer. The band Of Monsters and

Men, who are from Iceland, are a very good band. My favorite song on this CD is Little

Talks which is very good. This Cd is a very good choice for someone interested in a new

band.

Tha Carter 4 by Lil Wayne

The new CD in the line of Carters is a bit better than the others. In this one Lil

Wayne has a bit more of other artist than the Previous. This might be the rea-

son that the new CD has spawned six singles. A good rap CD if you are into it.

PIC

PIC

C LNEW ALBUMS

6

Beatport’s Top 5

5

4

3

Photo by KristenWithACamera

Photo by Tony Nungaray

Photo by Fred Von Lohmann

MadeonThe Night Out (Madeon Remix Extended)Indie Dance / Nu Disco

Porter RobinsonLanguage (Original Mix)Electro House

Sander Van Doorn, MayaeniNothing Inside (Original Mix)Progressive House

7

1

2Photo by Drew Ressler

Photo by Nestland

Tiesto -Somebody ThatI Used To Know (Tiesto Remix)Progressive House

Dirty South -Devil’s Work (Dirty South Remix)Progressive House

8 8schmillion

OneBy Gabriella Lane

in a

schmillion

9

in a

schmillion

She has watched as the band changed. Natalie Shea graduated High School (although she remained in Austin to stay with the band). Frankie and Zoe chose different high schools. They separated after middle school, making meeting up harder, due to different project schedules and new friends. This problem brought up another change, the change of drummer. Frankie watched that happen, it was ok by her, she understood, things change

“Sierra [their original drummer] was also committed

F RANKIE GREW UP DANCING AROUND her living room surrounded by the songs of Iron maiden and other such bands. In her world, music was everywhere, but it was her father encouraged her musical

love and so when she was twelve she decided to make her own music, she went go to a rock band camp for that summer, to see if she really loved being in a band. After all it would only be for one summer.

She had her friend Cici to play bass, and Zoë the girl from school, to play guitar with her. Zoe’s friend Sienna could be the drummer. All they needed was a singer and along came Natalie Shea, who could write lyrics with insane speed and had a great vocal sound. So together they formed Schmillion. It was then that Frankie formed a new a family and they

would stay together long after summer ended. That summer they met, the girls were all 13-15 years old. While they had powerful vocals and could all play well, they were still young. And almost no one believed they would last as a band, much less reach success. They were just kids who didn’t know where they were going or what they wanted to do with their lives, since then they have grown and changed, getting 3 years older but the band prevailed and flourished.

“No matter what you do, you’ll have multiple things going on you just have to choose what you devote your time too. We devoted our time to Schmillion.” says lead guitarist Frankie BlueAnd its true, with 2-3 practices a week, each practice running 2 hours easily, Schmillion really has spent a lot of time together and really grown up together Over the course of three years. Frankie Blue has grown a lot since seventh grade.

“We live in Austin. Everyone in Austin is connected to music.”

By Audra ShroederBy Audra Shroeder By Audra Shroeder

By 35 Denton

10

to dance; she danced, like, six days a week. She just couldn’t commit to Schmillion.” Frankie explains calmly.So things did change, because without a drummer, Schmillion found itself lacking. To solve the problem Frankie helped to recruit Graham Bailey, a multi-instrumentalist from her music theory class at Lasa High School. He agreed and that was that. He was a great musician and they all worked well together. But Frankie saw the difference that having a guy in the band brought namely perspective, on both lyrics and instrumental choices.

According to Blue she tends to “bring the heavy elements” to the band’s sound while the new Drummer Graham Bailey, with his multi instrumental talents, gives “the songs a certain complexity” and everyone else helps add to the musical conversation in every song.Together they are practicing for their upcoming album which they hope to release soon. They’re planning on including their older stuff along with a few new things, things, which as of now, have not been recorded. Although hopefully that will change soon so the album can be released sooner. As they practice Cici’s bass thumps through the floor, Natalie sings her heart out and Graham pounds away on the drums. Hearing some of songs you can understand the draw of this teenage band. It’s not just the success of 5 so-called “kids” but their sound.

From their first show they established a very unique sound. And while at first glance it would seem that, for the most part, they are a simple punk rock band, they have a lot of other parts in their songs, such as aspects of feminism and personal empowerment. Natalie Shea has said some lyrics are meant like that, empowering for women.

Such as the section of the song of “taste” when Shea croons, ‘Whisper in your ear, I know your name and what you’re doing here. The thrill you get every night from this game, slandering my gender’s name.’”

Other lyrics some just interpret as “pro woman”. It’s a happy accident that comes from having four strong women in a musical group, along with a guy who is very pro women’s rights. And as a result of the band members and their personalities, every member of the band helps puts a little something into the songs. And when looking at this eclectic collection of people, you see that what they put in the songs may be wildly

“No matter what you do, you’ll have multiple things going on you just have to choose what you devote your time too. We devoted our time to Schmillion.”

By Audra Shroeder

11

different. “Graham and I are polar opposites, and we all have different sensibilities about music. But it’s ok.”Says Frankie. It works because every member of the band loves music and has since childhood. This has to do with the early involvement with music.

“We live in Austin. Everyone in Austin is connected to music.” Says Frankie.And it appears true. Cici’s parents lived in an apartment next to Sonic Youth for a while. Frankie’s father as well as Graham’s were members of different bands it their youth. While Zoe’s parents work in marketing and owned their own film business. As for Natalie her dad was a booking agent for several clubs. Every band member had a

background in music, or in a creative art. And perhaps it was that creativity that helped bring about the name of the band, or simple luck but all those years ago, when the band was still in camp. The girls decided to play a game of monopoly. And Natalie Shea won.

“I’ve got a million schmillion dollars.” she squealed as she collected more money. And that was it. The humble way the group got their name. It was a little coincidence that stuck.

“It may all be connected but Schmillion is also just fun to say.” Frankie says while reminiscing on that day long ago. The band has become a family, although perhaps on that argues less. They trust one another and help each other out.

“I can’t remember a time Schmillion let me down. They’ve made me more trusting, I’m more open with [Schmillion], there are no barriers there.” says Frankie.

And so they are trusting, they have a great sound and they are locally grown. It seems that nothing will stop them. It’s as Frankie says, “We’re the next thing”.“ We’re the

next thing”

By Audra Shroeder

12

SHOULD MUSIC BE CENSORED? THAT IS A question every time a new genre becomes popular. It happened to rock and roll it was also not well received by censors because of the ideas.

Now because of how new music, and the strong language that the artist use, music is under the microscope. Being scrutinized and dissected by people who do not understand the meanings of

the music. Every time a new media is introduced to the world it has it’s share of critics. From telephones to even comic books who the senate threaten to make illegal, have been threaten to censorship. But one media that has been subject to the most ridicule is music.

This form of art is often said to express bad ideas that are morally wrong. While many critics point out that because some popular music expresses bad ideas and language in the lyrics that it could

change the child later. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics children who listen to heavy metal music become more likely to be involved in “substance abuse and risk taking behaviors.” Though the Academy found that children are more likely to do these things. This study, which targeted mainly teenagers, overlooked the fact that teenagers are always finding ways to rebel. This rebellion which is natural comes out in each teenager differently. So some teenagers drink and do drugs while others lock themselves in their rooms and play video games hours on end. These are both the same thing one is just more dangerous. The role of music in both of them had nothing to do with it. The child playing video games could listen to Lil Wayne while the other teen could listen to Beethoven.

When teens go through puberty more then just the physical attributes change, their mind does to The mind starts to evolve frontal cortex, which is res-ponisible for reasoning and logic, this is important because this is what causes a child to argue not because they want to be disrespectful or do bad things but because they are practicing their new found ability to reason well. This causes them to look at their parents and draw a conclusion that their parents are “embarrassing” and do the op-posite of them. according to David Elkind. This is why the children are doing sex, drugs and rock n’ roll not because of the music but of because of their parents.

Conclusion is that their parents are

embarrassing and do the opposite of them

Bleepin’ the Beats

by Winston Baxter-Harwell

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

NO

13

NO

Comic of what Censorship is doing

By Winston Baxzter-Harwell

By Winston Baxzter-Harwell

14

DUBSTEPRevolution

T O LISTEN TO DUBSTEP IS LIKE GOING on a journey. Every song is different and they all have their own sound to them. It’s kind of like a quest because every quest has different experiences and now of them are

alike, unless you go on the same quest. Some Dubstep songs are fast while others are slow, and others are a combination of both speeds. Some songs sound very intricate while others sound are very simple. Other songs are heavy while others are mellow, but one thing that all Dubstep songs have in common is bass. That distorted bass note is key to every Dubstep song. It builds up and stores a lot of tension. Then, it drops. There is a short silence. All the tension that was stored has been released. The bass then returns louder and harder than it did before the drop. Your ears are hit with this extreme amount of bass as it penetrates your skull, and stays there, repeating itself, minutes, hours, days after you heard it.

“ Your ears are hit with this extreme amount of bass as it penatrates your

skull ”

By Benito Obregon

15

“I don’t hate it, but I don’t

love it”

The fact that Skrillex won the Grammy for the Best Dance/Electronica Album, suggests that Dubstep is very catchy.Dubstep is a form of electronic dance mu-sic that started in the UK in the late 90’s, and gained popularity around 2006. Dubstep producer Skream, one of the most widely known names on the scene since the beginning of the Dubstep movement. It is usually around 140 beats per minute, and consists of drum patterns, electronic sounds, buildups, drops, and a lot of bass.

LBJ’s orchestra teacher, Andrew Potter does not consider himself to be a fan of the genre, yet he states that, “its got a lot of great energy. I think it’s great for dancing... and when the bass drops, its awesome,”. Potter seems to have a positive feel about Dubstep, but LBJ High School junior, Valeria Guzman has a slightly different opinion. “I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it,” says Guzman.

People all over the internet disagree with both Potter and Guzman, and basically say that Dubstep is not a creative form of music. They say that Dubstep is, “nothing more than a perpetual black hole of stupid noises...over a drum beat”, and other things of that nature. Potter disagrees with those people. “All sorts of music are creative... I can not like Dubstep, but I still have to admit the creative qualities that make a good Dubstep recording,” says Potter in response. “It’s dif-ferent from anything being listened to nowadays. How is that not creative,” Guzman says, adding on to what Potter previously stated.

LBJ’s Orchesrta teacher, Andrew Potter.

LBJ Junior, Valeria Guzman.

Skrillex winning a Grammy

Photo by Benito ObregonPhoto by Valeria Guzman

16

At a rave two guys listen and dance to dubstep while lights flash.

“I think its time will come. In ten or twenty years we may be looking at Dubstep like we look at Disco now”. That’s Potter’s prediction for Dubstep’s future. “Hon-estly, I think it’s going to stay, go mainstream, then go underground and continue like that” Says Guzman. Well so far, Guzman’s prediction for Dubstep is spot on. Dubstep was in the underground from the late 90’s to about 2005. It grew popular around 2006, and is now considered mainstream because it is played just about anywhere. Even though both of their predictions are different, they both imply that in the end, Dubstep will no longer be in the spotlight, but only time can tell. We just have to wait and see.

Photo by Alexander Yee

Many people like certain things about Dubstep, like the buildups or drops, and dislike other stuff like vocals in a song for example. “I really like the energy... and how they really make you wait before the energy comes back. I think that’s awesome,” says Potter, referring to the drop, when asked what he likes about the genre. “Maybe one thing that I don’t like, or maybe that I just don’t understand would be all the Dubstep jokes. So online they’ll have like, “oh that’s Dubstep. Wub wub wub wub wub,” and I don’t really get those, and maybe it’s because I’m not in touch,” says Potter. The “wub wub wub” in the jokes that Potter talks about is refer-ring to the way the distorted bass sounds like in a Dubstep song. “I don’t really like anything about it, but I hate how it gets stuck in my head for weeks” Guzman says when asked the same questions.

17

PickupsTHE GUITAR HAS PUSHED THE

boundaries of music, the electric even more so. These instruments are the backbone of many different types of music. From classical to rock they are the

background. And with all things different people have opinions on the instrument. Especially the electric. What brand, what type of pick up, and what it looks like, are all questions that musicians ask themselves about the most famous instrument.

The Electric guitar has the ability to be played louder because of a little thing called a pick-up. The pick-up is a magnet wrapped in copper wire and creates a magnetic circuit. This magnetic circuit takes the vibrations and sends them to the amp where it is played. There are two kinds of pick-ups the Single Coil and the Humbucker. The single coil is just one

“It doesn’t matter what type I play, I stIll have fun playIng It”

magnet on a guitar the most famous guitars with these are the fender Stratocaster. This has three of them. The biggest problem for these types of pickups is that they capture the frequency’s from around them such as power cords and lights and have a hum. This noise is what gives the second kind of pick the Humbucker its name. The Humbucker is two magnets that are placed opposite of each other so that the Magnetic poles face opposite direction. This makes it so that is does not pick up the ambient noise and makes the sound more clear.“A more muddy delta blues type of sound,” says Musician Thomas Trono, who plays Guitar in the LBJ Jazz band, while describing the single coil pickup on his fender squire Stratacaster.

The Stratacaster that Trono was describing is set up with three single coil pickups one right next to the fret

By: Winston Baxter-Harwell

photo by: Germanium

18

PICboard and two situated next to the bridge this guitar. This type of guitar consequently was played the father of Chicago blues.

“I mostly go for the delta blues kinda sound” Trono states.

This is one of the Single coils strong points. The down and dirty sound is what many Blues artist want from their guitar. Guitar players such as Stevie ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, and Keith Richards all used Single coils. “the Humbuckers provide a more clear sound into the note” Trono said describing his Epiphone.

The Humbucker is known for its clearer and airy sound that many guitar players want. This type of pickup uses the two magnets to get rid of the sound or hum, hence the name Humbucker because it bucks the Hum.

photo by: Germanium

photo by: Germanium

19

“I like to play my Epiphone when I am angry” Though the absence of other sounds is the most recognizable of the Humbucker this pickup is favored by heavier music such as Metal and Rock. Dave Mustain from Megadeth, James Hetfield from Metallica, and Scott Ian from Anthrax all of these guitarist use a guitar with Humbucker pickups.

By no means should you think of a Pickup as grouped into a small window of playing. When you pick a Pickup you should chose it on how you like to play and not on how others use them.

“It doesn’t matter what type I play I still have fun playing it” Trono said in conclusion.

photo by Feliciano Guimarães

photo by: Charles White

20

AUSTIN IS KNOWN TO PULSE WITH LIFE. It can take an average man and turn him into a cross fit doing, kombucua drinking hippie. This almost gives Austin a strange sort of magic. For nine days

a year Austin changes, we see the city flooded with outsiders, people with different interests, nationalities and backgrounds all here for the same reason, South by Southwest. This festival, which is now

internationally known and loved, is home to music, innovation, movies and even a new style component. Many say it is a “truly Austin Festival” to rival the likes of Austin City Limits. But who hasn’t heard that kind of description before, I know I have. Perhaps now is the time for the local view, the pros, the cons, the love and even, dare I say it, the hate of the festival that Austinites feel. Because it is those “Austinites” who tend to give Austin that certain “something” that draws people in and yet many natives don’t love the festival. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy SXSW like many do, but I also see the annoyance it causes, the friction, between local and newcomer. Just looking online at websites like Amplicate, where people can post opinions about different topics, there are people who host pages to say they hate SXSW. One poster simply said, “SXSW just got too hard and

expensive.” On a local blog site a blogger states, “It’s not exposing Austinites to new bands, it’s about an elite group grubbing money for a dying industry while they still can.” In fact on Amplicate, the topic of SXSW got a 30% dislike from the general audience. It’s time to ask, is the economic boost and worldwide fame worth the trouble it causes those who live here? I believe it is.According to NBC New York in 2010 alone there were almost 2000 bands performing. In 2012, months before the Festival almost 500 Bands were scheduled to perform, with more to come. There is no doubt that this is a huge festival. But what does it do for Austin? Well, at last count the average cost for a hotel during SXSW was $240 dollars a night, this by Gary Dinges of the Austin American Statesman. That cost is nearly twice what it is on the average day, not to mention that for those nine days, all hotels within 5 zip codes of downtown are booked solid. Talk about making bank! That along with the ticket sales and concessions the festival becomes a huge money maker. That’s still a pretty general statement. Average profits of SXSW hover at around 100 million dollars according to KXAN’s Pamela Cosel. But where does that money go? Well start with the performers and speakers and bands who all need to get paid. Some bands give a portion of their money to foundations and deserving causes such as the Japan relief fund, or a special church, depending on their preferences. Then there are the owners of the clubs, and all the employees, they all get a cut. The people who run the festival and all their employees who all receive some of the profits. And finally a

“SXSW just got too hard and expensive.”

SXSW Amazing, Awesome, Annoying?

By Gabi Lane

Kayne West at SXSW 2011. Playing at a Music Showcase

Photo by: David Wolf

The SXSW logo of 2011

Photo By: Soul Train

Blog

21

aren’t rolling around in money find the festival just plain draining. Perhaps because it interferes with work, or makes their vacation time, more stressful. SXSW is usually hosted around spring break, when many companies give vacation time so instead of relaxing around town, locals have to weave in and out of traffic as well as being kept awake by loud people at nearby concerts or bars. When asking around town you may find that a good many people plan to take trips around SXSW or don’t even leave their houses because of the crowds. And that many people who want to go, who live in town, can’t because of the price. They can’t go because it would cause them to loose so much money they wouldn’t be able to come back from their spending. It seems that locals and even some out of towners aren’t really “feeling the love”.

Now comes the knotty issue, is that dislike enough to perhaps move the festival outside city limits? Or maybe we should let the Austinites deal with the problem, after all so many people love the festival. I think it’s time to review those facts about SXSW. It’s clear that the help that those nine days do is much more important than the qualms of a few locals. The festival helps everyone, even the homeless get a boost in the money they collect and how could that be bad? 100 million dollars on average, what more can be said, the money speaks for itself. All the money earned in less than two weeks can help improve Austin so much. It’s clear to me and hopefully everyone else, that this is a great festival. People should just let it be. After all, for nine days, we should be able to withstand almost anything.

large portion of the money goes toward the city to be distributed as needed. That is where the millions go, all over Austin

In addition to the festival and all of its “sanctioned” money making points, there are the people who come to the festival, who stay in those hotels, who eat, who buy. People make money selling water, renting out their extra rooms, or helping local startup companies by wearing brand apperal, handing out fliers and free merchandise. So what’s annoying about the festival? According to many, nothing is bad at all. Austin local Sam Schniedmen, an up and coming technological entrepreneur, says “SXSW provides many opportunities I couldn’t find elsewhere, to get my ideas out, to show them off and get ‘discovered’”. Others however feel the Festival is tiresome, Austin Teacher, Amber Loftis, says that “I plan to spend the festival sleeping; I rarely take part at all” And what about those souls fortunate enough to get tickets, to come to Austin? Do they come away smiling, reveling in the awesomeness of SXSW and Austin? According to The Pop Cop, no, Some people come away reeling at the prices. Dan says, “The whole trip, solo, was costing me roughly £3,000. That included me staying with a host family in Austin to save on accommodation. My Visa Application cost less, at $2,300. You don’t make money at SXSW so its just a lot of money spent to cover gigs and merchandise sales. Throwing money away and not making money will set me back years.”

“What does that show? Well I think it shows that many of the people, who have “nine to five” jobs don’t actually like dealing with the festival, and those that

Photo: SXSW 2012, Austin Teaxs. THis Photo show the Crowds on Sixth street, where people gather to go to concerts and hear artists play.

By John Rogers

Conan O’Brien at SXSW for the premiere of “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop” in March 2011

The Line at the Ritz to see a movie. During SXSW 2012

Photo by: Flikr

Photo by: mrlaugh

22

My music choices:

IMAGINE IT’S MIDNIGHT AND YOU’RE AT home, stressing over tomorrow’s test that’s worth a quarter of your six weeks’ grade, but you forgot to study. It’s too late to study now and you already know you’re going to bomb it, so you decide to take

a break from all the stress and listen to some music. If your stress is causing you to feel anger, you can put on some metal-core or hard rock for you to express your anger. If you’re not in the mood to get angry but

you just want to relax, you can put on some indie rock or alternative rock. What I’m trying to say is that rock is one of those music genres that seem to have an infinite amount of sub-genres to fit the mood that you’re in, while mainstream rap and hip-hop do not. I mean, how am I supposed to express my anger while listening to Lil’ Wayne rap about how he doesn’t like sushi. If I was listening to Asking Alexandria or Bring Me The Horizon, I can feel the energy that is produced by their guitars, their bass guitar, their double bass drums, and their terrifying, frightening screams. The music just flows into me, and I just want to jump and

run and scream and hit something. That’s why mosh pits are started during most metal concerts. You can’t start a mosh pit while listening to Wiz Khalifa rap about smoking weed and getting high, which brings me to my next point.

In my opinion, I believe that rock sends a better message (most of the time) than mainstream rap and hip-hop. I think that because you can basically choose a random song off of a hip-hop radio station and the rapper will most likely be rapping about getting money, women, or just random stuff that nobody cares about. Take LMFAO for example. In their song, Sorry For Party Rocking, they open up their song with these lyrics, “Yo, I be up in the party looking for a hottie to bone. I got a drink in my hand and it’s just called buffalo. Poppin’ bottles in the house with the models in the V.I.P.” I’m pretty sure that you understand the message that they’re trying to send. Now I know what some of you are thinking. Y’all are thinking that there is also rock songs that talk about sex and getting drunk, and I completely agree that there is, but you also have to look at all the other songs that the bands have produced. Like Asking Alexandria for example. Their song Not The American Average is all about sex, and their other song When Everyday Is The Weekend, talks about getting drunk. But they also have a song called If You Can’t Ride Two Horses At Once, You Should Get Out Of The Circus. That song is basically about being sad over the fact that your girlfriend/boyfriend has left you. I say that because they say stuff like “I can’t see through the tears in my eyes”, “I was meant

“ I can feel the energy that is produced by

their guitars ”

Beatin’ the RapBy Benito Obregon

Apocalyptica Escape The Fate

23

My music choices:

Asking Alexandria playing at one of their concerts.to make you smile. I was meant to make you shine”,

and “So there’s no you and me, and we can’t live this way forever”. I think this song would help you get over the breakup better than a song talking about getting money and hoes because it helped me when I got dumped last semester.

My other argument is that whenever you go to see a band play at their concerts, you’re listening to them play, not some CD playing in the background. Sure they might use backing tracks sometimes, but that’s because bands can’t afford a chorus. At least they don’t go all the way and start lip syncing at their concerts like Pitbull. At one of his concerts, he had pulled a fan on stage. The fan threw money in his face, and Pitbull knocked him out. When Pitbull hits the fan, he stops “rapping”, but the music and lyrics keep playing.

Photo by Ted Van Pelt

Bullet For My Valentine Slipknot

24

In April of 1964, The Beatles held the

top 5 positions on the Billboard Charts#1 - Can’t Buy Me Love#2 - Twist and Shout#3 - She Loves you#4 - I Want to Hold Your Hand#5 - Please Please Me

1 in 20The chance of selling an album

In 2008, more than 115,000 albums were released and fewer than 6,000 sold more

than 1,000.

40 billion songs are downloaded illegally every year, that’s 90% of

all music downloads.w

FactsAnd

$67.6 BIllIon Made by the Music Idustry in 2011

There are over 2,100 music companies with more than 16,000 employees, and that’s in one

city alone

By Gabi Lane

Figures