Across the Universe

last.blog.

acrosstheuniverse — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:11:26 +0000

This is going to be my reflection, end of the semester, looking back, last blog thing. I have to say this semester has gone by so much faster than I ever expected it to. I really enjoyed this class, even though I didn’t talk much I really do feel like I learned so much about bands that I didn’t know, and I really feel like I learned how to analyze music. Before coming to this class I would just listen to music for enjoyment and I would never even try to listen to it to see where it came from or what kind of music it really is. But now after this class I find myself doing that more and more, even though I do still listen to music just primarily out of enjoyment. I’m so glad that I took the class because I’ve really gotten into bands that I’ve never listened to. I was never really into the classic bands except for the like the beatles, but now I find myself listening to older music and I must say that I’m loving music from the 60’s more and more. So I’m really grateful because I’ve found bands that I now love that I’m not sure I would have ever listened to had it not been for the class.

Also, I have to say that website, I am so incredibly proud to be a part of it. I think it really turned out fantastic and I think it’s amazing that we were able to pull it together in such a short period of time. I love how all the biographies sound and it’s all just so like a cover band and it’s so great, I love it.

So yeah, last post since finals are coming up and now all I have to do is study all the time…yay. But yeah this class was really great and I’m really glad that I took it because I learned so much and had a great time doing it!

au revoir!

concerts.concerts.concerts.

acrosstheuniverse — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:20:54 +0000

So in class the other day we discussed which concerts were the best we had ever been to. I’m not gonna lie, I really havn’t been to any that have made me like die with joy, and I havn’t been to any true rock shows ever. All I ever get to go to because of my location is small little shows of random bands. And mainly I’ve had to travel to Charlotte to see any actual good concert anyways because no one really comes to southwest virgina which really blows, but now that I’m up here I suppose I could go to more in D.C. which I definitely plan on doing as soon as I find a way to get a ride up there. I would completely die to see Death Cab for Cutie live, I’ve been waiting for years for them to come somewhere around where we are and they never do, but I’m pretty sure thats my number 1 band to see live before I die. Because I just love them so much, they are amazing and always have been. I would also kill to see Ben Harper and Jack Johnson live. Together would be fantastic but separate would also work, they are both amazing artists who I am constantly listening to. And lastly, I would love to see the Foo Fighters, I’m a huge fan of Dave Grohl, I have been since Nirvana, Everlong is one of my favorite songs and will probably always be one of my favorites. So if i get to see all these artists before I die I’ll definitely be good to go.

final project…

acrosstheuniverse — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:57:22 +0000

Today we took the album cover pictures, I think they turned out great! For the most part everybody showed up which was fantastic, and we took some great shots that I think represent what we wanted for the final website. I still feel like we have so much left to do though, but I’m not sure what to do with my job as being a meeting secretary. I feel like I’m really not contributing that much by just sitting there and taking notes, but I guess that someone has to do it right?

Anyways, I think the website looks really great right now and it’s only going to get better as we continue to add stuff to it, hopefully we’ll be able to finish all of the things we need to get done seeing as our deadline is like this week! Ahhhhh, I’m sure it will get done and it will be fab.

pop.

acrosstheuniverse — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:27:06 +0000

So today we had this discussion about what pop is and why isn’t pop important and why everyone was talking and laughing during our backstreet boy’s presentation. First, I think that people were probably talking and laughing just out of the memories we have with that music and with the boy band era in general. I mean let’s face it, we all grew up with it, and I’m pretty sure I can safely assume that most of us were boy bandloving kids. I know that I was and I laugh whenever I hear the backstreet boys again just because I was basically obsessed with them and I just think it’s funny that I was that like in love with them at one point. I think that’s probably why everyone was laughing, not because they thought it was horrible, although I’m sure most people do. I personally don’t think it’s that bad of music, I mean yes they didn’t write the songs themselves and there really are no real instruments in the music, but it’s still music and it was still extremely famous. And come on, how can something be that famous if it wasn’t good? even if it was just the tiniest bit good, there still had to be something there to make them sell all those records and to make all those teen girls swoon. So clearly there is something to pop music.

Where did all the boy bands go?

acrosstheuniverse — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:42:53 +0000

Since I’m doing the backstreet boys for the final project this time I thought I would blog about what happened to all the boy bands and question why aren’t there any boy bands around during this time period. I mean really, they were so huge in the 90’s; N’SYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 degrees, etc. what made them disappear, why don’t we listen to them anymore? I really have no answer to this question because it seems like people still listen to the same old “bubble-gum pop” today as they did in the 90s so I really have no idea why boy bands seem to no longer exsist. Well, I mean they do exisit, the Backstreet Boys just came out with a new album, but seriously, how many people acutally bought that album and how many people are acutally still listening to them? It seems like today all that people are interested in is solo artists or actual bands where people play their instruments, which I fully agree with. I mean that’s basically what I listen to also. I just think its very strange that none of the boy bands can seem to make it work now when they could make it work 10 years ago when people are still listening to the same kind of pop that they were listening to then.

musicals.

acrosstheuniverse — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:28:46 +0000

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately that there really haven’t been any great fantastic musicals that have come to the film industry lately and I think thats horrible. I’m a huge fan of broadway and plays and musicals and I was basically raised on watching The Sound of Music, so I just think it’s really sad that there are no longer any Broadway plays that are being turned into movies. I mean I realize that the musicals are far better on the stage than they will ever be on the silver screen but not everyone gets to go to New York all the time to see all the musicals that are coming out and I think it would be a great way for them to reach a broader audience. Also, I think musicals are a great way for the industry to make a profit because both Hairspray and Rent which both recently came to film after being Broadway plays had tremendous success in the movie world. I just think that people need to start watching those old musicals again like The Music Man and Oklahoma! and Singin in the Rain or that they should make remakes of the old movies because I love the musicals so much and I’ve really missed having them around.

project.

acrosstheuniverse — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:05:35 +0000

today we had a project meeting and I think that it went really well! I’m actually really excited about the ideas that we came up with and I think the final result will be fantastic. For my part I don’t even come in until the 80’s which is the perfect decade for me since I love the 80’s anyways so that’s good. I think our biographies and the way that we have written the story of the band and how the band started and how it progressed is very interesting and includes everyone. I’m glad that we chose the idea that we did because I think this is more creative than anything else than we could have done.

glimpses.

acrosstheuniverse — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:09:23 +0000

I started reading Glimpses the other day and I was pretty excited about it based on the summaries I had read about it and the things we had talked about in class about it, but I have to say that I am pretty disappointed by what I have read so far. I’m finding it to be rather boring and in fact I’ve fallen asleep while reading it many times, and I haven’t even gotten through the Brian Wilson part. I’m also finding it to be incredibily depressing, I mean maybe it’s supposed to be that way because the character is supposed to be figuring out his life and finding out that he’s not supposed to be in the loveless marriage that he’s in but it’s all just very sad. The book does show how music can affect people’s lives in many ways though which is a good thing.

music.testimonial.

acrosstheuniverse — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:05:41 +0000

I wouldn’t say that I’m obsessed with music like some people say, but I do think that it’s definitely a huge part of my life and huge part of the person that I have become. What music has been for me has changed over the years and has changed with me as I have grown up. Like when I was younger I used to listen to all the pop music (backstreet boys, spice girls, etc.), but I also used to listen to my mom’s music which was more folk-like music (James Taylor, Carly Simon, etc.) and that’s the direction I eventually went in. I’ve grown into the music that I now listen to, like when I was younger I never would have listened to the indie or rock music that I listen to now because it’s too mature for someone who was so young, but now that I’ve grown up it’s perfect for me. I feel like the music I have always fits every mood that I’m in and can always fix every problem that I have. If I’m sad I just go listen to something to help me get through it, and it’s nice to know that at least I’ll always have my music to help me get through the more emotional times in life. And as Dr. Campbell asked in class if we always have music in our heads, I do constantly. Songs always get stuck in my head, there is rarely a time when I don’t have music playing in my brain. So yes, music is a huge part of my life, I think more than I actually ever realized.

high.fidelity.

acrosstheuniverse — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:03:59 +0000

So I started reading High Fidelity last night and I absoluetly love it! It is my favorite book out of all the books that we have read so far for the class. I think it’s because it’s so entertaining and because it’s acutally a real novel like The Committments was instead of the other books and them just telling facts. High Fidelity hasn’t acutally gotten into telling any facts yet about bands, but it does mention musicians or records and I find myself being like “yay I have that” or whatever. I’m just happy to be reading something that mentions things that I love so much and something that I can relate to instead of just reading something with just facts about bands. I also love how Rob owns a record shop and I love the characters that are involved with the story, and I love how the whole story doesn’t just revolve around his shop and his music, but it involves how the music fits into his world and how it helps him through his life in hard times. It’s awesome.