Echotone

Due to the fact that last Monday we didn't have school and Friday was the first day of our finals, we only had one class where we could've listened to music. Instead, we watched the beginning of a documentary directed by Nathan Christ known as Echotone and I'm so glad we did. Here in downtown Austin, there's music almost every where you go, hints why we call it "The Live Music Capital of the World." Austin is populated with many talented artists trying to survive on their musical gifts. After watching Echotone, I was educated on how newly- discovered artists are staying proactive and making their voices heard here in the same city as I live. The documentary captures creative aspects of different artists and how they're getting around. Whether it's Black Joe Lewis, who performs at night and delivers fish during the day, or Cari Palazzolo from the pop band Belaire, who makes her own CD covers and inserts to sell to the public, every artist is worth something and proves that they deserve a chance in the spotlight. It doesn't take much to find your talent, but once you look behind the scenes at what it takes to become an artist and advertise your music to try and draw in a crowd, it's a lot more than we give them credit for. After watching parts of this documentary, I've realized that artists are just like us except what they do to become famous is beyond imaginable. Like I said this documentary shows great angles of emerging artists and what it takes to become the well- known band that everyone has grown to love. This is why Austin has artists just waiting to be discovered and the variety of music discovered here is exactly why I love Austin.

Enjoy.

- Caroline

Official trailer for Echotone

I've finally found what I've been looking for

All year I've been looking for some new music just waiting to be discovered and I think I've finally found what I've been looking for this whole time. I was on Spotify this week searching around and wasting time when I came across this new promotion for a band called Youngblood Hawke. They recently just put out a new album and I decided to give it a try. The moment I heard the melodious sound of this band, I fell in love. I have never heard anything like them and that's what makes them so unique. It doesn't take much for me to listen to music but it takes quite a bit for me to enjoy it enough to listen all the way through. I've finally found a band that has an original sound who puts out great quality songs that please audiences such as myself. The songs captured me and pulled me into a world full of musical talent represented by this band. The tracks they put out range in variety, making it enjoyable to listen to. I never thought I could find a band quite like them, but I'm happy that I did because it's something that suits me. I'm not an artist, nor do I posses any musical talents, but I have enough knowledge to know that Youngblood Hawke is on the right track to perfection and fame. So try to enjoy it just as much as I did, I dare you!

Songs I enjoyed (I know there's a lot but they're all SO good!)

• Blackbeak
• Sleepless streets
• Glacier
• Say Say
• Dennyboy
• Dreams
• Forever
• Rootless
• Stars (Hold On)
• Survival

- Caroline

Album cover for Wake Up

The artists behind the sound

The music starts here

The Definition of Great Music

As I was searching around on Itunes this week, I discovered some songs that I can't stop listening to. Not to mention, they are by an artist that I am familiar with. I am always satisfied with their output of songs and in my opinion 30 seconds to mars is a great band full of a variety of artistic talent. Whether it's a slow song or a fast beat one or even an instrumental song with no vocals. All the songs they produce are crowd-pleasers and I am so glad I found these songs. Conquistador, City of Angels, End of All Days, Do or Die and Northern Lights all show different aspects of the band and that's what I enjoyed about them. No two songs are exactly alike, keeping the track a surprise to the ears. All five of these songs are off of their new album Love Lust Faith + Dreams and are truly great finds! I don't have any negative comments about these songs and I know my ears are thankful for finding these fantastic new tracks. I love them. Will you?

- Caroline

Conquistador- Personally my favorite!

City of Angels

End of All Days

End of All Days- Acoustic cover

Do or Die- Live in concert!

Northern Lights

Changing Opinions

I guess you could say that I was slightly deprived as a child because I wasn't introduced to too many different artists besides what my parent were listening to. I had a very small range of music input and the stuff I was listening to wasn't even that good. One group I remember listening to was Outkast with their song Hey Ya!. At the time, it was catchy but definitely not my favorite. When I found out we were listening to them in class, I was dreading it. However, as soon as I heard Ms. Jackson I realized that as a child, when I first heard it, I wasn't listening with an open mind and had judged them way too quickly. Ms. Jackson has a mix of rap and slow parts that is surprisingly pleasing While it's full of varieties, I enjoy the melodious aspects and was quite pleased. From this I've learned not to judge too quickly and to always keep an open mind when listening to songs, even if they aren't my favorite. Their songs are catchy and after liking Ms. Jackson, I feel like I should go back and see what other songs I judged too quickly. Maybe then can I add more to my playlist.

- Caroline

The talent behind the music

Ms. Jackson

No Doubt That It's a New Favorite!

You know how you can listen to a song and instantly think it's a road trip song? Well that's exactly what I thought as soon as my friend played it for me. It's a fun song with a great beat and cool lyrical notes. The band One Republic never seems to disappoint and their song Counting Stars has definitely climbed it's way to the top of my favorites list. Not to mention there's a really cool part around the 3 minute mark in the song. You'll have to see for yourself, but for me this song is a great find and I can't stop listening to it. It's one of those songs that make you smile just by playing it. You're in a car, top down, on the highway or driving through the country on a back road, with some of your closest friends and with your hair flowing in the wind, while listening to this song. I can picture it now and if you ask me it sounds like a memorable time shadowed by a great song! For now, the only thing I can realistically do is listen to it and from what I can tell, I have a hard time believing that I will ever get tired of this song. One Republic, you've done it again!

- Caroline

Counting Stars

Radiohead...

Lets start with the facts:

• Radiohead, an English rock band from England, was formed in 1985 
• They've sold more than 30 million albums worldwide
• In 2005, Radiohead were ranked number 73 in Rolling Stone's list of "The Greatest Artists of All Time" (wikipedia)

The multi-talented band consists of five members: Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano), Johnny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards), Colin Greenwood (bass), Phil Selway (drums), and Ed O'Brien (guitar, back-up vocals). Before listening to them in class, I hadn't heard much of their stuff and wasn't too surprised when I only liked a few songs out of an entire album. Like you've known me to be, I am very picky with my music. However, I went in it with an open mind but really only enjoyed two songs. Even though the music videos were strange, the music is what matters. Both Planet Telex and Fake Plastic Trees are acceptable songs in my opinion and have unique musical attributes that qualify them to be in the list of my approvals. I won't admit that I loved them because I didn't but they definitely weren't terrible. Some of my family members really enjoy Radiohead, particularly the guys and excluding myself, but nevertheless I still appreciated listening to their wide variety of songs. 

- Caroline

Planet Telex

Fake Plastic Trees

Fake Plastic Trees- Acoustic

Amazed... Again!

It amazes me how artists that I've never heard of, are out there making incredible tracks that gain the public's attention with just a strum of the guitar or a hit on the drums. I feel like I have missed so much. Thankfully, I was introduced to a song this week by a friend and because of it, I am somewhat of a step closer to finding more amazing music. This song, unlike some of the others, starts out with a slow introduction and builds it's way up to a powerful and least expected moment in the music. The Funeral by Band of Horses isn't like many that I've heard before and in my opinion, this American rock band formed in 2004 and originating out of Seattle, is definitely on the right track. Not only do they create wonderful songs, but gain followers each day, just like myself, with their melodious ways. Bands, like this one, never cease to impress audiences like myself and I am thoroughly impressed by their creativity and determination exemplified throughout their songs. Way to go Band of Horses, you just earned yourself another follower and fan!

- Caroline

The Funeral- Official Video