Don't You Know That They Call Her Out By Her Name

                                            She Talks To Angels- The Black Crowes

          I have been to my fair share of concerts, most of them being classic rock concerts: Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, you name it. These artists are all rock gods. You go to one of their concerts with serious expectations and are in no way let down. Yet, there is one band that was finally able to get me to pick, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite concert: The Black Crowes. I knew only a little bit of their music at the time that I went to their concert. I was, of course, in love with "She Talks To Angels." Who isn't? I knew a few other songs as well but when I arrived at the 9:30 Club, I definitely felt slightly out of place, at least initially. Multiple people asked me and my friend if this was our first Black Crowes concert. Was it that obvious? Most of the people we talked to had numbers in the double digits. Most of the people were, at the very least, over the age of 30, while I was still a fresh and young 18. Yet, this fact made me feel more at home. Here I was surrounded by people who were here to fully appreciate the music and to rock on, pardon the cliché, not just get wasted. This concert is, hands down, the best that I have ever been to and I cannot really give a reason why. It is nearly unexplainable. Their music is just so soulful and their passion and their energy and their soulfulness on stage really shine through. I found myself forgetting all other outside worries and troubles and stresses and just letting myself go, feeling the music. Right now, writing this blog post, I almost want to scrap the whole thing because I cannot adequately capture the essence of that night. No one could ever possibly understand unless they have seen this band live. I guess, the moral of the story is that no matter how little you know of their music, if you get even the slightest opportunity, you must see The Black Crowes live, if it is the last thing you do.

"She paints her eyes as black as night now
 She pulls those shades down tight
 Oh yeah, there's a smile when the pain comes
 The pain gonna make everything alright"
- The Black Crowes

All The Things You Do Come Back To You

                                                      Dream On by Aerosmith

          Your first thoughts when seeing that this post is about one of the most well known and popular songs of all time is probably 'Not again... everyone likes this song... it's soo cliché.' While that may be true, this song means so much more to me, and to a lot of other people. It is one of those songs that hits you deep down in your soul, to your core. You don't need me to tell you that. The opening bars of this song come on and everyone and their mother starts gearing up to sing, 'Everytime, I look in the mirror...' It's a classic for a reason. Originally released in 1973, this song is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago. Aerosmith knows how to rock. They knew back in the 70s and they haven't lost their momentum since. There is no apparent lack of energy in their live performances.  They captured magic in the form of five people who come together to do something so simplistically beautiful: make music. Everyone single one of their songs makes you want to bang your head and scream and shout and feel. Yet, this song is special. This song is the one that everyone waits for at a concert, even if they're one of those diehards that knows every single lyric to every single song. I put myself in this category. While I may not know every single lyric to every single song, I certainly know my fair share of Aerosmith. I grew up listening to them. The song 'Dream On' does more than just evoke emotion. It is inspiring. So much so, I even have a tattoo on my left wrist that says dream on. Every time I listen to this song, it brings me back to another time, as if it's a time machine. I think about my childhood and my dad, who is the reason that such a large piece of my soul is composed of classic rock. Somehow, this song is able to make me simultaneously both happy and sad. How many songs do you know of that can do that? How many songs do you know of that are just as popular today as they were when they came out 40 years ago? That in itself speaks to the timeless beauty of these sweet, rocking melodies.

"Every time I look in the mirror
 All these lines on my face getting clearer
 The past is gone
 It went by like dust to dawn
 Isn't that the way
 Everybody's got their dues in life to pay."
 -Aerosmith

But I'm Starting To Think That I've Been Here Before- An Ode To Lissie

                                      Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover) by Lissie

          In my opinion, Lissie is one of the truest artists of our generation. She sounds just as good live as on her records, if not better. Her energy is nearly unrivaled, compared to the auto-tuned songs that plague this generation. The first time I fell in love with her was when I listened to her live cover of the popular Kid Cudi song, "Pursuit of Happiness." Once you not only listen to this song but watch the video of her live performance, you will understand my obsession. Just ask any of my friends. I was so obsessed, they all thought I was crazy. Without knowing any of her other music, I bought tickets to see her live at the 9:30 club in Washington, DC. For the next month, I listened to her on repeat and I fell in love with every single one of her songs, which, as we all know, is not an easy thing to do. Honestly, I am almost at a loss for words when talking about her music. Whenever I do try to fully explain, it comes out in a garbled mess. Her songs have such a relatable truth to them and the rawness behind her voice and her lyrics reminds me of a different time. Her effortlessly powerful voice brings me back to similar sounds of the 70s. Even though you have probably never heard of her, Lissie has quite the underground following. This was made perfectly clear when I started googling her (as part of my obsession) and when I saw her live. The raw, natural energy behind her performances is so "pure," not in the normal sense that you think when hearing the word, but when compared to a lot of popular songs today. She is a rarity in today's world, which makes me appreciate her all the more. I could probably talk about her for hours, ranting and raving about every song and how they make you feel. How you can just turn the volume up and easily tune out the rest of the world, entering your own private world. But, I think I'll just let the music speak for itself.

"Danger will follow me
 Everywhere I go
 Angels will call on me
 And take me to my home
 This tired mind just wants to be led home."
- Lissie

Sometimes We Deliberately Step Into Those Traps

                                                No Angels (feat. Ella) by Bastille

          I felt compelled to follow up the previous post with yet another Bastille gem. Rest assured, there will be plenty of variety, yet I feel this song is on par with "What Would You Do." In fact, this was actually my first introduction to Bastille. It was at the beginning of summer, before the boredom begins to set in, along with the summertime sadness; the magic of summer was fully in bloom. I was driving in the car with my best friend who proceeded to put the song on. Immediately, I was hooked. For the next two weeks that we had to spend together, every time we were in the car, rest assured this song played. Even after listening to it multiple times, without fail, we would always listen to the song as either he or I would drop the other off. It became our song. To this day, every time I hear it, I think of him and the magic that exists within this incredibly unique and compelling song. It starts with a sound byte from the classic film Psycho, followed by a cover of the 90s TLC hit "No Scrubs." Another Psycho sound byte occurs towards the end, adding a haunting quality to this song that again, just like any Bastille song, forces you to feel: 'We are all in our private traps. Clamped in them and none of us can ever get out.' These movie excerpts actually bring a sense of universality to an otherwise popish song. The violin intermixed with the beats makes you want to fully succumb to the song, letting go of all other thoughts. The real magic in this song lies within its duality. It is a song that makes you feel emotion. Yet, it is a song that you can sing along to, screaming at the top of your lungs, while driving in the car with your best friend and afterwards, you feel a sense of completeness and happiness that you probably didn't feel before. 

Here is the video of an acoustic version of the song without the sound bytes from Psycho:

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

-Bob Marley

I Guess A Whole Lot Has Changed Since I've Seen You Last

                                     What Would You Do (City High Cover) by Bastille

          To say that I am obsessed with this song would be a gross under statement. I first discovered this song a couple of months ago and the following few days, I listened to it on repeat. Over. And Over. And Over. And Over Again. I would put my headphones in, curl up on the couch, turn the volume up as high as possible (because, let's be honest, that is the ONLY way to listen to a true song), and just completely immerse myself in the song, the melody, the beats, the lyrics. The first time you listen to this song, you will pay little to no attention to the lyrics. You'll say to yourself, 'yeah, that was a pretty good song.' Then, the second listen, you suddenly hear the lyrics, every single word, and you can't get enough. You turn to your friends exclaiming about this amazing, new song you just heard! And it is nearly inexplicable to them... until they hear it. You emphasize to them how important it is to just close your eyes, shut out everything, and listen to the lyrics to fully appreciate the beauty behind this song. This song, which was originally done by City High in 2001, now covered by this new sensation of a band, the cover masters some might say, Bastille. The acoustic version of this song is one of the few songs that actually forces you to stop and think. You feel emotions you have suppressed for so long, finally surfacing. You think about life and the world and the small, every day atrocities, not related to war but to this thing called life. Words cannot adequately express the beauty of this song so I just hope that, after the first listen, you listen again, all alone, in the quiet of your bedroom or wherever you find solitude, headphones in, volume all the way up. You may not feel exactly what I feel every time I listen to this song but I can promise you that you will feel something.

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."
-Victor Hugo

Dream Until Your Dreams Come True... Aka Why I Started This Blog

          I can't say that I ever fancied myself the blogging type of person. As much as I love to write and listen to music, it has taken me quite a long time to connect the two. Now that I have finally smartened up, this is the outlet in which I connect all facets of music with my writing. As of now, there is no main purpose. I have no earthly idea what kind of posts I will have, other than the fact that they will be music related, obviously. I'm sure I'll post many music videos of current obsessions and long time favorites, the latest epiphany that I had while at a concert, or simply my opinion on the current happenings in the music world. We'll see where this new [clichéd] path takes me as I venture into the unknown world called my 20s.

"Sing with me, sing for the year
 Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
 Sing with me if it's just for today
 Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away."
 -Aerosmith