Flow With The Rhythm

Flowing With The Rhythm

     
      I remember whenever I went to a lot of Ghanaian parties, I could hear the music inside the building so loud it was possible to hear from a distance away. I remember every day, my dad would play some type of music (it was a lot of Shabba Ranks, Bob Marley and Lucky Dube) in my house. It didn't matter if I couldn't understand the words or didn't understand the meaning of the music. As long as the music was playing, everything was clam and fine. I claimed to not like music at all first, but then I opened up to more music little by little. At first, I would only listen to the first few seconds of the song, but later on I would listen to the song over and over until I was certain I became deaf. Everything you'll read here will be all about music and dealing with everything from student musicians to concerts in your area. Everyone shares similarities and differences in music, but I believe music is something we can all agree that it's something we can't live without.

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My Playlist

1.) 'Sharada' by Skye Sweetnam. I don't exactly remember how I discovered the song, but I remember bopping my head to its light tune. I felt like the song's lyrics were referring to me on some parts.

2.) 'We Are' by Ana Johnsson. People know this song because it was a soundtrack to Spider-Man 2 The songs lyrics remind me sometimes of my friends because the lyrics are pointing out what happens and what specific people do. I immediately think back to my friends because most of the time, it applies to them.

3.) 'Feel Good Inc.' by Gorrillaz. This song made me laugh. It's weird lyrics and upbeat but slowed tune was something that would cheer me up.

4.) 'Bad Boy' by Cascada. I didn't care if this song was about love or breakup. I just liked whenever it played, it would refer to real life and some of the things I see. The beat contributed with the song, which helped ease into the mood.

5.) 'Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado. The song is a little inappropriate for young ears to listen to, so I wouldn't exactly recommend if sensitive. What can I say? Again, I judge a song because of the beat. The song is mostly made up of a conversation, so a man and a woman are talking and singing.

6.) 'Yeah Yeah Yeah' by Uncle Kracker. One of the reasons why I like this song is because of its chill tune. It's laid back and I feel like the lyrics apply to me because I think of myself as a laid back person. I don't like worrying about things.

7.) 'Awake And Alive' by Skillet. Skillet is a Christian rock band and I didn't know it at first because it didn't hear anything in the lyrics that pertains to religion. It was nice to relax with, even though the song itself isn't exactly relaxing.

8.) 'When I Get Older' by K'naan. I think this song was one of the main songs I kept hearing during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. My dad had bought me the video game and when I heard the video game's song, I began to hum the tune as I played soccer on my PS3. It was very catchy and wouldn't leave my head for awhile after that.

9.) 'Adonai' by Sarkodie. This is also a Christian song made by a Ghanaian rapper who happens to be Christian. He doesn't specialize in Christian rap, but my reason behind liking this song was because of the beat and how the lyrics applied to the real world.

10.) 'Hero' by Skillet. The song made me feel like I had to beat active in some way. I just had to get up and do something so I can move along with the beat of the song.

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EGHS Student Musician

      The person I interview was Crystal, an EGHS sophomore who sings and plays guitar. She has big dreams for herself as she goes on in the music industry.

1.) How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Crystal: Just keep going. You have to learn to how to go with the flow and know how to laugh about it afterwards.

2.) Why did you start playing your instrument/singing?

Crystal: I started playing guitar and singing because it would help me express myself and it would make me feel good inside.

3.) What were your fondest musical memories? 

Crystal: My 1st concert. It was my 2nd biggest performance in Greensboro and the last performance I made to the public because there were so many people, I didn't think I could do it.

4.) What do you see yourself doing in the music industry 10 years from now? 

Crystal: I see myself making and scoring a movie soundtrack.

5.) What are some of your weaknesses in music?

Crystal: Before I'm about to play, I freeze up sometimes. I might slip a cord and want to stop playing and start over but I know I can't because that's not how to be successful.

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My Underrated Artist

      The artist who I think is underrated is Sarkodie. You're probably reading his name and saying, "Sarkodie? Who is that?" Sarkodie is a hip-life artist who is Ghanaian, so most Ghanaian youth people would know him. I think he's underrated because Sarkodie is a good role model and loves to show his music with the world. He's not corrupted and his music is nice to listen to with whatever type of mood. A song I would prefer people to listen to is 'Adonai'. If you've noticed, I've put the song as one of my top ten playlist so you're probably wondering why I'm recommending this twice.

      

      The song 'Adonai' is by Sarkodie and features another Ghanaian rapper named Castro. First off, you must realize that most of this song is in Twi/Akan/Asante, one of Ghana's most-spoken languages so you wouldn't understand what's going on. You would have to search the song's lyrics in English. In the song, Sarkodie and Castro are singing and rapping about God and the things he has done for them as life goes on. They go on saying that if it wasn't for God, they would've ended up homeless or dead on the streets. So all of their gratitude goes to Him, because he leads the way. The song also says that whoever doubted them in the past should have shame on themselves because people would think that they are nothing, when they are instead 'God's handiwork'." I think the song pertain to the title 'Adonai' because in Hebrew, the word 'Adonai' actually is another word for 'God'. This song doesn't discriminate over religion because anyone from any religion can think of their praising their god when listening to the music. You can even be an atheist and enjoy the song.  

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Chart It Out

	L. Cain	Kim B.H.	M
1.) 1st CD you ever bought with your own money	Jewel CD ‘Pieces of You	Big Bang	None
2.) 1st concert attended	Garth Brooks	No	None
3.) Bucket list musician	Beach House	Big Bang	Nicki Minaj
4.) Instruments you can play	No	Piano, cielo, violin, drums	None
5.) # of songs on your phone	None	84	90
6.) Can’t stop listening to…	Portugal the Man	RnB	“You Go Kill Me” by Sarkodie
7.) Favorite breakup/sad song	‘So Real’ Jeff Buckley	Korean music	None; don’t really like listening to sad songs
8.) Favorite “get-hype”	‘Dance Yourself Clean’	K Pop	“Hell Yeah” by Rev Theory
9.) Favorite little-known music act	Turtle Giant	Korean music	Sarkodie
10.) Favorite song EVER	‘Drain You’ by Nirvana	“Marli Flower” by Lee Seung Chul	“ This Is War” by 30 Seconds To Mars

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5 Reasons Why Pandora Is Great

      If there's a reason why I can't listen to music on my phone, then I go to Pandora. I think Pandora is a good music site to go to that streams music. It's also very popular among teenager because whenever somebody is on a compute, they always have music playing in their headphones while they are working. Here's 5 reason why I think Pandora is great:

1.) Pandora has a lot of music and many artists to pick from

2.) It's available on your computer, phone, tablet etc,.

3.) They can play music that's older, like the Beatles, John Lennon etc,.

4.) Pandora plays some nice remixes to add along with music, so there's always an urge to try out something new
5.) It's free. All you have to do is sign up. 

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Foreign Music

      There's many different types of music as of 2015. Everything that ranges from country to pop music. There's also international music that's gets its' own popularity in each country. That can range from reggae to hip life to K-pop. Many people in America like the sound of hearing music, even if it's in another language. Many foreigners feel the same way also about American music, especially talking about hip-hop and rap. I asked Kim, a Korean foreign exchange student in EGHS her opinion on her native music.

1.) What is the genre of music that you enjoy?

Kim: I like listening to RnB.

2.) What country/nationality listens to this music?

Kim: Most people in Korea listen to RnB

3.) Who are some famous acts in the genre?

Kim: Lee Seung Chul

4.) Why should people listen to this act, even if they are not familiar with the language?

Kim: Because it makes me feel better. The music makes me calm and gives me the free feeling. It makes me comfortable.

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Coming Up Concerts Near You

      Want to know where to listen to live concerts? Are you not sure where to go and who to see play? If not, PNC Music Pavilion may be the place for you. The PNC Music Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina that hosts large concerts. The amphitheater is located on Pavilion Boulevard in the University City neighborhood near the US 29/I-485 interchange. The amphitheater hosts many different varieties of acts, including rock, alternative pop, country, jazz and rhythm and blues. It also can hosts several types of special events and festivals of all kinds.

      There are many concerts going on at the Pavilion from June to September that I know some people out there will love. Singer Lana Del Ray is going to play in Charlotte on June 13 on Saturday at 7:30 pm. Fall Out Boy, Wiz Khalifa and Hoodie Allen will play July 19, 7:00 pm on a Saturday. Rappers Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill will both play August 4 on Tuesday 7:00 pm. J. Cole will be on a Forest Hills Drive Tour with Big Sean and YG all on August 12, Wednesday on 6:30 pm. On Wednesday September 9, one of the most beloved boy band in America 5 Seconds of Summer will play at 7:00 pm. With some of the most famous and talked-about musical artists, all the coming up concerts listed add up to 5. The dates may seem a long way away but the months of the year pass by quickly. If you got money, start saving up to see these big events come by near you. Better catch it before it's too late.