Avatars

I love and overuse the words organic and authentic. I like to let situations unfold organically. I aspire to be authentic...true to myself. But there are always roles to fulfill professionally and personally. It's easy to fall into your own personas...different versions of yourself to make the best of each situation. And it's easy to lose yourself to where you're just pleasing everyone around you. But the flip side is sometimes it's fun to test something outside of your comfort zone. I always joke and call this my "avatar." My avatar is way more outgoing, confident and, quite honestly, nicer than the nerdy, more private, lost-in-thought version of me that would rather just be listening to music. And I think both actually are me. I just quite haven't mastered the comfort of combining them yet. I don't feel that I'm pretending to be someone I'm not, but I am definitely still chasing authenticity and truly being one version of myself.

Of course there is an exeption to everything.

We want musicians to step outside themselves now and then. I am regularly blown away by bands doing amazing covers. And it's interesting to think about why these bands might have chosen the paticular songs they did...what made them want to try on that band's persona?

Music avatars.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Playlist:I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen reinterpreted by Chromatics
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush remade by Placebo
Louder Than Ever by Coldwar Kids remastered by Sarah Jaffe
Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones resong by Wild Sundays
Skinng Love by Bon Iver reevaluated by Birdie
I Am Superman by The Clique remastered by REM
I Turn My Camera On by Spoon redone by Rock Kills Kid
Such Great Heights by the Postal Service remade by Iron and Wine
Heartbeats by The Knife reinterpreted by Jose Gonzalez
Hard to Handle by Otis Redding reintroduced by The Black Crowes

Sunday Threesomes

Three of the best songs about being creepy and stalking:
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews. Take it easy my hipster friends. We can all agree the guitar playing is great and the lyrics are creepy in a "I wear a hoodie and skinny jeans and hide in corners drinkng PBR and I need love." kind of way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7in-9E3ImQ&ob=av2n

I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie. Because Ben Gibbard is at his best when his eternal heartbroken self decides to try to get back in the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq-yP7mb8UE&ob=av2e

The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get -Morrissey. Look this is a love song from this guy. It could be worse. You could be the girlfriend in the coma or the girl he wants to bludgeon to death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZFd5w_IoBQ

Three things you should read:
The War Against Youth: The generation that paved my generation's way may have ruined everything for us. Whoopsiedaisy.
http://www.esquire.com/features/young-people-in-the-recession-0412

Animals: What if you were the policeman that had to kill the animals? And didn't want to?
http://www.esquire.com/features/zanesville-0312-6

Yes Virginia, This is Obama's JOBS Act: I've really only breezed through this, but who cares? It's written by Matt Taibbi, and I'm obsessed with his writing.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/yes-virginia-this-is-obama-s-jobs-act-20120412


Playlist:Lost in My Mind - Head and the Heart
Good People - Jack Johnson
Not Enough Time - INXS
Sometimes - James
Wash Away - Joe Purdy
Key West Intermezzo - John Melloncamp
Just Like Honey - Jesus and Mary Chain
Even Tho - Joseph Arthur
Back Down South - Kings of Leon

The Art of Ridiculousness

I have this theory. When deciding or not to do something, I always ask myself if it feels slightly ridiculous. I follow that up with asking myself it if makes any sense. If I find myself answering yes to the former and no to the latter, then I pretty much go for it.
This theory has led to me doing the following:

• I wore my high school cheerleading uniform to a show at Speak in Tongues.
• I drove my car in the 2000 Ohio University Homecoming parade. I was a student at Kent State.
• I teach hip hop aerobics. Headset microphone and all.
• I drove to Columbus to be a Guest DJ on CD101.
• I was a back-up dancer to three amazing drag queens in a performance of "Single Ladies."
• I rewrote Obama's "Yes We Can" speech for my completion of the Winking Lizard Beer Tour.
• I waited 16 hours outside a Best Buy to meet Smashing Pumpkins.
• I gave Rivers Cuomo my number when I was 14. I told him I was 17.
• I'm starting this blog. It'll be about music. Which everything in my life if connected to. So it'll be about my life.

Playlist:
Runaway - Mr. Little Jeans
Myth - Beach House
Half Moon - Blind Pilot
HEART - Oberhofer
My Better Self - Tennis
Hold On - Alabama Shakes
Wolf Like Me - TV On the Radio
Brains - Lower Dens