Happy Birthday to:
I got my signed All Time Low album in the mail today and it’s beautiful 💛 I panicked because I thought it wasn’t signed at first, and I actually contacted Amazon to tell them it wasn’t. I didn’t want to open it because I thought I might have to return it! This is an album I preordered in February specifically because there were a limited number of signed UK copies, otherwise I would have ordered it from All Time Low’s own merch store. Anyway, I opened it up, and the signed card was behind the cover booklet. Amazon’s customer service was awesome about it, despite my blunder! 😂
Happy Birthday to:
As you may know, I love CDs. I adore my vinyls. I worship my iPod Classic, baby, not to mention my badass pig iPod dock. But now I’ve “discovered” Spotify Premium and it’s like my head exploded.
You know when you get an awesome birthday stash, and you don’t know what to play with first? That’s kinda how it is, but with music. Endless, oceans of wonderful music which demands to be listened to. So I’ve been flitting about, listening to a bit of this and a bit of that, revisiting beloved old favourites, which included a helluva lot of Hoobastank, and it eventually it got to the point that I was like, ok, I need to take a break and go, like, eat something.
I know I’m late to the party, ok, very late, but now that I’m here I am never ever leaving! I mean, it’s music heaven! The app is just so convenient and aesthetically pleasing, not to mention it’s like a music genie. I’m like, Spotify Premium, play me that ol’ Metallica track that I love from 1991 (idc, I love the Black Album), and Spotify Premium is like, Your wish is my command! And I can listen to it and forward it and play it over until my hearts content. I’m a kitten in a sea of catnip.
I suppose also that having regular old free Spotify makes the contrast even more prominent. I mean, it’s just so annoying! The adverts seem to be specifically designed to annoy the hell out of you, because they grate on your nerves much longer than they should. You can’t listen to a track twice, let alone five times, in a row. You can’t pick tracks individually to listen to.
No, I can safely say, Spotify Premium is a super clever invention.
It’s okay, all you rockers still a bit stuck in the awesome 90’s, you can hang out here, too. As long as we remember to still support the music industry and lift her up. Because we are music fans. Because we love our bands, and we love our live shows. And either we simply put up with, or we’ve just became so used to, the endless queueing to get into the venue, at the merch stand, the loos, the cloakroom, and then standing around an awful lot, but it’s all bloody worth it because you get to see them. Because we can still love Spotify Premium, as well as be hella nostalgic about buying cassettes and CDs, cool vinyls, the just-one-more band T-shirt that we don’t technically need because we could shroud our whole house with our band tee collection. And we wanna get all that stuff signed, too, because that at least triples the object’s awesomeness.
The point is, many people say that stuff will one day be entirely replaced by streaming and downloads, but I’m not worried. We’re still gonna love all that stuff longtime, and we can still have one foot in the future.
Happy Birthday to:
Happy Birthday to:
The music industry was always going to take a big hit with the onset of the coronavirus, and countless bands have had to cancel tours because of it. Amazon has also temporarily stopped shipping out vinyl records and CDS, in an attempt to prioritize sending out more essential supplies to customers during the outbreak. So that’s two primary sources of income down for musicians. It’s a blow to music fans, too, because it takes away any illusion of normalcy that buying these items would give them, and not being able to attend concerts makes the whole self isolation drama even more real. I’m definitely struggling with it myself as going to gigs and mingling with other metalheads is one of my favourite things to do and I miss it tremendously!
The rock and metal community, however, has always stood together during difficult times, and the solidarity of music fans has always made me immensely proud to be part of it. It’s one of the reasons I always feel so safe at metal concerts, because you know there will be someone to pick you up, even if things get a bit rough. Now is the time for us to stand together. So, here are a few ways you can continue to support the bands and musicians you love.
Let’s do our bit and continue to support the things we love.
Stay strong.
Gigs I’m going to this month:
See you at the gig!
Happy Birthday to:
Tags are fun to do, and you get to know a bit more about me, too. Take the questions, do it yourself, and make sure you leave a comment when you have so I can check it out!
1. Which bands/artist do you own the most albums by?
The Rasmus. As the first band I ever fell in love with, I’ve been collecting their music for years, and I’m pretty confident I own every DVD, single and album they’ve ever released!
2. What was the last song you listened to?
That would be the new single by Five Finger Death Punch, Inside Out. Very, very loudly! Arrrgh, I love that tune! Ivan’s vocals are just so powerful! It’s perfect in lyrics as well as melody. I can’t wait to hear the rest of their new album, F8, which comes out in TWO DAYS! Naturally, I preordered it, and I know I’m going to listen the hell out of it once it arrives. I’ve always loved FFDP, but ever since seeing them live last month, I’ve loved them even more, if that’s possible. Now I’m bonded to them for life. That’s it! There’s nothing anyone can do about it, ever. It’s a heavy kind of love, but it’s so freaking awesome, I wish everyone could feel it. But now I’m getting off topic…
3. What’s your favourite music venue?
The Underworld in Camden town. I feel instantly at home and accepted there, and it holds many great memories for me. I go there as often as I can, it’s a very special place to me! At a close second, though, is Heaven in London, I’ve only been there a couple of times but it’s so atmospheric and cool, I love it!
4. What was the last show you attended?
I went to see The Calling at the Underworld, in Camden, London. It was a really lovely, feelgood, intimate show.
5. What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to?
That’s a difficult question, I’ve been to so many! But one that stayed with me, and that still gives me a little rush of happiness when I think of it, is Poets Of The Fall at Tullikamarin Pakkahuone in Tampere, Finland. It was my first time seeing them and my mum and I were right in the front row! It was pure magic, there’s really no other way to put it.
6. What’s the worst show you’ve ever been to?
Deicide, at the Underworld. Absolute rubbish, I’m afraid to say. Let’s not even talk about it, what’s the point!
7. Have you met any musicians?
Yes, loads! I’m very lucky, I seem to bump into a lot of them in Camden Town.
8. What show are you looking forward to?
I can’t wait to see Sunrise Avenue play this summer at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland! I just know it’s going to be amazing!
10. What is your favourite band shirt?
I have more black metal band tees in my wardrobe than any other item of clothing. I need to count them someday, but I’m fairly sure I have at least 40! My favourite is probably an Ensiferum t-shirt I got at their show one year.
11. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day?
I’d love to hang out with Amon Amarth’s Johan Hegg! He seems so interesting and wise. We could put up bird boxes, sit around a campfire toasting Odin and drinking beer, and he could bestow his wisdom upon me!
12. Who is one musician or group you wish would make a comeback?
I would say My Chemical Romance, but they are back now! Yaaay!
13. What bands/artists have you never seen live but always wanted to?
The Hives, Bon Jovi, Metallica, and The 69 Eyes. I had a ticket to see The 69 Eyes last year but I was too ill to go. And you know I would have to be really sick to miss a gig. Hopefully I’ll get another chance to see them.
14. How many music related videos/DVDs do you own?
45! I like watching live concerts. It’s the second best thing to actually being there!
15. How many concerts/shows have you been to, total?
Nearly 70. It’s crazy!
16. Who have you seen the most live?
Bury Tomorrow, five times so far!
17. What is your favourite movie soundtrack?
I love the School Of Rock soundtrack! It’s still one of my favourite movies ever.
18. What was your last musical “phase” before you wisened up?
I was a teenage goth, although I wouldn’t say I’ve “wisened up”, exactly, I still love wearing black, and black eyeliner is kinda my thing!
19. CDs or downloads?
CDs! I do download a lot of music, but I have a CD collection that I adore and which keeps on growing! I like to have my favourite albums in CD format, so I can see them and flip through the lyric booklets, and get them signed.
20. What’s your “guilty pleasure” that you hate to admit to liking?
I don’t have guilty pleasures! If you love certain music and it makes you happy, who cares what anyone thinks?
So, I was having trouble keeping track of what gigs I was going to, and constantly worried I was going to double book a day and then have to go all Sophie’s Choice, when I came up with, duh, an events planner! I wanted something snazzy with a simple format, so I designed this one. Even if you just have a couple of events coming up, it’s nice to have this on the wall or refrigerator to remind you of what you have coming up to look forward to. You can use it, too! Just print it out and fill it in.
Enjoy!
