Musical crash course part 1

okay, so Ive been busy again, and haven't been able to do much, anyway here is a small unedited section of my musical crash course writing, if you notice Ive written any contradictions, just ignore them. i often contradict myself when writing, then later i have to reread them and fix it all up, these arnt the most interesting genres but i think you ll get the point of what i mean by crash course:

Female vocalists, generally it could apply to any girl singer but when things are tagged with female vocalist its rock or heavier since its establishing its not trad. Male vocals, since otherwise girls often sing.

Indie: now this term isn’t even a genre really, I’m telling you because it comes up a lot, people think indie is just like hippies playing acoustics….. There’s a lot more to it than that indie is short for independent, meaning the artist who is indie plans their own gigs, is not signed to any record label no company is their “producer” or anything like that, any artist could be indie if they want, the stereotype of hippies on guitars is actually FOLK INDIE, a different story. In short it means any band that is indie is guaranteed to be poor. The Maine, skipping girl vinegar

Acoustic: some bands are purely acoustic and others just play a sad little song on their album that’s acoustic. If common sense didn’t already inform you what acoustic is, it’s just an acoustic guitar with vocals, maybe piano or soft drumming and whatever. November blessing

Alternative, this applies to about any band who is so original that no one knows what label them. Although you’ll notice a lot of bands are alternative rock of alt/punk and stuff, this means they are rock and unique or whatever. But it depends on the band.

Rock, Rock was basically the first genre where kids (in that time) were allowed to rebel, instead of all the silly junk like classical and folk/barn yard dances. rock allowed people to be themselves, usually has guitars bass drum kit and vocals, no screaming. And I forgot to mention, rock has an extremely steady beat, a real beat, not the techno doof! Doof! Doof!, and traditionally male vocals. Such as AC DC or blink 182

Musical dignity of the next generation

so the other day, i was chatting to a younger girl, probably about 10-12, anyway, she has no insight to music at all. infact she didnt recognize paramore of bliss n esso. i was horrified to learn this, and although it sounds silly ive decided to write up a crash course to musical genres and bands asociated. eventually i will post snippets of it as its long even though im writting it in the shortest way possible. in the mean time ill let you know how it goes, along with other posts!

Taste it TV, image release

If you follow taste it TV on face book, you probably got notified of the image to the left, if you didn't here it is! (although its a few weeks old now) I just though id share it with you as everyone is familiar with my chemical romance, some more that others, even if they'd much prefer their old music. These days they are more easy going, and a little more colourful than their original aesthetic but they are certainly the same kids they used to be. on top of all of that, they've become more accepting of mainstream publicity, allowing their music to be on charts, with out killing it, that is. They've toured pretty much everywhere and anr;nt done with it either, you can view their live performance @ itunes.com/festival or just buy that same EP from itunes (and own it forever!!) you can also watch some exclusive interviews from taste it TV on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/TasteiTTv

Traditional Oriental Umbrellas

although I've been busy i thought it was time i wrote something for you, and here it is! today I'm writing on those good old Japanese umbrellas, also called paper parasoles. During this time, umbrellas were used as sun protection as women and Nobel's were "prized" for having pale skin. They are still used today in weddings, ceremonies, and many other outdoor events.

The oriental umbrellas go back into 1700's  of China, trad Japanese umbrellas started not long after. In Japan they use several materials for their umbrellas, paper, waterproof cotton, bamboo etc; Making one is quite a long process.craftsmen, artists, fabric specialists are all involved. each component can take a few months just to complete, as they are made to perfection. Mostly you will find floral patterns upon a Japanese umbrella although if you look hard enough you will find quite a diverse range to chose from.

Today Designing and Making Japanese umbrellas is considered an art.

Since they are quite beautiful, Ive decided to scout some online websites you can buy one from:

http://www.asianideas.com/paper.html i really liked this site, they had quite a diverse range, yin-yang symbols, peacocks and a whole heap of unique ideas. (the umbrella above is available from here)

http://www.brolliesgalore.co.uk/acatalog/Patterned_Chinese_Paper_Parasols.html this one isn't quite as unique but they are still very pretty, (and a little more "traditional") also a fair few pages to view, under subheadings in the left bar. Just beware they sell all kinds of Umbrellas, not just oriental.

Additional information can be found here (also used as my resources)

http://www.umbrellasumbrellas.com/oriental-umbrellas/japanese-umbrella.php

Band Exposure: Glamour Of The Kill

Feeling Alive, Glamour Of The Kill

Once upon a time, Glamour of the kill were know as "The Red Room Theory". Well that's all a part of history now, since that little era, they have become known as GOTK (acronym). GOTK are an United Kingdom metalcore band, with nicely satisfying screaming and catchy sing along choruses (The exact same fuzzies escape the fate gives you). Ive come to believe that they will be quite successful, they have toured with bands such as bullet for my valentine and avenged sevenfold (I'm not even fused on that band) However I'd quite happily make those bands tour with GOTK instead, that's all Ive got to say as to my preference.
They're signed to the independent record label siege, and have been with them since 2003, although they "sealed the deal" in 2008. Recently they released their new album, featuring Feeling alive, so i recommend you buy it now!
For guys who play in a metalcore band that's rapidly gaining exposure, i must say they are very laid back, without being douches about it. Always a bonus!!, if you want to get an idea, check out the following interview with Dave, Lead singer/bass and Chris, Guitars.

Video rights belong to YouTube and their uploaders, no copyright intended.

Also thanking lastfm for a phrase or two.

Bubble Goth

Due to the creative mind of Estonian artist Kerli Koiv, her visualization of the "bubble goth" is becoming an uprising trend. It Works off her idea of putting two things together that generally don't mix. In her instance, Goth pieces such as industrial masks and dread falls mixed up in pastel combinations and quite regularly stark white.

(i did have some images for this, which are no-longer avaliable)

If you ever want to dress this way, weather it be for everyday or as a dress up her are some starting tips:

-Work with white, unless you know allot about her fashion and are quite experienced with it, Black is likely to make you look like the regular Goth

- Big hair! use dread falls and other artificial hair add ins (plaits work well to, if you want it fashion friendly). Make it effortless, its not a tidy look. Tie some ribbon if you like.

- keep your colour theme, like many goth fashions you need to do this strictly for the best results, try light and vibrant colours

- Tight clothing, it doesn't have to be revealing, wear singlets/corsets/corseting, stockings/fishnets and long sleeves if you like. Just not baggy

- Bulky shoes. heels, lace up platforms, furry ugg boots if your brave (artificially coloured, may be expensive)

check out these shoes: (from google)

- basic accessories, a ribbon bracelet or a pair of gloves (or a teddy mask? this can be viewed in her video army of love)

- don't be serious, its a fun fashion, it needs that "fun" feeling about it.

Overall just be interesting its quite fun to play around with, just step out of your comfort zone, experiment and you'll look fab!

Salad fingers

Just a quick word on the show:
I'd say a good 70% of people have seen at least one episode of salad fingers (which can be found on YouTube). The thing the majority of people seem to have a disliking/concern for Salad Fingers. Why? I still ask myself this question as I feel there's nothing to hold against the series. While I must admit some of the things brought up in the series are a little creepy, its all in the name of entertainment! So what if its so different from other shows? I like to scout for unique things, and for me finding Salad Fingers was like gold!

Anyway if you've never seen the series ill post an episode down below. Its basically a flash cartoon about a guy named Salad fingers who lives remotely in the middle of nowhere, talks to himself, has many fantasies and takes interest in random things, "I like rusty spoons".  Its enjoyable if you can appreciate it for what it is. Although i warn you, its certainly not for the feint hearted.

Along with all the dislikes and complaints, come with many rumours, some probably are true and other not so true.

1. the guy who makes the animations is on trips and is simply showing what its like to hallucinate. (There may be a Fraction of truth in that, although its up to you to decide.)

2. Salad fingers is a survivor from the war and is now schizophrenic.

3.Salad Fingers is "Post Apocalyptic" (phrase from wikipedia)

The three rumors/ideas i posted above are probably the most common although there are quite a few more, you can choose what you'd like to believe however for me its more about salad fingers rather that all the facts that surround it. Watch it the be done with it!
So i really enjoyed writing this, and i hope you enjoyed reading this. i'll possibly write a part 2 with a more interesting history of the artist and series.

Hand Held Fans

As we all know, there are three basic purposes of a hand held fan: Practically to refresh oneself with a productive air flow, as a source of communication, and more importantly today, as a fashion accessory.
Where did the fan originally come from?
the earliest known fans come from china, in 2yrs BC. Back then all fans were made of fabric mounted on bamboo. They were also used in similar countries such as Japan and Korea. originally they did not fold into a simple to hold strip, however that idea did follow shortly after.


Materials:
Fans were often made from bamboo, with thick paper, lace, Silk (you get my point i think)


What occasions are hand held fans appropriate?
Back in Korea fans were used in the Bucheachum dance. ( i doubt your going to one of those soon) However, if your looking for a good occasion to use a fan, i recommend you bring a fan to a outdoors formal/semi formal occasion. Theyre the kind of think that fit in nicely to a scenery wth tea, cake, sunshine, roses and pretty gardens.

Hand held fan ettiquette:
You would all recognize a few fan gestures, but have you ever thought about what they mean? I decided to write down a list of the basics for you:
Resting fan on lips: "I don't trust you"
Quickly fanning self: "I love you so much!"
Carrying fan from left hand behind back: "Im engaged"
Carrying fan from right hand behind back: "I want to be engaged"
Hiding the sunlight (face) "Your ugly"

Where can you get a hand held fan? okay, so ive looked around and here are my fave online shops to get them from! If you dont want to go online, try your local antiques, they are bound to have some very nice ones!

http://www.japanesestyle.com/catalog/partywedding/hand-fans
JapaneseStyle: quite cheap and very nice designs, much variation of colour to, which is always conveniant.

http://www.chinatown.com.au/shope/default.asp?categoryID=135
China town online, the fans they stock are quite sweet and oriental looking, some also came with brightly coloured tassles.

http://www.sunriseimports.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=531_621&gclid=CLqX-MeQ7KkCFYUdHAodyTTfXg
sorry about the really long adress! sunrise imports is probably my favourite online shop! and i would say it has the most variety!

here are some of my favourites

(above) supplied from "china Town"

(above) supplied from sunrise imports
(below) sandalwood fan from Japanese style

http://www.ideco.com/fans2/language.htm (resource for fan ettiquette)

Band exposure: Girl vs Ghost

Girl vs ghost are an Australian (suprisingly good for Australian music, i must say so myself) Punk/rock band, with female vocals. They use inspiration mainly from Paramore and My chemical romance.
The one thing i probably admire mostly about this band would have to be some of their earlier expiriences as a band. In 2008 their guitarist (tristan) was diagnosed with cancer. GvsG held their heads up and Tristan did survive. during that time their line up changed quite a bit although within that time the development of their first ep eye for an eye, came to be. the ep has many songs dealing with the fight against cancer and other troubling situations. im sure you will all enjoy GvsG, they really are one of those bands that anyone can love. check out their video eye for an eye below:

all my friends are zombies (below eye for an eye)

thanking http://www.triplejunearthed.com/GirlVsGhost for refreshing my knowledge!

Gothlit.com (gothic literature)

okay, so the other day i was just browsing the Internet (as you do) looking for something to do. i just so happened to stumble upon a rather interesting site called Gothlit, which i couldn't help but share with you! so basically its an online community where people share their poetry (Gothic obviously) like any forum there are those posts that really aren't that great, however i found many amazing poems based on many things. here is a recently posted piece:

Fly Free, submitted by DevilsTears (Kenneth Weaver)
We are trapped,
We are chained,
We are tamed.
Breaking free, we depart,
All of us are split apart,
No longer tied down, we were drowned.
Flying free we soar, raging a useless war,
Promising I will take no more.
We fly free, with only glee,
No one can see,
The dark depression within me.
As we fly free away,
Wild today, gone away.
Never to be seen again, sleeping in my den,
I ignore, their useless war,
We will fly free and soar,
And I shall take no more!

as you can see some of the poetry submitted is just exhilarating! if you choose to join, it is free (we all love freebies) and there is a thread on "how to" which has some excellent tips.
just to add icing on the cake gothlit has a lovely layout that i am sure you will enjoy, everything is black and most headings are written in red Gothic inspired writing. (as in the photo below)Please do check out the website, you certainly wont regret it!

click here to visit gothlit.com