January Playlist
Well, we've all got our first month of 2016 under our belt, which means it's time for me to give you guys a playlist of what I've been bumping. I decided to change things up this year, and make public playlists on Spotify for everything I listen to! So here's a link:
https://open.spotify.com/user/12149039602/playlist/3O8G7JY6Rtc0kTufxaeM11
If you want to get a preview of what's on there, though, here are the tracks all written out the old-fashioned way:
1. "Fly - Acoustic" - 3:32
ARTIST: Meadowlark
ALBUM: Dual
2. "Georgia" - 3:51
ALBUM: Dream Your Life Away
ARTIST: Vance Joy
3. "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)" - 2:51
ALBUM: I Love You, Honeybear
ARTIST: Father John Misty
4. "Something" - 3:53
ALBUM: Sprained Ankle
ARTIST: Julien Baker
5. "The New Year" - 4:06
ALBUM: Transatlanticism
ARTIST: Death Cab for Cutie
6. "Everything is Temporary" - 4:06
ALBUM: Songs for Felix
ARTIST: The Nova Darlings
7. "Devil Side" - 3:59
ALBUM: Devil Side
ARTIST: Foxes
8. "Way Back When" - 3:26
ALBUM: In A Perfect World
ARTIST: Kodaline
9. "T-Shirt Weather" - 3:14
ALBUM: T-Shirt Weather
ARTIST: Circa Waves
10. "Reaper" - 3:38
ALBUM: This Is Acting
ARTIST: Sia
11. "Outer Space feat. Genevieve)" - 3:31
ALBUM: Outer Space (feat. Genevieve) - Single
ARTIST: G, Genevieve
12. "Loudspeaker" - 3:30
ALBUM: Loudspeaker - Single
ARTIST: MUNA
13. Heartbeats" - 2:42
ALBUM: Imperial Recordings Best Of
ARTIST: José Gonzalez
14. "The Sound" - 4:09
ALBUM: The Sound
ARTIST: The 1975
15. "Feels" - 3:03
ALBUM: Feels
ARTIST: Kiiara
16. "You're Such A" - 3:36
ALBUM: HAIZ
ARTIST: Hailee Steinfeld
17. "Worry" - 4:01
ALBUM: Remnants
ARTIST: Jack Garratt
18. "1612" - 3:20
ALBUM: Fugue State
ARTIST: Vulfpeck
19. "Elevate" - 5:08
ALBUM: When The Night
ARTIST: St. Lucia
20. "Clay & Cast Iron" - 2:56
ALBUM: Birds Say
ARTIST: Darlingside
Those are the 20 songs I've been listening to this past month! 2016 is off to a good start. I'm feeling mostly content and calm (even though I've got a WRIT-150 essay to finish and a whole boatload of cover sheets for performance class to do...but let's not muddy this beautiful Friday with talk of schoolwork). I'm eating healthy, dressing confidently, and just in general trying to enjoy my life. I've been writing down good memories every day and putting them in this ceramic box I've got in my dorm room. At the end of the semester, I'm gonna dump 'em all out and look at all the cool things I did. I've tried to do it before but I always forgot; here's hoping I keep it up! On an unrelated note...don't give up hope. Don't put your life on hold for someone that isn't making themselves available to you, for whatever reason. But if you've been waiting a little while...well, there's gotta be a reason, right? So keep moving forward and living and making changes--but save a little space inside yourself for the waiting thing. It might surprise you someday. Talk soon. xo
Friday, January 29, 2016
Friday, January 22, 2016
My Favorite Slams! (Part I)
Hey, all! As some of you may know, I am an amateur slam poet. I was on my slam poetry team for two years in high school and my senior year, my team came in third place in the finals for the Get Lit Classic Slam, one of the biggest poetry competitions for teens in Los Angeles. A video of a poem I did with my friend Alex wound up on Button Poetry, which is THE premier YouTube channel for slam poetry - aka one of the most exciting things that's ever happened to me! Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfLdvMxeQWg
But I thought I'd also share some of my favorite spoken word pieces by other poets. You can find all of these on Button Poetry, but here's a starter guide to some of the best ones.
Neil Hilborn - "OCD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s
The most famous upload to the Button Poetry channel - over 10 million views. Sort of a rite of passage that you watch this first. Subject: love and mental illness. Big stuff.
Neil Hilborn - "The Future"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xUEg2WxGqQ
Another Hilborn piece! One of my all-time favorites. I watch it at least once a week. It just makes me feel good inside. Neil is a really incredible artist. He's also got some books out - I haven't bought any yet but I'm sure they're worth checking out! Subject: mental illness and survival. Beautiful and inspirational.
Dylan Garity - "Rigged Game"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo3KFUzyMUI
Fun fact - Garity helped tape the Get Lit slam for Button Poetry and I got to meet him! I fangirled a lot. He was confused. Fair enough. Anyway, this poem is among the first I watched and it's got a lot of crazy intense one-liners. Whole thing is a must-see. Subject: the state of education in the U.S. He nails it.
Simon Stolzoff - "Boyfriend Material"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVpbvxEd1iE
Hilarious but weirdly sweet. A great poem to watch if you're feeling a bit down and want a good laugh (and to look at a cute boy from UPenn doing slam!) Subject: satire and relationships. Great combo.
Phil Kaye - "Repetition"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KI6c_IfvHg
I adore Phil Kaye. He always delivers really heartfelt stuff, and this poem is no different. Definitely get his book and watch this little deal. Subject: family issues and speech impediments. He ties them together perfectly.
Anthony McPherson - "All Lives Matter: 1800s Edition"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGR0ihYux6w
HOLY MOTHER. This is one of the most crazy-good videos I have EVER seen. I get chills during every line. McPherson is a poetry god. Subject: race relations across generations. Utterly breathtaking.
Blythe Baird - "When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Tb_bZZDv0
Heartbreaking and so, so real. Blythe Baird really digs into the hard stuff with this one and it hits especially close to home with me. Subject: eating disorder and body image.
Kevin Kantor & Sienna Burnett - "Phases"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su75AX_urjU
This poem uses a lot of really great devices to talk about a really tough subject, which I believe is truly the point of great slam - to communicate powerful emotion and politics through wordplay and wit. This poem is exactly that. Subject: sexual orientation and the heartbreaking realities of questioning it. Really beautiful piece that caught me way off-guard.
I'll make another post like this in the future, but if you're trying to figure out why there's so much hype about spoken word, hopefully these videos get you into it. Enjoy, and of course, talk soon. xo
But I thought I'd also share some of my favorite spoken word pieces by other poets. You can find all of these on Button Poetry, but here's a starter guide to some of the best ones.
Neil Hilborn - "OCD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s
The most famous upload to the Button Poetry channel - over 10 million views. Sort of a rite of passage that you watch this first. Subject: love and mental illness. Big stuff.
Neil Hilborn - "The Future"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xUEg2WxGqQ
Another Hilborn piece! One of my all-time favorites. I watch it at least once a week. It just makes me feel good inside. Neil is a really incredible artist. He's also got some books out - I haven't bought any yet but I'm sure they're worth checking out! Subject: mental illness and survival. Beautiful and inspirational.
Dylan Garity - "Rigged Game"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo3KFUzyMUI
Fun fact - Garity helped tape the Get Lit slam for Button Poetry and I got to meet him! I fangirled a lot. He was confused. Fair enough. Anyway, this poem is among the first I watched and it's got a lot of crazy intense one-liners. Whole thing is a must-see. Subject: the state of education in the U.S. He nails it.
Simon Stolzoff - "Boyfriend Material"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVpbvxEd1iE
Hilarious but weirdly sweet. A great poem to watch if you're feeling a bit down and want a good laugh (and to look at a cute boy from UPenn doing slam!) Subject: satire and relationships. Great combo.
Phil Kaye - "Repetition"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KI6c_IfvHg
I adore Phil Kaye. He always delivers really heartfelt stuff, and this poem is no different. Definitely get his book and watch this little deal. Subject: family issues and speech impediments. He ties them together perfectly.
Anthony McPherson - "All Lives Matter: 1800s Edition"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGR0ihYux6w
HOLY MOTHER. This is one of the most crazy-good videos I have EVER seen. I get chills during every line. McPherson is a poetry god. Subject: race relations across generations. Utterly breathtaking.
Blythe Baird - "When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Tb_bZZDv0
Heartbreaking and so, so real. Blythe Baird really digs into the hard stuff with this one and it hits especially close to home with me. Subject: eating disorder and body image.
Kevin Kantor & Sienna Burnett - "Phases"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su75AX_urjU
This poem uses a lot of really great devices to talk about a really tough subject, which I believe is truly the point of great slam - to communicate powerful emotion and politics through wordplay and wit. This poem is exactly that. Subject: sexual orientation and the heartbreaking realities of questioning it. Really beautiful piece that caught me way off-guard.
I'll make another post like this in the future, but if you're trying to figure out why there's so much hype about spoken word, hopefully these videos get you into it. Enjoy, and of course, talk soon. xo
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