The end is near...Weekly post #10

Image via theswollenfox.com

 

This is my last official post for my Social Media class and though I really had to struggle to squeeze in this last show, I'm glad I did. I decided on the Black Cat this week and a show featuring Jukebox the Ghost. This band is awesome. Obviously I picked them because of the strong catchy vocals, and a piano in the mix is always a favorite of mine. I won't try to compare them because that never fully get the point across, but if you check out last week's entry, you can hear a sample. Added bonus: the lead singer really resembles my fiance. I can't post a pic cause he'll kill me, but trust me.

The Black Cat is another very cool venue. I am no longer surprised by this because all of the word of mouth we've heard here has been correct, so far. Again, the sound was great and the opening band was talented as well, and worth a listen. They're called Wakey! Wakey!, which I think is a great name. They're based out of Brooklyn, NY.

This is the first time I've noticed a high number of underage fans in the crowd. There were lots of X's on hands, but it was OK because their enthusiasm was contagious and even though I didn't know the songs, I didn't have to feel self-conscious dorking out to the upbeat pop-y songs. Overall, a very fun night (except for the somewhat grumpy bartenders at the downstairs bar after the show). Just saying.

So that's a wrap. This has been more fun than I ever would've thought and I think it shows how important it is to choose a niche for your blog that you're passionate about. I love music and my next goal is to continue to post about fun shows I see and cool new music I hear. I also think it's a fun way for my friends to keep up with me besides going on Facebook. It's a little bit more work, but a great way to remember my experiences here in DC. So stay tuned, there's definitely more to come.

What to do?-Blog post #9

So this week I thought I'd take the opportunity to do some crowd sourcing as well as checking out some of the blogs I've written about throughout this class. I've been unable to go to any shows the last couple of weeks so I want to plan ahead so I have something great to report back next week.

I am going to go to another venue I have yet to check out. I plan to go to one of the following shows this weekend (hopefully they don't sell out):

First up is Black Cat:

Thursday: River James:

Friday: Crystal Stilts
  Crystal Stilts - Through The Floor by Slumberland Records 
Saturday: Jukebox the Ghost
  Jukebox the Ghost - Summer Sun by MCT MANAGEMENT 

Or there's Rock & Roll Hotel:

Thursday: Maps and Atlases
  Maps & Atlases - Israeli Caves by FatCat Records 
Saturday: The Slackers
  The Slackers by EpitaphTours 

Which one should I see? Please post your thoughts and opinions below. I'd like to see what others would want me to check out. Thanks!

Response Blog #6-Here Comes the Sun

Recently my classmate posted on her blog Chameleon about the onset of spring and posted her fun experiences enjoying the warmer weather including her experiences at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Unfortunately, I couldn't take the weather and missed out on that. However, I am FINALLY starting to believe that I will not need my coat every night for the rest of my time here in DC. As I have stated many many times, I am from Texas. It is like 90 degrees there already and up until this week, I was rocking my sad gray wool coat. I will definitely be investing in a much more fun, cute coat for next year.

So now that the weather is warmer, I can't wait to see what DC has to offer in the way of outdoor dining, parks etc. I plan to check out the Georgetown waterfront this weekend and begin to come out of my hibernation. I also plan to see if there are any outdoor music venues to check out. This is still a music blog, after all. I'd also love any suggestions anyone can offer about what outdoor venues, restaurants and activities I should check out. Now that the semester is drawing to a close I plan to take advantage of some of my free time, while I've got it.

Response Blog #5-New In Town

I had to respond to Miss Major Substance this week and her post about gentrification because this hits close to home for me as well. Austin, TX is also going through growing pains, and to be honest, no one seems to be bothered by it. I have not frequented a lot of the areas of Washington, DC Miss Major Substance speaks about in her blog, but I can imagine they are, or once were populated by a mostly minority population. In Austin, the area East of Interstate HWY 35 was home to a predominantly African-American and Mexican-American population. Now this is not so much the case. The area's proximity to the much-loved downtown nightlife scene made the area the next logical target for expansion. Most of the minority-owned homes are now home to-pardon the phrase-trust fund hipsters. A lot of my friends rent houses in this area, and it's the cool new place live. The thing I find sad is that no one cares that the diversity is being sucked out of the city. I also think it's mildly offensive that when minorities lived in the homes there, this neighborhood was considered scary and dangerous (this is what I was told my whole life), but now, people feel free to ride their bikes and walk home intoxicated at all hours of the night. I happen to personally know people who've still had burglaries occur but the stigma overall isn't there.

This weekend, I plan to go to Brooklyn for the first time. This is another more famous example of gentrification. I think it's sad that families and history get pushed out of neighborhoods, but I'm not sure there's a way it can be avoided. Unfortunately, it always boils down to money.

So FUN!-weekly blog #8

 Image:buzzmagazine.com

Last week we checked out Iota in Arlington, a place that often sells out. We wanted to be sure not to face this predicament again and went there early to eat some food. This venue is a cafe by day and awesome venue by night. FYI- the food is really good, but that's a story for another type of blog. We were there to check out headlining band Heypenny and opening act Ella Riot.

Let's start with Ella Riot, formerly known as My Dear Disco. They recently changed their name after discovering an Australian band with a similar name. They are fronted by a female powerhouse whose voice reminded me of one of my favorite artists, Robyn. I loooooved this band. SO upbeat and catchy. I am a sucker for dance-y pop music. I really do appreciate all types of music but sometimes you just want to dance. Check out the video for their song It could be:

And yes they sound that good live. They closed their set with an electronic bagpipe solo performance by the keyboardist, who's so good he's competed in bagpipe competitions in Ireland. Amazing. I didn't even know that this instrument existed first of all, and I gotta say, I kind of hate the sound of real bagpipes, but this was great and actually kind of had a lot of emotion to it. Check out the audio of the song below:

   Clubbin by Ella Riot

Next up was Heypenny. I was genuinely worried for them because the opening band was so good. Totally different sound but just as enjoyable. This three piece outfit had the energy of twelve. The bassist pulled out some moves I've gotta say, I've never seen before and am not sure I want to see again (I kid, of course). So much fun. The singer had a quirky but strong voice and the songs were bouncy and folksy but with a surprising amount of groove to them. The rhythm section was incredible. My fiance, who plays drums, geeked out a bit with the drummer after the show. The whole band seems very cool and apparently come here fairly often, so I'll be sure to check them out next time they're here. I'll try to post when they're coming so others can also partake.

   Oh No - Heypenny by dubandsegs

As a bonus treat, here's a Robyn video:

Response Blog #4-Silver Lining

Recently, my classmate posted about her PR triumph working to help her friend's non-profit. I wanted to congratulate her and say how inspiring I think it is that she has stuck to her guns in the face of trying to find her next job in PR. I am new to the world of PR, though I know I've used the same skills in other professional capacities. It was nice to see someone else who was excited to be reminded of why we have decided to pursue this career. Her willingness to provide her services to a friend because she loves the work so much is an example of what people are looking for in life: a job you'd do for free because you love it so much. The best thing about it is, she probably learned something in the process, and that's worth it. She mentioned the book Here Comes Everybody and how it talks about the opportunities social media has provided for individuals to interact in a way never before possible. After getting through just half of Social Media I can see how this is opportunity is everywhere. Sabrina's experience shows the power we have to reach a large audience even if we are only working for ourselves. Great job and Congrats!

Social Integration-Weekly Blog #7

I must admit, I am still one of those people who lives and dies by my Smartphone and text messages. I like the control it gives me to contact the person/people I am trying to reach immediately. Most of my friends and I work in places where we don’t have the luxury of checking our facebook pages throughout the day, no matter how sneaky we are and even with the phone app, it’s easy to get sidetracked by unimportant information. It’s much easier to sneak a peek at you phone during a break and send a message to friends. In fact, I’ve mass texted my blog address to friends as a new way for them to keep up with me.

In regards to my blog, I have a gadget inviting readers to share posts on Facebook and Twitter. I am still new to Tweeting but I really like the potential it has to instantly connect to others without using up texts. In the future, I can see myself tweeting links to my blog to my followers in addition to posting on Facebook. It seems that my Twitter followers grow more each day and I’m sure at least some of them would be interested in reading my blog too.

One of the cool things that Brightest Young Things does on their site is name a song of the day and provides an Mp3 of the song. They in turn, tweet a link to that page so that even if readers forget to check it out, there's another social media tool driving traffic there. Very cool.