Year 8, Day 215

Hey guys. Today's song is What I Like by Dan Olsen.

Dan Olsen is a Danish musician, although now he is based in England. He is actually from the Faroe Islands, which while technically is a part of Denmark, is a self-governing body within the kingdom and operates mostly independently from the rest of Denmark. He started off playing classical guitar, but was mostly focused on football rather than music. It was when he moved to Australia to finish his degree when he started to pick up on his music, writing and performing in his off time. After graduating he decided to focus on music full-time, and that's when he moved to England. I don't have an official bio on him beyond what's listed on his website, but his social media presence was all started in 2014 and he's been releasing songs pretty consistently since then. So if you like what you hear, go check him out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 214

Hey guys. Today's song is Starting Line by Luke Hemmings.

Luke Hemmings is an Australian musician active since 2011. He started out busking, after learning guitar from his brothers, YouTube tutorials, and from some professional lessons. He started posting covers on YouTube, which got popular. Then he invited his two friends Calum Hood and Michael Clifford to join him. Eventually they were also joined by their other friend Ashton Irwin. These four would go on to be 5 Seconds of Summer. They had spent months posting covers, and got a gig in their hometown bar before earning the interest of the labels, getting a record deal and releasing five albums as a band with the first in 2014 and the most recent from 2022. On top of music, Hemmings also is a model, and is signed with a modeling company and was featured in a lot in 2019, along with walking the Runway at New York Fashion Week that year. Obviously Hemmings also has a solo career, as evidenced by the song for today. He released his debut solo album in 2021, which is where this song is from, and I'm betting there will be more in the future, so keep an eye out.

Year 8, Day 213

Hey guys. Today's song is All Eyes On Me by Bo Burnham.

Yes it's more from Bo Burnham. His stuff is an instant yes always, ever since I found him when I was in high school. I know Bo is considered a musical comic, but there is really no specific box to put him in. He is an artist. Producing, editing, writing, and performing something with this much depth as what we see throughout Inside is beyond most people's capabilities and I will never stop admiring him for creating something that I think we all relate to. Especially right now. Let's be honest, the world sucks right now. It is a huge dumpster fire and we're all just trying to get through it, and expression like this I think helps us release some of that built up stress and anxiety without completely sticking our heads in the sand to what's happening. I'll say it again: If you haven't seen Inside yet (make sure you are in the right head space for it) and go watch it. You wont regret it.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 212

Hey guys. Today's song is It's Alright by Mother Mother.

Mother Mother is a Canadian band active since 2005 and currently made up of Ryan Guldemond, Molly Guldemond, Ali Siadat, Jasmin Parkin, and Mike Young with past members being Kenton Lowin, Debra-Jean Creelman, and Jeremy Page. Originally started by Ryan, the beginning group was the Guldemond sibling along with Creelman, playing acoustically before being joined by Loewen and Page and performing as Mother. They independently released their first album in 2005, and after receiving a nod form a Vancouver newspaper their popularity began to skyrocket. They got a couple concert spots with some other big names and played some festivals before earning a record deal in 2006. This is also when they changed the name to Mother Mother to avoid any legal issues. They re-released their album in 2007 with the label, followed by another album in 2008. Lowin left the group around this time (I don't know if it was before or after the album) and was replaced with Siadat. Shortly after this Creelman left the group, replaced with Parkin. They released another album in 2011, followed by another in 2012, then signed a new record deal prior to releasing their next album in 2014. They did some touring in between albums, before Page left the group in 2016, being replaced by Young. The group released an album in 2017, followed quickly by another album in 2018 and a North American tour through 2019. Through 2020 the band's popularity spiked again, thanks to a TikTok trend and became a sort of anthem for the non-binary community, which Ryan Guldemond describes as a huge honour. The group had actually planned on not making anymore music after that, they did a pandemic album which was released in 2021. Since then they have gone back on tour through 2022 and released a Christmas song. While this song is not from their pandemic album, I do find it as a comfort and sometimes find myself just singing it to myself if I'm having a day. So hopefully it'll resonate with you as well.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 211

Hey guys. Today's song is If He Wanted To He Would by Johnny Olrando.

Photo from: Laucole

This song is already at the top of the list for my most favourite finds this year; it's truly incredible how many times I've listened to it since YouTube suggested it. So Johnny Orlando is a Canadian musician, active since 2011 when he started his own YouTube channel (which seems to be a trend with his siblings). His first song cover went viral, so he continued to post covers with the help of his sister and brother for filming and editing. He released his first EP in 2015 before getting signed in 2018 and releasing another EP in 2019. He did a North American tour for that EP, also in 2019, then released a third in 2020. As of now he has a debut album that was released in 2022, and I see big things in his future because he's clearly very talented. So if this is your first time being introduced to him, I hope you enjoy it and share it with your friends.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 210

Hey guys. Today's song is Ghosted by Jeremy Shada.

Alright I have featured Jeremy enough times by now that you should know his backstory without me repeating it over again. This is one of his newer songs and even though it sounds like a relationship song, the picture for it gives me Julie and the Phantoms vibes (and yes I'm still upset that they cancelled that show.) So once again I'll say watch it if you haven't yet. On another note, I haven't been watching much of anything lately because I've been trying to do lots of reading for the book journal I'm testing out doing this year. As of right now, which is a few days behind when this post will actually come out, I'm on my 14th book of the year so far. I've got some different goals I'm trying to hit, but I'm loosely aiming for about 16 books a month? It's pretty doable for me depending on the type of book I'm reading so we'll have to see when I'm done. Wish me luck and good luck to you on anything you're trying to tackle this year.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 209

Hey guys. Today's song is Someone Else by ClockClock.

ClockClock is a German group active since 2017 and made up of Fabian Fieser, Mark Vonsin, and Bojan Kalajdzic. They released a couple singles in 2017 before entering a talent competition in 2018 offered by the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg which gives acts coaching and training in Mannheim, offered to help steer their careers. I assume that they were awarded one of the spots, since the group did end up moving to Mannheim in 2018, further releasing singles continuing up until now. This is one of their most recent songs, being released in 2022, so give it a listen and if you like what you hear go check out their other stuff.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 208

Hey guys. Today's song is Revolution by Bastille.

Photo by: Steven Miller

Bastille is an English group active since 2010 and made up of Dan Smith, Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson, and Chris Wood. They started out independent, releasing some singles in 2010 and an EP in 2011. They also started putting stuff up online, earning them a bigger audience and eventually a record contract. Their first single with that label came out in 2012, followed by their debut album in 2013 which jumped their popularity up by a crazy level, hitting number one in the UK Albums Chart. I'm sure you'd be able to recognize some of the songs on that album, which were released as singles as well and became very popular, being played constantly on the radio. They released an EP in 2013 as well, then won a BRIT Award in 2014 for Breakthrough Act and were nominated for a Grammy in 2015. Their second album was released in 2016, which won them an NME Award in 2017. They released some singles in 2018 leading up to their third album release in 2019. They released another EP in 2020, followed by singles through 2021 leading to the release of their fourth and most recent album in 2022. I skipped a lot of stuff of them touring and playing at festivals throughout their career. They also participated in a couple different charity recordings to raise money for things like the Grenfell Tower fire victims and the pandemic so they have been up to other things. This song is from their most recent album, so it's a good marker to put up against their older stuff to see if the sound has changed over the years. Hope you enjoy it.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 207

Hey guys. Today's song is Dare You To Doubt Me by The Script.

Photo by: Harry Wad

The Script is an Irish rock band active since 2001 and made up of Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan, and Glen Power. O'Donaghue and Sheehan were originally in Mytown, and had formed a songwriting partnership and had actually been signed to a label while living in the States for a bit before being dropped. They moved back to Dublin where they found Power and formed this band. They got signed in 2005 and released an EP, then released their debut album in 2008. Since then they've released four more studio albums, a compilation album from 2021, and a couple EPs in recent years of Acoustic Sessions. They've also been nominated for a bunch of award and won about half of them. A lot of their albums have topped the charts so they are clearly very successful, and I've always enjoyed their stuff. I hope you do too.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 206

Hey guys. Today's song is Say You Don't Want It by One Night Only.

This is an English band, active since 2003 with current members being George Craig, Jack Sails, Daniel Parkin, James Craig, and Jonny Howe and past members listed as Kai Smith, Sam Ford, and Mark Hayton. The group started with Hayton, Parkin, Ford and Smith, but when George Craig joined as a singer and guitarist, Smith left. The name of the band was supposed to be used for one night only for their first gig since they didn't have a name yet, but the name clicked and stayed. They played gigs for a few years before Sails joined in 2005, followed by an appearance on a British comedy show called The Friday Night Project. They toured with some other bands before releasing their first album in 2007, followed by their own tour in 2008. Their next album was due for release in 2009 but got pushed until 2010. That same year Ford left the group, being replaced by James Craig, who is George's brother. This song is from that second album of theirs, and the video was also released in 2010. You might also notice as you're watching that it features a certain actress that an entire generation should be able to recognize on sight without me even saying the name. They had another album released in 2015, but have been quiet since then. I don't see anything about them breaking up, so I assume they still are technically out there, but I guess we'll wait and see.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 205

Hey guys. Today's song is Tripping Over Air by Aiden Bissett.

Alright so there is no official bio for Aiden Bissett, but he is a relatively new musician on the scene. Apparently he got a record deal straight out of high school, getting in touch with a record executive through Instagram of all things. His social media stuff has been up since 2020 and as of 2022 he released his first EP. That said he does have a fair amount of music on YouTube from the last two years for you to check out, and I expect to see a lot of good stuff in the future. So despite not knowing much about him, I'm showing you guys this is the hopes that you'll like it too.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 204

Hey guys. Today's song is Someone Else's Problem by Ruel.

Ruel is Ruel Vincent van Dijk, an English/Australian singer active since 2017. He was born in England, but grew up in Australia where his dad founded an Australian radio agency called Eardrum. In 2015, his father sent a demo of Ruel singing to a producer named M-Phazes, with led to Ruel releasing his debut single with that producer in 2017. He also made his first radio appearance singing some covers a songs, which jumped him into popularity. His song started to be featured on the radio, then he supported Khalid on his tour while it was in Australia and New Zealand, before ending the year by officially being signed. In 2018 he released an EP and did a lot of performing, plus was nominated for and won an ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist, becoming the youngest artist to win that award. In 2019 he was featured on Hilltop Hoods' album, then released another EP of his own before performing at two of Shawn Mendes' shows on his tour. He released another EP in 2020 and was nominated for another ARIA award. He was doing some touring in 2022, and this song was released on YouTube right at the end of the year, so it is his most recent one. But if you like what you hear go and check out his other stuff.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 203

Hey guys. Today's song is Sorry To Your Next Ex by Haiden.

Haiden is a relatively new artist on the scene. An American singer/songwriter, he has been in college and would do session work as a guitarist to fill his musical bug, but he had to cut back because of a hand condition and started writing music instead in 2020. After taking some time to find his sound, he teased a song bite on TikTok in 2021 then ended up going viral. Since then he has released some singles and his debut EP is officially out so if you're interested go listen to that.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 202

Hey guys. Today's song is I Won't by AJR.

So AJR is a family band, made up of three brothers named Adam Met, Jack Met, and Ryan Met. The name is their initials. The group has been around since 2005, starting to play live in 2006 with their first EP of covers released in 2010. In 2012, Ryan tweeted one of their songs to a bunch of different celebrities, including Sia who told her manager about it, who contacted a record label executive about it. The song they tweeted became their debut single, released commercially in 2013, followed by and EP later that year. Their second EP came out in 2014, followed by their debut album in 2015. They released another EP in 2016, another album in 2017 with an extended version coming out in 2018. They released a single in 2019 for an upcoming album, which got featured by Taylor Swift on Apple Music. They released another single before releasing the album later that year. In 2020 they released some singles leading up to their next album released in 2021. In 2021 they also released an interactive game on their website, and did music videos for some of their older stuff. In 2022 they released this song, and started teasing about their next upcoming album. They also are working with Vivek J Tiwary on a Broadway adaption of a children's book called Harold & the Purple Crayon, so keep an eye out for that too. I know I show these guys a lot, but that's what happens when they make mood music that is amazing over and over again. It just speaks to me, so hopefully you'll like it too.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 201

Hey guys. Today's song is The One Moment by OK Go.

Photo by: Paul Hudson

Alright you know these guys, I've definitely featured them and their insanely detailed and crazy music videos before. These guys are an American rock band active since 1198 and currently made up of Damian Kulash, Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka, and Andy Ross with one past member named Andy Duncan. The band name actually comes from an inside joke between Kulash and Nordwind from an art camp they both attended. After meeting Duncan in high school, he and Nordwind went to college where they formed a band with Konopka called Stanley's Joyful Noise. It was after college that the four grouped up as OK Go. They marketed themselves like crazy, and made two EP's released in 2000 and 2001. They were signed in 2001 and released their debut album in 2002, followed by a lot of performances before their next album in 2005. After it was recorded Duncan left the group, being replaced by Ross. Their careers blew up then with that new album, leading to lots of touring before they released an EP in 2008 which was to fund musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. They had written and began showcasing their next album material through 2009 before it was released in 2010, followed by the creation of their own label. Since then they've done a live album, some releases of rare songs, and another studio album in 2014. They've been releasing other singles since, including one done during the pandemic, but as a group haven't been focusing on album releases. At least they're still around though. Check out their music videos if you haven't yet, it's one of the coolest things that sets them apart from some other artists. 

Peace.

Year 8, Day 200

Hey guys. Today's song is We Are The Champions by Queen.

So Queen is a British rock band that can only be thought of as legends. The members include Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Freddie Mercury. Mercury is the one who coined the name of the band, and also made the crest logo which included the zodiacs of each band member.They had released two albums within the first four years, then their tour got cancelled when one member fell ill so they started their third album instead. They toured and made more albums throughout the 70's and 80's. They worked like crazy and released tons of albums, continuing even when Mercury's health started to decline. He denied the illness throughout the whole ordeal, focusing on recording as much as possible. In 1991 though, he released a statement confirming he was dying from AIDS. Within 24 hours he was gone. The tribute concert was held the next year and raised over £20,000,000 for AIDS charities. They released another album with Mercury posthumously, and after that continued performing and releasing music as Queen + whatever singer they were performing with at the time. Which is honestly a lovely tribute to their friend. So there you have it guys, an overview for this song. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 199

Hey guys. Today's song is Thunderstruck by AC/DC.

Alright I showcased a version of this song once before done by the cello guys, but this is as good a place as any to do the original. So AC/DC is an Australian band active since 1973 and is still around with current members being Angus Young, Phil Rud, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson, and Stevie Young. There is a huge list of past members that I'm not going to list for expediency, but I will say that the lineup when this song was released was Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, and Chris Slade. Over their career as a band, AC/DC has released 18 albums, with the first two being Australian exclusives in 1975, and the most recent released in 2020. This song specifically was from their 1990 album. The band was started by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in 1973, and the name is thanks to their sister Margaret, who saw the abbreviation on the AC adapter of a sewing machine. It mean alternating current/direct current and the boys thought that fit with what the raw energy of the band. It makes more sense to me now that they use the high voltage lightning bolt in their branding of the name. The different eras of the group can more or less be marked by the singer at the time. In 1973 it was Dave Evans and sometimes manager Dennis Laughlin, then in 1974 it switched to Bon Scott who was with the group until his death in 1980. After that they thought of disbanding, but Scott's parents insisted he would want them to go on. And as it turned out, Scott had been a fan of Brian Johnson, who sang in a band called Geordie in the 70's. With Johnson being somewhat of an idol to Scott, he seemed like a good choice to take over for him. Johnson first appeared on the Back in Black album released in 1980, which the band had been working on when Scott passed. Their popularity declined through the 80's, but with the release of the album this song is on, it skyrocketed them back to the top. There is a lot more to their history if you want to look it up, I'm just trying not to make this too obnoxiously long for you. So look up more if you like.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 198

Hey guys. Today's song is Wenceslas by Gnome.

I will admit it: this video scared me because I didn't expect them to start moving. I thought it was an image. Anyway, Gnome is a Belgium band active since 2016. They are listed to be a three member group, but they also have a list of members that include Naohito Uchiyama, Shohei Takada, HDZ, and Egon Loosveldt, so I don't know where that fourth addition comes from. They debuted in 2018 and spent time recording and working on music through the pandemic, releasing new stuff in 2022, which is where this song is from. They are known for their guitar rifts, which once you here the song really isn't surprising to hear. This was an odd find for me thanks to YouTube but I'm glad I found it, since now I can share it with you.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 197

Hey guys. Today's song is We Don't Have To Dance by Andy Black.

Andy Black is the stage name for a solo project from musician Andrew Biersack whose been active since 2006. He's also used the moniker Andy Six before, and was lead in the band Black Veil Brides. He started of by making a band at 14, which would end up transitioning into Black Veil Brides who were signed in 2009, immediately releasing music and touring. Their debut album came out in 2010, followed by more in 2011, 2013, and 2014. In 2014 he started the solo project of Andy Black, as it was a different sound than what the band had, so he wasn't comfortable putting it under their repertoire. He released the debut album in 2016, with this song as the lead on that. Then in 2018 he was back with the band releasing an album there, before releasing another solo album in 2019. As the solo thing is more of a side project, his most recent stuff is with the band, with a re-recorded version of their debut album released in 2020, followed by another album in 2021. We'll have to wait and see if there is more from him under the Andy Black moniker, but at least you can enjoy this song now and then go check out the band if you're interested.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 196

Hey guys. Today's song is Letters From The Sky by Civil Twilight.

So this was a South African group active from 1996 until 2016 and made up of Andrew McKellar, Richard Wouters, Steven McKellar and Kevin Dailey. It started with the McKeller brothers and Wouters, spending years practising before moving into clubs where they became well known. They moved to LA in 2005 and signed with a label, releasing their debut album in 2009. They had a bunch of songs featured in pop culture stuff, raising their popularity before embarking on a US tour in 2010. They played a couple festivals before releasing another album in 2012, and it was also around that time that the trio added in Dailey. They released a third album in 2015, and then just kind of fizzled I guess? There is no real listing of when the band stopped or why, but in 2017 Steve McKeller joined the tribute concert for Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, as he was a fan of McKeller's voice. This is easily the band's most well known song, featured no less than 20 times on TV shows, movies, etc, so you probably have heard it already. But I enjoy it and they have other great songs so give those a listen too.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 195

Hey guys. Today's song is Crescendo by The Piano Guys.

Now that we're into the more piano centred classical music this seems like a good spot to throw in The Piano Guys with an original piece. So the Piano Guys have been around since 2010 and are made up of Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, Paul Anderson and Al van der Beek with one past member in Tel Stewart. They got popular on YouTube with both their covers and original music, and tour around the world. They have 10 albums released with the most recent from 2021 so there is lots for you to check out. This song is one of their newer ones, released in 2022 and is written for piano and cello primarily, although the credits also list violin and percussion on the track. For any non-music people, crescendo is a musical term used in sheet music to showcase an increase in loudness. So if a piece starts quiet in piano, it then will move through a crescendo into a forte (for example) progressively getting louder until it reaches the point it should be at. This also can be used not just for volume, but for intensity and this song showcases that well, so give it a listen.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 194

Hey guys. Today's song is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor performed by Rousseau.

Alright I mentioned Bach yesterday and once you speak his name you are obligated to show his work. So this piece is from German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, and is also an incredibly well known composition today. It is also another piece in which people don't know when it was written, with theories falling anywhere between 1704 and 1750. So this piece was written to be played on an organ, and the name Toccata and Fugue is from the fact that that literally is what the piece is. It starts with a toccata, which is fast moving passages for piano and string instruments meant to show the player's dexterity, and then transitions into a fugue, a musical form with multiple voices hinges on counterpoints. I'll try to explain. Fugues start with a subject, the beginning melody, then go into the answer, which is the melody again but from a different voice and key, and after fugues can potentially then go into a countersubject. Then they have episodes, which modulate between different keys. There are usually reintroductions of the subject throughout a piece that can be done in different keys, or layered on top of each other in a canon through a stretto section before culminating in the ending, or the coda. To non-music people that sounds very confusing and I don't even know if I technically got it right, but you can kind of hear the steps in this piece. And Bach was known for having some of the best fugues in composition, so you know this is a pretty good example. I found a video from Rousseau on YouTube who does piano covers, and I like this because you can see the note scroll coming as they play. Helps to get a feel for how the piece really works. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 193

Hey guys. Today's song is Canon in D performed by Tritonia Music.

I bet that everyone knows this song, but did not know what it was called or where it comes from. So this is a Baroque period composition by German composer Johann Pachelbel and is easily his most famous piece (which considering he wrote over 500 pieces during his life is really saying something), but it is also somewhat of a classical mystery. No one actually knows when it was written, although it's theorized to be from around 1680. This song is uncomplicated in its construction, with a repeating bass line and the violins doing their line in a round, but the execution of it is also what make it so good. And the bass line was used in works by other incredibly famous composers afterwards including Mozart, Handel, and Hadyn. Pachelbel was a very famous composer while he was alive, and had a bunch of pupils, one who would later go on to teach Bach. Pachelbel was also known for his religious works (though he did many secular works as well) and it's theorized that his tie to religion is why his composition has become so popular in relation to marriage and the church. But really, Canon In D became popular in the 1970's after a French conductor named Jean-François Paillard made a recording. It was then further popularized through a film called Ordinary People and from there somehow trickled in to processions until it became the end all be all piece to be used as the wedding march. Some of this could be due to the repetitive nature of the piece, so it can go on and on as long as it needs to without the jarring start and end you get from other pieces. In any case, it may be one of the most well known classical songs today and is a staple piece for many violinists to know. This is performed by violinist Sophie Moser and pianist Katja Hihn, and filmed by Jannik Tondorf, and they do a great job so hopefully you like it. 

Peace.

Year 8, Day 192

Hey guys. Today's song is Devil's Trill Sonata performed by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta featuring Ray Chen.

So while this is known as the Devil's Trill Sonata, technically it is Violin Sonata in G Minor composed by Giuseppe Tartini. So Tartini told French astronomer Jerome Lalande that he dreamed the devil visited him, and Tartini tells the story in Lalande's Voyage d'un François en Italie. He said "One night, in the year 1713 I dreamed I had made a pact with the devil for my soul. Everything went as I wished: my new servant anticipated my every desire. Among other things, I gave him my violin to see if he could play. How great was my astonishment on hearing a sonata so wonderful and so beautiful, played with such great art and intelligence, as I had never even conceived in my boldest flights of fantasy. I felt enraptured, transported, enchanted: my breath failed me, and I awoke. I immediately grasped my violin in order to retain, in part at least, the impression of my dream. In vain! The music which I at this time composed is indeed the best that I ever wrote, and I still call it the "Devil's Trill", but the difference between it and that which so moved me is so great that I would have destroyed my instrument and have said farewell to music forever if it had been possible for me to live without the enjoyment it affords me." If you believe Tartini's words, then he composed this sonata in 1713, but stylistically it sits between the Baroque and Classical style, leading to it seeming to be more likely written in the 1740's. But since it was never actually published until 1798/1799, decades after Tartini had passed away, we can't really be sure of anything. This composition became the inspiration and basis used for Chopin's Prelude No. 27, as well as the 1849 ballet by Cesare Pugni called Le Violon du diable. I can't confirm this, but I also wouldn't be surprised if Tartini is the reason why people attribute fiddle playing (which is literally just a violin) to the devil. Anyway, back to the sonata. This was created to be a solo violin piece, with figured bass accompaniment, and has four movements in it. So yesterday I gave you a solitary movement, today you get a full Suite which ends up being about 15 minutes long, and you can hear the difference in sound as it moves through the sections. And the trill in the last movement is actually one of the earliest examples of a trill representing a musical theme. A trill being the rapid alternating between two notes, usually a tone or semitone apart. This song has been referenced in pop culture when dealing with musicians selling their soul to the devil for musical prowess, so I'm probably not off too much about the fiddle thing. I guess we'll never know if the devil is a musician at heart or not, but at least we got this Suite out of that question. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 191

Hey guys. Today's song is Waltz - Masquerade Suite performed by La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra and Daniel Harding.

Masquerade was written in 1941 as incidental music for a play of the same name by Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov, however the music is better known in the form of a five-movement suite, which Khachaturian extracted in 1944. Fun Fact: Incidental music is basically what we think of as a musical score today, but referred to more in the aspect of plays, television and radio. So Masquerade (the play) was written in 1835 with four acts set in Russia in the 1830's, and follows the lead Abernin, a high society man of wealth and a strong will. To sum it up, it's basically a story of betrayal and murder, and is often compared to Othello from Shakespeare. Originally it had only three acts, but after being presented to the Office of Literary Censor a fourth act was added, and that remains the only version that still exists today. It was declined three times before the censor allowed it to be staged in 1852, then censorship was lifted by 1862, but it is somewhat a story based in truth with a hint from one character's name and many assume that is why it faced such heavy censorship at the time. Fast forward to 1941 when director Ruben Simonov was putting on a production of Masquerade, and asked Khachaturian to write music for the production. He had a difficult tome with the Waltz in particular, because of how the character of Nina describes it in the lines "How beautiful the new waltz is! ... something between sorrow and joy gripped my heart." Because of this he struggled to find a theme that fit the new and beautiful parameters. His former teacher Nikolai Myaskovsky (very big deal) tried to help him and while not immediately providing what he needed, without all the research he never would have found the right style. And once he had that everything just fit into place. The play opened on June 21 1941, and this song was dedicated to the actress playing Nina named Alla Kazanskaya, but the next day Germany invaded the Soviet Union and by the day after that the theatre had been destroyed in the bombings and many actors and other personnel were killed. The play did continue on once they had evacuated to Siberia. Then in 1944, Khachaturian extracted five movements from the play to make a symphonic suite. A suite refers to an ordered number of different pieces, so for this it was five pieces (or movements), put together in a specific order to make a suite, with Waltz being the first movement. Now a lot of people say they don't like classical music, but it really does still have its place so hopefully you can appreciate this song and the mini history lesson its origin gives.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 190

Hey guys. Today's song is Snow Waltz by Lindsey Stirling.

Lindsey Stirling is an American violinist, active since 2007 and got her start through YouTube. When she was a kid, her parents could only afford to get her half violin lessons, amounting to 15 minutes a week, but she excelled regardless. She was in a couple of bands while in school, where she started to write music and one of her compositions actually cinched her win of a Junior Miss title. In 2010 Lindsey auditioned for and made it into the quarter finals for America's Got Talent and even though the audience loved her, the judges were harsh. Piers Morgan being the asshole he always is said she had no talent and wasn't good enough, and even Sharon Osbourne said she didn't have what it takes to fill a theatre. Thankfully Lindsey didn't listen to them and kept at her craft. She started focusing more on her YouTube channel, releasing music regularly, growing her subscriber base exponentially in 2011 before releasing her first album in 2012. In 2013 she signed a deal with Troy Carter, who also manages Lady Gaga, and went on a World Tour before competing on Dance Showdown, a YouTuber dance competition to which she didn't win, but really should have based on talent alone. Her album was re-released in 2013 with some new songs, and she won a YouTube Music Award for her collaboration with Pentatonix. In 2014 she was nominated for an Echo Music Award, announced the release of her second album, and went on another World Tour. Her album earned her a Billboard Music Awards nomination and a Teen Choice Award. After four years she went back to America's Got Talent to perform one of her singles, and they love to herald her as their find and Lindsey is too nice not to give them some credit, but she is successful in spite of that show. In 2015 she was on Forbes 30 Under 30, won another YouTube Music Award, won an Echo Award and was nominated twice in the Billboard Music Awards. In 2016 she published an autobiography which became a New York Time bestseller, and released her third album and she started having writing credits for music in pop culture. She started having some big names collaborations, and even had her song sampled by another artist before it was announced in 2017 that she would be a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, in which she came in second place. She released her fourth album and did some more touring and appearances on other albums, including on an album by Evanescence before joining Dancing With the Stars for one trio dance and being offered a spot in the America's Got Talent: The Champions lineup and declined. She released another album in 2019 and started to tour but the pandemic postponed it. Her songs were used in some more pop culture stuff like The Umbrella Academy and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She done an EP, some more collaborations and more touring now that she can again and released her next album in 2022, which this is the title song for. I've featured her a lot and it's obvious I admire her perseverance to make music... and really her stuff is great always so hopefully you enjoy this one.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 189

Hey guys. Today's song is While Your Lips Are Still Red by Nightwish.

Nightwish is new to me, but I have heard the name before so clearly they are very well known. So Nightwish is a Finnish band (give it up for Finland!) active since 1996, with current members including Tuomas Holopainen, Emppu Vuorinen, Troy Donockley, Floor Jansen, Kai Hahto and Jukka Koskinen and past members being Tarja Turunen, Jukka Nevalainen, Sami Vänskä, Marko Hietala and Anette Olzon. The group was the brainchild of Holopainen, and he along with Vuorinen and Turunen started the group off the their demo in 1996, with the name spawning from their first song together.  Their sound developed into what they are now with the addition of Nevalainen in 1997 and the introduction of electric guitars instead of acoustic. The released their debut album, and started performing with some live members to fill in the needed instruments before asking Vänskä to join. They released their second album in 1998 in Finland only, but after much success it was released internationally in 1999. They released another album in 2000, followed by an EP in 2001. Tensions were rising with the members, leading to the group almost breaking up, but in the end they got a new manager, Vänskä was asked to leave and was replaced with Hietala who played bass and sang. They released a fourth album in 2002, followed by another in 2004 which led them to a World Tour. In 2005 the group penned an open letter firing Turunen based on commercial interests and her husband changing her attitude about the band. Personally considering that reading through their history they had to do guest vocals for a bunch of stuff because she didn't want to sing...I see why they would fire her as the singer of the band, regardless of the other reasons. The band found a replacement and went into the studio in 2006, but didn't reveal until 2007 that Olzon was the new addition so that they would have music to showcase with her on it. Their next album was also released in 2007, then spent the next couple years touring for it. They started teasing a new album in 2009, releasing it in 2011, then in 2012 during their tour Olzon couldn't perform and due to that and other issues was dismissed from the group, replaced by Jansen for the rest of the tour, becoming a permanent member in 2013, along with Donockley who had recorded with the band previously. In 2014 Nevalainen stepped down from recording and touring, being replaced with Hahto for their next album released in 2015. They took a break in 2017 while Jansen was focusing on her first child, but came back with a compilation album and tour in 2018. In 2019 Hahto became a permanent replacement, and the group released an album in 2020. In 2021 Hietala left the group, citing depression and disillusionment form the music industry (which is pretty common actually) with Koshinen taking over for their tour performances, which should last into this year with an upcoming album planned for next year. This song was released in 2007, written by Holopainen and Hietala, and performed by Holopainen, Hietala, and Nevalainen for a Finnish film called the Matriarch. It was also released on their 2007 album, but is not officially a Nightwish track. Vuorinen and Olzen would wait backstage when this song was performed, but in more recent iteration Jansen and Donockley would join the others with performing this song onstage. I chose this one because I like it and it's a good way to transition into the more classical stuff that I'm going to showcasing, so hope you enjoy it.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 188

Hey guys. Today's song is To Tell You The Truth by Written By Wolves.

So I know that I have featured these guys before, but like last time there is still no official bio on them, and all I can tell you definitely is that they are a rock band from New Zealand. They've been around since at least 2015 and have at least one album and, according to their website, the latest from them is the collaboration EP from 2021 which they say is a "mental health initiative aimed at giving their fans, friends and followers a platform to talk about their mental health and a reminder that no matter what they are going through they do not have to do it alone." I think I mentioned it before, but pandemic music (that written/released around that time) falls into two... or I guess three categories: super upbeat, ridiculously morose, or introspective (though those last two walk a fine line dipping into each other depending on the song). This is an older song of theirs, posted in 2017 so it doesn't fall into my above theory, but hopefully this song encourages you to go check out their newer stuff and see what you think.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 187

Hey guys. Today's song is Go To Hell by Letdown.

So Letdown. is a musical project created in 2020 by American musician Blake Coddington and in his words is a project that's "just me crying about my problems." His songs stem from a way to deal with mental health struggles, and is a form of therapy not just for himself, but also for the people who listen to it, which explains why it wasn't long at all before his stuff went viral on TikTok. While he hadn't actually been working in music at the time, and his stuff was just supposed to be a creative outlet for him (kind of like how I view this blog in general) the popularity meant that he was able to focus more on music. And now he's got just short of a dozen singles, and some music videos, and is looking to hopefully get on the road soon to tour. He's a new find for me (obviously) but I instantly fell in love with this song and I think you guys will too. I foresee great things from him in the future so keep an eye out for him and check out his other stuff and his website if you're interested.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 186

Hey guys. Today's song is Hypnotized by Set It Off.

So these guys are a rock band active since 2008 with current members including Cody Carson, Maxx Danziger, and Zach DeWall. Previous members consist of Blake Howell, Benji Panico, Dan Clermont, Austin Kerr, and James Arran. While the early members all knew of each other from the local band scene while in high school, the band was started by Carson after quitting college to pursue music. He had a YouTube channel, and had been exchanging video's with All Time Low's frontman and ended up performing an All Time Low song for one of the band's shows. After that, he decided to start the band. A lot of their early popularity came thanks to Carson's channel where their fanbase grew. They released an EP in 2008 and another in 2009, followed by three singles and another EP in 2010 before getting signed. They re-released their most recent EP in 2011, which debuted in iTunes Top 100 Alternative Albums. They released their debut album in 2012, participating in the VH1 Save the Music Foundation by giving them a percentage of the album sales, as well as personally donating $5,000 to the organization. Their next album was released in 2014, followed by the band touring with a number of other groups and playing festivals before releasing another album in 2015. They released another album in 2016 before switching record labels. They co-opted a song with their fans in 2018 on YouTube, then released an album in 2019 before going on tour. Part of the tour had to be cancelled when Carson had a vocal hemorrhage requiring surgery, but they have since released an EP so I hope and assume he's doing well. I guess we'll see what's in store for them later on.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 185

Hey guys. Today's song is Sorry About Your Parents by Icon For Hire.

Icon For Hire is an American band active since 2007 and currently made up of Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump, with past members including Joshua Davis and Adam Kronshagen. The band name is satire based on the music industry, which still rings true today. They released two EP's by 2009, before Davis left the group. They were signed in 2010, releasing their debut album in 2011. They released their second album in 2013, then by 2015 decided to go independent and split from their label. Kronshagen also left the group at this time, wanting to focus more on his family. In 2016 they ran a kickstarter to fund their next album, which was released later that year. Since then they've been doing a lot of touring. They were forced to break from it for the pandemic and although they were supposed to do more touring in 2022, the cancelled only ten days in because of the economic issues in Europe and the airline misplacing their gear. I prefer the other song of theirs that I featured, but this one fits in to the other ones I've got for these couple days so it works out for me. Enjoy.

Peace.