OH and also

I haven't really updated this in a while so the youtube i use more frequently now is youtube.com/user/justanothermusickid but i don't even really go on that one much anymore either now that there's the band one haha i go on that all the time so thats youtube.com/user/smalltownheroband so yeah, its rare for me to go on kdogg331 now haha i apologize. also, the twitter i use most is @dearyouffi_mast but i have a few but yeah and our band one is @smalltownhero94 so yeah. as always, thanks for reading this :)

wow

wow, i havent been on here in a while.. lol sorry guys, ive been on tumblr a lot lately and kinda forgot aha im still here though and well, i turned 18 in march and started school in august :)

Sex & Drugs in Music, Stupid Lyrics, Generational Opposition, "Bad Music", etc.

   Sex & drugs have always been a part of music, ever since the very beginnings of rock & roll in the early 1950's. Haven't you ever heard the phrase, "sex, drugs, and rock & roll"? haha But the thing with the early music, at least in my opinion, is that it wasn't as noticeable and they could get away with it. Like I said, sex & drugs has always been in music. But the thing with 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, even 90's, rock (and other music) is that it was more acceptable and they had the music to back it up with. Nowadays, it seems like most songs are about money, sex, drugs, parties, girls, "sex, drugs, and rock & roll". But back then, there was just as much, if not -more- of that stuff in the songs. Almost every song mentioned drugs or sex. But they had amazing guitar solos and drums and everything else. Now there is no good music to back it up. It's, mostly, all synthesized, auto tuned, a repeated loop. So now, because there is no real, solid music behind it, people are starting to say "hey wait. this song is all about sex, drugs, money. i don't like that." But it's always been that way, you're just now noticing it. Like I said, the early music had the music behind it to make it acceptable. If they didn't, people wouldn't have liked that either. But they did. So it was more acceptable.

      Also, there have always been stupid lyrics. Heck, even The Beatles had some pretty stupid lyrics. But again, they were cultural icons, and they had the music to back it up with.

      And the older generation has been disliking the younger generation's music since music began, as well, and they will continue to do so. But it's just that now it is more noticeable. If we had stayed on the track of 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's music, maybe we wouldn't now be saying that today's music sucks or complaining about the mention of "sex, drugs and rock & roll" in music. That's a hypocritical approach though because as I said, there has -always- been the mention of sex and drugs in music. So is it really fair to single out today's music as being the absolute worst & calling it shit or whatever? No, of course not. Now sure, there is a lot of music today that sucks. But there is also -A LOT- of music now that is amazing. It all depends on what you like and where you look. I happen to like pretty much everything so I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to my music. haha

    Now, this brings up another point. Music does not "suck" and there is no such thing as "bad music". You may not like it, but that doesn't make it "bad". If it was "bad", nobody would like it and they would not have made it. Someone, somewhere had to have liked it or else they wouldn't have made it, even if it was just one person. If one person likes it, it must be "good music", at least to them, because there is no "bad music". It's all just personal preferences. Now, like I said, I happen to have very eclectic taste in music so this was never really a problem for me and I actually do kind of like some modern/"pop" music. But if you're one of those people who only listens to one genre or postures up in front of their friends and pretends not to like something even when they really do, just remember it's okay to like different kinds of music and there's no such thing as "bad music".

    Maybe one day we'll go back to the music of the early days, but for now we're stuck with the music of Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, and Rebecca Black. But again, there is no such thing as "bad music." 

random post

I'd like to make a shout out to my little brother, Marc, it's his 16th birthday today!! he doesn't have a Tumblr or Twitter but 16's a pretty big year! so happy birthday bro! love ya! <3 :) 
we went out to dinner tonight for his birthday, Sam Diego's is delicious. :) still gotta figure out what to get him though, and what to get for Christmas...only 4 days away now!! haha exciting.
so yeah, that's pretty much it. Thank you for following me and happy holidays folks! :D

New Song!!

    So, I know I was trying to go in order and work backwards from the oldest to the newest songs but it's been a while and I wanted to share this one with you guys. I will go back and post some older ones later. :) haha

So this one I wrote on Sunday (10/30) and I made several improvisions and corrections right then and there, which are indicated with the line through them. I didn't completely cross the old stuff out because I wasn't quite sure I wanted to get rid of it and still aren't completely sure. And the bold is revisions made today. Also, the original idea ends when I say I hope you change and then the new begins with where I say but you probably won't, that's not indicated with a line through it. Also, I haven't quite figured out a title for it yet. But anyways, I hope you like it. :)

song:

It's no surprise to me that you hate me.                                
It's not an uncommon coincidence for my friends to.  for you not to talk to me   to ignore me
It's not a coincidence that my friends say they love me. Then go and betray me.
It's not a coincidence that nobody will talk to me this is common nature.
Cause everybody you all probably hate me by now. 
So But I'm writing this song in hopes and hoping that that will change.
I know it probably won't but I'm going to try anyways.
I don't care if you don't like me and I don't care if this song sucks cause I'm doing this for me (and no one else).
So I'm gonna keep on living and keep on writing.
I really hope you change but if you don't, that's cool too.
Cause I'm doing this for me (, I'm not trying to make you see.?) and I'll just ignore the haters.
Haters gonna hate.
Nothing can bring me down.



Sorry if that was really confusing.. haha anyways, that was my latest song. Please let me know what you think. thank you. :)

-Kelsey

My First Interview!!

I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity over the past 3 days to interview (via email), Grant Walker of the band, Halfway to Hollywood. If you don't know, Halfway to Hollywood is a relatively new Powerpop/Rock band from Vancouver, BC. Here is the interview:

Me: So, I guess you should probably introduce yourself first.. I mean, I know obviously you and Jacob, but who else is in the band besides you guys and what do they play? And then also, I'm sure people are probably curious how old you guys are and where you're all from? So do you wanna just introduce yourself real quick?? haha

Grant: I'm Grant Walker, singer/guitarist/songwriter for the band Halfway to Hollywood. If you aren't already familiar with our members they are: Brenden White (bass), Jacob Owen (Lead Guitar), Joey Levesque (Keys) and Graeme Hahn (Drums). We were all born and raised in around the Vancouver area as far as I know and range in age from 19-24. Joey is the baby of the group at 19.

Me: And then, I guess the next logical question would be, how long have you guys been a band for and how did you all meet??


Grant: We've been a band for just a few months now but Brenden and I have been playing together in various projects for a few years now. He and I recorded the Speechless EP this past spring by ourselves and happened to meet Joey around that time. He volunteered to help us out by laying down some synth and one thing lead to another and he became a full member. After we released the EP and started getting a bit of a buzz going online Jacob got in touch with us and then Graeme. I'm really stoked to be playing with a group of such fun and talented people!

Me: Oh, it was just you two, or rather three, when you released the Speechless EP?? That's kinda cool though. What was that like for you guys? Was that your first actual release??

Grant: Speechless was our first release as Halfway to Hollywood. Like I said, Brenden and I have been playing together for years but HTH is the first band we've taken seriously and had a specific creative vision for. Recording the EP ourselves was great because it allowed us to take our time and think about what we were doing which isn't always a luxury you have in a professional studio. 

Me: How would you describe your music, if you had to??

Grant: As a musician that's a question I get asked a lot, and it never really gets any easier to answer. I guess I try and write songs about different life experiences I've had and to reflect on them without taking myself too seriously. We're a pop band first and foremost so I try and keep our music as fun and positive as possible, even when dealing with darker subject matter.

Time for some fun stuff.. lol

Me: I'm sure people may wanna know what some of your favorite things are.. soo..

Favorite color?

Green

Book?

The Dharma Bums - Jack Karouac

Movie?

Koyaanisqatsi...its this crazy film from the 1980s about the influence mankind is having on the Earth...really trippy/beautiful to watch and has a cool message at the end. I'm also a big fan of Stanley Kubrick. If I had to pick something a bit lighter though I'd have to say I really like Disney movies or really anything from my childhood.

Food?

Pizza! I think that's everyone in our band's favourite actually.

Flavor of ice cream?

Strawberry Cheesecake...there is this awesome gelato place a few blocks away from our studio that makes icecream in pretty much every flavour imaginable but that's my favourite so far

Hobbie(s)/pasttime(s) or thing(s) to do when not making music?

I'm a 4th year psychology major so school takes up a lot of my time, but when I'm not busy with that or the band or my day job I like all the usual stuff...partying, hanging out with friends, camping, whatever. Pretty much anything as long as its with good people. 

Me: And of course, I have to ask this because I used to love Pokemon, especially the original show, and I feel like it makes for some pretty great conversation.

Soo.. What's your favorite Pokemon?! If you even have one.. :P haha

Grant: I think I'd have to say Charmander...he got me out of some tough jams when I used to play the game on my gameboy, and he eventually turns into Charazard who is badass. Honourary mention goes to Metapod for being super chill and just hanging out :P

Now back to the serious stuff. :P lol

Me: So, being the songwriter, where do you get the inspiration for your songs and what are some of your biggest musical influences??

Grant: It really depends on the song. I guess I tend to write based on personal experience but that doesn't necessarily mean that every one of our songs is about some specific person or thing from my life. Sometimes I'll even write songs with narratives delivered from someone else's perspective which is fun because it allows me to approach something from a more interesting angle.

Me: What are some of your favorite bands/musicians? And then albums/songs?

Grant: I've always been a huge Beatles fan and I grew up listening to a lot of my dad's classic rock records. In high school I started listening to bands like Blink, Green Day, All Time Low, Nirvana, etc and from there got into punk and metal and stuff like that. I've always had pretty eclectic musical tastes which is great for songwriting because it allows me to incorporate ideas from all over. Big albums for me would have to be Green Day's Dookie, Blink's Enema of the State and All Time Low's So Wrong It's Right. 

Me: Whats the best and worst concert you've ever been to??

Grant: I saw Green Day on the American Idiot tour in '04 and that was pretty sick, but I don't know if it was the best show I've ever seen. I go to a lot of local shows around Vancouver and those are always fun. And as for worst show ever...no comment!

Me: Was there one particular piece of music or concert or something that really influenced you or changed your life??

Grant: I can't really pick one specific moment but music has always been there for me. I didn't exactly have an easy time in high school but music played a big role in helping me figure out who I was and always gave me something to live for even when things were hard. 

Me: When did you first start playing guitar and how and when did you first decide that you wanted to be in a band and that music was what you wanted to do??

Grant: I've pretty much been playing music in some capacity for my whole life so I don't think I could pick one specific thing. One of my earliest memories is dancing around my parents bedroom to Wild Thing by the Troggs but I don't know if thats where it all started haha

Moree fun!.. lol

Me: Describe each of your bandmates with one word?

Grant:

Brenden: Intense

Jacob: Thoughtful

Joey: Sparkley

Me: Oh, I thought of some pretty good "ors".. haha

Mac or PC?

PC

Coke or Pepsi?

Coke

Snickers or Milky Way?
Snickers

Skittles or M n M's?
M&M's...especially Peanut M&M's :)

U2 or The Who?
The Who FTW

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
Beatles, hands down.

Oasis or Blur?
Blur, just because they seem like nicer guys.

Nirvana or Radiohead?
Nirvana

Do you like Coldplay and/or The Goo Goo Dolls?
Not a big Coldplay fan...love the Goos though!

What are your thoughts on Aerosmith?
Amazing band...I like their 70s stuff more than their later stuff but its all good. I'm always driving people in our band crazy by playing the "Walk This Way" riff at practice haha

Favorite kind of candy??
Screamin Sour Saucers...I think they took them off the market when they found out all that blue die was carinogenic though...

Do you like Mike n Ikes? haha
I don't think I've ever actually tried them...so sure!

Me: Okay, I'll stop with the random, probably annoying, questions now and get back to the actual interview.. haha Sorry about that..

But, umm..

Me: What are your plans for the future for Halfway to Hollywood? Are you guys gonna be releasing any new music or touring or anything like that anytime soon??

Grant: We're hoping to record an EP this winter and to release it in the Spring. In the meantime there might be a few singles though so stay tuned! Hopefully we'll be hitting the road and at least playing some shows in Western Canada before too long.

Me: And then, I guess this one's kind of the same thing but what are some of your hopes and dreams, or plans, both for the immediate future, as well as long term for the band? And where do you see, or hope to see yourself a few years from now?

Grant: If I could make a living off of music that would be amazing but I know that's a lot to ask. I guess I'd just like to see our music get to as many listeners as possible and see what happens. Apart from taking the band as far as I can I'd also like to finish my BA in Psychology and maybe apply to a few different grad schools and see what happens. But all those plans are pretty at present and the band is my top priority.

Me: And I know you guys are kind of just starting out yourselves but, do you have any advice for any other bands/musicians who may also be just starting out?

Grant: I know this is really cliched but just don't give up and keep at it no matter what anybody says. Writing and playing music are skills and anybody can learn and develop them given enough hard work. Also another cliche "believe in yourself" applies here because if you don't believe in what you're doing you can rest assured no one else will. 

And that's about it! I would like to thank Grant very much for agreeing to do this interview and for taking the time out of his day(s) to answer my questions and providing such wonderful, in depth answers. I really do appreciate it. :) Also, Halfway to Hollywood is on the social media sites too so go follow and "like" them and listen to some of their music while you're at it! :)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HalfwayToHollywood

Twitter: @HalfwaytoHolly

Follow Grant and the rest of the band too! @GrantAWalker @iuJacob @BrendenWhite and @Joeyjoyride

Thanks again Grant! :)

Oh, I forgot to tell you..

I'm in a band now. kind of.. haha As of July 22 of this year, my friend and I started a band but we haven't really done much with it, we hung out then and decided to start it but havent done much sense, at least not together.. lol We have a YouTube and Twitter and everything though. We decided to call ourselves Small Town Hero and have a YouTube and Twitter and everything though. haha The YouTube is www.youtube.com/user/SmallTownHeroband and then the Twitter is just @SmallTownHero1 you can check it out if you want to.. haha we kind of suck though but yeah, I'm in a band now. :D haha