starting fresh.

I have been writing. Nothing really monumental, not like I usually try to write. Lately, I've just been writing stories. Things that have happened to me. People I've known. Funny, life-changing, horrific. Even the mundane day-to-day occurrences that, for some reason, have merit in my memory as worthwhile. And it's been really a fantastic experience. Because while I've been writing about these events - I've been reliving them. And reliving them now, years after the fact, has allowed me to see a perspective that I couldn't before. I can see how much I have changed. Maybe more importantly, I can see how I am still exactly the same. That even though I might be physically twenty-one years old, I still think in the same voice as I did when I was fifteen. And because it's still the same voice, I can recall exactly why I felt all the things I did. And my writing, for the first time in a while, can be honest. I value that.

In my quest for peace of mind (it sounds cliche, but it has been a bit of a turbulent life for me recently), I have found solace in new music. Some of the new bands I've discovered, and their respective albums that have spoken quite honestly to me are, as follows:

Charlotte Sometimes - Waves & The Both of Us - I read an article that described this band as "Nu-Jazz Pop" which I didn't really understand, well, at all, until after I heard it. The production of the music is rather pop-oriented. Big drums, electronically enhanced (aka sound replacer baby!), airy guitars with only hints at acoustic instruments. But Charlotte (lead vocals, songwriter) has a jazzy style vocal delivery, and the changing tempos and key signatures hints at the great Jazz era. Good lyrics, nice harmonies (always a must for me), and relaxing music.

Paramore - Riot! - This is a band that, for a long time, I flat out refused to listen to. I did not like their fanbase, and therefore, could not allow myself to enjoy the same music. However, a recent track of their caught my attention. (Yes, it was "Decode" off of the Twilight Soundtrack. Shut up.) and so I went out about bought their sophomore album. And I have not stopped listening to it since I first put it in my CD player. BIG drums tones, and tight. But what caught my attention the most was Hayley Williams lyrics. They're raw, but rather eloquent at the same time. If I was a lyricist, I feel like I would write similarly to Williams.

Lenka - Lenka - If you are looking for a feel good album that doesn't allow you to frown for a moment, this is it. Her voice is so sweet, it almost sounds like sugar. Upbeat rhythms, piano driven, and really great lyric structure. This album plays like a girls-day-out. Shopping, manicures and pedicures, laughter and gossip. Best friends doing stupid girly things because life is too short not to waste all your money on clothes and shoes you don't need, but inevitably want. Thanks for being you / Thanks for being all the things / I had to say goodbye to / I'm over being lied to / I'm over being pushed into the person / that you want me to become.

So other than my creative ventures, the only other news would be that I have moved back into my old room in my parent's house. I had forgotten how vibrant the colors are in my bedroom, as you can see from the picture, they really make any photo stand out. It feels good to be back around my family, as things have been a little trying for them recently, it's nice to be around to help in any way I can. I finished the mixes on an EP that I have been working on for a little bit, and will get to mastering them, hopefully sometime today, and I will put the tracks up on my professional myspace (can anyone say oxymoron?) as soon as possible. The artist's name is Evie Ladin, and she's quite wonderful. She's been playing shows around the Bay Area recently, and I fully encourage anyone who enjoys folk music to get out and watch her play.

I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far!