Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Snoop Dogg is Born Calvin Broadus on October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California, Snoop Dogg got his nickname from his mother because she thought he looked like the character in the Peanuts cartoon. His first album, Doggystyle (1993), climbed its way to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's hip-hop and Top 200 charts, and his music and trouble with the law have kept him in the headlines ever since. In early 2012, Snoop announced that he was working for the first time on an all-reggae album, Reincarnation. Later in 2012, he announced that, in conjunction with his reggae project, he was dropping "Dogg" from his name and becoming "Snoop Lion." (He later returned to his old moniker.) He has the distinction for having the most Grammy nominations of any music artist— 17 to date — but never having won one.

Fans of the Comedy Central Roasts were pleasantly surprised at Snoop's standout performances at several of the Roasts. In particular, they noted his excellent comedic timing, his ability to improvise, and writing almost all of his own jokes, as well as being able to take a joke and the good-natured (albeit low-brow) ribbing at his expense from others on the dais.

 He was born as Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. on October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California, to Vernall Varnado, a Vietnam veteran, singer, and mail carrier, and his wife, Beverly Broadus. But Vernall left the family soon after Calvin’s birth and thus Calvin was named after his stepfather, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Sr.
 From an early age, he had a keen interest in singing, rapping and playing piano. In 1989, he graduated from the Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
 Shortly after graduating from high school, he was arrested after being found in possession of drugs and was frequently in and out of the prison for the next three years.
 During this period, he and his cousins recorded homemade tapes, calling their group ‘213’. One of his early solo freestyles over En Vogue's “Hold On” was heard by the influential producer Dr. Dre, who then invited him to an audition.

http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/snoop-dogg-2872.php 




Sunday, February 19, 2017

Sarah Reich



Sarah Reich
Tap Dancer

Growing up tap dancing, I have taken classes from numerous professional tappers. The very first time I took a class from Sarah was about four years ago. Not only is she extremely kind and welcoming, but she is truly talented at what she does. Her musicality and rhythms are mesmerizing, and her personality shines on stage. She has done a lot of work with Chloe Arnold's Syncopated Ladies, and most recently been on tour with the group Postmodern Jukebox (most known for their Youtube videos). Sarah's technical skills as a tapper are simply impeccable  and she is someone that I look to for inspiration as a tapper myself. 


Sources

This site includes all of Sarah's professional tap experiences. This includes her own company, Tap Music Project. More recently, Sarah has been teaching with (professional tapper) Melinda Sullivan as the Sole Sisters.

On this website you will be able to find all of the basic information on Sarah Reich. This includes general information like her birthday, birth place, as well as professional experiences and teaching locations. You will also find links to her social media sites.

This is Sarah Reich's official website. This is the most informative source on Sarah, with numerous photos, videos, performance history, and upcoming dates. There is also a lot of information about her history and what role she plays in the tap community.


Joey Alexander



             Having taught himself piano by age 6, Joey Alexander is the very definition of a prodigy. Joey Alexander, a young boy originally from Bali, made his debut in the United States at age 10- at which time his jazz compositions and stellar piano skills had flexed nationwide. I had heard his arrangement of "My Favorite Things" in a Starbucks, and was convinced it had been performed by a proficient pianist of at least middle age. When I learned that the boy was 11 at the time of my hearing his work, I became an instant fan. His story in itself is inspirational, but his music is in another league. He has mastered the art of jazz improvisation, which at my age I still
struggle with greatly. Overall, Joey Alexander has helped motivate me to become a better musician.


  • http://joeyalexandermusic.com/about/

This is Joey Alexander's website, which includes his biography, along with music samples and tour dates for his live performances.


  • https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/arts/music/joey-alexander-an-11-year-old-jazz-sensation-who-hardly-clears-the-pianos-sightlines.html?_r=0

This article was posted in 2015, when Alexander was only 11 years old and just making his debut in the United States.


  • http://time.com/collection-post/4518781/joey-alexander-next-generation-leaders/
This article was posted when Alexander was 13 years old, and was nominated for a grammy with his album, "My Favorite Things". In this article, he charmingly insists that he is not a genius or a prodigy, he only wants others to enjoy his music.



Gustav Klimt

                                        Gustav Klimt 

 Gustav Klimt is arguably known to be one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century. Largely influenced by Japanese art, Klimt was born in Austria and is synonymous with his erotic portrayls of the female body. He was closely involved with the Vienna Secession movement, which is evident within his work, and was often criticized for his "promiscuous" depiction of women. His work included paintings, drawings, and murals, all of which often incorporated landscapes. Klimt is most well known for his "golden phase." During this time, he created some of his most well known works, such as "The Kiss", and gained much financial success. Gustav was known to be a simple man who enjoyed the little things in life. His art and family were said to be his main priorities. Klimt has been an inspiration to me as an artist since I was a young girl. He has influenced much of my own art throughout the years. The composition of his pieces are incredible, and the colors are truly beautiful. I continue to connect and relate to his work on a personal level, no matter how old I get. 

Sources 
  • http://www.klimt.com
This is a gallery of Klimt's work, including paintings and drawings, along with a brief history of the artist. 
  • http://www.klimtgallery.org/biography.html
This source is an in depth biography of the artist, Gustav Klimt.

  • http://www.theartstory.org/artist-klimt-gustav.htm
This source consists of more detailed biographical information on Klimt, including some of his key ideas and influences as an artist. 


   "The Kiss" 
By: Gustav Klimt
1907-1908 

The Head and the Heart


The head and the Heart is an indie folk music band that I enjoy listening to on any day of the week. This band had inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn how to play it over the past couples of years because of their beautiful melodies and compelling song lyrics. The song of theirs that really hits home to me is called “Rivers and Roads.” The song reminds me to cherish the good moments that I have with friends because you never know when those moments will be gone. The Head and the Heart group was formed in Seattle, Washington after all of the band members moved there from various locations around the country and they been making music since 2009.


http://www.theheadandtheheart.com/splash?ref=https://www.google.com/ This is a link to the Head and the Heart’s official website. There you will find one of their latest songs and a list of upcoming concerts.

https://www.subpop.com/artists/the_head_and_the_heart This website has an article which explains how they got inspired to come up with the song lyrics.


 http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-head-and-the-heart-on-battling-addiction-embracing-pop-w441825 This website contains an article about one of their key band members Josiah, who is battling addiction and how its really different and weird to continue make music without him

Janis Joplin - My Hero





What Janis Joplin Means      To Me. 

After spending a lazy Sunday flipping through Netflix documentaries I stopped on a title with a women's soulful smile gleaming across the cover. The smile drew me in, and Janis' story made me love her. What made me so infatuated with Janis was she wasn't afraid to be herself. From being an outcast in high school, to being the lead singer in an all boys band during a time when girls were expected to be proper housewives; Janis never followed the norm. There is much beauty in Janis' unwillingness to conform as she set out to underground Blue's clubs as a teenager. Janis' career was so respectable because it was not built off of looks and glamour, but true talent and rigidness that made this outstanding women so unique. Janis was not going to settle being a man's housewife because she WAS THE MAN. She drank like a man, took her drugs like a man, and she swore like a man without hesitation on who she was offending. I admire her boldness and hope that one day I can acquire the kind of sexiness Janis acquired through stepping over boundaries and giving the finger to anyone who told her she couldn't do something. Somehow she still managed to keep a big and soft heart that shown through her big personality and gleaming smile. She strode through life with a heavy foot and a booming love for everyone that crossed her path. Janis is hope to me.


Articles Revealing Janis: 
The sixties version of a women did not stretch past a housewife and proper lady for substance, and Janis did not want any part of that. Janis trail blazed a path into a "man's world" armed with thick skin and a bold personality that allowed her to hang with the boys. But behind Janis's though exterior was a sad and lonely heart that Janis could not fill. 






"You look at the other people through you tears 
It's sad, so sad to be alone..." - Song, So Sad To Be Alone 
Janis did drugs to fill a space in heart. Her drug addiction and dance with heroin was because of the dragging loneliness that she felt. She would sing to a crowd of thousands of people then go home alone, the drugs lay with her at night. 



"To be true to myself, to be the person that was on the inside of me, and not play games.
That's what I am trying to do mostly in the whole world, 
Is to not bullshit myself, 
And not bullshit anyone else." 
 - Janis Joplin 
A small glimpse into the trail blazer Janis was for her time; getting a tattoo was a very taboo thing to do in the sixties, especially for a women. 




"Playing something soft while Bobby sang the blues..." - Song, Me and Bobby McGee

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Blue Stahli

(Public profile picture from http://www.methodhousestudios.com/writer/bret-blue-stahli/)

Blue Stahli is technically the name of the musical project under which Bret Autrey releases music, but 'Blue Stahli' is functionally a pseudonym for the artist himself. While his cult-following is rather small, his music is present in many popular games, TV shows, and films, including but not limited to Dead Rising 2American Horror Story, and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

His personal web page includes information about himself, his credits, as well as links to the FIXT store; FIXT is the label that publishes his music and sells merchandise. FIXT is owned and operated by Klayton.

While much of his music is instrumental, a number of his lyrical songs are commentaries on society and the media. Personal favorites include:

ULTRAnumb:
His most popular song, it discusses the modern problems of instant gratification, limitless choices, and how they lead to an over-saturated experience leaving you "ULTRAnumb", requiring evermore extreme experiences to feel the same addiction high. The link is to the music video, which I feel helps to explain the music. Except the bit with the restaurant, I'm pretty sure that's an inside joke.

Shoot Em Up:
This song attacks the media for feeding the infamy of mass shooters, giving them their moment of celebrity status and encouraging copycats to become mass shooters for the same reason. This is known as "Media Contagion", a topic upon which a number of studies have been published investigating the link.

I particularly enjoy those songs of his that bring up important issues that our culture faces. Art is a great way of communicating important topics and ideas, and it is for this reason I appreciate his music beyond simply enjoying it. The medium of music allows Bret to communicate emotion alongside the meaning of his lyrics, giving the listeners a more visceral understanding of the song.