Music Inferno

25

p. 12

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L

etter from the Editors

Music Inferno represents a collection of chaos, which is shown through our wide variety of pieces. We tried to incorporate all aspects of music into one magazine, which creates the “inferno”. Some highlights in the magazine are “What’s in the box?”, a review of Pandora radio, “How to make a garage band”, a howto with illustrations, “Why pod touch? “, a review of the iTouch, and “Underground teaching”, a peek into music enthusiast’s life. Just take a look and be captivated by the chaos!

- Music Inferno Staff

read on

The Band

Chance R. was born in Austin and started playing piano in 3rd grade and continues to this day. He later began working with computers in Kealing Middle School and caught on quickly. Experience with graphic, web, and game design was brought into his schoolwork, and grew and expanded to become hobbies. He also has experience with traditional and digital art, which can be viewed at www.raineshine. deviantart.com. He wrote “Underground Teaching” and “Crushers” for this magazine.

Sean S. was born on April 19, 1994 in Austin, Texas. He started playing that piano when he was five years old and dropped it when he started playing guitar about 6 years after. He attended KMS and learned how to edit photos. He has played tennis since he was four years old and is in the top 15 in the state. While at Kealing he also began playing the cello which he continues to play through high school at Liberal Arts and Science Academy. Check out his “Why Pod Touch?” piece on page 15.

Lambros T. was born in Austin on April 17, 1994. He is the twin of Stefan T. and the son of Yannis and Erin T. He enjoys soccer and listens to the music from time to time. He really enjoys South by Southwest and Austin City Limits music festivals. Lambros finds a lot of new underground bands when he attends these festivals and shares the music with his friends and family. He hates music piracy and has stated his stance on it on page 22. He also wrote “Revitalization”.

Jared C. was born in Austin, Texas on August 10th, 1994. He has two brothers, Jim and Jeff, and is the youngest of the three. Jared swims competitively for Lost Creek Aquatics and enjoys lots of other sports. He carries his iTouch around with him almost everywhere and mostly listens to alternative and rock music. Check out his infographic of the iTouch, which will teach you all the basic information you need to know about the iTouch with an easy to understand graphic explanation.

Features

JaredCovell

What’s that sound?

How foreign music is catching on in teens today

B

ring me the Horizon, Samy Deluxe

she said as the sound began to pour out of her head-

Hadouken, Deluxe dynamite, Digi-

phones.

talism, and Jose Stone. She briskly

scrolled through the library of her blue

her chair. She has worked for three years to find the

Then she eased her shoulders and laid back in

Ipod nano and selected her favorite band.

special combination behind her playlist. Now she has

foreign bands littered through her Ipod library and

6

“It works! I swear it helps you calm down,”

can’t get enough of them.

artists she longed for more and

focus on what she is doing or just

found new songs and albums by

to calm down. Sometimes she

year old freshman at the Liberal

them.

listens to it while she does home-

Arts and Science Academy in

Austin, Texas, is not your typical

songs by [foreign music bands]

else out and just make her think

teen who listens to mainstream

I was curious to find more songs

about the assignment. Also when

American music. Three years ago

and see if they were as good,”

she is mad she will tone out her

she found foreign music bands

Erin said.”

surroundings with her foreign

while she was watching videos

music, which helps her calm

of her favorite American bands

new beats and a different kind

down.

on YouTube. But once she found

of sound to Erin’s ipod, which

foreign music she was hooked.*

quenched her thirst for variety.

ing homework or want to make it

“I don’t understand the lyrics sometimes, but [the song] sounds cool so I like it,” Erin said.

Erin DeConcini, a fifteen

“Well I was just searching

YouTube for artists I liked and I found some interesting bands in related videos and once I listened to [foreign music] I started to like [the foreign music bands] more and more,” Erin said.

Erin, among other teens,

found interest in foreign music and the new dimension it added to her life. She didn’t hesitate to add the new bands she found on YouTube to her everyday music and soon began to expand on the bands she already had. After listening to the songs she already had from her newly discovered

“Well when I found a few

The foreign music added

work to help her block everything

“When I can’t focus on do-

Sometimes she doesn’t even un-

more enjoyable I listen to foreign

derstand the lyrics of some songs

music,” Erin said.

because they are in a different

Another fifteen year old fresh-

language, but the songs sound

man from the Liberal Arts and

cool so she likes them.

Science, Chad Lewallen, has sim-

ilar interests to Erin’s. He enjoys

“I don’t understand the

lyrics sometimes, but [the song]

foreign music and it helps him

sounds cool so I like it,” Erin

calm down and focus on tasks as

said.

well, but generally listens to it for

Foreign music helps Erin

Continued on page 35

entertainment.

7

Rev

italiz

Lamb

ros Ta

ation

T

he smell

sso ula s

of Greece’s salty sea,

the color of its olive pastures and the

fresh foods sold at the local farmer’s market. This

is what Erin Tassoulas thinks of when she listens to Cesaria Evora. This one album has penetrated her five senses and allows her to think of the culture of Greece. The 50-yearold interior designer who has traveled to the country with her Greek-born husband for almost two decades has listened to the album for almost a decade. “It never gets old and it sounds different every time,” said Tassoulas Tassoulas.

The interior designer likes to revitalize every-

thing that is around her. From her clients’ homes to the Cuban music she listens to everyday, Tassoulas does her very best to make a home a palace and a song, a hit. When she plays music at one of her parties she plays “Cesaria Evora;” a Cuban singer who has persuaded Erin to invest listening to Cuban music.

“Everybody asks who plays this music, and I get great compliments,” she said. “I have listened to the album ever since [I bought it].”

After listening to a song in a café in Sifnos, an island close to Santorini, Tassoulas

asked the cashier who the artist was. Apparently it was Cesaria Evora, and her thoughts of a friend’s taste for music soon changed. “One of my friends recommended it but I didn’t like her

8

taste of music.”

variety of instruments is also key; Tassoulas said

she enjoys the soft sounds of the piano and the

Taught by her mother in-law, she

cooks a Greek cuisine for her whole family of 6 people, including two daughters, two twin boys and one typical angry Greek husband. Tassoulas knows that if she can’t put food on the table in

drums.

“Her [Cesaria’s] vari-

“Everybody asks who ety is great-one song she has plays this music, and a guitarist and another she I get great compli- has a violinist,” Tassoulas said. “[The music is] allments” natural and with no prere-

time, a lot of empty stomachs will start growling.

corded sounds or any electronic instruments.”

Tassoulas meets the deadline by playing Cuban

music to keep her focused.

when playing Cesaria’s music at parties. She

“Whenever I cook one of my Greek mother in-

wants to spread the music and bring it to main-

law’s recipes, I play this music to imagine myself

stream Austin. Introducing this music to her

in Greece cooking with fresh foods,” Tassoulas

guests is one of her goals and she said it will allow

said.

them to appreciate a new kind of music.

Tassoulas likes to keep the volume high

Tassoulas also has also another purpose

“This is really good music and I want to

when she plays the album. She said she forgets

share it with all my friends and introduce some

about her children and her husband. Tassoulas

underground music,” Tassoulas said.

said she will hear slight murmurs from the op-

When Tassoulas plays Cesaria, she often connects

posite side of the house which are actually yells of

the rhythm and music to her designing. The col-

angry children.

ors she uses are not typical in an average house

in America. Tassoulas is inspired from the music

“She gets very into the music but then

there is the rest of the family trying to talk when

to use design from abroad, foreign nationalities.

we cannot even hear each other,” Bessie, one of

Some colors she uses are derived from Cuban

Tassoulas two daughters, said.

design.

The music is very calm, and the rhythm

Continued on Page 36

“My interior designing usually includes

repetitive, Tassoulas said, but there is more to

dramatic thresholds from room to room and

the music that makes it unique. The album is

rough colors used on flat concrete walls,” Tassou-

very romantic, with calming, melodic notes. The

las said. “It’s similar to foreign architecture.”

9

Music Memories

B

SeanSpiesman

eing a musician has made me who I am. It is an integral part of my identity.

While playing, I am able to escape into my own world where I am alone, like a

ship in deserted waters.”

Kate says tells me this while she is sitting in her room, playing the guitar on her bed. When I watch her play, she looks as if she isn’t even there; her mind is free to wonder about.

This is going to talk about how Kate has used music to help show emotion and progress in life emotionally and intellectually.

Garage Band

“Rather than show my emotions inappropriately, I am able to discuss them in music, in the dialogue in my songs and the emotions that are necessary for the creation of music do not offend others or put me in bad positions.”

By doing this, Kate, in a fashion, can say whatever she wants or do whatever she wants in her songs without anybody getting mad or noticing it more. She is also able to let out all her emotions and relieve herself by doing this. This helps her a lot when school starts to overload her with work.

“As I moved from elementary school to middle school to high school, my work load got increasingly time consuming.

bination of school and practicing music for my teachers that I never have free time.”

When I heard Kate say this I thought was it would be like if I had to practice music and never have any down time. For Kate, music is basically her free escape into free time; she can

“I am able to escape into my own world, away from home.”

While in elementary school I played only two instruments, by the time I had reached high school, I was playing four. This

create any song she likes without getting told by anybody to

doubled the time I spent practicing. It is because of the com-

go do her homework or finish up a school project.

10

Evan, her older brother is her main branch out to express her emotions to, because he is the only one that can read the music language her family. Music means a lot to Kate, it’s her haven of idea’s, it’s her reliever. Music is a way of speaking through notes and scales to give out a single emotion, and when you add these together, you get a song.

“Music. It is an art form that reflects cultures long past.

It is an art form that no audience has to be educated to understand. It is an expressive form that people can use to relate to and understand one another. It is the language of all people. It is a form of personal expression, the only one, that I understand and that I feel comfortable with. Music is my passion, an emotional outlet, and my means of connection with the rest of the world.”

Music Recorder/Player “My grandmother understands the least. She sees music as merely a pastime for me.”

Even though her grandma understands what music is for Kate, she says that the rest of her family doesn’t completely understand everything that her music means.

“A composer himself, my older brother is the family member that I feel understands the affects music has on me fully, just because he is able to directly relate; he speaks the alternative language.”

This is a picture of her quartet.

She is the on the far right.

11

d n u o r g r e d n g n i U h c a e T

M

ore than 8000 hours of recordings cover

the walls of a bright orange room in Jason’s Hooks house. But these recordings don’t carry the labels of your average MTV musician. These are Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, and many other underground artists. But what’s truly amazing is what Hook has done with his wealth of knowledge.

Hook channels his love of

underground music into Technology, Underground Music, and Society (TUMS), a class he teaches at Kealing Middle School.

“My goal is to show you ‘here is the tip of the iceberg’ and there’s this whole world out there that’s totally amazing,” Hook says.

The class itself covers various genres of underground mu-

ChanceRaine 12

sic, starting with the blues and

ending with psychedelic and the modern era.

which was a huge experience,” Hook says. “It

Throughout the class, he draws on his exten-

was a totally different form of music, as well as

sive music experience and his storytelling skills

people recorded the concerts.”

to excite students about music they’ve never

This idea, that you could record live shows,

heard of. And Hook truly has a long history

was exciting and new to Hook, and so he began

with music.

recording shows himself. Now, an entire room

“When I was about 3, I went to this garage

in his house is devoted to his recordings. This

sale in Houston, and I ended up getting this

experience is used to its fullest in his class;

stack of 45’s I wanted to buy. It ended up being

he tells stories of recording in venues that

a bunch of old funk records,” Hook says. “My

had a “no recording” policy, he describes how

dad was like, ‘You’ll never listen to this,’ but I

disgusting the floors were at some clubs, and

loved it.”

interests students in live shows. He also uses

As a teenager, he started going to concerts

“My goal is to show you ‘here is the tip of the iceberg’ and there’s this whole world out there that’s totally amazing.” of these funk bands he had listened to as a

his recordings as prizes. When a student does an excellent job on a project in his class, he lets them request a recording from an artist of their choice. He goes through his extensive collection of digital music, and burns a disk for the student. More often than not, the student receives exactly what they asked for.

Since his teenage years, he has discovered

kid. This turned him on to some of the lesser-

a lot of “out there” music from country to rap,

known musicians, and gave him motive to find

but he has a special love of a certain under-

out about new, different music. He would lie

ground music form.

in bed at night, tuning into experimental ra-

“The height of underground music is the

dio stations at the end of the dial, discovering

avant-garde or free jazz; it really challenges

bands that the average person has never heard.

your views about what western music is,” Hook

His music tastes grew as he grew older, and

says, “but this is some of the least commercially

punk rock and reggae were added to his already

successful music that there is.”

unusual musical tastes.

“1985: I saw my first Grateful Dead show,

Since these artists make so little, Hook has spent countless hours helping musicians like

13

Cecil Taylor. He believes that many of these art-

Throughout TUMS, Hook incorporates this

ists truly love making their music, and don’t feel

social idea in his curriculum. He teaches the his-

that they need to make money to be successful.

tory of underground music to his students, and

One of his most notable services was creating a

explains how Underground has shaped society.

sessionography (a database of every playing ses-

By teaching his students about history and Un-

sion of a musician) for free jazz artist Cecil Tay-

derground, he hopes that they will pass the info

lor with the help of a friend. (http://www.web-

on to other people, and get them interested in

mutations.com/ceciltaylor) He says the project

the music.

has been going for about 8 years, and they are

Hook has certainly lit many minds in the 4

still not done. Though he hasn’t received a single

years he has taught underground music. Former

penny for the project, what he has received is a

student David C., a current ninth-grader at the

web of contacts. He takes these contacts’ stories

Liberal Arts and Science Academy says “He in-

and blends them into the site to add “dimension”

troduced me to free jazz, which I really like.”

to the it. This also demonstrates an important

Comer isn’t the only student that Hook has

view of Hook’s that music has a community

strongly influenced. As Hook explains, Frank

characteristic.

Webster (an eighth-grade English teacher at

“The truest way to hear about music is

Kealing) came to him, confused, and told him

through sharing with other people,” he explains.

about several students who were writing their

“People would come to me and say, ‘You gotta

English papers about Sun House and other

check this out, this is the Madbrains or the Ken-

underground artists. Webster wanted to know

nedys’, so then I would throw it on the turn-

how these kids had learned about these musi-

table.”

cians, since they were such obscure names in the

Hook believes that there is a certain social aspect to music. You learn about it from people, he says, whether in person or by some local media,

industry. TUMS, Hook says, had given students new interests and new ideas.

“Kids were taking away an appreciation for

and then you spread it on to others. Essentially,

these very underrepresented, very under appre-

flame ignites another, and it ignites two more,

ciated forms of music,” Hook says. “It’s impor-

and soon enough everyone has been introduced

tant to pass the baton on to the next generation

to the music.

to keep that music form alive.”

14

Opinions

Why pod Touch?

S

SeanSpiesman

applications store (apps

hould you spend hundreds of dollars

store). You can play all

on the iPod Touch (iTouch)? Wheth-

types of games with the

er you’re into music, movies, or

accelerometer and the

games, iTouch is the most fun you’ve

multi Touch screen com-

ever had with an IPod or mobile device. You can

bining into one device.

simply Touch and drag to search through your

The games download

music or movies to find your entertainment. With

from the apps store have amazing 3D almost real

the iTouch you can take your movies with you in

graphics. There are limitless applications in the

a plane, car, and just about anywhere and watch

apps store, with many being added every day.

it on the compact screen. If movies and music

Some of the games are free and some are only

aren’t your thing you can go to the apps store and download tons of free and low cost games and applications.

The Apps store is also a great part of the

has built in speakers and a volume control bar

iTouch, you don’t need to have a computer to

along its side. The most amazing part of the

download your favorite games or music, and you

IPod Touch is it’s perfect 3.5 inch display Touch

can just tap the application icon and press, “BUY

screen. It’s perfect for scrolling through your music, browsing your email and watching movies.

which greatly enhances game playing.

Some of the greatest things about the iPod Touch are the applications and the vast amounts of games that you can download easily from the

other applications to find. There are great utilities

you can think of.

cially to fit right into your hand. The new iTouch

ture, which reacts to the movements you make,

$0.99. If you are not a gamer there are plenty of

for travel, news, sports, and basically anything

The design of the IPod Touch was made spe-

The accelerometer in the iTouch is a unique fea-



NOW”. The download will only take a minute or so, and one it is done downloading you can tap the application to run it. This is a great free market where anybody can develop games and bring them to you through the apps store.

You get to experience your music tunes in a whole new way with the iTouch. You can select

Continued on page 34

15

Menacing music

ChanceRaine

I

portrayals of women. What do you think rap-

every year for counselors, education programs,

sex, without addressing the moral implications.

and police to reduce these national issues. I

Meanwhile, The Motion Picture Association

have a proposition that will stop this unneces-

of America rated The Passion of Christ R for

sary spending and lower our teen crisis rates at

“sequences of graphic violence.” But would you

n the United States, the teen pregnancy

per Ludacris means in “What’s Your Fantasy,”

rate is one in three, the dropout rate is

when he raps, “We can do it in the pouring

9%, and 9.7% of youth use illicit drugs.

rain, (or) how ‘bout up in the library on top of

Taxpayers spend millions of dollars

books?” He is clearly idolizing and supporting

rather have your children hearing about Ludacris’s alleged acts of “doing it in the library,” or about the inspiring story of a man who sacrificed everything for his love of humanity? Any average American would choose the latter. But what’s scarier than this lack of censorship is that music may be more dangerous than mov-

A typical youth who listens to music the same time. We should create a legal music age, where youth under 18 would be prevented from listening to music with lyrics. And stopping children from buying it without parent approval isn’t enough.

First of all, America’s youth aren’t mature enough to listen to the matter presented by modern day musicians. Music presents the same themes that are present in R rated movies: sex, drugs, violence, and demeaning

16

ies.

Music, in fact, is as dangerous as alcohol and tobacco. According to the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), once a youth’s blood alcohol level reaches .12, he can become nauseous, at .30, he can pass out, and at .40, he could die. Another study by the AADAC reports that approximately 15% of students who smoke will get chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and over 47,000 people in America die each year from smoking, a habit that lowers the average addict’s lifespan by 15

years. The highly acclaimed Society of Music Inqui-

elementary school children according to Musi-

ry, Research and Translation (SMIRT), which has

cians Anonymous (MA). They become criminals,

won awards in the past for their notable research

get pregnant, drop out of school, and use drugs,

on how Nazis created rock music, recently came

because they are allowed to listen to dangerous

out with the following scientific conclusions. Chil-

music. Now, I personally wouldn’t have believed

dren who listen to an average of 3 hours of music

this, but I have seen the results. My coworker’s 17

a week suffer from an average loss of 3 hours of

year old was caught last Saturday drinking beer

time they could have been doing homework; chil-

and listening to loud music at a party, while my

dren who listen to approximately 8 hours can suf-

seven year old cousin won his first soccer game the

fer from up to eight hours of unproductivity; and

very same day. It seems obvious that music has

children who listen to over 25 hours need something better to do with their lives.

Our children are losing their precious time to the music, much as many people are losing their time to disease caused by smoking and alco-

“Children who listen to an average of 3 hours of music a week suffer from an average loss of 3 hours of time they could have been doing homework.”

made children commit crimes.

By implementing a legal music age, our children will be much better off in the future. They will only hear about how sex,

hol. This is time that could have been spent learn-

drugs, and violence are bad things from school and

ing about a foreign country, time that could have

their parents, and consequently, they will be able

been used to correct that last algebra test, time

to handle the unfortunate situations presented in

that could have been used to edit an English paper

the songs by the time they reach the required age.

due at the end of the year. But they are robbed of

Never once have I listened to this horrendous mu-

this time by music. You don’t see the government

sic, and consequently, I have never had sex, done

letting children buy cigarettes and beer, so why

drugs, or committed a violent act in my 42 years on

should Congress let them buy dangerous music?

Earth. In fact, I have never I would dare to say that

And the negative effects of music are proven.

my own experience clearly shows that my proposed

Teenagers who listen to the musicians’ said acts of

method is effective on all fronts.

having sex, doing drugs, and committing violent

Of course, there will be an outcry at this idea,

acts are more likely to end up in jail than normal

as there has been in the past. All new regulations

Continued on Page 34

17

Time - Time can be adjusted in the settings on the iTouch Wifi Signal Strength If you are connected to wifi the strength of the signal is represented by the number of waves showing Basic Applications These are the apps that are standard for the iTouch. There is also a few more not shown such as app store. Settings is where you change any basic settings such as brightness Normal control bar You can access music, movies, and photos that have been uploaded onto the Itouch or connect to iTunes and buy new music and movies

Return button - Returns user to homepage and if pressed twice will return user to first homepage (first hompage is being displayed)

18

The iT

A revolutionary wa

Front

Battery life

Wifi antenna (allows wifi sign to pass through the receptor ins with less interfe ence)

Number of homepages Each dot represents a homepage, you can ha up to 9

Hard drive spa currently you ca an Itouch with 8 16gb, or 32gb o drive space

Headphone

Headphone jack

Touch:

ay to listen to music

Back

Side

Volume Adjuster Up

nals h to side er-

Volume Adjuster Down

ave

ace an get 8gb, of hard

Speaker and cable connector socket This is where the usb cable that comes with the iTouch connects and also on the iTouch 2nd generation it is a speaker that will play if you don’t have headphones in

es

e

Sleep/Wake On/Off Button

Apple company logo

JaredCovell

19

What’s in the box?

Pandora Radio Review

JaredCovell

andora’s homepage makes a bold statement; “It’s a new kind of radio – stations that play only music you like.” Luckily Pandora is able to support their statement with a fantastic and innovative way to listen to your music and I think that it is a great source of entertainment.

20

Pandora is a physical portrait of the Music

begin to play shortly after making the station and

Genome Project, which was started in January

the album cover will show with a small bar along

of 2000 with the intent of capturing music at the

the bottom slowly filling to track the progress of

fundamental level. It is a constantly updated da-

the song. Also there is a thumbs up and a thumbs

tabase filled with information about thousands of

down, which signify what a thumbs up or down in

songs. Each song is described with 400 different

real life would, good or bad. Using these buttons

attributes and a complex mathematical algorithm

configures the station just how the user likes it

is used to organize them. Pandora uses the Music

with songs that interest him/her. Also there is an

Genome Project, by finding songs with similar

options button that will bring up a few simple op-

attributes to play songs on the stations listeners

tions that allow the users to book mark the song

create, instead of finding songs from artists in the

he/she is listening to, buying it, getting an expla-

same genre who play similar music. This gives

nation of why Pandora chose a particular song,

users a more accurate range of songs that fit the

moving the song to a different station, and not

specified limits he/she put on their station versus

playing the song for a month. All of these features

websites like Last.fm that use the second method

join forming a user-friendly interface.

and do not perform as well as Pandora. For ex-

ample when I typed in the Beatles on Pandora,

lems that arise while using Pandora or some

the station began to play Mrs. Robinson by Simon

confusion on how to use certain features. This is

and Garfunkel and while listening to the Beatles

why the creators made a large help section with

on Last.fm this artist did not appear once and

an extensive faq that can solve any problem that

is not in the similar artists list. Pandora played

arises with Pandora without a doubt. I have had

every artist in the Last.fm similar artist section

some problems with Pandora, like long load times

for the beatles and more so this shows a more

or I wanted a better explanation of how Pandora

advanced method of finding music.

works, I have found in the help section along with

every little detail and even extra things I found

Getting started with Pandora only takes

Well of course there might be some prob-

about five minutes and using Pandora only re-

interesting.

quires a decent Internet connection and a work-

ing email address. After navigating through

ing because it doesn’t play exactly the specific

creating an account the next step will be making

songs they want to hear, but instead songs simi-

a station based on any artist or song. Music will

lar and most the time from different artists. Also

Users might think that Pandora is irritat-

Continued on page 36

21

!

Its stealing

LambrosTassoulas

h

at

!

N

at ter m o w

ed. The Recording Industry Association of America reports that out of the thousands of new titles released each year by major labels, fewer than 10 percent are profitable because of the amount of illegal downloads made by the titles’ listeners.

The purpose of buying theses songs is to promote the band and keep its career prosperous and long lasting. But to betray the artist and download shared music just promotes the exact opposite.

M

In fact, the RIAA has found that their sales have usic sharing and download-

fallen by 26 percent in the past year due to more

ing pirated music has be-

and more subscribers to illegal pirated music.

come more popular over the

Music piracy also affects the user. When some-

years and the music pirating

one downloads shared music, he might get more

community has become a little less than a third

than just music. 20 percent of the music pirates

of the Internet user population. Unfortunately,

out there are susceptible to pornographic art or

bands that have tight budgets or have just made

viruses from a survey conducted by the National

their first album are threatened by fans who

Computer Center. The user is in risk when he

download illegally. The music industry has been

chooses to download pirated music. Stealing

a declining industry losing 7 billion dollars as of

music also comes with a price, a price far greater

last year (39-32). The music industry has already

than buying the music legally. The RIAA can sue

lost 13 billion dollars from music piracy, which

for up to $150,000 per song illegally downloaded.

has hindered job growth and music expansion

Over 20,000 music fans have been sued by the

ever since the music industry started.

RIAA since late 2008.

I think that music piracy should be abolished and

To all music pirates out there, you all probably

that people should lose these illegal habits.

think that your downloading doesn’t hurt the

When someone downloads shared music from

artist. The artists sell you their product in return

Lime Wire or from Ares, they betray their favorite

they get nothing when you pirate music. That is

bands, and everyone who helped to get it record-

stealing period and if you think differently than

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Continued on Page 37

Extras

Make Your Music!

SeanSpiesman

1

The first thing you have to do is think of an emotion that you want to express through your music. (Sadness, Happieness, Love, etc...)

3

After this you want to come up with a beat. Fast beats are for dancing or happy songs. If you change want to make an angry song, just change the song to minor.

Slow and meduim beats are usually for happy and love songs. So just choose one that fits what your feeling.

2

The next thing you want to do is find the correct scale to use for your emotion. Examples Happy - Basically any Major scale, usually

C&G Sad - Usually a Minor scale C and B minor Love - Usually Major scale C, G and D Mysterious - Major or Minor C, D, and A.

4

Now you need to combine all of your parts together and you get your song! You can add vocals to your song if you want but that is not in this How To.

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H o w To M a k e a . . . . .

Guitar Amplifier Mini Fridge The amplifer The mini fridge takes the sounds serves cold drinks from the guitar to the band and and makes them comforts them louder - $330 - $160 Kenmore& Fender& zzounds.

Sears com

GAR

Microphone The microphone allows the vocalist to expand his sound and to record it. The sound from the microphone goes to the preamp and then to the speakers -$100 Shure@ zzounds.com Multi Powerstrip The powerstrip helps out to expand one power outlet to many power outlets.

-$10 Woods@Ace

Guitar and Stand A guitar plays a key role in the band.The guitar stands are key for organization and for a place to put the guitar.

Guitar-$1.3k Fender@ zzounds.com Stand-$50 Warwick@ zzounds.com

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Microphone pre-amp The pre-amp amplifies the sound from the microphone and sends it to the speakers. The preamp also modifies the sound to perfect it -$100 ART@ zzounds.com

Speakers The speakers produce the sound received from the micorphone $350 Behringer@ zzounds.com

RAGE BAND

-

-

Lambros Tassoulas White Board The white board allows the band to write down ideas and lyrics - $50 Foray@ officedepot.com

Cheap Couch The couch gives a place for the band to rest and be comforted. A comfortable band is a successful band -$170 Basic Futon@ afforablefutons.com

Rug A cheap rug gives comfort to the band and gives space for fragile objects especially on hard concrete floors-$90 Basquetweave@overstock.com

Drum Set The drum set produces a unique sound using cymbals and drums -$400 DDrum@ zzounds.com

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Portable

The heaphones weigh very little for their lare size. They fold physically in half and each speaker then rotates up to make travel easy and safe.

C

Powerful

Skullcrushers are unique because they utilize subwoofers, which are generally only found in non portable sound systems. Although it makes the headphones larger, you can feel the headphones shaking to the beat, and lets you get into your tunes. You won’t be listening to your Beethoven owith these Heapones.

With sen hea pun high rejo

Comfortable

The phones are covered with foam that keeps the music in and the outside noise out. more foam protects the inner workings of the headphones, making them more long-lived.

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Purc

To Purchase the Skullcandy www.skullcandy.com and purch different styles with illustrated d you can get older versions at a T They don’t have the nice des

Crushers

ChanceRaine

Skullcandy’s Skullcrusher Headphones will rock you...

LITERALLY

Customizable

How much bass is right for you? With the subwoofer adjustment system, you can have as little or as much vibration as you want. It takes one AA battery to run.

Loud

h a 30mm speaker, and nsitivity of 99dB, these adphones pack a mighty nch. They can reach very h volumes, so metal fans oice, these are for you.

chasing

y Skullcrushers, you can go to hase them for $70. They come in 3 designs. For a cheaper alternative, Tuesday Morning near you for $30. sign, but they are much cheaper.

Versatile

The Skullcrushers come with two extra adapter plugs. One can be used for jamming an airplane, and one so you can rock on keyboards or electric guitars without disturbing others.

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Blackout News: Hurricane Style LambrosTassoulas

Excerpt of “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan

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5

Bands C

hanceRaine

Instrumental bands often have little coverage by the media, but these five artists deserve recognition

1

ES Posthumous

2

Formed in 2000 by brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten

These brothers’ music is based off roman philosophy that music should be a balance of opposites, which is accomplished with a mixture of symphonic and electronic sounds. Look for their song “Pompeii”.

RJD2

started in 1993 by Ramble John (RJ) Krohn

RJD2 is a DJ who incorporates instruments he plays and his singing into his music. This creates a unique style, but he considers himself as part of the rap genre. Look for his tracks “ghostwriter” and “Final Fronteir”

Little People

3

First album put out in 2006 by Laurent Clerc Little is known about little people, but his album title “Mickey Mouse Operation” describes his music. It is fun and new, and each song introduces a catchy beat. Look for the songs “Moon” and “Start Shootin”.

:Wumpscut:

started in 1991 by Rudolf Ratzinger This German band combines the industrial genre with instrumental and mixtapes, which results in a disturbing experience. Some songs incorporate distorted samples from movies, the most notably being Soylent Green. Look for “Wreath of Barbs” and “War”.

Rob Dougan

Started Dj-ing around 1990, and put his first single in 1994

Rob Dougan is one of the better known instrumental artists, from the appearance of “Clubbed to Death” in the Matrix. He uses his own haunting singing in his songs to add to the effect. Another song to look for is “Furious Angels”.

4

5

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JaredCovell

Elvis Presley Quiz Think you know the King of Rock N’ Roll?

Then take this quiz and find out.

The questions are split into two sections: life and music. Life questions are all about Elvis’s life and music is all about Elvis’s music and related topics to music.

Life

Music

1. What year was Elvis born?

1. What year did Elvis get his first guitar?

2. Where was Elvis born?

2. Instead of his first guitar what did Elvis want?

3. What year did Elvis graduate high school?

4. What year did Elvis move to Memphis, Tennessee?

5. What year did Elvis marry his wife?

6. What was Elvis’s wife’s name?

7. What was the name of Elvis’s only child?

8. What year did Elvis divorce his wife?

9. What year did Elvis die?

10. How many successful films did Elvis star in?

Quiz answers on page 36

30

3. What song awarded Elvis his first gold record (over 1 million sold)?

4. What is the number of Elvis fan clubs worldwide?

5. How many Elvis records were sold worldwide?

6. How many times was Elvis nominated for a grammy?

7. How many times did Elvis win a grammy?

8. What year did Elvis release his first album?

9. What is the number of Elvis’s songs that hit #1 on the billboard charts?

10. What year did Elvis relase his first song?

photo credit: http://www.sweetestkitchen.com

Elvis’s favorite sandwich was the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich with french toast

Elvis’s home in Graceland is the second most visited home in America, behind the White House.

Pepsi was Elvis’s favorite drink.

More people around the world watched Elvis’s concert Aloha from Hawaii than the first man, Neil Armstrong, walking on the moon.

Elvis earned his black belt in karate in 1960.

Elvis’s favorite sport was football and his close second was raquet ball.

photo credit: http://chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/?page_id=2

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SeanSpiesman

Chris John Martin is an english song singer/writer, he is also the lead vocalist in the band Coldplay. He was born March 2, 1977. He was the oldest of the five children in his family. His father was an accountant and his mother was a music teacher. He palys the guitar, paino, mandolin, clarinet, and harmonica. When they were studying at UCL, he met Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Guy Berryman. In 1997 they formed a rock group known as Coldplay. Chris Matrin has also collaborated with many other bands such as Ron Sexsmith, Faultline, The Streets, and Ian McCullock.

Jonny Buckland was born September 11, 1977 in Islington, London. He was encouraged to play music by his older brother who was a fan of My Bloody Valentine. He began playing the guitar when he was eleven. He kept playing on because of his great musical influences. Jimi Hendrix He went on to UCL to study astronomy and mathematics where he also helped form the band Coldplay. Currently he lives in London with his girlfriend, Chloe Lee-Evans. They have a daughter, Violet, who was born on November 3, 2007.

William Champion was born on July 31, 1978 in Southampton, England. His father was a professor of archaeology at the University of Southampton. While growing up his main musical influences were Tom Waits and traditional Irish fold music.

While growing up he originally played the guitar but them slowly changed to the drums. He can play the drums, vocals, paino, violin, guitar and bass. When he was growing up he joined a band called Fat Hamster which didn’t last very long. He then went to UCL to study anthropology, where he helped form Coldplay. Before college he had very little experience playing the drums, he learned them in under a year and now plays fulltime duities with Coldplay.

Guy Rupert Berryman is the bassist in the band Coldplay. He was born on April 12, 1978 in Kirkcaldy, Scottland. While Berryman was starting and engineering degree at UCL, he somehow heard one of Chris Martins songs, he then demanded to be put in the band, which then consisted of Chris Martin and his best friend Jonny Buckland. He then dropped his engineering degree and went on to play with Coldplay. Berryman plays the bass guitar, electronic paino, vocals, drums, and the madolin. In 2004 he married his Joanna Briston and their daughter Nico was born on September 17, 2006.

32

Coldplay Word Search

33

Continued from “Why Pod Touch?” songs and create play lists on the go. If you are

mobile devices of the century. It presents an ac-

listening to a song and would like to hear more

cessible world of complexity at your fingertips

tracks that sound great with it, the Genius tool

with an intuitive interface, and it’s light years

will automatically make the selection for you,

ahead of other mobile music players. It becomes a

which brings a little artificial intelligence to the

part of your everyday life. I think that it deserves

palm of your hand.

five platinum stars

With the built in WiFi on the iTouch you have the world at your fingertips, you can search the internet in the palm of you hand. Also there is a permanent application for your email, which will check your email automatically, with your IPod email you can download documents and look at pictures like you would with a computer. The iTouch can easily access Youtube to see the most popular videos around.

Maps on the iTouch are also another great feature. While on a Wifi network, you can use Maps to find your location and get directions from place to place, you can even get directions from where you are to a selected place, or find directions to new destinations like restaurants or parks. Oh and did I mention that the iTouch has a great photo album for sharing pictures with your friends and family?

Why not buy the iTouch? It costs a lot more than basic MP3 players (but it can do so much more). Some people find that it has so many functions that it is overwhelming, but I find it engaging.

Overall I believe that the iTouch is one of the

34

Continued from “Music Limits” on dangerous substances have been put in place, people have complained. When marijuana was officially made illegal in 1937, it was widely criticized.

When the drinking age was changed from 18 to 21 in 1984, there were protests and disobedience. But the outcomes have been positive in each case. And these teens will have to go through withdrawal just like the drug users. And just like drug users, the outcome will improve their lives. Although the transition period will be difficult for law enforcement, we have to look to the future and all the positive effects that will come from the limit.

We want to create the best lives for our children that we can. And this risky music is not the way. We want them to be safe, smart, and able to enjoy their time on this earth as God’s creations, not as sick, corrupted, immoral cretins. Lobby to have a legal music age today and log onto www.godhatesmusic.com to download the promotional song and ringtone for the movement.

Continued from “What’s That Sound?”

“It is fun to listen to [foreign bands’] accents

Chad. When he sees members of one of the foreign

and the beats are pretty cool too,” Chad said.

bands he likes, wearing bright things, big shoes,

and tight pants he is influenced to do the same

Chad found foreign music bands in a simi-

lar way that Erin did. He was on Myspace and

because it is cool in his eyes.

searched through his friends’ profiles and found

“Part of the reason I started wear-

songs that his friends had posted in their profiles

ing tight jeans and bright shirts was because I saw

and listened to them. The other way he found mu-

guys in [foreign music] bands doing it,” he said.

sic was from his brother who would just show him

Erin also is interested in doing certain

new music. One day Chad was searching a friend’s

things since she listens to foreign music. Part of the

profile and under top music he saw the artist

reason she listens to German rap (one of the many

Hadouken so he decided to listen. Hadouken was

genres Erin listens to) is because she is interested

an instant hit for Chad and shortly after he heard

in visiting Germany. She says it would be a new ex-

the first song he was downloading it for Ipod so he

perience that would be entertaining like the music

could listen to them daily. This incident was what

the bands in Germany make.

really got him going into foreign music artists.*

“I was just looking around Myspace on my

friends’ profiles and found an artist that looked

“Listening to [German rap] really makes me want to visit Germany some day and that’s part of the reason I listen to [German rap],” Erin said.

cool and that’s how [listening to foreign music]

Sometimes Chad is really influenced to do

started for me,” Chad said.

things because of the foreign music and the lyrics

and beats that they have. At times foreign music

Chad thinks that bands in America have

friendships with people in foreign bands so their

influences him to go out and party or to just to do

music is similar, which is part of the reason he is

more introverted activities.

entertained by foreign artists. Since the foreign

bands make music similar to the bands he already

bad before, but sometimes I just want to sit on my

likes in America, he grew a liking to them.

chair at home and listen to [foreign music],” Chad

said.

“I already liked [the American bands] and

the foreign bands made very similar music so I liked them too,” Chad said.

Foreign music also instilled other interests in

“It has made me want to go to a rave really

Both Erin and Chad think that foreign music

isn’t better than American music, but it is different so the variety makes it entertaining. Sometimes

35

Continued from “Revitalization”

Cesaria has been a big influence on Tassoulas

and has stimulated part of Tassoulas’ life as well. The music allows her to multi-task, from her imagination

Quiz Answers

to the work she does best.

Life

“Whenever I play this music it always brings me back

1. 1935 2. Tupelo, Mississippi 3. 1953 4. 1948 5. 1967 6. Priscilla 7. Lisa Marie 8. 1973 9. 1977 10. 33

to Greece,” Tassoulas said. “All the memories and paradise.”

If you are interested in buying Cesaria’s al-

bum or song, go to iTunes and type in the keywords “Cesaria Evora”. If you want an album, try her Greatest Hits album. The album has all her greatest hits including Sodade, a well known favorite. For more

Music

1. 1946 2. a rifle 3. Heartbreak Hotel 4. 625 5. over a billion 6. 14 7. 3 8. 1956 9. 18 10. 1954

information, visit http://www.cesaria-evora.com.

Continued from “What’s In The Box?” there is no “play-back” button so if a song is played

hear it again. Also there might be some frustration

that the user likes then he/she is not able to play it

by the inability to skip more then six songs in an

back to their heart’s content and instead are at the

hour, but really since users are allowed to create up

mercy of what the station gives them. These things

to 100 stations so if a station isn’t satisfying what he/

might sound tiresome and annoying at times, but

she wants at that very moment they can just make

they actually have positive effects. Since there is no

another one that they think will please them.

option to play back the same song over and over

again forcing users to explore new music, which in

to more music like the Killers, Coldplay, and much

Pandora’s case usually finds users new artists and

more so I am sure it can do the same for you. Also it

songs that the user will like and buy for their mp3

is free so you have everything to gain and nothing to

player or IPod. Also since it doesn’t play the specific

lose. If you don’t plan on already opening the site af-

songs listeners are looking for and similar songs

ter reading this, I urge you to just try Pandora once.

instead users are again forced to expand their range

You won’t be disappointed.

and accept new artists. If it doesn’t work out and the

Pandora’s website – www.Pandora.com

song isn’t what a user wants, he/she can skip to the

You can also get Pandora on the IPhone and ITouch

next and click the thumbs down button so they don’t

as well as on some cell phones.

36

This site has already helped me open my eyes

Continued from “It’s Stealing, No Matter What”

Continued from “What’s in the Box?”

that is very selfish of you. These are people

Chad and Erin look around for not main-

with jobs and play for a living. They are not

stream music because they just want some-

any different except their popularity. There

thing new to listen to. But they said they still

is no justification that you should steal from

enjoy mainstream and regular American mu-

an artist and not from an ordinary working

sic and it helped them explore and find these

person.

new genres. The different type of music is

important to Chad and Erin because it helps

To stop music piracy we should en-

force the law with greater force. Lime Wire

them get into a certain mood and it adds

and Ares and other media sharing programs

more variety to their life.

must be shutdown or carefully monitored to

see if there is any piracy in the media traffic.

ter than American music, but I am weird and

Music files need to be created so that there is

I like foreign music,” Erin said.

“I think that [foreign] music isn’t bet-

only one copy per file. But in order to obliterate music piracy completely, the individual will have to decide what is right and what is wrong. Artists need our help and it is our duty to abolish music piracy.

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