Local Music Artists

"Local Music Artists" may, at times, receive a negative connotation, marking a band with a stigma which they have to overcome each and every time they take the stage, to prove they're not just a bunch of kids {or man children} who think they can be the next Dave Grohl or Brett Michaels because they can hold a 6-string.

It's drive, commitment, and tenacity, in addition to talent, which set the up-and-coming bands apart from the dreamers. True, you gotta believe to succeed, as they saying goes, but the gumption behind the prolific dreams takes it the next level.

I know, I know...I've gushed and bragged about my buds in Small Town Titans, but they're not the only ones. When it comes to music, I like what I like, and sometimes, after seeing a favorite artist take stage, they slowly recess into the smorgasbord of other music on my iTunes with me still appreciating their music but feeling they're much better off in a studio.

What prompted these feels and elaborate thoughts was a man by the name of Ron Pope, an artist from Nashville. His music gives me chills...his crooning and sweet melodies touch the romantic side of my soul, appealing to those memories associated with love in all her glory: the ups and downs; the warm, fuzzy feelings; and the heartache from heartbreak.

His most recent album, Ron Pope and the Nighthawks, is available here at Pledge Music, a wonderful site devoted to artists supporting themselves with only the 3 F's: friends, family, and fans. Hello, signed CD coming to my door shortly! >Okay, fan-gurrrrrling a little because I've been following him for a few years and I received a PM via Twitter from him ERMAHGERD<

While this may be a slight plug for Mr. Pope {and STT, sorry}, the real focus is local music. While local may not refer to simply your hometown, it's a broader term, looking at those artists who are pretty dang talented without the frou-frou garbage added by record lables {okay, I'm guilty of listening to it, too, Confident, anyone??}.

Mainstream Pop and Punk is pretty epic, but it's the small-town artists for whom I go a little wild....in a sense, rooting for the underdogs while they're paving the way to where they want to be, which may not be triple-platinum or millions in $$.

Leaving a few gems here....

>also geeking out over what little I've retained on my lessons of HTML<

Winding down from pre-Thanksgiving

Boo, it wasn't pay week.

On the plus side, after a semi-hellishly busy week, I came home to find a lovely letter from my favorite gingey in the mail. Heidi letters have become something to which I highly look forward to receiving in the mail as they always seem to arrive juuuuust as I need them aka when I've had a bad night or ready to collapse from exhaustion....or low blood sugar.

Busy day calls for no pants.
{Leggings are not truly pants}

Despite the near-fainting spells at work {that means I'm working hard, doesn't it??}, I feel this past week has been a productive one. Have you ever felt so busy that the hours seem to simply float past, one thing after another, yet it would be damn near impossible to rattle off a laundry list of all that was accomplished because there was SO MUCH done?

I actually styled my hair for once this week!

Now, I simply have to relearn my body so as to avoid fainting in an elevator....hurrah for these strong, lean arms to hold onto and large pieces of equipment which can bear my weight as I feel my vision tunneling and my body collapsing, internally feeling as though the whole world is caving in...

My mum, sis, and Superman have told me I should see a doctor {I know, I should} but I'm as stubborn as an grown-ass man - *hint, hint* I don't go to the doctor's unless I'm at death's door and even then it's debatable. Stress will slowly subside, I hope, and with adequate sleep {and kitty snuggles}, I'll be back up and running in tip-top shape.

On the plus side, I managed to look semi-okay this week...or not. You be the {hopefully gentle} judge of that.

In these frames, I wanted to show off the BA Obi-wan Kenobi lightsaber umbrella Tree had given me for my birthday - wrapped up in wrapping paper which resembled tree bark, no less. This Jedi Master felt pretty darn loved by all of her friends and family for her birthday, even weeks after the fact. Maybe people still like me at 23 despite what Blink-182 thinks....and if not, well, haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Potatoes gonna potate, tate, tate, tate, tate.

Wrapping up my week with a still of geekdom heaven: putting together my sister's new independence, one electronic element at a time. Surrounded by cables and parts, I could totally appreciate the giddiness and happiness experienced by Lovely when he's putting together a new gadget....

And that's a wrap. But after leaving here, check out Alessia Cara because she's pretty dang fabulous. Here describes how I have often felt at a party - awkward and very much an outsider and ready to hightail it out of there to go have my own party.