Wednesday!

Hey everybody!!

I'm gonna try my best to post on here more often! Work really starts to pile on you once March & April hits. Can't wait until this year is over and Summer 2012 starts!!

So this summer, I made a pact with myself that I would be attending more concerts! I'm planning to see City and Colour on May 31st in Richmond and Maybe Dave Matthews Band sometime in June or July. If you've never heard of/heard the music of City and colour....well, you definitely should! It's acoustic/folk/easy-listening type of music thats amazing! Dallas Green (City and Colour) was originally a vocalist/guitarist/songwriter for the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, and has transformed into a fulltime, one-man-band. Check him out!

If you're seeing concerts this summer, share them in the comments section! I wanna hear what you guys are psyched to see!

Happy Wednesday!

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Righteous in his Ways, Wrighteous in his Music

Tyler Wright. Or as some know: the rapper named “Wrighteous”. 

            Immediately, I could tell this was an artist that has been around music for a long time. Getting his music genes from both parents, Wrighteous originally started his growth as a singer in choirs during High School.

            Tyler first started making his own music as a joke. The thoughts of the graduation song droning through his head sounded like a nightmare, and thus made his own mix of  “Good Morning” by Kanye West. Since then, the rest is history.

            Wright made it big not only with his personal music, but also with choir singing, advancing to All-State Choir.

“It’s so different. It’s something you’re not used to. They’re singing stuff from like 200-300 years ago. Hear we are in 2012 and the music is completely different. Music changes so much.”

            So where exactly does his hip-hop interest come from?

            “Rock was what got me into rap. Mike Shinoda is awesome. His lyrics –while he isn’t the most lyrical dude, he’s definitely one of the more emotional emcees I’ve ever heard.”

His mother; a jazz singer for 20 years, supported his interest in hip-hop…with some conditions.

            “ I don’t degrade women in my music. That was the one thing my mom told me. She said, ‘if you’re gonna do this, I don’t wanna hear the word ‘bitch’ I don’t wanna hear the word ‘hoe’ or any of that’.”

            Wright works hard making his music. He mixes vocal harmonies with rapping. Many people who are involved in music seem to “hate it or love it” when it comes to rappers singing or singers playing with rhythms in their music. Wrighteous mixes both. But his rapping isn’t just the typical two-to-three pitch range. Wright uses his vocal skills and gives expression to his lyrics.

            Although he was born and raised in the world of music, there was a point where he started to feel out of touch with it. He attended a community college for one year and didn’t participate in music outside of him occasionally making his own. But once he came to ODU, he told me, he couldn’t keep his distance anymore.

            “ I love it. I love it so much. I can’t see myself doing music in some way, shape or form.”

            And I think we can all thank him for sticking with it and keep our ears happy.

Check out Wrighteous under the “Artists” tab of the blog and listen to his tracks. New tracks will be available with the release of his new project "Live & Learn", due out May 12th!  If you love harmonies just as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed.

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Synique Stevens: The Guide to Creating Your Own Success

Genya Ravan, Susan Rogers, Jonell Polansky. What do these three women have in common? They are sound engineers and/or music producers. In 2010, a writer Steve Haruch for Tennessee’s Nashville Scene wrote that less than five percent of music producers were women.

Luckily for many Old Dominion University students, we have a future female producer among us: Synique Stevens.

Most women in the music industry start off as strictly singers, songwriters or backup performers. The most famous women producers were only able to acquire that job because they started as those other occupations first. They had to work their ways up to being able to produce their own albums.

Although most people would find these statistics intimidating, Synique remains confident in herself and in her abilities as a music producer. She admits that she still needs work crafting her ideas, but confidence more than 50 percent of the battle.

It’s not only her confidence that keeps her looking positive about her future, but her belief in God as well.

“I had a religious conflict within myself for a little while. But then my belief in what God gave me gave me confidence in myself. I feel worthy. I think anyone can do anything they put their mind to.”

When I asked Synique how she felt about being a woman in a male-dominated industry, she enlightened me.

“I feel like I can bring more emotion to the table. Someone can tell me what they want a track to be about, and I can portray that emotion in it. And for me, there’s just something about making music in the dark”.

Synique seems very relaxed as she sits and talks to me about her future. Being a junior in Music Production, the “future” we all put off isn’t that far away. Originally, she wanted to drop out freshman year, but then she realized the value of her education.

“I realized how much you think you know, and how much you really don’t,” she commented, “I feel like there’s always something more you can learn.”

So far, Synique has written beats for an online musician in Florida and collaborated with other student musician Darius Mines. She plans to move to a either NYC, Miami or California after she graduates to start working towards her dreams.

For right now, she interns with the ODU Wesley House, planning gigs and shows for them. She explained that she wanted to create a place where ODU students could go on-campus and listen to music from local students and performers.

 Synique also plans to further her education by learning entertainment law, an important skills needed in the music industry. Not only will her internship and her education be an upper-hand in her favor, but Synique’s drive and ambition will be the extra push to her becoming successful.

All in all, she holds many talents and gives her readers a piece of wisdom before they go:

“I wanna be inspiring while I’m aspiring. That’s the best way to describe it”.

Be sure to check out Synique and her tracks on her music page, which is posted under “Artists”.

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Don't Ever Use Internet explorer

So funny story. I thought i uploaded the bio. But i believe internet explorer stopped working before it did! I will post it once this 7:10-9:50 class is over!

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Welcome Back!

Hey readers, welcome back to the blog this week! I hope all the ODU student had a nice. relaxing and safe Spring Break this past week. I know it was definitely much-needed.

Today we feature Synique 'Godmami' Stevens for Music Monday! She's one of the first females I have interviewed for this blog, and she is one of the few female music producers! She talked to me about her ambitions and her goals as an artist, so be sure to read about her later on today!

As always, I will try to post the bio by about 3PM :)

Happy Music Monday!

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Cello Kid on the Rise!

Happy Sunday all, and happy Spring Break Day 2!

Some of you music fans may know about RAW's journey to finding naturally talented artists of all types. But some may not know that ODU's very own rapper Cameron "Cello Kid" Cloman has earned a chance to perform through this program in Washington, D.C. March 8th!

RAW provides grassroots showcase events in 21 cities all around the country, giving many artists leverage to become an act that can be recognized at higher levels of the arts industries. Cello Kid, being given a shot, just needs fans to attend the event to be given his stage time! Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Even if you aren't able to attend, you can support this ODU musician by purchasing a ticket anyways. Supporters will get a free t-shirt by Cello Kid for their donations to his dream.

The event will be held in Cafe Asia on 1710 I Street NW. Check out this link for more info!

RAW in Washington DC

And check out the page just for Cello Kid!

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Happy Spring Break!

Shout out to all the ODU readers! Spring Break has officially started! I hope everyone has a fun and SAFE spring break this year. I know we all need this break to refuel, but I also hope ya'll are spending time listening to music as well!

Speaking of listening, what are some of your favorite road trip songs?

Comment on this post if you wanna share!

Happy Saturday!

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