You might recall that one of my all-time favorite videos on YouTube is Heather Traska’s “One Woman A Capella Disney Medley.” It’s quite possibly the most intricate and well put together video I’ve ever seen.
And guess what? She just released her second one! It features a lot more villains, including a quick cameo of her as Hades. If you know anything about me, you’ll know my love for Disney’s Hercules has no bounds.
Check out part two right here!
Which was your favorite part?
What I wouldn’t give to play ONE of these instruments HALF as well as she does.
Do you ever feel like some people are just too talented for their own good?
It’s been a while since I did a post in my Rising Stars series, but this is one for the history books. Thanks to Kaitlin Branch and this post, I came across the wonderful, talented, beautiful, and brilliant Lindsey Sterling.
To say I went from zero to obsessed in six seconds is an understatement.
Lindsey takes music to a whole new level. Yes, she plays the violin, but it’s fun. It’s upbeat. It isn’t classical music. It’s hip-hop and dubstep. It’s something beautifully different. Her videos are gorgeous, she’s a wonderful dancer (yes, she dances while she plays), and she’s a nerd to boot.
There’s literally no reason not to love her.
Here’s my favorite song. Yes, yes it has zombies. But I promise I like the music more than the video. (But the video is pretty flipping sweet too.)
Doesn’t that just make you want to get up and dance!?
These are original songs by Lindsey, and most of the time she plays a large part in putting together the videos too. She gets people to help her – makeup artists and directors – but she’s very hands on. Sometimes she’s even the one that edits the videos. She did this one:
I wish I had found her sooner, as she’s got a massive following and her videos hit well into the millions. And for good reason, as they’re all well done and appeal to a lot of different types of people. Plus she’s got nearly fifty of them online – including behind the scenes vids and tutorials. She’s one cool chica.
I never find a new artist and then go download their CD. I’m actually pretty picky about what I put on my iPod, and I tend to listen to the same songs I’ve listened to for years. But I bought her CD immediately. She’s just that good. And her music is perfect for writing – no words, but fun and upbeat.
I’ll leave you with a final video before I beg you to watch the rest of them and then subscribe to her YouTube channel. You won’t be sorry.
Website
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
Tour Information
Have you heard of Lindsey before? If so, what’s your favorite song? If you’re just discovering her, what do you think!?
We all get down in the dumps. Especially artists, who tend to be a bit more sensitive than other types of people. There’s very little you can do to stop that negativity before it reaches you, and sometimes you just have to bear the brunt of it.
Whenever I feel like this whole “writer thing” isn’t for me, I turn to music. In no particular order, here are five songs that make me feel awesome.
ONE. “Mean” by Taylor Swift”
For a while there I played this song every day. It wasn’t that people were kicking me while I was down or anything, but sometimes this lifestyle can be so overwhelming and disheartening. This song really picks me back up. The chorus clinches it for me, and I just like yelling it at the top of my lungs.
Favorite Lines: “You can take me down with just one single blow, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Someday I’ll be livin’ in a big old city, and all you’re ever gonna be is mean. Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me, and all you’re ever gonna be is mean.”
TWO. “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
I’ve never been in the situation that Carrie sings about in this song, but no one can deny that the music and the lyrics are just so full of energy and girl power. It gets to me every time. I may or may not sing this one at the top of my lungs too…
Favorite Lines: “I might’ve saved a little trouble for the next girl, ‘cause the next time that he cheats, oh you know it won’t be on me.”
THREE. “I’m Just Sayin’” by Karmin
The chorus in this song reminds me that we shouldn’t listen to what other people say. If we want something, we need to work for it. And if we work for it hard enough, we will get it. The rest of the song attests to this truth with Karmin’s own story of being YouTube upstarts and landing a major record deal.
Favorite Lines: “Future in my hands, gotta make it count, convince yourself it’s feasible, then there’s nothin’ else.”
FOUR. “’Till I Collapse” by Eminem
*This is a fanmade video, as there is no official one for this song*
I played this song every time I went to a meet for my high school’s track team. I threw shot put and discus, which takes a lot of agility and a lot of power. I’d play this song on repeat until it was my time to throw. Its message of self-empowerment is strong, and it made me feel strong and helped me to get in the zone and stay focused. This song always pumps me up when I listen to it.
Favorite Lines: “Sometimes you just feel tired, feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength, and just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up, and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you just wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.”
FIVE. “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor
I’m pretty sure there’s a direct ratio between epicness and volume for this song. I’m also pretty sure that the chorus could apply to anything, but to writers especially. Sometimes we get so worked up over whether or not we’re “good enough,” when we honestly just have to remember that part of it is luck, part of it is skill, but even more of it is about working hard until you make your dreams come true.
Favorite lines: “This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain, and a hundred percent reason to remember the name.”
What do you think of these songs? What are the songs that pump you up the most and remind you that you were BORN to be a writer?
It’s a little late (when am I ever on time with anything??), but I just had to share this song.
It’s a Thanksgiving tradition between me and my dad, and we can’t go a Thanksgiving without listening to it. I’m not sure how widely known the song is (I showed it to my boss who I felt SURE would have heard it before and hadn’t), so I figured I’d pass it along.
Also, my week is swamped, and I need an easy post to go up. 
“Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie
(Warning: Yes, the song is nearly 20 minutes long.)
So, what do you think? Have you heard it before? If not, did you find it funny or just really, really long?
In this series, I like to tell you about an artist or group that has caught my attention. They’re not mainstream, but they have the potential to become pretty well-known given their extraordinary level of talent. I blogged about Karmin before they hit it big, and now they’re signed with L.A. Reid and have had smash hits on the radio.
I don’t have a particularly good ear for music that is well crafted or inventive. I just know what I like. I can’t promise that any of these artists will ever make it off YouTube, but I can say that I think they should. This is just my way of spreading the word about how amazing they are.
You guys seemed pretty impressed when I posted about George Watsky, the famed “Pale Kid Raps Fast” artist. Well, I’ve got another one for you. This is a web series called Epic Rap Battles of History. They take two fictional or historical figures and pit them against each other in a rap battle. Viewers get to decide who wins and who will be featured in the next one.
The guys who put this together (their internet personas are Nice Peter and EpicLLOYD) have a slew of talented people they can call on to dress up as these famous figures. They often play the parts themselves, but when a different person is better suited, they hand the reins over with no problems. (It just so happens that George Watsky has appeared in their videos twice, as well!)
It sounds silly and farfetched (and it IS), but these are well constructed raps that are intelligently written. They take facts and phrases from these people’s lives, give the characters larger than life personalities, and pit them against each other. Not to mention all the videos are hilarious.
(It’s come to my attention that I have, uh, a very specific sense of humor. These videos are completely ridiculous and a little rude, to put it lightly. The actors swear and make fun of the people they’re playing, just FYI.)
One of the best examples to see how they incorporate language and facts about these people into a rap can be seen in this video Shakespeare versus Dr. Seuss.
Crazy, right!? Some of them are a little more farfetched than others (Genghis Khan versus the Easter Bunny, anyone?), but they’re all so well written that you can’t help but just sit at your computer and laugh.
Another favorite one of mine is Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney, which is hilarious no matter which candidate you supported.
The thing I really enjoy about ERB is that they had a random idea and went with it. They didn’t let fear or money hold them back. In fact, their first rap battle was funded on just $50. They have more money now, but the principles are still the same. They do it because they love it, and that shows.
It’s a strange comparison, I know, but I draw inspiration from these guys. Their talent and passion is obvious and that has translated into their success. (And I mean SUCCESS – most of their videos have 30+ million views.) I can only hope that one day my passion will do the same for me.
You can check out season 1 and season 2, as well as behind-the-scenes for season 1 and season 2.
So, tell me honestly – what do you guys think? Am I just really weird, or do you find these as funny as I do?
You may have seen me tweet this the other day, but I just had to make this into a post too. It’s so catchy and I’ve already listened to it at least a dozen times. (Thanks, Dad.)
It’s about two things you’d never think would go together – love and zombies.
Enjoy.
This post is a late one, but hopefully I’ll be back to my usual schedule soon.
Yesterday I told you that I went to see Karmin in concert on Saturday. It was amazing! This was just another point to add to my long list of reasons why I love this duo. If you’re unfamiliar with them, check out this post I wrote a while back for some history. If you’re lazy (and I wouldn’t blame you if you were), then all you need to know is that Karmin is made up of Amy and Nick, who got their start on YouTube and got famous covering Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now.”
Well, the day started off with sweltering temperatures. I went with my two BFFs and we wandered the grounds of the Spiedie Fest for a couple of hours. (For those of you who aren’t in the know – which is about 99.8% of the world – a “spiedie” is specially marinated chicken thrown in a hot dog bun, sub roll, or piece of bread. Pretty simple, but oh-so-delicious.) We got in line around 5:30, and the concert wasn’t supposed to start until 7:00.
So, we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally they let us in. And we waited some more.
At 7:00 on the dot, a 13 year-old-girl got up on stage and began performing. She was pretty good, but her vocals weren’t super strong. Still, she had a great stage presence and she really didn’t sound that nervous. I believe she sang original songs, because I didn’t recognize any of them. The crowd started getting restless and didn’t really respond well to her, except for clapping at the end of each song. I felt bad because we were all hot and tired and just wanted to see Karmin, which wasn’t her fault at all. But she finished out strong and got one more performance under her belt, which is all that matters.
Then we waited some more.
Apparently they were having technical difficulties because it took them over an hour to set up the equipment. I think it had to do with the mics. When they finally came on after 9:00 (they were supposed to start at 8( we were all so relieved and super excited!
They started off the concert with a brand new song. I don’t know what it was called, but it was awesome. It was another rap and I just remember thinking the lyrics were really great. Something closer to the harder raps that she does like “I Told You So.” I’ll be looking forward to getting that one.
Then they sang every song on their album, save for “Brokenhearted,” which is their biggest hit to date. At this point my one friend, who hadn’t really heard much of them before this, turned to me and said, “This just made me a fan of them.” She really, really enjoyed them and loved all of their songs. I’m going to give her my CD to download the next time I see her. I love converting people into fans of the things I love with such a passion.
Amy: “Some people say, ‘Amy, you’re hogging the spotlight. This is a duo. What about Nick?’ And I say, they’re absolutely right. There’s an awfully handsome man up here. It’s his turn to sing.”
And here’s Amy stepping to the side and letting Nick sing. These two are so adorable together.
Next, she asked who could rap to the song “Look at Me Now.” I raised my hand because I’ve practiced so hard to get most of those lyrics down. I can’t do the entire song (read: the really fast part in the middle gets me every time), but I can do a good portion of it. She asked who wanted to come up on stage and do the song with her and I promptly ducked down and out of sight. Sorry! Too shy! The girl who went up did a good job, but she was a little overwhelmed I think – and rightly so! It was a fairly big audience and those lights are bright. Amy finished out the song – flawlessly, I might add – and the girl went back to her spot in the crowd with a big grin on her face.
Next, Nick told us that he was really sorry about the wait and thanked us for being so patient while they got it figured out. In return, he asked us if we wanted an extra song…
“YEAH!!!!”
So they sang their cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass,” which is another favorite of mine.
They had us sing the beginning to their song “Brokenhearted” without any music playing, and we sounded awesome. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must’ve felt like for them to experience something like that when, just about a year ago, they were making homemade YouTube videos of themselves and posting them online.
What a rush that must be.
Amy sang “Brokenhearted” and they exited the stage, thanking us for being such good singers and promising to come back soon. I hope they do!
My friends and I scurried around to the side of the stage hoping that they’d come over and do some signings (there were no backstage passes like we were hoping there would be). And guess what? They did! They were super gracious and took pictures, hugged, and signed everything that they could. I even heard stories that their manager kept trying to usher them out of there, but Amy kept ignoring him, ha! When I got a chance to say something to Amy, I told her that they did an incredible job – she was so thankful and really appreciative of that.
Can I just say right here, right now, that I hope they never, ever change. It’s so important to me that the people in the entertainment business that I look up to are humble, gracious, kind, and appreciative of their fans. I don’t care how much talent you have – if you’re not a good person, I can’t fully support you. Too many actors and musicians and artists think they can act like they own the world when, really, we’re the ones that give them that power.
Right. Soap box.
Anyway, that was my experience meeting Amy and Nick from Karmin. It was a perfect way to end the night, especially because I got to spend it with two of my best friends. If everything goes right (read: if I bribe the right people), I might actually get to go see Karmin again in a couple of weeks.
No, I’m not obsessed. I’m just…enthusiastic.
Did you ever participate in a talent show or contest? If so, have you ever had a less than stellar crowd? Have you met any of your idols? Were you disappointed by their behavior, or were they everything you’d hope they’d be?
You’ll have to forgive me for doing a Featured Video two Fridays in a row. I’ve been suuuuper busy this week and I just can’t find time to sit down and write out the post I wanted to do for today (and do it justice).
This video has 11 million views, so there’s a good chance you’ve seen it before. If not, you’re in luck. If you have already seen it, you know that it has a high repeat value. (And just an FYI: If you don’t like the original version of the song, you’ll probably like Noah’s version. Just sayin’.)
He’s the best thing you’ve never heard. (Make sure you stick around to the very end!)
What did you think!? Do you have any foreign music you like to listen to?
