Since I obviously slack in the posting often department, I've decided to start something which I know will tickle my pickle enough to keep me coming back to blogger at least once a week to share something with whoever happens to read my posts.
Starting today, I'm launching the "ConnieBean Single of the Week" program. Basically, it'll go down along these lines:
Every Monday or Tuesday, depending on how the week starts (or ends), I'll post a music video or MP3 of a particular song I'm enjoying at the time to share. I figure this is the best way to generate content and indulge in something that takes up enough of my time to where I should be rationing my findings out to someone/somewhere. I'll only write a couple of sentences on the music, as I am a music enthusiast, not expert, and I'd rather just let you listen to the sound.
For the first song, I give you:
Delorean
"Stay Close"
Hailing from Barcelona, Delorean found me at the perfect time. I've been longing for Merriweather Post Pavilion pt 2 for some time now, and having been highly indulgent in repeating MPP, I went in search of more dream-pop oriented bands. What I found was Delorean, and the minute their transcendental sounds began to carry through my speakers, I was in love. Colorful and graceful, "stay close", is the band's first single off their full-length Subiza. Its sound is poetic and abstract, and their gorgeous sound is sure to crawl and infect every happy wall and corner that exists inside.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The case for Justin Bieber
Disney has been sucking the life out of me for the past 5 years or so.
Everytime a new Miley Cyrus came out with a tv series, an album, and a clothing line, all in the same month, I was forced to listen to my younger siblings belt out dried-up pop lyrics so over-produced I wondered if Disney was actually building child robots to fulfill their evil schemes to dig their hands as far into parents wallets as possible. I was also forced to be embarrassed at every checkout line when their birthdays rolled around- it's not flattering to purchase the Hannah Montana movie on a Saturday afternoon at Target. I have an image to protect.
The prepubescent slaves graced magazine covers for their wholesome ideals and cheek-to-cheek smiles that could truly melt Scourge on the coldest day the North Pole has ever seen. They're the new Olson twins, complete with guarantees you'll never see them fall out of a club at 2 am in a cocaine-induced coma. Wholesome America had a new group of, well, I'll call them "politicians".
But fact of the matter remains, no matter what heart-warming story these kids come attached with, they were brought to the top by a corporate machine which I feel uses children to cash in on the most sensitive audience who've got their hands deeper in mommy's purse than mommy herself.
And in the midst of this clean-cut adolescent celeb movement, along came Justin Bieber. The Canadian boy (literally) who resided with his single, struggling mother in Ontario was a mere 12 years of age when his mom began posting videos on Youtube of Justin playing guitar, covering radio-friendly tunes, simply to share with family. Within a few months, the buzz spread. Big time. The charm of his wispy hair, baby face, and talented vocals gained the young star thousands of views on Youtube. That's all it took for an Atlanta manager to stumble across his videos one night; and that's all it took for that manager to fly Justin and his mother to the states and sign him the very same day.
But Bieber, in one of the smartest moves of 21st century promotions, kept it grassroots. He recorded and posted more videos on Youtube. And people responded. In yet another brilliant, but simple, move, he responded back. He gave his young fans a reason to come back for more. His engagement resulted in a loyal fan base who felt that Bieber did more than just care about his young audience; he was one of them.
And although it did nothing to help the boy get signed to a label, it did garner up attention from celebs interested in collaborating with him- particularly folks like Justin Timberlake. Yeah, that's a pretty big deal for a 13 yr old Internet famous singer.
To this day, Bieber regularly interacts with his fans, responding to select tweets from his more than 2 million Twitter followers. His bubblegum music hits hard in the hearts of teenage girls- Bieber writes ballads about lust and broken homes. Subjects every teen can relate to. But, remember what I just said- HE writes them. Take that Miley, who can't even pretend to know the Jay-Z song she belts about in her hit single "Party in the USA".
He's been on just about every late night TV show, SNL, and even made his way to the White House. He's the longest running trending topic on Twitter. The kid is unavoidable.
Please don't mistake my remarks- I'm not on a mission to convert anyone, including myself, into a Justin Bieber "fan". But, with the announcement of his tour making a pit stop in Reno, and my little sister knocking on my door every five seconds to score her tickets, it's made me take a second look at the kid. And you know what- I'm impressed.
I give you this Justin- props for communication. So many of my favorite musical artists refuse to do interviews, interact, or even play shows near certain areas (particularly the areas close to me). This is the kid that was willing to put on a show at Roller Kingdom, even after he exploded. He may have a strong resemblance to Ellen, but I don't see that bothering any of the millions of tear-streaked, screaming/screeching fans of his.
He just goes to show that the Internet is a powerful tool once it's used properly. By keeping things personal, he developed a person relationship with each and every fan across the world. These girls (and maybe even boys, haha) feel like they've got a front row view into the life of someone who is just like them. And what better can a person do to secure their fame than draw positive attention to themselves through the easiest/cheapest medium there is than prove that where there is a dream, a webcam, and a browser, there can be a rise to the top.
Everytime a new Miley Cyrus came out with a tv series, an album, and a clothing line, all in the same month, I was forced to listen to my younger siblings belt out dried-up pop lyrics so over-produced I wondered if Disney was actually building child robots to fulfill their evil schemes to dig their hands as far into parents wallets as possible. I was also forced to be embarrassed at every checkout line when their birthdays rolled around- it's not flattering to purchase the Hannah Montana movie on a Saturday afternoon at Target. I have an image to protect.
The prepubescent slaves graced magazine covers for their wholesome ideals and cheek-to-cheek smiles that could truly melt Scourge on the coldest day the North Pole has ever seen. They're the new Olson twins, complete with guarantees you'll never see them fall out of a club at 2 am in a cocaine-induced coma. Wholesome America had a new group of, well, I'll call them "politicians".
But fact of the matter remains, no matter what heart-warming story these kids come attached with, they were brought to the top by a corporate machine which I feel uses children to cash in on the most sensitive audience who've got their hands deeper in mommy's purse than mommy herself.
And in the midst of this clean-cut adolescent celeb movement, along came Justin Bieber. The Canadian boy (literally) who resided with his single, struggling mother in Ontario was a mere 12 years of age when his mom began posting videos on Youtube of Justin playing guitar, covering radio-friendly tunes, simply to share with family. Within a few months, the buzz spread. Big time. The charm of his wispy hair, baby face, and talented vocals gained the young star thousands of views on Youtube. That's all it took for an Atlanta manager to stumble across his videos one night; and that's all it took for that manager to fly Justin and his mother to the states and sign him the very same day.
But Bieber, in one of the smartest moves of 21st century promotions, kept it grassroots. He recorded and posted more videos on Youtube. And people responded. In yet another brilliant, but simple, move, he responded back. He gave his young fans a reason to come back for more. His engagement resulted in a loyal fan base who felt that Bieber did more than just care about his young audience; he was one of them.
And although it did nothing to help the boy get signed to a label, it did garner up attention from celebs interested in collaborating with him- particularly folks like Justin Timberlake. Yeah, that's a pretty big deal for a 13 yr old Internet famous singer.
To this day, Bieber regularly interacts with his fans, responding to select tweets from his more than 2 million Twitter followers. His bubblegum music hits hard in the hearts of teenage girls- Bieber writes ballads about lust and broken homes. Subjects every teen can relate to. But, remember what I just said- HE writes them. Take that Miley, who can't even pretend to know the Jay-Z song she belts about in her hit single "Party in the USA".
He's been on just about every late night TV show, SNL, and even made his way to the White House. He's the longest running trending topic on Twitter. The kid is unavoidable.
Please don't mistake my remarks- I'm not on a mission to convert anyone, including myself, into a Justin Bieber "fan". But, with the announcement of his tour making a pit stop in Reno, and my little sister knocking on my door every five seconds to score her tickets, it's made me take a second look at the kid. And you know what- I'm impressed.
I give you this Justin- props for communication. So many of my favorite musical artists refuse to do interviews, interact, or even play shows near certain areas (particularly the areas close to me). This is the kid that was willing to put on a show at Roller Kingdom, even after he exploded. He may have a strong resemblance to Ellen, but I don't see that bothering any of the millions of tear-streaked, screaming/screeching fans of his.
He just goes to show that the Internet is a powerful tool once it's used properly. By keeping things personal, he developed a person relationship with each and every fan across the world. These girls (and maybe even boys, haha) feel like they've got a front row view into the life of someone who is just like them. And what better can a person do to secure their fame than draw positive attention to themselves through the easiest/cheapest medium there is than prove that where there is a dream, a webcam, and a browser, there can be a rise to the top.
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