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Most recently published stories in Beat.
The Satisfying Anger of Remo Drive
My taste in music is somewhat pretentious. I listen to genres like indie, alt-rock, pop punk, punk, dream pop, etc. Which drives me to places like Spotify or to my friends to get some recommendations on what to listen to. So it's safe to say that I listen to plenty of underground stuff that not many people would know about. Bands like Joyce Manor, The Wonder Years, Real Friends, etc. So, Remo Drive is one of the many bands that I've stumbled upon—or rather, my friend just kind of posted about it on his Instagram (Thanks, Anthony!). Remo Drive is a relatively new band that was created in 2014, having only a few EP's and only one album, Greatest Hits, which was released last year as of this writing. The band has self-described themselves as emo while also incorporating indie, pop punk, punk, and post-rock.
By Jacob Harold8 years ago in Beat
The Most Basic Yet Important Singing Technique
The most important technique in singing is "singing on the breath," as Italians say it, "Il canto sul fiato." The actual concepts are not as easy as they sound. Most people think of it as "breathing before singing a phrase," which is not incorrect. Therefore, why couldn't we get the power, the clarity, the high/low notes, the timbre, or even the correct pitches that we desire in our singing?
By Cecilia Cai8 years ago in Beat
Stayed Motivated and Play Guitar
Passion for doing anything is rooted in enjoyment and fun. You must enjoy what you are doing to keep motivated. Playing the blues is no different. You need to tap into what makes it fun. Blues was the first musical genre I got into. Muddy Waters was the first musician I had heard through my dad.
By Millington Lockwood8 years ago in Beat
Give Me the Feels: Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons have been in my life for quite some time, and just like any artist, they have their fair share of deep cuts that just really give you the feelies. Love is something that makes you feel--especially the really melancholic, yearnful, depressing love songs that really rip your heart in half through the headphones. If you really want to feel the pain, here are 10 songs that will get you there...get your ice cream ready.
By Cody Deitz8 years ago in Beat
Classic Hits Are Turned into Epic Trailer Music
The standard for modern pop music usually involves some electronic beats and auto-tuned vocals. Then we have artists like J2 and Hidden Citizens who turn these pop hits into an epic score worthy of movie soundtracks. Classics such as "Lean on Me" or Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror"(which can be heard in the video above) are reproduced into what is called an epic trailer version. These epic versions have gained enough recognition to be used in promos for TV and films. Let us not forget the many views on YouTube!
By Sarah Loyd8 years ago in Beat
'Musician'
What is being a musician all about? Is it about a decent rift and killer solo? Is it about lively lyrics with penetrating meaning? Could it be as simple as being an entertainer? And where do you draw the line between someone who has music as a profession versus someone who lives music as a lifestyle? Is there a difference?
By Jessica Roberts8 years ago in Beat
Bubba Army
If you're from the Tampa Bay area, or Siri, you'll hear about the Bubba The Love Sponge Show here and there. The show mostly known for it's FCC violations, the Nedley prank calls, Bubba Clem's lawsuits, and many more. This morning show became so popular within the Tampa Bay area, that thousands of fans began to promote Bubba Army gear, and so on (like myself).
By Deborah Klinker8 years ago in Beat
Must Have: Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons have been in my life for quite some time, and they are exceptional for bringing a new sound to the alternative genre. Their accolades consist of being nominated in 2011 for Grammy's Best New Artist and then Babel winning the 2013 Grammy award for Album of the Year.
By Cody Deitz8 years ago in Beat
Rihanna
Rihanna is one the top pop/R&B artists in the world. Before she became a famous artist, she was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988 in St. Michael Parish, Barbados. She is oldest of three children of her parents Monica, who is an accountant. And her father Ronald, who is a warehouse supervisor. Rihanna's childhood wasn't always a walk in the park. Her father had struggled with drugs and alcohol, which hurt his marriage to Rihanna's mother. They divorced when Rihanna was a teenager. Throughout her childhood, Rihanna dealt with horrible headaches. She never told her friends or classmates at all about the headaches. She didn't want to be teased about it. When things became too much for Rihanna at home, she turned to music to help her with her troubles. When she came of teen years, her and two of her best friends formed a girl group and scored an audition with Evan Rodgers. He loved Rihanna and knew she had what it took to make it in the music business. It was like the other girls didn't even exist at all. So when Rihanna was 16 years old, she left Barbados to move in with Evan Rodgers and his wife to Connecticut to work on her demo. In 2005, Rihanna landed an audition for Def Jam Records, which Jay-Z is the president of now. She sang in front of Jay-Z and she was signed. A few months later, Rihanna released her first hit song "Pon De Replay," from her first debut album 'Music of the Sun.' Her song went to number two on the Billboards chart. Her first album went to number ten on the Billboards. Then, Rihanna released her second album called 'A Girl Like Me.' Two major hits came from the album. "SOS" and "Unfaithful" were her two major hits from that album. In 2007, Rihanna decided to change from teen pop star to sex symbol for her next album 'Good Girl Gone Bad.' Her most popular song from this album is "Umbrella," featuring Jay-Z. "Umbrella" won Rihanna her first Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Other hits from the album were "Shut Up and Drive" and "Don't Stop the Music." The following year, Rihanna released 'Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded' with bigger hits like "Disturbia," "Take A Bow" and "Hate That I Love You." Just when you thought she was done making hits after hits, she released her album 'Rated R' with singles like "Hard" and "Rude Boy." Her album 'Loud' became commercially popular with the hit songs "What's My Name," "Only Girl (In the World)" and "S&M." Rihanna didn't just make hits, she collaborated with other artist like Eminem ("Love the Way You Lie"), Jay-Z ("Run This Town"), Kanye West ("All Of The Lights"), and Maroon 5 ("If I Never See Your Face Again"). In 2011, Rihanna released her sixth album 'Talk That Talk' with her hit song "We Found Love" with DJ Calvin Harris. The song won her a Grammy for Best Short Form for a music video. Rihanna did make a few headlines like she had an affair with Jay-Z. She laughed it out when she heard about it. She hit headlines again when she was assaulted by Chris Brown. Rihanna became a spokesperson for domestic violence. Rihanna did date a few good looking guys. Her and LA Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp did date for a while. But the couple went their separate ways. Her Grammy winning album 'Unapologetic' had number one hits like "Diamonds" and "Stay" featuring Mikky Ekko. This album was her first album to hit number one on the billboards. She worked with Coldplay on a song called "Princess of China." And she collaborated with Eminem again on a song called 'The Monster.' Around that time she decided to star in some movies like "Battleship" and "Home." In 2014, Rihanna changed from Def Jam Records to Jay-Z's Roc Nation Records. August 2015, Rihanna announced she was going to be key adviser for The Voice's Season nine. That same year she did a collaboration with Kanye West and Beatles singer Paul McCartney on "Four Five Seconds." Another hit song she made was "Bitch Better Have My Money." Then in 2016, she released a song called "Work" with fellow rapper Drake. That song is so catchy that it will stay in your head forever. Then Rihanna decided to do more acting. She was on the show Bates Motel. And she was also in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Now she is going to be in a movie with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway called Ocean's 8. A female spin off of "Ocean's Trilogy." Rihanna is a multi-talented singer and actress. Her song "Love On The Brain" is one of the best songs she ever sang ever. It's a really powerful song. That's another song that will get in your head quickly. You will sing it in your sleep. Rihanna will always be the Barbadian Princess of the world.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
5 Notable Album Releases for 1/10/2018
It's the beginning of the year and we're past that phase where artists are afraid to release albums because they'll be in that bitter spot where they miss a lot of the top ten lists and then not be eligible for the top album lists at the end of next year. Run the Jewels in hip-hop and Zao in the metal category are examples of December releases that would have made a few more lists if they weren't released mid to late December 2016.
By Christopher Sarda8 years ago in Beat
