Too Shabby

"Too Shabby" is the third full length album released by West Virginia punk rock band Rozwell Kid. This album clearly takes a lot of influence from older punk rock acts such as Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, and The Get Up Kids. Weezer seemingly being the most influential of these bands Rozwell kid is often touted as a modern day iteration of the band. Their sound is incredibly distinct due to impressive guitar playing from lead guitarist and singer Jordan Hudkins. Hudkins is able to show off his guitar skills while also maintaining a catchy melody bringing the whole sound together.

Another distinct aspect of this band is their less than serious sound, vocals at times become what some might consider lazy but these moments give this band character that other acts are lacking. This character that the band is seemingly portraying also makes its way into live performances.
Rozwell Kid put on some of the most energetic live performances that I have ever seen, they maintain this energy and charisma while also playing each song perfectly.

The highlights of this album in my opinion are tracks "Sick Jackets", and "Weirdo". Sick Jackets opens with an explosive guitar riff complimented by powerful drums and followed instantly by a hooking vocal melody from Hudkins. Here the band shows their less than serious nature with the title coming into the chorus with the line "At least we have sick jackets".

"Weirdo" opens similarly and begins with a deviously catchy guitar riff before allowing Jordan Hudkins and bassist Devin Donnelly to grab listeners attention with strong vocal harmonies. Rozwell kid on this song has seemingly mastered the idea of using simple song structure combined with their distinct style to create a fantastic song. Lyrically this band does not try to be deep or reach for more meaning than they are capable of instead they keep their ideas simple and still manage to get a point across.

"I say I'm sorry when I'm helping you out 

I don't know 

I say I'm sorry when I open the door 

I don't know

Keep all the girls inside 

cause I'm a weirdo"

Although this verse is worded simply and involves the writer himself saying "I don't know" multiple times it still manages to paint an image of what every day life is like for him. The way I read this is that the author feels uncomfortable around other people in particular around girls. The author does not know why they feel this way or why they are constantly apologizing when being polite.
Wording lyrics simply has a nice way of making the listener feel an easy connection to a song. Rozwell kid takes the idea that not every song has to be a lyrical masterpiece and uses this to create simple verses that are still easily related to and enjoyable.

Overall, this album is a fun catchy piece of music that will be sure to catch your ear right away. While they are not reinventing the genre or even their own sound, Rozwell Kid has managed to make a genre that has been played many times before feel like their own. Because of this Rozwell Kid is an essential band to follow in the coming years for anyone who enjoys this style of music.

works cited / notes

1) Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five. New York, New York: Dell Publishing, 1991. 215. Print. 

2) "Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (2000): n.pag. Literature
 Sources from Gale. Web. 25 March 2013.

3) Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. "Who Am I This Time?" Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

4) Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. "Read Kurt Vonnegut’s Early Short Story “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”." Biblioklept. N.p., 03 Mar. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017.

5) Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Full Text of "Harrison Bergeron (& Activity)". N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was born in 1922 in Indiana. He briefly attended college as a chemistry major before dropping out and enlisting in the army. During his time in the army he was captured as a prisoner of war and brought to Dresden, Germany. He was present during the firebombing of Dresden a theme we see come up in his most famous novel Slaughterhouse Five. After the army he began working for General Electric while writing on the side. In 1969 Slaughterhouse Five would be released and go on to become his most famous novel. This novel gained him a lot of attention and critical acclaim. In April of 2007 Vonnegut passed away.

Vonnegut has become an icon for alternative culture, as well as a staple in the literary world. To this day his works remain controversial and influential with Slaughterhouse Five being banned in many schools while still being cited as a classic anti war science fiction novel. Vonnegut's trademark style is a mixture of science fiction with his dark sense of humor which he uses to make statements about the world around him.

Vonnegut was a brilliant writer with a lot to say about society and no shortage of interesting ways to say them.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.

I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.

Slaughterhouse Five

Slaughterhouse Five is considered by many to be Kurt Vonnegut's definitive work. This novel released in March of 1969 follows the experiences of our narrator, Billy Pilgrim. Billy who shares many experiences Vonnegut himself had, becomes "unstuck in time" meaning that he travels from one period of time to another throughout the book. This is because at one point he is abducted by aliens from a planet called Tralfamadore. While he is here they explain to him that they see time in a different manner than we do, time for them is laid out side by side and they choose which moments to observe rather than experience time in a linear fashion.

Because of this we see one of the motifs of this novel come up, the phrase "So it goes". This phrase is one the Tralfamadorians use when someone dies, this is because they accept the fact that at some moments someone is dead but can still enjoy moments when someone is alive. This could be Vonnegut's way of portraying that death isn't as bad of a thing as we perceive it to be. The way that the Tralfamadorians see time is interesting as well because it brings this idea up that everything is happening and not happening all at once. This brings into question many of the ideas we hold dear, if this is how time works do we really have any free will or is everything pre-destined?

This again is a perfect example of Vonnegut using science fiction elements to discuss things that truly matter to every day people. While also relaying another constant theme of Vonnegut's which is the idea of free will and individuality. The implications of time being laid out for Tralfamadorians to see makes us question if we are just following the path laid out for us, and if we are then how can we have any individuality?

Another theme in this book is the devastating effects war can have on us as a people. At one point in this story Billy Pilgrim is drafted into the war where he finds himself a prisoner of war in Dresden. This is something that actually happened to Vonnegut personally.  Dresden is a German city that was fire bombed during World War II suffering massive civilian casualties. Pilgrim struggles with witnessing this event and surviving through it much like Vonnegut likely did. In a way I would not be surprised if writing Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut's way of coping with what he had seen. This makes sense along with the idea of the Tralfamadorians, their way of viewing time allows this tragedy to be seen in a different light. If time is laid out side to side then all the people who were killed during this bombing are still alive but just not at that particular moment, and because of this you can simply say "So it goes" and accept this event. However, this isn't the case for Vonnegut or for Pilgrim. Pilgrim in the book seems to have a case of PTSD as at one point he sees a barbershop quartet which triggers him to relive his experience in Dresden. This could be Vonnegut saying that this is something that has happened to him as well.

In many ways the idea of PTSD is similar to how the Tralfamadorians view time. However unlike the Tralfamadorians who "prefer to look at the good moments" victims of PTSD may become fixated on the bad moments and be unwillingly sent into flashbacks where they relive these experiences.

Another theme present in this novel that can be seen in many of Vonnegut's works is the idea that the "American Dream" won't really make us happy. Billy Pilgrim is portrayed as having everything that we are all told we should desire, he has a wife, children, money, and a nice car. Yet in spite of all of these material possessions he has the thing that was most important to Billy Pilgrim was his experience with the Tralfamadorians and his struggling with what he had seen in the war.

"The formation flew backwards over a German city that was in flames. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors, exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers , and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes. The containers were stored neatly in racks. The Germans below had miraculous devices of their own, which were long steel tubes. They used them to suck more fragments from the crewmen and planes. But there were still a few wounded Americans though and some of the bombers were in bad repair. Over France though, German fighters came up again, made everything and everybody as good as new."

This quote I think is one of the most important parts of the story and is Vonnegut detesting war and the focus put on destruction. The way I interpret this quote and its place in the story is it's Vonnegut reflecting on how much technology has influenced war. War has become more and more deadly over the course of human history because of technological advancements. Governments all over the world spend seemingly endless amounts of money looking for new ways to improve their military strength. I think Vonnegut is trying to make us as readers think about what could have been possible if we had allocated the same time and resources to helping other people rather than finding new ways to kill. This is another common message of Vonnegut's, the idea that technology and advances in technology are not always a good thing and at times can lead to dire consequences for humans. This quote is one of my all time favorites and I find it to be incredibly powerful.

Overall, Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorite books of all time, and also a great example of Vonnegut using his trademark style. The main difference between this story and his others is how much of himself he injects into the character Billy Pilgrim. Blending together humor, social commentary, and science fiction Vonnegut tells an interesting story that says a lot about society.

DIY

DIY music is a community build around music that spans over multiple genres based on a few unifying principals. DIY stands for "Do it yourself" which is the core idea behind this community that separates it from popular music. Everyone involved in DIY is involved for one simple reason, because of their love for music and for the music scene. No one is a part of DIY music for money or fame because that doesn't exist within the scene, the best someone can hope for is making some small sums of money or becoming well known within the scene. This is part of why this scene is so strong, when everyone involved within the music scene is a part of it solely because they are passionate it allows for many things.

One of the most important aspects of DIY is authenticity, if you are not real and try to put out an image of yourself that isn't true to life this will quickly be weeded out by the community. In addition to this, everyone is always trying to help bands they find talented to succeed. This also allows the music to remain the most important aspect of a musicians work, and while that may sound like it should always be the case sadly it isn't. Many artists today are more focused on their image or on marketing than on their actual music. For example many pop singers do not write their own songs, their songs are written for them and sold as a product. There is nothing wrong with enjoying pop music but there is something inherently more pure about music that is made for the sake of making music as opposed to music that is made to get a paycheck.
In addition to this, DIY music feels like more of a community than any other music scene out there. This is because everyone involved tries to contribute in some way because we all wish to see the scene move forward and continue being strong.

DIY inhabits many places other music doesn't, while budding singer songwriters may choose to perform in bars or clubs, DIY artists can be found playing anywhere from somebody's basement to backyards, to the back room of bowling alleys. These kind of performances almost always feel more intimate than going to see a band play a large stadium or a bar. This is because the band is on the same level as you there is no stage, there is no lighting, there is no one fixing up a bands sound, it is simply people with instruments.
Another aspect making the DIY scene more intimate is the fact that everyone is on equal footing, everyone playing in a band was at some point simply someone going to shows who wanted to make music. There is no celebrities or business people trying to turn a profit or push products only music and a lot of people with a passion for it. The person who is booking shows in DIY is probably doing that because they play in a band and wanted to play a show, the recording engineer probably learned about audio because he wanted to record his own songs. Everyone is unified in their love for music and their desire to keep it away from people who's only desire is making money.

The lack of desire for record sales is important because it allows musicians more room to experiment. If you were to analyze the next ten songs you hear on the radio you would find that most of them share the same chord progression and a few of them probably share a writer or two. Whereas, in DIY you can listen to two bands in the same genre and have two wildly different listening experiences. Experimentation in music is important because it allows musicians the ability to express themselves creating songs they want to hear, while also allowing new innovations to be discovered.

Overall, DIY music is a great scene for anyone interested in hearing new experimentation in music while also being a part of a community with a passion for music.

Home, Like No Place Is There

"Home, Like No Place" Is There is the second full length album by Massachusetts punk rock band The Hotelier. Released in 2014 this album would go on to become one of the most acclaimed albums of the year in this scene. This is because of the passion that can clearly be heard on every song, throughout this entire album there is not a single dull moment. While on first listen the lyrical content of this album seems to be deeply personal painting a picture of lead singer Christan Holden's experiences, there is also a political undertone to this album that may be missed on first listen.

One of the strongest traits of this album is the opening track aptly titled "An Introduction To The Album". This song starts off soft and builds in dynamic towards the end, and although it is one of the quieter parts of the album I personally find it to be the most memorable.

"Well show me the honest, proper way 

To disarm predatory gaze 

That's sucking dry 

And never satiated 

You've been misused 

Been rewired 

You're short-circuiting now"

This quote shows the internal struggle of Holden during this song, he seemingly has a strong desire to help a victim of abuse but doesn't know how. In this struggle it seems he could be worrying about doing more harm than good in his attempts. This is a struggle that anyone who has witnessed any form of abuse has felt, often we know that something must be done to help others but we are unsure of what that is.


Another high point of this album is the song "Your Deep Rest". This song notes Holden's battle with losing a friend and feeling guilty for how it has affected him. Although the subject matter of this song is dark the chorus is infectiously catchy and leaves you wanting to hear it again and again. Here the band uses simple song structure and instrumentals again to allow Holden's message and vocal delivery carry the track.

"I called in sick from your funeral (I called in sick, I called in sick)
Tradition of closure nearly felt impossible (I called in sick, I called in sick)
I should have never gave my word to you
Not a cry, not a sound"

Lyrically we see clearly that Holden is struggling with the loss of his close friend. In addition to this earlier in the song it is implied that the friend being discussed in this song had committed suicide because of a mental illness. This leads me to believe that the second half of this verse is Holden regretting his promise to keep his friends struggle a secret until it was too late. Because of this he is feeling guilty and partially responsible for his friends death. This message weighs heavy on listeners and conveys the message that we shouldn't be afraid to encourage people who are struggling to seek help.

One of the criticisms The Hotelier has faced on this album is that they have not done anything new within the genre. This is a fair criticism however, I believe that although everything on this album may have been done before it has not been done as well as The Hotelier has managed to. Overall I think that this was one of the best albums to come from this genre in many years and will continue to hold that title for some time.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" (Originally titled "The Big Trip Up Yonder") is a science fiction short story by Kurt Vonnegut. It depicts a world in which the people have began taking a drug called "Anti-gerasone". This drug is intended to stop the aging process and make its users become more identical. This drug also is apparently in widespread use in this story with nearly everyone taking it. The problem arises when Vonnegut points out that because of this drug the world has become increasingly over populated and resources are non existent. Vonnegut uses his classic sense of humor blended with science fiction elements to sell this story and get his point across. Here we see themes commonly used by Vonnegut; overpopulation, an overbearing government, and a loss of individuality.

Firstly, overpopulation is probably the most readily apparent theme in this story.In particular, there seems to be an overpopulation of older citizens in this depiction of the country. This leads to many problems for the average citizen. The first major problem being that resources are scarce, the main characters reminisce of times where they could simply go to the store and buy objects like a bed or a chair. This problem is brought to the forefront by making this an issue in their everyday lives.Even their apartment is overpopulated, with many of the family members sleeping in the hallway and only Cramps, the oldest member of the family, having the privacy of his own room. This can be seen as a metaphor for what the rest of the world must be like when  the population is out of control like this.

Second,we see an all powerful overbearing government which is another theme Vonnegut explores in many of his stories. In this case there is another problem with the government, the older generation maintains a large portion of the vote and because of this change that they oppose cannot come. This is Vonnegut directly commenting on the world around him, and this is a problem that we still see today. While there are many issues that younger generations almost entirely agree upon if the older generation who is still in power opposes them there is little the younger generation can do.

Lastly, there is the issue of losing ones individuality. This can be seen directly with how the family interacts with one another. There is little to no difference between any of them the only differentiating factor is their age.In addition to this, towards the end of the story Cramps sees an advertisement for a newer drug called "Super-anti-gerasone".

"Wouldn't you pay $5,000 to be indistinguishable from everyone else?"

The way that this advertisement is worded says a lot about how the characters in this world are conditioned to think. The implication here is that individuality is something that they have been trained to think is bad for them. This one small quote alone conveys a lot of the message about losing individuality that Vonnegut is concerned about.

Overall this story is a very interesting look into what could happen when we are faced with drastic overpopulation. In this case science fiction elements are used in order to quickly explain how this happened while still describing a very real problem that we face today in the world. This is something that Vonnegut is truly a master of, creating real commentary on the world around him using science fiction elements to exaggerate problems.

Who Am I This Time?

"Who Am I This Time" is another incredibly interesting short story by Kurt Vonnegut. In this story the narrator has been tasked with directing a play, a role he accepts on the condition that Harry Nash will be his lead actor. Harry Nash although not our narrator could be considered the main character of this story. Nash has no personality in his every day life but while acting he completely embodies his character. The narrator then finds a similar character lacking in personal identity to play the role of Nash's lover, Helene Shaw. In the end Helene falls in love with Nash when he is acting but during every day life he is entirely blank personality-wise. To combat this the two perpetually act out plays together in order to keep their relationship alive.

Overall, this story seems to be talking about our place in the world as individuals and how we identify our own personalities. This is a topic that Vonnegut is very familiar with and can be seen throughout many of his works. Throughout this story we are led to feel sad for our main character Harry Nash because we see him as lacking an identity. Vonnegut also likens Helene to a machine in the way that she acts. This is him noting that we as humans need to fight to maintain our individuality and perhaps that Vonnegut thinks technology is taking this away from us as time goes on. Another theme throughout this story is the symbolism of how these two characters release their personality. Vonnegut always speaks very highly of the arts and this story is no different. It is no coincidence that these characters while lacking in everyday life can find a release for their personality through art. This is Vonnegut telling his readers that during life humans essentially play the roles they need to but when they pursue art they can get closer to their true personality. This shows the irony that when these characters are acting as someone else it is the closest they get to being themselves.

"When the scene was over, Helene Shaw was as hot as a hod carrier, as limp as an eel. She sat down with her mouth open and her head hanging to one side. She wasn't in any bottle any more. There wasn't any bottle to hold her up and keep her safe and clean. The bottle was gone."

This quote shows how much of an affect pursuing acting has had on Helene Shaw. Earlier in the story she describes herself as being "trapped in a bottle" whenever she comes into contact with other people. This metaphor is in order to give the reader a sense that even though she can see the outside world she feels as though she can't meaningfully interact with it or with other people. However, through acting she is able to break free of her prison and embrace her individuality. This really drives home the point of the story that in life we are forced to play different roles but through art we can discover our true personality and understand ourselves on a deeper level.

"Who Am I This Time" is another perfect example of Vonnegut's role in creating social commentary through his writing. Although it doesn't include his characteristic science fiction elements, his humor still shines through in order to make a point about society. This was one of my favorite Vonnegut stories that I have read and I think it has a lot to say about how people interact with the world around them.

Harrison Bergeron

"Harrison Bergeron" is a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut in 1961. In this short story everyone has become completely equal thanks to new amendments to the constitution. People are given handicaps that distract them from thinking if they're too smart, masks to hide their faces if they're too attractive, and even weights if they are too strong. All of this begs the question, can equality be a bad thing?

It seems as though Vonnegut thinks so from reading this story. Although obviously everyone deserves equal rights to be treated equally, there is a certain point where equality could become too much. After all shouldn't some people be better at some things? This story even goes so far as to say that people were not good at their jobs because of their handicaps. The implications of this alone are very telling about what true equality would do to society. How productive can a society be if people are not allowed to possess job skills because it makes them unequal to? In this story this equality is achieved using science fiction, something Vonnegut is famous for. The technology in this story is only briefly explained but still as a reader you clearly understand the point of it.

Another theme that is persistent throughout Vonnegut's works is seen here, he is making a commentary on our own complacency. As humans we have a tendency to normalize our current scenario even if it isn't good for us, this can be seen in real life and very clearly in this story. In particular, we tend to accept whatever our government is doing regardless of the implications of their actions. For example, it has been 4 years since Edward Snowden informed us that the government is essentially watching our every move and yet there is very little outrage or even discussion about this. In general, the majority of people seem to only care when something directly affects them and because of this we can grow complacent.

"If I tried to get away with it," said George, "then other people'd get away with it-and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

This quote highlights another key aspect of Vonnegut's writing, showing his use of humor while also conveying the way these characters feel about their current situation. The characters believe this because they are being manipulated by the government to think that competition is a bad thing. While this is an extreme example this is another case of Vonnegut commenting on real life. Perhaps Vonnegut believes the government abuses its power to manipulate its citizens.

"Harrison Bergeron" is an excellent short story by Kurt Vonnegut in which he uses his trademark characteristics to make a social commentary. Blending humor and science fiction he paints a picture of a dystopian world in which the government has taken advantage of its citizens.

Class Reflection

English has never been my favorite subject in school but at college I have begun to enjoy it. While I do enjoy reading I don't enjoy writing papers. This semester in English has been a good experience and I enjoyed it.

In particular, I enjoyed reading 'Oedipus', 'The Lottery', and I enjoyed the poetry section. Professor Candia is the first English professor I have had who has placed so much emphasis on an Authors background. Now that I have learned this way I am surprised that more teachers do not do this as it seems to usually have a large impact on their writing. Especially with the author I have chosen Kurt Vonnegut his life experiences very clearly reflect in his writing especially in 'Slaughterhouse Five'.

If I were to have one complaint about this class it would just be that the blog was separate from blackboard. Blackboard is nice for students because it allows us to have everything we need in one convenient location. I understand that the blog gives Professor Candia more freedom but because of not thinking to check the blog I did miss some information that I would have gotten had we used blackboard.

Overall I enjoyed this semester in English and think that all of the stories we read were very interesting.

Flourish

One of the most challenging and rewarding things that I have ever done is play music. Playing music allows you to come together with other people and put together something entirely new from nothing. Around 2014 I had started a new band with some friends and we began writing what we would later call 'Flourish'. In the following year we brought this project to life and released it. Writing music has always been a passion of mine and this was one of the first times I was able to work on a project that I could be proud of.

A lot of the lyricism on this project focuses on the internal struggles one of us was having with religion. This is a heavy topic that paired well with our instrumentals to really tie together the project. One verse reads

 "If you help me help myself to be like you, to be as great as the things you do, would you see in me what I see in you? I can't help but be myself. Figure this; you won't figure out how to be without doubt if you can't find the present in yourself. So break me down again to help me understand the man I am."

I think that while obviously the music is important when writing songs, the lyricism can often make the difference between a good song and a song that is just okay. Lyrics also allow the writer to attach a lot of personal meaning to a song and project a message. Because of this when we were writing the lyrics were something that we went over and changed many times before settling.

One song in particular I am proud of is 'Recollect'. While most of our songs were a collaborative effort Recollect was a song that I had wrote years prior and had consistently been working on. Being able to take a song that had been somewhat of a fixation of mine for years and truly fleshing it out was a great experience.

Looking back today on these songs is an interesting experience, because while I am happy with how Flourish came out each listen I think of more improvements we could have made. This has led me to believe that art is never truly perfect and we could've continued writing these same songs for years. Writing Flourish was an experience I am truly glad I was lucky enough to have and I hope that music will continue to bring me experiences like this one.