most of my friends are musicians

Below are 2 lists, of musicians/bands that are either from my hometown, or go to NYU with me. As of now, the lists only include those whom I know personally (or vaguely--through friends), many of which I have seen play before. I hope you check them out! The links will take you to either their Bandcamp, Myspace page, or Facebook page, where you should be able to stream their music and download some of it too. Hope you have fun ridin' the chillwavves.

some NYU bands/musicians:
Jackpot, Tiger (alt rock)
stryk9 (80's alt-pop)
Big Ups (pop punk)
Clownface (experimental?)
PopStar (chiptune)
MKNZ (electro-house)
Flagland (punk/rock)
Kevin Garrett (singer/songwriter?)
Cheap Blue Yonder (folk-ish)
Kedromelon (chiptune)
*Wait...there are a lot more than this. I can't remember any more right now, but I will add some as soon as I do!

some bands/musicians from my hometown:
Alec Recinos (shoegaze)
Tom Lohrmann (pop rock)
Mercury in Summer (pop rock)
Adam Swink (singer/songwriter)
Jordan Balaber (indie)
Sean Wolford (guitar-rock)
Calm These Waves  (metal?)
The Celestials (experimental???)

*Sorry, I am not good at coming up with simple musical descriptions/genres. Let me know if I got it wrong.
**If you go to NYU/are from my hometown and make music, send me a link to some of your stuff! I'll put it on the list! (Contact me by commenting on this post, through email, or other expectable form of communication).

Updates & The End of an Era

I don't think I posted anything in December. I am sorry for the absence, life is complicated, and I have poor time management skills....Soooo happy late holidays/new years! My you always find beauty in your life and know that the Sun will always be lit, even when it rains.
^^damn it. that was corny...but I just thought of it (i didn't get it from a fortune cookie).

I am on the second half of my winter break between semesters. I am starting to get lazy and bored. I just started using Twitter--which I actually like, more then another social media--expect for the fact that I'd rather not see what is 'trending' because it normally makes me want to cry (via stupidity and Bieber-lovers).
Oh, and please feel free to follow me! @ah_fez

Netfilx Instant has also been taking up a lot of my time in the past week. The last film I saw was, Cashback, which I highly recommend. It is a drama/independent film/semi-comedy/sorta-feel-good-romance about an young artist who deals with his insomnia by 'freezing time' and sketching people in their frozen positions. It was not what I expected from the Netflix description, it is actually very beautiful. I'd watch it again, it is sweet, and artistic, and creative (so naturally I liked it for not being 'mainstream' or whatever).

On Saturday, I am going back to the city for one night, to see Girls and Real Estate (and King Krule apparently?) at Terminal 5. It should be a great show, it sold out fairly fast. I am anxious/excited!

This SNL short makes me lawlzz.


Anyway, I don't remember much from DEcember, because I didn't post anything, and now its too late to refresh my memory...here are some delayed updates on my life:

-I missed my puppy sooo much, and I finally get to play with her all the time! Ok, I understand that I am crazy about my dog....I feel sorry for my friends. I am always saying "aww, look at this photo, isn't she so cuuuute! I love her so much!" and if I see a dog anywhere its: "oh my gawd, that doggy is so cute! I wanna cuddle with it."

- I finished my first semester of college at NYU! I should be really happy, but I actually didn't do that great, I am really disappointed with my grades. Don't let anyone fool you--college is so hard!! I will definitely have to study much more this coming semester to insure my scholarships. If I do worse, my parents [have threatened to/will] not pay anymore for my $60,000 a year tuition for a music degree....(with my scholarships and loans, they pay less than $30,000 a year, but that is still way more than they can afford, and I will be in debt to my loans for the rest of life).

- A while back, I made a bucket list with my roommate, on things that we need to do while in NYC.
Here are some things we've already done: The Daily Show/Colbert Report, Webster Hall, BBQ, rooftop parties, get busted, 'combine elements', Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, and some other stuff that I don't remember (along with some other stuff that we should have put on the list).

- A friend of mine had a "republican debate viewing party" I strongly disagree with the politics if the conservative right, but so does she, and everyone who attended the party. She made up a drinking game for the debate that had at least 6 rules, not including obvious ones (i.e. drink every time someone says 'jobs'). Some where very specific: do a shot every time Ron Paul interrupts. But my favorite one was, chug a beer if anyone says something ridiculously racist/sexist--which did happen.  

That is good for now.
Goodnight xx

PS. Do you believe there will be an apocalypse, and the world will end in 2012?!? Apparently NASA had to make an announcement saying that the world will NOT end, and everyone should not worry....haha. My father, who grew up in Mexico City, tells me that the Mayans predicted some kind of 'eras' that where lengths of times larger than years (related to astronomy). It is understood that the Mayans did not say that time would 'end' in 2012, they just believed it to be the beginning of an era, in which something will be different (kind of like the ice age). However, I am not quite sure. I just don't think any of this apocalypse stuff is true.  

Catching-Up

hi there! here are some disposable film pics from my first 3 weeks living in new york city:
*I've been living in the city for 3 months now, sorry for the delay!

St. Marks Place (during a filming--apparently in a french market, in the early 1900s):

Washington Square Park:

*taken with my phone, during my lunch//sudoku break on a beautiful day

on the way to class:

*the corner of 10th st and 4th ave (the art/posters change often)

Before//After:

*the 'yarn-bombing' of Astor Place

more of Washington Square Park:

the view from my kitchen window, in the East Village:

a festival in Little Italy:

found this in Greenwich Village:

Union Square//Chess:

Chinatown grocery store:

*extremely fresh!

ma freandz--ya kno, jus chillen:

a 'thrift' store close to NYU:

*'thrift' because everything is over-priced, but its not a vintage shop...

Oh, and just for fun:

*I love LOTR! hehe.

banananaaaaas!

I bought a deluxe edition of the Miles Davis album, Bitches Brew, a while back. I highly recommend it! Many people believe is it his worst album because it so crazy/different ('free jazz'/'experimental jazz') and not the regular 'jazz' they are used to hearing him play--but I have a thing for experimental music.

Do you like 'experimental music'? If so, check out Steve Reich on NPR, and Radiohead, playing a Steve Reich piece in this video.

I should be working on a research paper right now...about the 4-track tape machine as an instrument in early electronic music...but I am too good at procrastinating and what not.

By the way, college is driving me bananasss!

I recently fractured my foot--by tripping on the sidewalk one night in Greenwich Village. I thought it was just a sprain, so I walked on it for a couple days. It still hurt, so I decided to get it checked out...I ended up having to use crutches for a while (which was a pain in the ass, to say the least). Now I just have to wear an ugly boot and try not to walk much -- so unchill.

Anyway, those kids from that Disney channel tv-show, 'the suite life of zach and cody' both live in my residence. one of them is the president of the building's government. What are their names? oh yeah, dylan and cole sprouse. I've seen a couple other famous people around the streets in nyc too. I saw that girl from Mean Girls (who was also in Mama Mia and Chloe) earlier this week--at least i think it was her, she was so tiny. My roommate has run into Julian Casablancas and Alec Baldwin. So crazy, I wish I had been there too!

September in a flash.

Here are some photos my close friend, and fellow NYU Music Technology major, Jacob has taken in the past few weeks. He also has a pretty chill blog, which you should check out (thanks for letting me use your pics brah!).

 Washington Square Park (all day, everyday):

*I love having NYC as a campus, and Washington Square Park as an unofficial 'quad'...I love that there is always at least one random person playing music there. I just wish my dorm was a little bit closer to the Park so that I wouldn't have to run to my morning classes everyday.

Flying Lotus playing at the NYU Mystery Concert @ Le Passion Rouge:

*Yeah, it was pretty sick, I even held FlyLo's hand for a good 5 seconds! Later that night I walked through Greenwich Village with several friends; every time I saw a limo/Escalade/nice car with dark windows I yelled: "is that you FlyLo?!" for no reason really, I guess I thought he'd probs be riding away in a nice car after his performance and I might run into him...

An 'diy/underground/basement punk show' in Bushwick, Brooklyn:

*We were invited by some upperclassmen in MTech to come to a concert/party that a lot of them were playing in. The bands included, Clown Face, Big Ups, Flagland, and maybe someone else? I had lots of fun, especially because there was plenty Jungle Juice, which I like. I am surprised that none of the neighbors called the cops because the music was deafeningly loud (as all hardcore punk shows should be) and there was a ton of 'uninhibited' people in the basement/backyard being rambunctious.

Studio B, the analog studio, on the 8th floor (via NYU Music Technology):

 *our friend Cathy, working on a project for 'Electronic Music Synthesis'

Wow. September is almost over....this week I am going to post a shit-load to make up for all that I haven't--including some disposable pics I took. I hope I get it done (along with all of my homework and essays for school).

Loitering

My friend, Michael Pyon, is going to be a film student at NYU (with me!) and we hung out this weekend with my close friends, Michael Flynn (an amazing musician) and Stephanie (check out her blog!) who left for South Korea the next day, so it was a bittersweet night, the last time I will see her for months--which is a big deal, because I normally see her for at least 3 hours, everyday. Here are a few of the photos Pyon took. We had a bunch of fun loitering/taking photos. Even though they look serious, these photos just make me laugh! That was also the day when he filmed us pretending to cry. Haha, I am much better at it than I thought I would be! I am excited to see the actual video, of all of us fake crying. Maybe I will post it in the future, if possible.

Me pretending to be a gargoyle:

(just for fun)

Flynn and Stephanie, being all mysterious:

Wah wah wah.

I have been to sleepy to write a post. Every time I start a new post, I can't think of anything to write about, and then I fall asleep before I have anything written. So I just realized I should write about that...I'm probably going to fall asleep in the next 5 minute though...

Ok, update on my life:
- I graduated from hs on friday (freedom?!)
- spent the last 2 weeks party-hoppin grad parties and eating too much cake
- met a lot of cool, interesting people...many of them going to school in NYC (maybe i'll chill with them next year?)
- sucked at poker and lost in a game of pool
- gave my dog a bath (she looks like a rodent when wet)
- made fun of mainstreamers
- continued to read more poetry collections and trying to understand The Tibetan Book of the Dead (so many words and buddhist things i've never heard of. but i still like it).
- forgot to turn my car engine on; almost rolled down a hill into another car...
- fake cried on camera (after going on a photoshoot in a parking lot, at midnight)
- played lots of Settlers of Catan, but still havent won.
- watched Bill Maher* tell some great political jokes
- i know there's more, but i am starting to fall asleep--like i said I would

*He's too funny, go to his website, and then click on 'Media' to watch some of his best stuff.

Crazii

This time of year is pretty crazii. But I guess I'm kinda happy right now? Not everything is the way I wish it were, but it is what it is.
I've acknowlegded that I tend to find beauty in unconventional ways, I don't think I know how not to... I love sharing my enlightening/expressive visions with open-minded people; that means a lot in my mind, thank you (to all those people in my life that kinda 'understand me' a lil).
Also, thanks for everyone who lets me get to know them on a sub-surface level (via sharing idealistic philosophies and enlightening moments). Being able to do that is kinda beautiful in its own way aswell, I hope you think so too.

Anyway, here are some pics of friends & dogs that I also took with an slr camera/color film. Love these people/animals:





Summer Souls

Here are some photos I promised to upload as soon as I got them developed.

Camping (and stopping at Cox Farms) on Memorial Day Weekend:

I learned that goats are very greedy and candles can get hot enough to burn through plastic. But I had a great time with my friends and I was very proud of the campfire I worked hard on. I'll upload a photo of the 'tent' here as soon as one of my friends uploads it on facebook or something.

Cloudy.

Sitting in AP Pyschology, trying to do something to keep myself busy/alert so i dont fall asleep. I'll finish this later...(11:47 am).

Back. 3:01 AM
Can't sleep, too busy watchin Ali G/making fun of my friend passed out on my couch/and Alex really 'winky' still. lawls.
I felt pretty infinte tonight, driving around with a car full of close friend, screaming to Sufjan Steven's Imposible Soul:



Do you ever stare at the ceiling and imagine yourself walking on it upside down?
Did you star-gaze tonight? It was really clear and beautiful tonight.
Do you like Swifel Sweepers? So tired of 3 AM commercials!

Memorial Day Weekend

I went camping with a few friends last night/this morning. It went pretty well; we made our own fire, we cooked hotdogs and beans, roasted marshmallows, hiked, etc. But we had to improvise when we opened up the box with the tent, all of the equiptment was there--except the tent!!!
I've slept on the grass with only a sleeping bag before (which I loved), but there was a chance of thunderstorms last night, and we needed some kind of cover. Luckily, my friends are quite avid campers (via camping for two weeks in the Mountains of West Virginia) and saved our asses. We tied tarps to trees, it ended up pretty nice. But in the morning, the sun came out at 6 AM and bugs started crawling all over us.

I brought my film camera, with one roll of color film. When I remember to go get it developed, I'll post a few photos. Hopefully CVS develops color film, because thats where I bought the it, and I know that they get really angry if you bring them the wrong kind of film or something.

The rest of the weekend will include a few more graduation parties/bbq's, my sister's birthday, and a shit load of final projects that are due this week (I am definetly going to be cramming/procrastinating/and complaining about them for the next few days).

**This song came on while I was driving home today, it kinda fits the mood of the weekend:

functional fixedness?

Today was a pretty good day. Saturdays are the best (but we already knew that).

I went went on a picnic with some close friends:

We got up at 4:30 am so that we could get to the park in time for sunrise. I fell asleep to Sufjan Stevens on the way there, and missed most of the sunrise, but it was still beautiful. We got to the park around 6:15 and found out it didnt open until 8....So we waited by a cow pasture, and then layed out blankets, ate, and tried to play my ukelele.



the sun was in my eyes, but it came out pretty well.