Once you have recorded your song (s) they are basically copy written, long before having to fill out the form. This keeps the drummer from recording the song for his own purposes and selling it as his own. But you must register your song, it’s like owning a home, you have to have the legal paper work to show you are the owner. If you do not register your music it will be extremely difficult to sue someone that you think has stolen your work.

You can register your music and have it copy written online these days. Using the U.S. Copyright Office’s web site, you can see the forms that you need to fill out, download them and sent them on their way, whether online or by mail. This web site also offers a lot of good information on everything you need to know.

There are different types of copy writing, such as the arts, music, books, poetry, etc. since there are so many musicians that are doing their own recordings many ask if they can copy write the whole CD, with many original songs on it. Yes you can but it is not really advisable. It is not cheap to register your music, so they are trying to save some money. If you have your CD copy written with more than one song on it, it will be legal but if a problem should arise about one song or the other, you might not be able to prove you are the holder. Besides copy writing this way, it only lasts for five years, after that, it’s free game.

For those who do not have a lot of money, go ahead and file your music, it costs about $45.00 per song, and register ten of them if you can, if not one at a time will work as well. And you really should find an attorney that deals with musicians and the music laws, they will cost you money but in the long run, they will make you money.

Source by Richard Johnstonn

The post How To Copy Write Your Songs appeared first on ENFEW.

“Brian’s Song”

The original “Brian’s Song” was made in 1971. The film was remade in 2001, but it could not match the greatness of the original. This film is based on true events and follows two teammates, Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, as they overcome obstacles to become close friends. However, things take a turn away from football when Piccolo discovers he has cancer. This film is one that will stay with you long after your viewing.

“Remember the Titans”

This film stars Denzel Washington as the coach of a high school football team in Virginia. He is hired to replace a highly successful white coach at a newly integrated school. The story follows him and the team as they work through their first year. This film is also based on a true story and shows how the team became a unifier in a divided community.

“Rudy”

“Rudy” is another inspiring football movie. It stars Sean Astin before his days playing a hobbit in “Lord of the Rings.” In the film, Astin plays Rudy, who wants nothing more than to play football at Notre Dame and faces several challenges in achieving that goal. He is too small, and his grades are not up to the level of the university. However, Rudy has more drive and determination than the other players. Nothing will keep him from achieving his goal.

“Jerry Maguire”

While many people might not view “Jerry Maguire” as much of a football movie, it does reveal much of what the business side of the game has become. It stars Hollywood heavyweights such as Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renee Zellweger. The story follows Jerry Maguire, a successful agent representing NFL players. One day he has an epiphany and loses his job when he expresses it, but he proceeds to continue his career with the only player who remains loyal to him. There is not a great deal of football action in the film, but the slight look into what goes on behind the scenes in the NFL is fascinating.

“Friday Night Lights”

“Friday Night Lights” is based on a best-selling novel of the same name and became a television show as well. The film is centered on the town of Odessa, Texas. The town is divided and has a struggling economy, but there is something that brings everyone together: high school football. The town’s high school team, the Permian Panthers, has a long history of successful games. The new season looks bright, but the school’s star running back suffers a horrible injury in the first game of the season causing everyone to lose hope. The coach manages to rally his team and leads them to an improbable victory.

“We Are Marshall”

Yet another film based on a true story, “We Are Marshall” tells the story of what happened after a plane crash took the lives of many of the football players and several fans from Marshall University. Obviously, the following season is threatened by this tragedy, but a player who was ill and missed the flight, along with students, tries to persuade the university’s leaders to play the season. The school must find a coach willing to take the job. The coach must then find enough players to field a team. This film shows us what football can do to help lift people up above what they believe they are capable of.

“Invincible”

Another football film based on a true story, “Invincible” lets us all live the dream that we could be playing in the NFL too. Mark Wahlberg stars as Vince Papale. He is down on his luck and has just learned that he is being laid off from his job due to budget cuts. His wife leaves him. He takes work as a bartender, but his life changes when he hears that his hometown team, the Philadelphia Eagles, will be holding open tryouts. At first, he is reluctant, but he tries out and makes the team, which leads to a three-year career in the NFL.

Source by Zack Mandell

The post Gridiron Glory on the Big Screen: The Greatest Football Movies Ever appeared first on ENFEW.

Journey Towards Treaure

The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, a boy who has the courage to go after his dream of finding a treasure. The boy listens to the signs provided by the universe though the search for the treasure is large the symbolic one. When the boy is about to start his journey, his father gives him an advice he should only travel the world until he finds out the castle closer to home is the best and that the women closer are the most beautiful.

The World Is A Great Place

The protagonist Santiago, however, experienced the world was a great place, and he met very exciting people such as kings and alchemists. By the end of the book, however, he realizes the treasure was where his heart belonged and his own discoveries and wisdom acquired during the journey.

Full Of Enthusiasm And Optimism

The Alchemist was an exciting novel which is full of enthusiasm and optimism and the book tells you nothing is impossible if you are passionate about achieving it. Though the statement looks oversimplified, according to Paulo Coelho, only wise people understand the value of simple things and everybody doesn’t appreciate it. The success of Paulo Coelho can be explained on the basis of this statement only as it strikes a chord with the masses. The greatest obstacle to happiness is the fear of failure, the writer says. Most people believe they have it in them to achieve greatness but they embrace conformity and end up unhappy all their lives.

Don’t Refuse To Follow Your Dreams

If a person refuses to follow his dream, he denies to come closer to God. Paulo Coelho believes there is God in the soul of everyone. In the book The Alchemist, Santiago finds wisdom and soul mate in a desert. The author says, whenever we are in love, we try to improve ourselves constantly. That’s where the beauty of the book The Alchemist lies, it touches all of us because everyone has a dream, and we just love it when somebody says it is possible to achieve those dreams.

Source by Prasoon Kumar

The post The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho appeared first on ENFEW.

Syncing your iPod, iPhone, iPad, or other mp3 player to the Apple iTunes store changed all of that. Consumers now navigate to YouTube or Amazon or a song lyrics website to find the specific tune they like, then rush off to the Itunes store to buy the song they want. They do not have to buy a compact disc any longer.

Technical Issues on iTunes

Of course, iTunes is not perfect. I do not know how many people I've heard complain they would like to use the store, but for one reason or another, they do not want to use their Visa or Mastercard on the Apple site or they can not use their credit card. The iTunes support pages claim you can download without a credit card, but often in practice, that's a lot harder than it looks.

I did a little research and found where the problem lies. The people who complain that Apple will not allow them to set up an account without a credit card are right – they can not by most reasonable methods. Using or two little tips and understanding why people get married up allows music downloaders to get the hit singles and catchy songs that they want while using debit card, prepaid gift cards, or coupon codes for free tunes at the Apple store. One little false step and it will not work for you, but it's possible.

Free Apps Store – Not the Main iTunes Store

The main trip-up point is that people go to the Main Apple iTunes Store instead of the Free Apps Store. In either case, you're asked to "Create Account". When many people see the "Go Here, Create Account" advice, they assume the official store is the right location and only translate the "Create Account" advice. This means they're trying to do the right thing in the wrong location and it's not going to work. So I'm going to spell this out again.

Do not go to the Main Apple iTunes Store. Instead, go to the Apple Free Apps Store. When you go to the free apps page, you'll need to install a free applications. When this happens, you'll be asked whether you want to create a new account. Click on "yes". Once you do this, input your debt information instead of your credit card. This should get you into the system without a credit card. Once again, if you try the exact same thing at the official Apple iTunes store, you will not be able to do what you want without inputting credit card information.

Downloading Music without Credit Cards

I'm not saying this could not be made a little simpler by the people at Apple. I suppose they would prefer you just use a credit card, but many of us do not want to use a credit card online or do not have that privilege, so it's nice to have options. I'm convinced less people would get involved in torrents and other forms of musical piracy if they did not have to use plastic for every purchase, but that's just a theory of mine. In either case, I hope these suggestions help you get iTunes without needing a Mastercard or Visa.

Source by Chuck Flick

The post ITunes – Fixing ITunes Errors appeared first on ENFEW.

You as an artist or music producer will want a large variety of beats because each song will be different. Buying beats online will give you the chance to make a choice from a wide variety of beats e.g. rap beats, hip hop instrumentals, R&B beats etc. In that respect, internet producers sell all manner of beats you can ever need. The beats found online are very unique with all the layers, mix downs, effects etc. all of which are sure to capture your audience’s attention.

Beats for sale online come with numerous samples for you to listen to before making your purchase. This is a luxury not enjoyed if you decide to go offline for your purchase. The free samples in most online stores allow you to either select the beat you want from the existing database or gauge the creator’s skills. Either way, buying rap beats, hip hop beats or R&B instrumentals online guarantees that you get exactly what you want.

Buying beats online is generally cheaper than using offline methods. Assume you find an internet producer for your beats. All you will need to do is select the beat you want and make the purchase using the options available. Using offline options would entail driving all over looking for the best producer, spending a lot of time making beats and in the end, the price for the beat will be higher.

One of the best things about buying beats online is that there is very little in the way of paperwork. You will not have to go through a long process when assuming legal ownership of the beat, reading through and signing the terms of use etc. When you buy beat online, you will only have to check a small box and that will be it. You will have the option of asking for paperwork but it is not usually a requirement. This means you can start using your beats moments after buying them. This convenience should make you consider using internet music producers for all your beats.

When you decide to buy beats online, you will have the option of having any beat customized to your specific desires. Assume you use find a beat you like but doesn’t satisfy your need. You can easily contact the beat’s creator and ask for addition and subtraction of certain drum patterns, mutes, offsets, polyrhythms etc. The end result is a beat that meshes perfectly with your song.

No matter the genre, ( R&B beats, Pop Beats, Or Hip Hop) When you decide to buy beats online, there is a very simple method that will be used for you to get it. You will normally have a download link e-mailed to your instantly after purchase or sent to you via postage mail. For the latter option, you will even get a tracking number for you to easily track it. Either way maximum convenience is accorded.

In a nutshell, buying beats online is the better option because it is easy and more convenient than any other alternative.

Source by Ordie E Page

The post Why You Should Buy Beats Online appeared first on ENFEW.

To make this article more useful, gather up your 3 strongest or most recent titles, hooks or choruses, so that you can apply what we’re discussing to the “real world” of your material.

Tap Into Your Personal Experiences For “Nuggets of Truth”

It’s my firm belief that the old adage, “write what you know” is applicable to songwriting as well as prose. Although some of us prefer to believe we can write about anyone and anything, our most meaningful and successful songs usually spring from “real life” experiences, and our responses to, and interpretations of, those experiences. Each day we spend on the planet, observed through the prism of songwriting, offers innumerable creative possibilities. The seeds of brilliant songs often lie just beneath the surface, but the writer must be willing to nurture their growth.

Let’s say you’re starting with a blank slate: germ of an idea brewing, recording device turned on, and instrument, voice or blank page ready and waiting. How do you go about extracting the proverbial Killer Hook from your precious “nuggets of truth”:

o First, ask: what is true, real, intensely felt RIGHT NOW in your life? Be attentive to those flickers of realization, your “aha! moments.”

o What experiences do you have a burning yearning to share?

o What contribution do you want to make to the world?

o What makes your angle on life unique, compelling, interesting?

o In the movie “Walk The Line,” Sam Phillips asks Johnny Cash what song he’d sing if he was dying in a ditch on the side of the road and only had 3 minutes left. What hook would you sing in that situation?

o How can you arrange words and/or musical notes to get your “soul” down in song?

o Get crazy, be bold, bare your deepest truth or your silliest notion.

o Your job as a songwriter is to express what others can’t express. Go overboard!

Now take a few minutes and blurt out what comes up for you. Really dig in there and fearlessly sing, write or play something, anything, as long as it rings true. This is a great exercise to try any time you have 10 minutes to spare.

Next, start to put that spark of inspiration into song form. Stay connected with the essence of your personal experience as you begin to experiment with lyrics and music.

Ways to Enhance the Impact of Your Song’s Hook(s)

In the Verse/Chorus song form — the most common form these days — the chorus, and especially the hook, is where you “deliver the goods.” It’s the equivalent to the summation to the jury, the punch line of the joke, the revelation on the mountaintop. Every verse, every pre-chorus, every bridge, every line and every note leads up to this ultimate payoff. A great hook (and chorus) is packed full of meaning, fun, passionate intensity… or all three! It can’t be overemphasized that your hook has to really Rock Their World. But first, it has to rock YOURS. It has to ring true to you.

o Boil your Big Idea down into the smallest possible expression of its essence: your hook.

o Stay simple-yet-elegant. Less is usually more.

o Don’t pussyfoot around. Be bold and risky. Always take a strong point of view!

o A great line bears repetition. If it’s worth saying, it’s usually worth saying again.

o Make your song move rhythmically. People want to be SWAYED in more than one way by your song.

o Think of it this way: your hook is the hub of the wheel, and the other song elements are the spokes.

o Marry your melody to your lyric so that each intensifies and deepens the other.

o If you are thrilled by your hook, “they” probably will be too. And if you’re holding back, they probably will too!

o Show off your “money” note, your slammin’-est groove, your cleverest line, your most unusual concept in your hook. Aim for the bleachers, emotionally and creatively.

Give Your Hooks Mass Appeal

Singles are distinguished from album cuts by their catchiness, accessibility and freshness. And the hook is the key to that mass appeal. Most listeners and People Behind Desks couldn’t sing all of a song’s verses back to you if they tried. But most CAN remember a killer hook or chorus. For those of you who are driven by thoughts of financial gain, singles are also where the money is. (But remember: selling doesn’t mean selling out!) When you get to your main hook, hit us with fresh language, chords and melodic movement to wake us up physically, emotionally and spiritually. The might mean:

o An impassioned title or lyrical line: a twist of phrase, an unforgettable image, or an emotional outpouring that rings true

o A peak moment for the vocalist. This could be a high note, a long note, a rhythmically cool pulse or movement, a fresh interval, a repeated pattern or melodic sequence, etc.

o A catchy-as-hell instrumental riff or chordal pattern

o An underlying rhythm or groove that sweeps up all in its path

o Enough repetition to be catchy without becoming boring

o A striking contrast to whatever comes before and after (verses, pre-choruses, bridge), so that your hook stands out in an obvious way

Remember, more Hooks-Per-Square-Inch is better! In this day and age of sensory overload, listeners thrive on intense songs that cut through the clutter. We WANT to be moved on all levels. We’re hungry for depth, for truth, for emotion, for humor. Strive to discover the universal within the personal, the specifics of real life. Make your song paint a picture or create an environment people can live in.

By following these guidelines, and learning from songs that are hits in your chosen genres, you can make your songs more accessible, satisfying and commercially viable.

Happy songwriting!

Copyright 2006 Alex Forbes

Source by Alex Forbes

The post Hooks to Hits: The Key to Writing Songs That Sell appeared first on ENFEW.

It’s easy to look back at that time now with idealized vision and imagine it as a carefree time of fun and frivolity. But the teenagers of the era were different than most any teenagers that came before them. They were hardened by war and the threat of more war. They were aware that there was menace in the world. Simply, they just weren’t quite as innocent as teenagers before them had been. They had a harder edge.

And this harder edge made them less likely to simply accept what the grownups of the world told them. They began to search for their own identities in ways that teenagers never really had. As part of this, they grew increasingly bored with the pop music they were hearing.

In 1953 the top of the pop charts was full of names like Patty Page, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher, Les Baxter, and the Ames Brothers. These were all great artists without a doubt, but they belonged to the grown-ups and not the kids. They sang songs like, “How Much is that Doggie (in the Window)”, “April in Portugal”, and “Song From Moulin Rouge”. These weren’t necessarily bad songs, but they no longer spoke to this new breed of teenagers.

By 1954, the kids had become restless. They wanted music that was their music. They may not have been exactly aware of what they wanted, but they knew that what the pop charts up to this time had to offer was not satisfying. They needed music to match their anxious feelings in a newly atomicized world–a world that could blow up any day.

Rock and Roll songs were starting to break into the charts in the early 1950’s here and there. But in 1954 a young kid named Elvis Presley smashed through the top of the charts and finally gave the kids exactly what they wanted. Elvis was ruggedly handsome, dangerously sensual, and perfectly despised by the older generation. His style of performing was something that most white kids had never seen before and when they saw it, they instantly loved it. They wanted more.

The rockabilly world knew a good market when it saw one and many musicians and bands followed in Elvis’ footsteps to create and expand this new music called rockabilly. The teenagers absolutely ate the new music up. By 1956 Elvis was selling millions upon millions of records for the RCA Victor label and started racking up the number one hits. Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, the Burnette Brothers Rock and Roll Trio, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and many, many other artists came up through the rockabilly ranks and became household rock and roll names.

In the process, boring music was all but banished from the top 40. Oh, the occasional song slipped through–Bat Boone had countless hits with watered-down versions of rocking R&B and rock and roll songs–but by and large the charts were dominated by the new rock and roll music. And there was no turning back. By the late 50’s and certainly by the early 60’s, rockabilly had given way to new forms of rock and roll. Rockabilly’s reign at the top of the charts was short lived, but its significance cannot be over stated. At a time when the teenagers began to demand more than “How Much is that Doggie (In the Window)”, rockabilly delivered. It pushed boring music from the charts and made way for rock and roll. And rock and roll has yet to relinquish that control of the pop charts.

Source by Buster Fayte

The post Rockabilly Music Was The Cure For Boring Pop Offerings Of The Early 1950’s appeared first on ENFEW.

When you started your insurance sales career I can predict what happened. On either the first, or second appointment you were thrown an objection. The top insurance sales question for addressing this objection was preached to you. You were told how asking this question would turn the objection into a sure sale.

What you were not told is that is was developed by someone that probably never sold insurance (or had a few sales marbles missing). Certainly, this idiot person should have been tarred, feathered, and exiled for life instead of being praised. The logic is so prone to ruin a sale, that this going down in my notes as the all-time worst sales question to ask any prospective client.

In fact, if you currently use this sales one of two things will happen. Either you will not survive, or your income will be below that of an average salesperson. Instead of sales salvation the prospect’s response is often the kiss of death.

I am sure you have it deeply rooted in your mind. Your sales manager tells you this is what he and all successful salespeople use. You quickly become brainwashed into becoming a believer. Well, I had a profitable sales career, and never once used it. I quickly learned that anything the home office or sales manager praised, I should throw out. In turn, to be better than ordinary you have to say and do things better.

Here is the most praised (by morons) sales objection handler in modern history. You are told to ask this kindg of insurance sales questions near the beginning of your presentation. “If I could show you a way, where I could solve your objection, would you be ready to purchase my insurance product today?” What a dynamite sales line!

So explosive, it is ready to blow sky high your sales presentation manual. Stupidly, or unknowingly, you tried to sell before the prospect was ready. Your prospect was not yet ready for the purchasing process. Just think of the many things racing through your clients head.

These include the following silent thought reactions you could easily be getting.

1. “The salesperson is going to give me a 10 minute song and dance. At the end he is going to expect me to pull out my checkbook. No way. I think this guy might be a con.”

2. “This guy is a real greenhorn. I just got that same line at the car dealership, and the furniture store”

3. “His speech is so canned, I am going to have to put a lid on it”

4. “I should say this: If there was a way I could give you $20.00 right now, would you take it and leave immediately?”

5. “What if I simply reply with this: Absolutely Not. Lets see what kind of trick this salesperson been taught to answer this.”

A sales professional response, say for the prospect statement “the price seems high”, would go more like this. “I completely agree with you. A quality product that provides you with all these benefits is unusual. I have had people go without this ____ product. Then suddenly things change, and they wish they had got this right away. Everyone dreads that their fears will turn into reality. Instead they could eliminate them immediately. I don’t know, but maybe you can’t afford this.”

I never directly answered his objection. As an alternative, I presented a number of prime reasons he should not have even asked that question. You remember playing “hot potato” as a kid. You simply throw the objection right back, but not until you add a few hot sparks. Who likes to be TOLD that they can’t afford something? Who sees a salesperson getting ready to WITHDRAW THE OFFER? Your prospect suddenly realizes you are a rare breed of pesky insurance sales person.

Your statements suddenly challenge the prospect, driving him into wanting your product. He respects your truth, and now has confidence in you. He can tell you are a survivor and will be around if he has any questions. Your prospect’s sales objection question just turned him into a prospect convinced enough to make you a sale.

Tricks and canned lines lead to few sales. Why be a 30% closer when you can close 75% to 80%? Just display honesty, trust, tight firmness, and wide flexibility. You should know it is rare for a sales manager to earn $100,000 yearly. Would you like to earn $100,000? You can if you learn from real sales professionals how you can adapt and revise your sales presentation. The Sales Professionals income level easily outperforms most sales managers. They know how to stop a sales objection from ever coming up. If a sales objection ever slips in, it is very likely they will skillfully turn it around into an opportunity to sell.

Source by Donald Yerke

The post Insurance Sales Questions – The Selling Question to Never Ask appeared first on ENFEW.

The Lessons in Guitar Tips are structure in this way,

1. Lets Get Started (15 lessons),

2. Getting Into Chords (11 lessons)

3. Practice Strumming Chords (6 lessons),

4. Getting Into Leads and Scales (9 lessons),

5. Exploring Further Lead Techniques (9 lessons),

6. Hot Extras (6 lessons) and

7. Popular Songs to Learn and Play (20 lessons)

If you are looking for an absolutely offline training on guitar, then you can have a look at the award winning Learn and Master Guitar course. This is a purely DVD based longer duration(of 2 years) training that you can take at the comfort of your home and is best suited for beginners, intermediate level players and also children. The best part is that you can directly interact with Steve Krenz, the instructor at Learn and Master Guitar and also other guitarists through a very lively forum. Having said about guitar instructor, I have to mention about JamPlay, the online guitar course that has taking online guitar training to a new level. They are providing 30 highly professional guitar instructors having vast experience in varied genres of Music. They are very popular these days for their Extremely High Definition Interactive Video Lessons accessible through Internet and priced at an affordable $20/month subscription fees. And they have very good training material for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced level players. Having mentioned about video instructions, Guitar Tips and Learn & Master Guitar are also providing highly interactive Video Lessons to their students. Hal Leonard and Esteban Guitar are also good options for beginners not planning to whack a lot of money in guitar lessons.

Conclusion

All the 3 guitar courses are good in one way or the other. It all depends on what type of guitar coaching you are looking for. If you are planning to go for a complete DVD based training then I would recommend Learn and Master Guitar. And if you are a beginner or a season guitarist and looking for a pure online guitar course with high definition video instructions I would say JamPlay is the BEST. You can experience online guitar training right from your computer screen. And Elmore Music is the best & most affordable DVD based as well as Online training method for beginners and Intermediate level players.

Source by Zach Eapen

The post Online Guitar Course ‘Elmore Music – Guitar Tips’ Comparative Review appeared first on ENFEW.

If you’re needing music for your new movie, you can hire a composer to custom write music for each and every scene but that may strain your already tight budget. Don’t worry, you can find great, original music on the web and much of it is free or available for a very low price.

I’m talking about Royalty-free music. If you Google ‘royalty free alternative music’ for instance, you will find pages of websites that offer alternative rock music for free or for a small licensing fee. That’s the good news. The bad news is – you’re going to have to do a lot of digging to find the music that fits the mood of your movie.

The best way to start off is to create a rough list of the songs you will need. Perhaps you want a quick uptempo rock song for the opening credits or maybe you have a few steamy scenes where a slow blues number will work nicely. Once you have the basic ‘music outline’, you can start your search for royalty free music that will fit your movie. The same goes for short films or even personal YouTube videos. Make a plan.

I suggest looking for royalty free music sites that have their music categorized and are easy to navigate. You don’t want to waste hours of your time clicking on song titles, wondering what you’re going to hear next. Oh great it’s some cheesy accordion song!

The best royalty free music sites will have easy to navigate categories such as Progressive Rock, Symphony, Blues or Country Music. This makes it much easier to find the music you are looking for.

One feature that I find extremely valuable is the vocal and non-vocal versions of a particular song. This helps develop a ‘theme’ that can be recurring throughout your movie. (Think ‘Titanic’). A lot of soundtracks use the non-vocal version of the song to create a recurring mood for a few scenes and then hit the audience with the vocal version during the closing credits. Don’t be afraid to use the same song in a number of scenes. Think about the theme song for ‘the Godfather’ and how many times the same melody was used over and over to great effect.

An important thing to remember is to protect your work by using a standard or creative commons license. Even though the music may be royalty free, you will still need to credit the owner by using a creative commons license or purchase a license that gives you the right to use the music for a commercial application. Most royalty free sites offer a creative commons license for free and a standard license for $25 to $100.

Be sure the music has a clean, professional sound. It won’t be too hard to tell whether it was recorded in a professional studio or straight from a Casio keyboard. Test the music out on a quality sound system where you can hear the dynamics of the music. It may sound acceptable coming out of your $10 computer speaker but you better test it on a good sound system just to be sure.

After finding the songs you like, you will need to customize the soundtrack to fit your scenes. There are plenty of sound editing software programs out there like Avid Pro Tools or Logic Pro X that enable you to properly fade in, fade out, alter the timing and manipulate the music. Some video editing programs such as Adobe Premiere now include the same sound editing features, just not at the same level of quality.

If the music you need is not available from a royalty free site, you may consider a ‘discount’ composer. It’s a gamble, but the rewards can be great. Many royalty free music sites offer custom soundtrack composing at very reasonable rates. In most cases, the composer is the same guy who wrote the songs on the site so you can feel confident that the quality of the music will be similar.

I know of one composer who has some pretty impressive credits including first run movies and Producer credits on A-list artists’ albums. Today he’s a ‘starving artist’ looking for the next project. Don’t be afraid to negotiate.

In summation – create a ‘music outline’ for your movie or video project and try royalty free music sites to find quality music for free or next to nothing.

Source by Rick F Costello

The post How to Create a Low Budget Movie Soundtrack appeared first on ENFEW.

Coming out of the late 1800's and early 1900's, America was leaving rural living behind and moving to the big cities. With that came the indulgence of music, moonshine and misbehaving. Unknowingly headed for the Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression, many Americans were indulgent, lawless and living life in the fast lane. It was the time of Al Capone, Hollywood glamor girls and prohibition.

Dance halls and speakeasies were springing up on every corner. The pace of life was headed towards full throttle and all of that was being reflected in American music. The beat got faster and the sound passionately reflected a careful style of frolic and fun. Ragtime was evolving into the new controversial genre of jazz, which would certainly come into its own by the 1930's. Probably the most definitive and influential music of the decade however, was that of the Broadway musical.

Even in an era that seems technologically privileged to us today, the lights of Broadway illuminated New York City with 25 million candlepower lights that cost millions of dollars. Elaborate musical scores were being composed by greats such as George and Ira Gershwin. These seriously talent showmen turned out elaborate productions that would continue to pack out the theaters throughout the decade. Intricate musical scores and fabulously choreographed dance numbers that are still celebrated today, would see show-goers spending top dollar just to experience one of these productions. At that time, tickets were selling for as much as $ 3.50 a piece. For some that could be a week's wages.

The tempo was upbeat, as was the mood of the thriving young country. Ragtime and blues were experiencing progressive innovations. The marching band style of music began featuring more horns, pianos, and strings. Vocals were being introduced into the mix with the powerful voices of legends like Bessie Smith, Rudy Valeé, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Some of the most popular songs of all time came out during the 1920's. George and Ira Gershwin's, Embraceable You was written in 1928 and would ever find it's most memorable home in the voice of the incomparable Billie Holiday's 1944 rendition.

One of the most talented singer / songwriters in musical history is Irving Berlin, which musical credits include poetic standards such as Always, Remember, and the timeless, White Christmas. His contributions to the Broadway musicals of the Twenties included songs from productions such as the Ziegfeld Folliesand Coconuts.

Radio and phonographic records were bringing the different genres of music to remote areas of the nation. The American public was now being introduced to talent, which prior to the wide availability of these mediums, was only heard locally in concert and dance halls.

The gangster capital of America at the time was Chicago and out of that area a new musical genre was becoming hot. Riding on the coat tails of ragtime and blues, was the up and coming jazz invasion. Many believe that jazz, in its earliest forms, moved up from New Orleans to the Chicago area where it evolved into the style of jazz, as we know it today. Popular artists to come out of this era include King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

A decade that began with a boom would end with a crash. A careful and somewhat spoiled American public would see a catastrophic end to the high life of the Roaring Twenties with the Stock Market Crash on October 29, 1929.

The great advances in American music would continue at a much slower pace during the next decade as songs of celebration and liberation would turn to down-on-your luck lyrics that were definite of the times during the 1930's. Music of the 1920's would come to tell a story, a story of a culture of people who grabbed life by the horns, ran with it and lived it to its fullest.

Source by Darrell Berg-Smith

The post The Bright Lights of Broadway – A Look at 1920s Musical Influences appeared first on ENFEW.

The KWSF is one of the best of its kind anywhere and, since it’s held in the beautiful Old City of Key West (FL), you just oughta make plans to make the festival your next vacation. A can’t miss great time!

But anyway, at this particular KWSF, I saw a very cute young woman by the name of Tia Sillers sing this song announcing, “Oh by the way, this is the first single from Lee Ann Womack’s new album.”

No one there, probably, had ever heard the song. I hadn’t. And while it was obviously a really great song, honestly, with a dozen or so major hit songwriters on the bill, and old buddies all around, and gorgeous tropical weather…and a keg or two (ahem), the song didn’t have the impact that it should have based on what was to follow.

Driving out of Key West after the multi-day event, I heard Lee Ann’s “I Hope You Dance” on the radio for the first time. It gave me chills, even in the mid-day heat, especially having just met Tia Sillers and heard her perform the song. I knew it was a smash…who didn’t?

Few songs over the last thirty years or more of popular music have made the indelible mark on society that has been left by “I Hope You Dance.” Heck, Oprah was reading the lyrics on her show! (And if Oprah thinks it’s good…ooh doggy!)

IT IS A GREAT GREAT SONG. It speaks to the depths of the human soul. It is pop music as art and poetry at its finest.

The public must agree: “I Hope You Dance” won the 2001 Grammy, CMA, ACM, NSAI, ASCAP and BMI song of the year awards. It reached #14 on the US Hot 100 Billboard Chart and #1 on the Country and AC Charts.

It was a career-making song for Lee Ann, as well as its writers.

(Gee whiz, Lee Ann Womack performed the song at the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert — 2000 — honoring the winners!)

Tia Sillers wrote “I Hope You Dance” with Nashville stalwart Mark D. Sanders. Mark D. co-wrote “Blue Clear Sky,” a #1 for George Strait (with Bob Dipiero and John Jarrard) and has had dozens and dozens of cuts by major artists. He teamed up again with Tia to write Alan Jackson’s hit “That’d Be Alright.”

I think it was the very next year that I crossed paths with Tia again. I should mention here that Tia is married to the phenomenal singer/songwriter/guitartist Mark Selby. Often people confuse the “Mark” co-writer of “Dance,” Mark D. Sanders, with Tia’s husband, Mark O. Selby. Not the same guy at all but Mark Selby is a major hit songwriter in his own right. THIS Mark and Tia co-wrote the Dixie Chicks’ break-out hit, “There’s Your Trouble” (from Wide Open Spaces) as well as the biggest song ever in the career of blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd, “Blue On Black.” An eclectic couple, eh?

By the way, Mark Selby’s More Storms Comin’, in this listener’s opinion, is one of the greatest blues-rock albums in recent memory. It kicks you in the you know what. More Storms Comin’ was Mark’s debut for Vanguard Records.

Anyway, back to the story. The next time I hooked up with Mark and Tia, at another songwriter festival in Florida (again produced by Drew Reid), Mark and Tia, myself, hit-songwriter Kostas, and a singer-songwriter from Durango, Lisa Blue, got stranded on a fishing boat all night long in the freezing cold (it was in January and unusually cold for those parts) when the boat ran aground in shallow water. We were there until daybreak and the incident is a great (and funny — but not at the time) memory for all of us… “”Living might mean taking chances, But they’re worth taking…”

Here are the beautiful and inspiring words to “I Hope You Dance.” (Words and Music by Tia Sillers and Mark D. Sanders)

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one singe breathe for granted

And God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you’ll give faith the fighting chance

And if you get the chance to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

And never settle for the path of least resistance

Living might mean taking chances but they’re worth taking

Loving might be a mistake but it’s worth making

Don’t let some helping heart leave you bitter

When you come close to selling out reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a pasing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

promise me that you’ll give faith the fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance, I hope you dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

Notably (and unfortunately) “lyric sites,” of which there are many, usually don’t post who actually wrote the song. For instance, you will see this song all over the web attributed to Lee Ann Womack, who of course made the song a hit (along with her producer Mark Wright!), but she didn’t write it. As for this particular song, there is often another frequent and unfortunate (for the reader) omission: The lyrics sung in the background. These words add depth and meaning to the song:

Time is a wheel in constant motion

always rolling us along

Who wants to look back on their years and wonder,

where those years have gone?

I hope YOU dance. –JH

Source by DA Jack Hayford

The post Number One Songs-I Hope You Dance appeared first on ENFEW.

1. Sell Your Song On iTunes

Independent artists have for a long time had iTunes as an option to sell their music, and if you combine that with a large audience of listeners you have the potential to make a lot of money. Take Rebecca Black, for one recent example – her song “Friday” is perhaps already known as one of the more annoying songs of all time, but has received several million downloads thanks to over 144 million views (at last count) of her video on YouTube. That has made her a millionaire practically overnight.

2. Design Your Own T-Shirts

More often than not, a video that goes viral is a spur-of-the-moment occurrence – such as David After Dentist’s “is this real life?” or Chris Crocker’s “leave Britney alone” performances. They result in a brief few minutes of fame, and are usually capitalized on by selling designs that feature the primary catch-phrase from their video.

3. Put Together A Calendar

Similarly, several viral stars choose to capitalize on their brief few moments of fame – and for a few of the luckier ones, some level of ongoing fame – by putting together their own calendar and selling it through their website. Marina Orlova (A.K.A Hot for Words) originally did this a few years ago but has now moved to perhaps a more sensible option in promoting her own book.

4. Launch A Music Career

Videos of people singing have long been one of the more popular forms of content to go viral on YouTube – particularly when genuine talent comes from somewhere completely unexpected, such as Susan Boyle’s appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. Perhaps the most famous example of a musician being found with the help of YouTube is Justin Bieber, whose videos being discovered by his eventual manager marked the beginning of a dream career.

5. Get A Job In Hollywood

It is only natural to think that talents exhibited on YouTube can easily be transferred to either the big or small screen, so it comes as no surprise to see several viral hits leading to cameos in feature films or TV shows – and for those more creatively-inclined, even paying work behind-the-scenes. Timing is also important, as the co-creators of “Iron Baby” discovered when their viral hit that coincided with the release of Iron Man 2 immediately led to job offers from Hollywood.

Source by Brent McCoy

The post Ways People Make Money From Viral Traffic appeared first on ENFEW.

Plan A: Perfect parents, a childhood without drama and trauma, graduate from the college of your choice with great grades, select a life mission by age twenty-one, land the perfect job in the career of your choice, married to your soulmate by age twenty-six, two beautiful, healthy, well behaved and intelligent children by thirty-five, financially independent by age forty-five, and retired to a life of leisure and travel by age fifty-five.

Sound good? Yes. Sound possible? Yes. Sound plausible? I doubt it.

No let’s take a look at plan B the alternative: Raised in a dysfunctional family, barely make it out of high school, drop out of college in your second year, unsure of what direction your life should take, two average kids that keep you from getting your share of sleep for several years, divorced from your first spouse by age thirty-five, in debt and stuck in a career that is going nowhere, and drop dead at forty-five due to a stress related illness.

Not a pretty picture.

Real life falls somewhere in the middle of these two scenarios. John Lennon had a great line in one of his songs, “Life is what happens to you as you plan your life.”

How many people do you know that have led the perfect life? I will bet very few, and the ones that want you to think they have most likely have a few skeletons in the closet.

How many people do you suppose begin their life with plan B in mind? None I would suspect. Everyone wants the ideal life.

What is the ideal life? I haven’t a clue. I would guess that for everyone who supposedly has one there is some aspect of their life they would secretly like to change.

Now I have to ask you a serious question. Did you think your life would turn out as it has? There are two basic ways life can turn out. Better than we thought it would and worse than we thought. Which did you get, better or worse?

Every life is about options, choices and consequences. One of the great essays by R W Emerson is, The law of Compensation. If you have never read it I suggest you find it and spend some time with it. In essence the essay says, what goes around, comes around, what you sew, you will reap.

You and I are reaping today the results of our earlier sewing. Now I can hear some of you thinking, I didn’t choose to be born into an alcoholic family, raised in a ghetto, or be abused mentally or physically. To discuss this further is a metaphysical concept which I will not delve into in this article. Let’s rather focus on the decisions you have made from the options you had from age, oh let’s say, ten.

There is one major premise that is the core of this article, so I may as well get it out in the open now. You can not always control what happens to you or who or what comes into your life, but you can always choose your reaction, response or attitude about it, him or her.

We were engineered for success and program for failure. The average child by age ten has been raised and conditioned in an environment that they couldn’t choose. They heard no more than yes, you can’t more than you can, you shouldn’t more than you should and you’ll never more than you will.

Add to this the thousands of hours of destruction and violence on TV and video games, a society that has seldom been an ideal role model for the coming generation and peer pressure to fit in or not fit at all. Growing up is a difficult struggle at best.

We need to learn coping skills, emotional maturity, who we are, what we want, why we want it, who we want to be with and what we need to be whole, happy and at peace with ourselves and the world.

The fortunate among us had a great start in these early years, but unfortunately, that is the exception. Most of us had to deal with some kind of “stuff” before we left home to follow our own path.

Let’s talk about four issues that impact the quality of life; options, choices, decisions and attitudes.

Options.

Everyone has options, regardless of the situation they may find themselves in. Some options are obviously better than others, but there is always something you can do. People are never stuck, they just choose to see themselves as stuck.

Your current options are related to your previous choices. Better choices in the past gives you more options in the future. Let me give you an example I overheard a father of a teenager sharing with a friend over lunch.

The father was trying to influence his son to the advantages of studying while he was in high school. He said, I asked my son if he could see how getting better grades in high school would give him more or better options for college after graduation? His son agreed. He asked him if he could see the connection to discipline and study in college, how that would give him more and better career options after college. He agreed. He asked him if he could see how a better career would give him more financial, travel and relationship choices. He again agreed. Then he asked the final and most important question. Do you see how the attitudes and skills that you develop now will impact the rest of your life? He agreed.

I don’t know the outcome of the situation with this mans son, I can only guess, but I see so often in life people say, I will get serious when I am finally in the relationship I want, job or career I want and living where I want. What these people fail to realize is that there is a connection between what you are doing now and how you are doing it to the next stage of your life.

Your future is created in the now moments in your life. Your future options are dependent on your present choices.

Choices.

How and why you choose what you do from the various options in life is a function of your: maturity, courage, insight, experience, life history, value systems, plans, dreams, life outlook (positive or negative, willingness to follow through, confident or low confidence), goals, faith, confidence, trust, life orientation (future, present or past) thought patterns and comfort zones.

If for example, you are in the job market seeking a new position, and are offered a position that requires learning a new industry, relocating to a part of the country you have never been to, and taking a ten percent reduction in compensation, but with greater potential for future success and happiness, vs. a position with less potential, but requires none of the other changes, what would you do?

It depends on your interpretation of the above seventeen items.

Decisions.

Decision making is the ability to carefully evaluate your options, and act on what you believe is the best choice given your current circumstances and future plans. Procrastinating on a decision that eventually must be made drains energy, resolve and creates inner confusion and frustration.

There is a great story in Napoleons Hill’s book, Think and Grow Rich, about how Andrew Carnegie have Napoleon Hill sixty seconds to make a decision on whether he would take on the project that led to his writing this all time best seller. He made the decision in the time allotted. But the ability to make it required faith, confidence, trust, and the willingness to follow through.

It takes courage to make a decision, not knowing the outcome in advance. But, isn’t that what life is really all about? How can you know how a relationship will turn out. How can you know whether your organization will downsize or be sold leaving you on the outside looking in. How can you know how your children will turn out when you decide to start a family. How can you know whether you will like all of your neighbors when you move to a new location. How can you know whether you will like ice cream until you try it. You can’t, life is not like that.

Our job is to take the curriculum we are given and do the best we can with it. Unfortunately we don’t always get to take the course we think we will like, can handle or want.

I love the Nike ad, Just Do It.

Attitudes.

Options, choices and decisions al
l come down to attitudes. Your attitudes about life, adversity, problems, success, failure, accomplishments, people, and yes your attitudes about the decision process itself.

There are only two attitudes that you can have that will impact the overall quality of your life. They are, I can do it, I will do it, or I can’t do it, I won’t do it. Examine your attitudes the next time you need to make a life decision, no matter how minor or major.

I don’t know how your life is turning out, but I do know that you and only you are the architect of your past, present and future. If you want a better life, whatever better means to you, the time to fix whatever is in your life that you want to change, is now; not tomorrow, not when you feel like it, not when you have more money, not when you live where you want to, or start your own business, or not when you are with a better life partner, the time is now, and now won’t wait for you while you spend time trying to decide.

Source by Tim Connor

The post I Never Thought My Life Would Turn Out This Way – How About You? appeared first on ENFEW.

This kit has the same basic features that you would expect to see in a standard sized drum kit. It is cool to see the whole thing assembled, especially with the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbal – so cute! And it includes with all the important peripherals, such as drumsticks, a bass drum pedal, and a drum seat. It was a perfect value for what I paid! I found it online at a huge discount from its listed price. The best quality of the set, however, is the quality of all the parts. You can tell that this drum set is something that can get roughed up a little – as anything that does belong to children, and that it will not be broken easily. And I am certain that by the time my nephew gets too big for this, my sister will certainly keep it around for her next kid.

As mentioned by many other reviewers, there is a little assembly to do when the kit arrives. It might be a little confusing at first, especially if you have never assembled a drum kit before. However, I highly recommend watching some of the drum kit assembly videos posted on YouTube. They can teach you precisely how to assemble a drum kit.

When your child starts showing interest in music, it is the perfect time for them to start playing an instrument. In conclusion, I would 100 percent recommend this drum kit to anyone who wishes to grant their son or daughter a hands-on understanding of music appreciation. The De Rosa DRM312 Junior Drum Set is perfect for the aspiring percussionist new to the instrument.

Source by Sam Carver

The post De Rosa DRM312 Junior Drum Set Review appeared first on ENFEW.

I’ve learned to take a deep breath, chill, remind myself it’s not the end of the world, and then look for a way to appreciate whatever extra time I’m now spending in the airport. Reading always works for me, so does getting in some phone-chat time with girlfriends, or cleaning out my inbox if all else fails.

But recently, the Broadway cast members of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” took appreciating your unanticipated down-time in an airport to a whole new level. During their six-hour weather delay in New York’s LaGuardia Airport, they had a sing-off! It was truly an extraordinary event, captured on someone’s phone, and uploaded to YouTube

What a choice these cast members made! Rather than bemoan the hot, crowded conditions of the airport, rather than complain endlessly about what the delay meant to their plans, or how bored they were, or anything else, they turned to what they could value in that moment, they started singing. First one, then another, then the whole cast of “The Lion King” joined in to sing songs from their award-winning show. Whereupon the “Aladdin” cast responded with their songs–including an amazing free-style rap by James Inglehart, who plays the Genie in the show.

Not only did the cast members of these shows counter the potentially adverse effects of negativity on their well-being, they uplifted everyone within earshot in that airport! You can see the smiles on other passengers’ faces as their mood changed from “Oy ve” to “Hurrah”! Because everyone was in the same weather-delay boat; it took deliberate, conscious focus to switch from ain’t-it-awful to better thoughts and feelings. Something the cast members accomplished with ease.

Contrast this with the behavior I witnessed a few weeks prior at another airport. My flight was mechanical-issue delayed for three hours, then canceled entirely. We were transferred to a different flight, which meant another delay of about two hours. OK, such is life. Finally, we were in line to board our designated aircraft, just waiting for the previous passengers to get off the plane, and the few minutes required for the cleaning crew to do their thing.

A man standing at the head of our line was vigorously complaining to the ground attendant in charge of taking our boarding passes about how long it was taking the previous passengers to deplane. How he’d had it with all this waiting, and what a horrible airline this was, and what horrible service. There was more of course. I stood there, with my jaw dropped. Here the airline had kept us safe (off a plane not fit to fly), found us seats on another flight, we were about to board, and the man was first in line. It was probably one of the finest examples of complete lack of appreciation I have ever seen. At the very least, the man could have valued his position at the front of the line, and appreciated the fact that he only had another ten minutes, tops, to wait before getting to his seat.

I don’t even want to know what that man’s heart condition is like. What I do know, is that those Broadway cast members, with their ability to switch their focus to what they could appreciate, what they could do–sing!–as opposed to what they couldn’t do (get on a plane right then) had their hearts not only in the right place for the joy they brought themselves and everyone else in that airport, but also in the very best place for their long-term health and vitality.

Now don’t you wish you’d had that travel delay?

Link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/6ajHZWDP_Vk.

Source by Dr. Noelle Nelson

The post "The Lion King" and "Aladdin" Get the Best of a LaGuardia Situation appeared first on ENFEW.

1. Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is a band that I hear all the time on the radio, and I still don’t get sick of hearing their hits. Their first and most defining album, Ten, was released on August 27th, 1991. Ten managed to stay on the billboard charts for over two years, went 13 times platinum, and became one of the highest selling rock albums ever. Not bad for a first release!

2. Nirvana

What is there to say about Nirvana that hasn’t been already? The band that brought alternative and grunge music to the forefront of the music industry, blending memes of punk, rock, acoustic guitar, and conflicting vocal lines. While their first release of Bleach in 1989 was a success for the band on Sub Pop Records, it was Nevermind that catapulted the band to fame.

3. Soundgarden

Started in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, Soundgarden failed to achieve commercial success and large fame until the grunge genre became popular in the early 90’s. They were however, the first grunge band to sign a major label contract in 1988 with A&M Records. Their most successful album came in 1994 entitled, Superunknown. Not only did it debut at number one on the Billboard charts, but the singles “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman” both became Grammy winning singles.

4. Alice In Chains

Another great Seattle band that rose during the grunge movement of the early 90’s. Something I really enjoy about Alice In Chains is how varied their music can be. Sometimes acoustic and light, but other times filled with thick heavy metal distortion. And let us not forget the harmonized vocals between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. To this day their album Dirt remains one of my favorites.

5. Death Cab For Cutie

Transatlanticism in 2003 pushed this group to widespread commercial success and fame. However, Death Cab For Cutie has had a strong Indie following since its debut album, Something About Airplanes in 1998. Definitely a more down tempo and emotional gripping band, I find myself listening to them on rainy days, along with Ben Gibbard’s other project, The Postal Service.

6. Jimi Hendrix

Simply put, the number one greatest guitarists of the rock genre. Well, at least accordingly to Rolling Stone, and I’d say they know what they’re talking about. It still amazes me how phenomenal his riffs and solos are, not to mention the overall song structure. He is easily one of the most important and influential musicians of the 20th century, and has inspired thousands of others over the years.

7. Heart

I love Heart. As one of the newest inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2013), they have been one of the most enduring hard rock bands in history. They originally came to fame in the 1970’s after releasing their breakthrough album, Dreamboat Annie. The two singles “Crazy on You” and “Magic Man” were key to their success at the time, and remain fan favorites to this day.

8. Queensrÿche

These guys have been quite successful in the progressive heavy metal scene. Formed in 1981, they received worldwide recognition after releasing Operation: Mindcrime in 1988. To many, this is considered one of the greatest concept albums to ever be released.

9. Dave Matthews Band

To this day, Dave Matthews Band continues to fill venues (and the Gorge) full of people, and for good reason. Not only is the music amazing, but watching them perform live is something that everyone should see. As a drummer myself, I do tend to geek out a little bit while watching Carter Beauford solo! Not only a local legend, Dave Matthews Band also had the highest ticket sales of any North American act from 2000 to 2010. Pretty impressive.

10. Modest Mouse

OK, so technically these guys are from Issaquah. No matter though, as they have made a name for themselves in the Indie-pop scene. To be fair, it took me several listens of their album Good News For People Who Love Bad News to really appreciate them. But once I did, I was hooked.

An amicable list of the top 10 famous Seattle bands if I do say so myself. Feel free to disagree, but you have to admit that each group listed above has had its share of fame and influence in the music industry. Thanks for reading, and keep rocking!

Source by Jack Love

The post Top 10 Famous Seattle Bands appeared first on ENFEW.

There were so many special things about Elvis. He was only one of a kind. His good looks, charisma and irresistible Southern charm captivated the hearts of millions worldwide, his name, image and versatile voice made him instantly recognizable and, his singing, movies, television appearances and record-breaking live concert performances brought a lot of happiness and endeared him to so many the world over. He was also, a great American who served his country in the U.S. Army and a devout Christian. The legacy that he created in the 1950’s lives on and will be remembered throughout the ages because the magic that was, and is, Elvis will shine bright forever.

Known the world over by his first name or simply, the king, he became a symbol for the young generation and created a whole new social revolution. He went on to capture the hearts and minds of young and old around the world and had an immeasurable effect on music, language, fashion and attitudes. From him, a whole generation took its lifestyle. And, underneath the superstar image and worldwide adulation, there was a real human being who was devoted to his mother and, who had God in his heart.

Elvis’ unique sound and style made him a success in many different kinds of music genres such as rock and roll, country, gospel, rhythm and blues and ballads. He is the best-selling artist in the history of popular music having sold over 1.3 billion records worldwide, more than any other musical artist or group in the world. And, 1.5 billion people worldwide watched him in his Aloha from Hawaii special in 1973. His home, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee is one of the most visited homes today attracting over 600,000 visitors annually and is the most famous home in America after the White House. In 1991, Graceland was placed on the National Register Of Historical Places.

No other entertainer has inspired so much tribute and adulation. Why are there so many Elvis impersonators around the world today? (about 78,000 worldwide) This is a testament to Elvis’ immense influence and iconic status. Also, in 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued an Elvis Presley commemorative postage stamp. It is the most widely publicized stamp issue in the history of the U.S. Postal Service and, is the top-selling commemorative postage stamp of all time. And, he is the only entertainer to have been inducted into three separate music Halls of Fame-the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

The Early Years

Elvis was born on January, 8, 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression, into a poor but, close-knit, working class family, in Tupelo, Mississippi. He was one of twins. His brother, Jesse Garon Presley was stillborn. For Vernon and Gladys, their only son was the center of their lives. During his childhood he sang in church with his parents and raised to have strong faith in God. The beautiful, gospel music of his childhood became an important influence on him as did the country and blues of America’s Deep South in which he was raised. It was the combination of these different styles that was to provide his unique musical identity.

On his eleventh birthday, young Elvis was given a guitar, as a gift by his parents. In 1948, Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee in search of a better life and, at sixteen, he cultivated a new image by combing his hair back and growing sideburns. He graduated from Humes High School in 1953.

His entry into the music business began in 1953 when he paid to record a demo of the song My Happiness, as a gift for his mother. The studio manager, Marion Keisker, noted Elvis’ unusual vocal style and informed Sun Record’s owner, Sam Phillips of his potential. Sam got Elvis together with country guitarist, Scotty Moore and bass player, Bill Black and he began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues.

In 1954, Elvis recorded his debut disc “That’s All Right” at Sun Records which becomes a local hit and, in 1955, Colonel Tom Parker became his manager. In 1956 Elvis cuts his first album, “Elvis Presley” for new label RCA and it becomes a number 1 smash as did his first hit record Heartbreak Hotel in the same year. Also in 1956, the singer’s first movie, Love Me Tender, is released in cinemas across the United States.The rest is history. He became an international sensation and rose to become the world’s greatest rock and roll superstar and a legend. Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967 and their daughter, Lisa Marie was born in 1968. Elvis is, and always will be the king. There has never been anyone like him and never will be.

Source by Andrew Papas

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The client does not care about the features of your DJ company. They don’t care that you have high powered 15″ speakers and a subwoofer. They don’t care that you can set up a music system using an iPod and a speaker for cocktail hour. They also really don’t care about your 30,000 song hard drive. All they really care about is that their guests have a great time. Most clients just want to host an amazing party and are listening for you to say “by using us/me, your guests are going to have an amazing time”. Isn’t that the objective. They are also looking for comfort in the planning process.

Planning a party is not easy. Hiring a DJ is one of many responsibilities and clients want peace of mind. They want you to tell them that you are going to make this easy for them. How can you make the process stress free for YOU and the CLIENT? Offer them planning tools. You should have planning forms online or offline where they can provide the important event information. After you tell them about your planning system, watch their reaction. This should bring you one step closer to the sale.

My suggestion is to register with an online event planning website like “DJ Event Planner”. Clients have access to their planning account online 24/7 and can enter any important information, activities, and even choose music. Registering with an online event planner will make you feel more confident and appear more professional to clients. When you offer this service, clients will be most impressed. Once you’ve painted the picture, guided them through their vision, and offered them peace of mind with a planning system, it’s time to tell them your prices.

You should always give them a few pricing options from which to choose. Some common examples of packages are: 1. Basic Wedding Package (DJ/MC 2 Speakers)

2. Silver wedding package (DJ/MC 2 speakers and subwoofer)

3. Gold Wedding Package (DJ, separate MC, 2 speakers, subwoofer, lights)

4. Platinum Wedding Package (DJ, separate MC, 2 speakers, subwoofer, lights, cocktail hour included)

I can’t give you an idea of Wedding DJ prices because I don’t know your specific market. In the NJ/NY area a REPUTABLE DJ may charge between $1000 and $2000. Prices in other states and provinces would vary depending on the demographics. If you really want to know, contact some DJ’s in your area and ask their prices. Why so much? you might ask. Why so much? The client may ask.

Planning for a wedding is much more involved than just pushing play on iTunes at a house party. Your clients are paying for professionalism, your planning time, your expertise, and for you to actually perform at the event. Don’t ever under sell yourself. I know someone who gave a break to a client for a wedding last year and when it was over, It was’t worth the money in comparison to the amount of time spent on the planning. You should always keep your prices higher and then come down if you want to give them a discount. If your prices are too low, you’ll wind up losing money and getting frustrated in the process. If your prices are STILL too high, even after a discount, thank your client for their time and give them your card.

Don’t ever compromise your integrity. You are charging your price because you know you’re worth it. They will find other DJ’s who charge much less but surely don’t have the same training and knowledge as you do. They won’t be able to meet the clients vision, and they certainly won’t have an event planning system in place. Be confident that you are the best DJ for their event. Always assume the sale. When you give them the prices don’t ask them if they like the options. Ask them which option would meet their objective the best. You’ll most likely close the sale at this point. Don’t be pushy either. If they say they want to think about it, ask them if you can answer any questions. If they still seem unsure, tell them that it’s no problem and give them some information to take home. Follow up with them and you will surely have another opportunity to close the sale.

Source by John J Peterson

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In fact, one of the things I made a LOT of money on back in my mail order days, and my early days online, was multi-level marketing. One of the companies I worked years ago is still sending me checks (and it has been over 20 years now!). I probably used that now famous line because I know that so many folks have a bad taste in their mouth over MLM opportunities.

I think it is a good idea to have some MLM income (unless you can write a best-selling book or top 40 hit song, it may be about the only way for most folks to get recurring income), but I think you should have other types of income streams as well.

I also know how important it is to choose a good MLM company if you are going to build an organization. It is also important to have a plan of action, or a system that will work for you and every member of your team as well! In fact, that may be more important that the opportunity itself.

Years ago we built some really big teams (and we are in the process of doing that again – along with other income streams too) in network marketing.

When I first came online back in 97 I put together a training program for networkers using an auto-responder (I may be the first one to ever use a responder for an email course – at least I had the first one that I knew of). The course teaches anyone how to use the net to build their MLM income. I still get 20 to 100 subscribers each week for that free course, all prospects for my other offers.

But, why are so many sour toward networking opportunities? The biggest problem I’ve noticed is that they are on a shoestring budget and don’t have the money to really market well. If they do have the money to promote it, those they bring in may not (also, they might not have a clue how to market their biz).

Folks who don’t know what they are doing, and/or don’t have the funds to do it correctly often complain about the company, their sponsor, and whoever else they can blame their failure on. Many times I’ve seen ones who had the money to promote, but they were treating their MLM biz like a lottery. Just get in and before you know it, someone shows up at your door with one of those BIG checks! It just doesn’t work that way.

I do electronic Index trading online about 4 days a week, and I’ve seen people do the same thing with trading. They really don’t give it time to work for them, then they run around crying WOLF, and telling everyone the sky is falling.

You can make HUGE LIFETIME INCOME in network marketing, but just as in trading, it won’t happen overnight. If you have a LOT of money to play with, it can happen more quickly.

My advice is to have other sources of income that you can use while your MLM or network marketing biz is growing. Maybe you can offer some type of info product on MLM. Maybe you have a job you will need to hang onto until your biz income replaces it. It’s your dream, don’t let anyone steal it from you! Yes,

MLM does get a bad rap, but look there are crooks in ALL industries, that does not mean all are bad! Have a little stick-to-it-tiveness, and you can make the type of income we all know that network marketing can provide!

Source by Doug West

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Over a hundred years ago Susan B. Anthony and Mary Wollstonecraft were part of a woman’s movement centered on getting women equal rights under the law; the rights to vote and not be considered property. They would not have imagined that one day, on a form of media called television women would play the role of president. The idea of women campaigning on television for the president of the United States would amaze them beyond belief. This article will compare and contrast television “girl power” with all three “waves” of feminist theory. This article will primarily focus on the phenomenal success of the Spice Girls and the Power Puff Girls.

The feminist movement has been divided into three waves. The next generations of women usually draw the line of demarcation. They often distinguish themselves from the last movement with new innovative theories on what it means to be a woman; this is how the waves have been established. The First-Wave as such was developed in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. At the time, their movement was more commonly referred to as the Suffrage movement. They were mainly concerned with human rights issues.

Girl Power and the First-Wave

Two leaders that emerged out of this movement were Mary Wollstonecraft, from the United Kingdom, and Susan B. Anthony from the United States. At this time, women were like property or animals – not human beings. They were considered to be closer to the intellect of a child than a man. Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a book on the issue called Vindication of the Rights of Women. In this book she explores her disdain for her situation. She voices her contempt with the spurious “idea that women are created simply to be ministers to the amusement, enjoyment, and gratification of men” (Wollstonecraft 3). These ideas were woven into fabric of her society. The same was true for Susan B. Anthony in the United States. The laws needed changing. The foundation needed changing. They both were calling for re-education within their society.

The movement wished to persuade people from the falsity of female incompetence. They both had a full “appreciation of the sanctity of women’s domestic duties, and never undervalued for a moment the high importance of these duties, either to the individual, the family, or the State” (3). The First-Wave argued that “the more understanding women acquire, the more they will be attached to their duty-comprehending it-for unless they comprehend it… no authority can make them discharge it in a virtuous manner”(Wollstonecraft 4).

Wollstonecraft placed an appellation on the women in her generation. To her they were “barren bloomers.” “One cause of this barren blooming I attribute to a false system of education, gathered from the books written on this subject by men who, considering females rather as women than human creatures, have been more anxious to make them alluring mistresses” (Wollstonecraft 31).

All the women – the mothers, the wives and the girls becoming women had been so “bubbled by this specious homage, that the civilized women of the (past) century, with a few exceptions, (were) only anxious to inspire love, when they ought to cherish a nobler ambition, and by their abilities and virtues exact respect”(Wollstonecraft 32).

The respect that Wollstonecraft is demanding here was achieved in the suffrage movement with women receiving the right to vote, but the Spice Girls exacted this respect with their music and television fame. Their girl band replaced boy bands and in some ways garnered more popularity than The Beatles.

Their first debut song “Wannabe” entered the charts at number 3 in the U.K. before moving up to number 1 the following week. It stayed there for seven weeks. The song proved to be a global hit. It hit number one in 31 countries. It simultaneously became the biggest selling single by an all-female group and also the biggest selling debut of all time.

“Wannabe” also proved to be a catalyst in helping the Spice Girls break into the notoriously difficult U. S. market when it debuted on the Hot 100 Chart at number 11. At the time, this was the highest level – ever debut by a British act in the U.S., beating the previous record held by The Beatles for “I Want to Hold your Hand”. “Wannabe” reached number one in the U.S. four weeks later.

In November 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut album Spice in Europe. The success was unprecedented and drew comparisons to Beatlemania – due to sheer volume of interest in the Group. In just seven weeks Spice had sold 1.8 million copies in Britain alone, making the Spice Girls the fastest selling British act since The Beatles.

During the time of Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan B. Anthony and the First-Wave, many male thinkers made the argument that men were physically superior and men went on to make the erroneous conclusion that men were also intellectually superior. “Women are, in fact, so much degraded by mistaken notions… this artificial weakness produces a propensity to tyrannize” (Wollstonecraft 36). This explains the current success of female super heroes like the Power Puff Girls. These girls not only have superior strength but they often fight and defeat men. Psychologically, these fictional television images counter act the illogical conclusions derived from nineteenth century philosophy.

The Power Puff Girls show revolves around the adventures of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup; three little girls with super powers. The plot of a typical episode consists of a humorous variation of standard superhero fare, with the girls using their powers to defend their town from various villains, such as bank robbers, mad scientist, aliens or giant monsters, and often dealing with normal mundane issues that young children face, such as dependence on teddy bears and such. The show derives from a great deal of the humor from pop culture parody.

During the First-Wave, Wollstonecraft’s book was a tremendous help in the cause. In Britain the Suffragettes campaigned for the women’s right to vote. In 1918 the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed. This granted the right to vote to women over the age of 30. This right was only granted to women who owned houses. This right was eventually extended to all women over eighteen in 1928.

In America, the First-Wave of feminism involved a wide range of woman groups from such conservative camps as the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union to liberal groups like the National Woman Suffrage Association. In the United States, First-Wave feminism is considered to have ended with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (1919), granting women the right to vote.

The Second-Wave of feminism began to be used to describe a newer feminist movement that focused as much on fighting soci-economic inequalities as further political inequalities.

Girl Power and Second-Wave

The Second-Wave has been said to have lasted from the 1960s to the 1980s. They chose to endeavor into the inequality of laws, and the culture at large. The Second-Wave was very interested in ads on television that ridiculed women – treating them as frivolous sex objects for the “male gaze.” The male gaze is a term used by the movement to describe male dominance and objectification found in film and television. Others have said that the Second-Wave Feminism has existed continuously since the sixties, and some remnants continue to coexist with what is termed Third-Wave Feminism. Although both the Second and Third-Wave are heavily involved in Feminist Theory as it applies to television – they clearly have very diametrically opposing views.

Second-Wave Feminism saw cultural and political inequalities as inextricably linked. The movement encouraged women to understand aspects of their own personal lives as deeply politicized. According to them, this society was and is a result of a male dominant, sexist, structure of power. First-Wave Feminism focused on absolute rights such as suffrage and Second-Wave Feminism was largely concerned with other issues
of equality, such as discrimination, gender stereotyping and objectification. The Second-Wave at the time was more popularly called The Women’s Liberation Movement.

This idea of sexism and gender stereotypes was applied to television commercials and television shows. They continue to comment on television soaps, cosmetic commercials and voyeuristic “reality” television. Their perspective on the Power Puff Girls and the Spice Girls differ from the perspective of the Third-Wave movement.

One leader in this Second-Wave movement was a woman named Betty Friedan. Friedan compiled her thoughts in a book called The Feminine Mystique. In her book, Friedan outlines a dramatic discontent for superficial solutions to the gender stereotype problem. After the First-Wave movement, things almost reverted to an eighteen hundreds mindset. It was almost as if the movement had never occurred. The Second-Wave blamed television ads and television shows for this manipulation of the female mind. At the end of the nineteen-fifties, the average marriage age of women in America had dropped to 20 and was still dropping into the teens. Millions of girls were engaged by the age of 17.

“The proportion of women attending college in comparison with men dropped from 47 per cent in 1920 to 35 per cent in 1958. In the First-Wave, women had fought for higher education; now girls went to college to get a husband” (Friedan 16). The stint of time between the First and Second-Wave could be described as a wave going in the other direction. Instead of women seeking education – over half of the women in college were not just going to get their M.R.S. they were even dropping out of school to marry a man. According to the Second-Wave, the Leave It to Beaver images and commercial ads with the women as a happy homemaker had a serious affect on women. Television marketing, by big business, had an affect that the First-Wave could not have imagined.

As American girls began getting married in high school, Friedan and others in the beginning of the movement developed film and television theories as to why so many shows depicted women as dependent on a man for contentment and fulfillment. On this issue, it would seem that the Second and Third-Waves would be on the same side, but they were not. Second-Wave feminism promoted and still promotes the awareness of an impervious socio-political monster called “the media” that constantly stereotypes and objectifies women.

According to the Third-Wave, this mind state keeps the movement in a perpetual victim status. This victim mentality, ironically enough, is a part of the gender stereotype that the Second-Wave claims to be protesting against. Third-Wave feminism promotes using mass media as a tool for female empowerment.

The Spice Girls found contentment in “girl power.” They found solidarity among their female friends – not marriage. The goal in life for Spice Girls and the Third-Wave movement was fame/power – not love. On the contrary, the Second-Wave does not agree with the Spice Girls or the Third-Wave movement. They have attacked these women for parading as sex objects for the male gaze. To the Second-Wave – the Spice Girls would be no different than the manufacturers in the late fifties that put out brassieres with false bosoms of foam rubber for little girls of ten.

In the early fifties many women only left their homes “to shop and chauffeur their children, or attend a social engagement with their husbands” (Friedan 17). They were much like the soccer moms of today. Girls were growing up in America without ever having jobs outside the home. Then “in the late fifties, a sociological phenomenon was suddenly remarked: a third of American women now worked” (17). Most of the women were older and very few were pursuing careers. They were married women who “held part-time jobs, selling or secretarial, to put their husbands through school, their sons through college, or to help pay the mortgage” (17).

Their only goal in life was to be perfect wives and mothers. They sought to be the virtuous woman in proverbs 31. They imagined having five children and a beautiful house. Their only identity was to get and keep their husbands. “They had no thought for the ‘unfeminine’ problems of the world outside the home; they wanted the men to make the major decisions. They gloried in their role as women, and wrote proudly on the census blank: Occupation: housewife” (Friedan 18).

Nobody debated women’s inferiority or superiority to men; men and women were simply different. “Words like ’emancipation’ and ‘career’ sounded strange and embarrassing; no one had used them for years”(Friedan 19). The Second-Wave continued to criticize images on television shows and the shopping commercials. These shows never mentioned the female issues, like female independence, that women were obviously struggling with in the real world. Third-Wave television personalities like the Spice Girls or the Power Puff Girls attempted to do something about these images. They’ve decided to redefine the female images.

The Power Puff Girls has a highly stylized, minimalistic visual look, reminiscent of 1950s and 1960s pop art. They have taken this image of the fifties housewife with no concerns of the outside “unfeminine” world and they invert those messages. In the show Power Puff Girls, these little homemaker girls watch the news, see problems in the world and go out to fight the problems of the world on their own.

This show is a current American animated television series about three little girls in kindergarten who have super powers. The show was created by animator Craig McCracken. The series is a spoof on American superheroes as well as Japanese Tokusatu heroes like Super Sentai. The show makes heavy use of references to 1960s pop culture, particularly the famous English musical group The Beatles.

The Second-Wave questions these “positive” role models like the Power Puff Girls. They are super heroes with super powers but will girls honestly grow up with super powers? Will this really help women deal with the problems of the world when they turn 23, 33, or 43? The Second-Wave is highly persuaded that these women will not look to these role models in their maturity but will inevitably fall into the role of a desperate house wife.

Friedan says the desperate house wife has a problem and “a hunger that food cannot fill. It persists in women whose husbands are struggling interns and law clerks, or prosperous doctors and lawyers; in wives of workers and executives who make $5,000 a year or $50,000. It is not caused by lack of material advantages; it may not even be felt by women preoccupied with desperate problems of hunger, poverty or illness. And women who think it will be solved by more money, a bigger house, a second car, moving to a better suburb, often discover it gets worse” (Friedan 27).

The Second-Wave wanted to move past just having voting rights. They wanted equal representation in politics and in television culture. “The fact is that NO one (at that time was) muttering angrily about women’s rights, even though more and more women had gone to college” (Friedan 29). The Second-Wave movement began because Friedan and others could not understand why media studies showed that women were going to college and blaming education for “making them want ‘rights’…giving them career dreams and making them feel it was not enough simply to be a housewife and mother” (Friedan 29). Friedan made the case for the need of a second movement or Second-Wave of feminism because she felt that she heard the voice of women yelling “I want something more than my husband and my children and my home” and she saw media trying to silence that voice. The Third-Wave was started for similar reasons.

Girl Power and the Third Wave

David Sinclair wrote a book on the Spice Girls called Wannabe. Sinclair traces the origins of the girl power slogan and how the Spice Girls played a part in this movement. Apart from reclaiming the word “girl” from the clutches of the politically correct who had “stigmatized it as a sexist put down”
when referring to anyone of the female persuasion aged about 13 or over – “girl power proved a remarkably inspirational slogan, a vague but persuasive notion, whose influence eventually extended well beyond the confines of the pop world” (Sinclair, 60).

Much has been said and written about the idea of “girl power.” The slogan first surfaced in public as the title of an album by the female duo Shampoo, and by a curious coincidence, their song “Girl Power” was released as a single one week before ‘Wannabe’ in July 1996. Nothing more has ever been heard of Shampoo, but their girl power slogan has lasted for over a decade.

Geri, the leader of the Spice Girls, was in favor of using this slogan. She was always the most vocal proponent, although once she began using the slogan in interviews the girls all took it up as an article of faith. “A ‘Power Oath’ duly evolved: “I being of sound mind and new Wonderbra do solemnly promise to cheer and dance and zigzag-ah Ariba! Girl Power!”(Sinclair, 60). It may not have been the most profound expression in the history of the movement, but the girl power philosophy was not an empty slogan to be taken lightly.

The idea, in essence, was “that girls should stand up for themselves as individuals. They should stick up for each other collectively and – having identified what they want out of life – go out and grab it with both hands” (Sinclair 60).

Sarah Banet-Weiser, in her article Girls Rule, outlines the girl power tension. Many Third-Wave Feminists consider consumer culture as “a place of empowerment and as a means of differentiating themselves from Second-Wave feminist” (Newcomb, 335). Second-Wave Feminism has tended, on the whole, to be critical of the misogyny of popular consumer culture and they protests having anything to do with it.

Second-Wave Feminism is “at times overly romanticized in terms of its commitment to social protest politics, and there seems to be a kind of reluctance on the part of them to rethink and redefine politics according to the stated needs and desires of the Third-Wave Feminism…” (Newcomb 336). For the movement to believe all women “share a feminist politics and that we all want the same thing is highly problematic” (Newcomb 336). To insist on a universal feminist standpoint in many ways guarantees a universal stand still. It “functions as a kind of refusal to identify what the ‘thing’ is that we all apparently want” (336).

The Third-Wave has its philosophical problems also. Girl – Power says that girls are powerful, strong, and independent but “the commercial merchandising of these claims demonstrates a profound ambivalence about these feminist politics in general” (336). On one hand, the Third-Wave of Feminism is a continuation of the Second-Wave. On the other hand, some who claim to be part of the Second-Wave often engage in intellectual trysts with the new wave. The Second-Wave seems more intent on perpetuating the victim status or victim stereotype. They argued against this stereotype but provided no solutions. The Third-Wave knew they would never completely satisfy the complaints of the Second-Wave because Friedan herself defined the problem as “a problem with no name” (Friedan 16).

In her book Girl Heroes: The New Force in Popular Culture, Susan Hopkins argues that “the old way of blaming media and popular culture for encouraging girls to be submissive is outdated” (Hopkins 4). The new girl hero is on a quest for stardom, a quest for immortality, and a quest for being. In an age of images, my space, face book and television, many girls feel existence is equivalent to fame. They want to be somebody.

The Spice Girls have managed to dole out girl-power messages and galvanize powerful-girl images from pop culture. They still remain feminine and like girls. Second-Wave theorist would argue that women like the Spice Girls aren’t really in control. “Far from denying differences in gender – as the old school feminist had sought out to do – girl power encouraged the use of sexual charm as a weapon” to be deployed along with any other available skills that would help to get a result (Sinclair 60). According to the Spice Girls, “Boys were OK in their place, but they shouldn’t be allowed to distract a girl from her goals in life, or even worse, distance her from her friends. Follow the advice and, so the theory goes, nothing will stop a girl from achieving her ambitions for long” (60).

Their song “Wannabe” in many ways outlined the doctrine of the new wave. “To be a feminist in the nineties,” Melanie C said, “means having something to say for yourself” (Sinclair 60). In the new wave you can wear mascara and high heels and look like a “babe” and make as much of a point as if you shaved your head and a burnt your bra. Melanie C from the Spice Girls made a point to say, “There’s no way I’m ever burning my wonder bra. I couldn’t. I’m nothing without it” (Sinclair, 60).

To make the “formula” work in the context of television pop-culture their required wit, charm and ruthless sense of rational self – interest. These were qualities all five girls had. These girls used their sexuality to get what they wanted out of a male-dominated industry. Soon, “male teen idols (were) secondary – the primary fantasy object in contemporary girl culture is the celebrity female” (Hopkins 4). Large posters of The Beatles, Bay City Rollers, Skyhooks, and Duran Duran were in the bedrooms of girls growing up in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Now those posters have been substituted for large posters of pop sensations like Spice Girls, Eve and Pink.

The Spice Girls manager, Simon Fuller, plunged them into merchandising and they became a regular feature of the British press. Suddenly – “Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh and Sporty were the most widely recognized group of individuals since John, Paul, George and Ringo” and they became “a social phenomenon that changed the course of popular music and popular culture” (Sinclair, 64).

The members went their separate ways at the end of 2000 to focus on their solo careers. On June 28, 2007 they reformed as a quintet and in November 2007 a greatest hits album was released to accompany the group’s current world tour.

In total, their first album sold 3 million copies in Britain and peaked at number one for fifteen non-consecutive weeks. In Europe, the album became the biggest selling album of 1997 and was certified 8x Platinum by the IFPI for sales in excess of 8 million copies. It was also the biggest selling in the U.S. in 1997. It made 7x platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.

The third chapter of Hopkins’ book discusses how the violence, aggression and moral code of the traditional male action hero genre has been appropriated by female action heroines. These new girl heroines, Hopkins argues, have a serious element of the “bad girl” in them, not always making the accepted moral choices and sometimes acting selfishly for their own power.

There was a convention held for children television in June 2000 at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York called “A Kids Got to Do what a Kid’s Got to Do.” One of the seminars was titled “Girl Power: Creating positive role Models for Girls.” Those in charge of this seminar “lauded Nickelodeon’s efforts over the past 20 years to challenge traditional gender stereotypes on children’s television by featuring girls as primary lead characters” (Newcomb 332). A connection between those two concepts – girl and power – was something that had never been a part of American culture or thought. Now, Girl Power has become “normalized” and part of everyday television. “The empowerment of girls is now something that is more or less taken for granted by both children and parents”(332). Indeed, the rhetoric of girl power has found currency in almost every facet of contemporary children’s popular culture.

The Second-Wave would argue that girls cannot aspire to be super heroines, nor can they learn real-life empowerment skills from such heroines; furthermore, many of these new girl superheroes are sexy and object of the male gaze. The Second-Wave feels that when inte
lligence and business-savvy stand without accompanying sexuality and beauty the doors of power will be open to the masses of girls.

Girl Power or Hoax?

This new breed of girl power is unquestionable in terms of their media saturation and omniscience, but it is also arguable that they are a highly exaggerated and entertaining product of an ingenious marketing exercise. In other words, the Second-Wave believes that the Third-Wave may be nothing more than a timely executed commercial hoax.

The Second-Wave also wonders if a 13-year-old will continue to model her life on the amorphous illusion of the Power Puff Girls. One day when she wakes up will her former self be completely disparate and unrecognizable to her present self. In search for everyday social norms will these fantasies dissipate?

Hopkins makes a strong argument that “Fame is replacing romance as the dominant female fantasy (…) Love and marriage is no longer the final answer to youthful feminine desire” (Hopkins 189-191). “No longer just an actress or a pop star, the female celebrity is fast acquiring the status of secular Goddess, inspiring an almost religious reverence in fans”(Hopkins 182).

Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins were producers at Absolute when the Spice Girls came through for the first time. These men are part of this male dominant entertainment industry. They definitely claim that girl power is not a hoax.

Wilson once said, when referring to the Spice Girls, “I’m not sure other executives understood how brilliant it was… when you talk about girl power that was it… because they’d take anybody on.” (Sinclair, 62)

Written by

Chester Elijah Branch

WORK CITED

Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “Girls Rule! Gender, Feminism, and Nickelodeon.” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 21.2, 119-139, 2004.

Eagleton, Mary. A Concise Companion to Feminist Theory. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.

Echols, Alice. Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-1975. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press 1990.

Fraser, Clara. Revolution, She Wrote. Seattle: Red Letter Press, 1998.

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2001.

Heinecken, Dawn. Warrior Women of Television: A Feminist Cultural Analysis of the New Female Body in Popular Media. New York: P. Lang, 2003.

Helford, Elyce Rae. Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.

Heywood, Leslie. Third Wave Agenda: Being Feminist, Doing Feminism. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1997.

Hopkins, Susan. Girl Heroes: The New Force in Popular Culture. Annandale: Pluto Press, 2002.

Messer-Davidow, Ellen. Disciplining feminism: from social activism to academic discourse. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2002.

Newcomb, Horace. Television: The Critical View. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Sinclair, David. Wannabe. London: Omnibus Press, 2004.

Source by Chester Branch

The post How Television Changed Feminism appeared first on ENFEW.

Of course Michael’s death has been dominating the news. What has been interesting is the media coverage. When Farrah Fawcett is talked about, the coverage is universally positive: talking about Charlie’s Angels, her continued acting work, the iconic poster, and what would be the most copied hair-style in the world until Jennifer Aniston would come along.

Michael’s has been more mixed. While the vast majority of coverage has been focusing on and celebrating his amazing music career, some focus has been on the controversy in his later life, especially the legal issues and various “little kid” allegations. I have seen some downright vitriolic comments in my Twitter and Facebook feeds.

This made me curious. When a person passes, we normally focus as much as possible on the positive. But Michael Jackson had such highs and lows, that the response has been more mixed. I have come across three theories that explain what we remember and why. These ideas can be used very effectively in speaking, but are also worth looking at in terms or the impressions we make and the legacies we leave.

The Rule of Primacy – We most remember what we experience first.

This is why speakers like to have “big openings.” Your first experience with something is going to stick out in your mind.

Michael Jackson certainly had an incredibly positive beginning. The Jackson 5, Off the Wall, and of course, “Thriller,” which is the best selling album of all time. Michael really was on top of the world for quite a while, and that is many of our first experiences with him (my intro to MJ was seeing the video for “Beat It” from Thriller on “Friday Night Videos.” I thought it was a female singer…)

First Impressions are critically important, whether on stage, in an interview, at a networking event, on a date, or when launching a product.

Question: What kind of first impression do you make? What kinds of first impressions have you made in the past? What can you do to continually create a better first impression?

The Rule of Recency – We most remember what we experience last.

The big finish. The lasting memory. This is why speakers work hard on a big close and musicians play their biggest song last. People remember the last thing they experience.

Sadly for Michael, the recent stuff has not been positive. Lots of weirdness, meltdowns, court appearances, and of course all the pedophilia allegations. He was planning a giant concert tour which would have created a new “last impression,” but didn’t get to it.

We all know people who start with a bang and end with a whimper. They feel that they can coast on past work, but unfortunately, the world will remember the very last thing you did. “You are only as good as your last success.” This is why even if you have an amazing date, if you go in for that goodnight kiss and get rejected it wipes out all the good vibes you’ve built up. Not that this is ever happened to me…

Question: What kind of last impression are you leaving? What can you do to ensure that the last thing people will remember will be positive?

The Rule of Peak Experience – We most remember what we experience the strongest.

No matter when it occurs, whatever happens to you while you are in a peak state, positive or negative, you’ll remember. If you’re speaking to a group, they will remember the biggest laugh, most moving story, or most profound thing you say. They may completely forget the rest, but they’ll remember the peak things.

In my opinion, this is where the Michael Jackson divide comes from now. Many people’s strongest memories of Michael Jackson are of his music, or a childhood memory of putting together a dance routine to Billie Jean. Not that I ever did that…

For others, the strongest emotion they associate to Michael revolve around the pedophilia allegations. These are the people who are not celebrating his career and music right now. Don’t underestimate the power of the peak experience. You can have a very nice interaction with someone and get along great, but if you make one comment that they take the wrong way it can completely destroy the relationship.

I’ve also had the reverse experience: hanging with someone who’s pretty quiet and not making much of an impression and then they say one thing that makes me laugh hysterically. From then on, that’s what I remember.

Question: What is the strongest impression you are leaving people with? Is it positive of negative? What can you do to make certain that you are leaving a strong positive impression on people?

No one likes to think about their own mortality. But days like this are a good time to take a second to reflect: how will you be remembered, and how do you want to be remembered? If they’re not the same, do something about it now!

Source by Avish Parashar

The post How Will YOU Be Remembered? appeared first on ENFEW.

ROMANTIC WORDS & LOVING ACTIONS

Keeping that stream of love in motion is a challenge that many of us face day to day.

I was married for 30 years until my beloved husband suddenly died. And now, 4 years later, I am fortunate to be enjoying another wonderful full-time relationship. I have always had a great interest in finding simple words and actions that will give my lover a boost.

Here are 7 things that you can say and/or do to help keep that mysterious feeling that we call “love” aglow.

Talk – Romantic Words

1. “I am so grateful to have you in my life.”

These words are magic. Ten simple words that speak volumes and can mend torn feelings. During our hectic days, we tend to overlook an expression of gratitude for one another as a way to stay close. Say this to your loved one at any time, but especially when something nice has happened between the two of you. These words can deepen the feeling of trust and appreciation.

2. “I’m drinking you in…”

These words are a little riskier to speak, but powerful. You need to find the right time to say it, so that you do not feel silly. My husband used to stand in the kitchen drinking his coffee, and he would stare at me with loving eyes over the brim of his cup. Then he would say those 4 words. My heart would soar. I would tell him he was a crazy guy. And we would laugh together at our good fortune to be in love.

3. “I was thinking today about things we can do together. Why don’t we…”

This takes a little more thinking before you speak. Look for novel, inexpensive ideas that can be accomplished without much planning or work. Surprise her or him with the suggestion of a visit to an art gallery or a local concert. Suggest a walk in a nearby park. Or plan to take a bubble bath together. (You must supply the bubble bath crystals!) Or, as my beau recently suggested – “Let’s go have the best hot dog in town!”

Act – Simple Romantic Actions

5. TOUCH

There is nothing like the pleasure of touch. Next time you have a happy thought about the man or woman you love, act on it. Get up, walk over to him/her and put your arms around them. Just hug. No sexual come-on is necessary. This is a moment for the joy of simple physical connection.

6. DANCE

It is very difficult to remain unhappy and disconnected when you are dancing together. Find the right time. Play a song you both like. Or perhaps a song comes on the radio… Take your loved one by the hand and dance. Don’t try to dance for the whole song. A couple of minutes can change and uplift your mood. You do not need to dance well for this to have a great effect. Dance for the fun of it.

7. IMAGINE – Floating in a Sea Of Love

Sometimes it is not possible to engage your loved one in physical terms. He or she may be far away from you, either physically (ie.: miles away), or emotionally (you need to do some healing work.)

In that case, use your powers of imagination to close the distance in your own mind – Love is not a fleeting, “now & then” element in life. We are surrounded by it. Love flows from friends and family members and from pets.

We are fueled by the love that we feel for our own lives; for our passions, our homes, and our work. There is always an ocean of love around us. But sometimes, we cannot feel it or express it.

When you feel that love is flagging between you and your beloved, try this: Find a few quiet minutes. Sit or lie down. Close your eyes. Envision yourself and your loved one floating in a sea of love. You are surrounded by effortless love. You ask nothing from him or her because the two of you are encompassed by endless love. Feel the fear float away… and relax. Know that you will be all right – no matter what. Then find ways to express your love to those who are around you. When your partner returns, you will be in a loving frame of mind and open to healing wounds or to re-establishing a deep connection.

Source by Barbara E. Lewis

The post Romantic Words & Actions – 7 Tips to Keep Your Love Aglow appeared first on ENFEW.

The original High School Musical Movie was released in Jan. 2006. It immediately caught on in popularity and tweens everywhere showed their loyalty by buying up franchise products such as lunch boxes, jewelry, albums, video games, and clothing. The plot was quite simple: boy (Troy) is a big basketball hero but he secretly yearns to be in the school’s performing arts group. Boy then meets nerdy girl (Gabriella) who also dreams of being in the performing arts group. Problems arise when the boy bulks to pressure from friends and dad.

The film went on to win many awards including:

Billboard Music Award: Soundtrack Album of the Year

Emmy: Outstanding Choreography

Teen Choice Award: Best Breakout Artist and Best Chemistry

Television Critics Association Award: Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Television

High School Musical 2 lived up to the first in popularity. The premiere brought in over 17 million viewers (almost ten million more than the first). It is the end of the school year and the gang get jobs at Lava Springs resort. The daughter of the resort owner has a crush on Troy and schemes to find a way to break up Troy and Gabriella. Though not as critically acclaimed as the first, High School Musical 2 remained popular and produced the Disney Channel hit song, “Fabulous”, performed by Ashley Tisdale.

The franchise hit the big screen in the fall of 2008 with High School Musical Movie 3. The plot line evolves around the gang facing their fears about life after graduation. The two main characters Troy and Gabrielle deal with the prospect of being separated as each goes their own way.

Disney has taken full advantage of the franchise by creating several spin offs:

High School Music concert tour reached fans in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.

High School Music stage musical has been performed by theatre groups throughout the United States and Great Britain.

High School Musical Ice Tour featured Olympic medal winning athletes.

There seems to be no end in near for the High School Musical franchise. It is rumored that High School Musical 4 is in development with most of the original cast coming back. Meanwhile, High School Musical 3 is breaking box office records in the United States and Great Britain.

Source by Wendy Pan

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By the time she reached her teen years, any spare time she could find was spent with her childhood pals, LaTayia Roberson, Kelly Rowland and LeToya Luckett, performing at local functions. The girls, then known as “Girl’s Tyme” tried their luck at Star Search but did not make the cut. Beyonce’s Dad gave up his good paying job in order to devote his time promoting the band. To this day Matthew Knowles manages his daughter’s career.

After trying a few different names, the girls settled on Destiny’s Child. The musical debut for the group was the song “Killing Time”, which appeared on the soundtrack for the “Men in Black” movie, released in 1997. A year later, they had number one single with the song, “No,No,No, Part 2.” The quartet became a trio later on that same year with the departure of LeToya and LaTayia, who decided to pursue individual careers. Destiny’s Child continued onwards and became one of the top R&B/Pop groups in 2000 accumulating four Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and numerous top ten hits, as well as two albums that went to number one.

The group’s second album continued with great success with tracks like “Say My Name,” “Jumpin’ Jumpin,'” and the very successful “Bug A Boo.” In the 2001, two Grammy awards were given to “Say My Name”. They followed up with a third album, “Survivor,” which produced such hits as the title track as well as “Bootylicious”. The group decided to disband by 2005 but had at that time proven themselves as one of the top selling female groups in music history.

Beyonce had proven her worth and skills as a songwriter. She won the 2001 Songwriter of the Year, awarded by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards. This made her the first African-American woman to win the award and only the second woman to win. She also spent a bit of time working on solo projects which at first was not as successful as the projects with the trio, but she was not easily discouraged.

When she finally released her solo debut album, “Dangerously in Love”, it went right to the top selling over 300,000 copies in just the first week and went platinum 3 weeks later, in June of 2003. The single from the album,”Crazy in Love” topped the charts and stayed there for over 8 weeks. Later that same year her album and the single topped the charts at the same time which put her on the same level as such musical wonders as The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart. She was and still is the only female artist to have accomplished this feat. This helped make Beyonce one of the biggest artists in both sales and popularity for 2003.

In 2004 she won five Grammy Awards. On the Destiny’s Child album released in 2005, Beyonce released a song called “Check on It,” which was used on the soundtrack of “The Pink Panther Movie,” released in 2006.

In correspondence with her 25th birthday, she released a second album called “B’day,” which sold more than her first solo album, with 541,000 copies sold in the first week after release. The lead single from the album, “Déjà Vu,” became a number one hit on the US R&B charts.

Not only has Beyonce had success in music, but also on the movie screen. She may be best known for the character Foxy Cleopatra in the 2002 summer movie, “Austin Powers in Goldmember” along side Michael Caine and Mike Myers. In 2003 she appeared beside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie “The Fighting Temptations”. In 2006, she got chance to pay homage to Diana Ross in a movie based on a Broadway musical depicting the lives of the Supremes. Beyonce showed off her incredible acting skills, playing the part of Ms. Ross in the Movie titled, “Dreamgirls”, which opened with first weekend sales of $8 million and has grossed well over $100 million to date.

Beyonce’s talent has shown no end in sight and her fans are looking forward to see what is yet to come.

Source by Amy Nutt

The post History of Beyonce’s Career appeared first on ENFEW.

While big names such as Jimi Hendrix, Tony Iommi, and Jimmy Page, among others, have made history for exhibiting phenomenal skills, there is no lack of talented axe-wielders in our time.

Anyone who seriously wants to learn and improve as a guitarist should check out the work of these men:

Jack White

Although he is mostly known as the singer and guitarist of two-piece band The White Stripes, Jack White has surely proved himself as a musician by releasing nine albums in a span of ten years. Fans adore him for his brilliant way of incorporating different genres in his music such as garage rock and blues.

Tom Morello

Known for his innovative use of the guitar and its effects, Tom Morello’s work is so distinct it’s hard to find a guitarist that exactly sounds like him. His unique arsenal of noise makes him stand out among his peers. He can make the guitar sound like a screaming monkey, a helicopter, and a whole lot more. He’d even play with feedback and static every once in a while. Check out his groundbreaking work on albums by Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Street Sweeper Social Club. Bulls on Parade,” “Like A Stone,” and “Original Fire” are some noteworthy songs where his signature noise can be heard.

Matthew Bellamy

Matthew Bellamy has also been making waves in the music industry. Besides, this is a guitarist who has been dubbed the “Hendrix of this generation” which, for most musicians, is the biggest of all compliments. His impressive guitar work can be heard in all albums of his band, Muse.

John Frusciante

A mere mention of John Frusciante’s name brings the words “Red Hot Chili Peppers” to mind for casual music listeners. However, those who are so keen will know that this guy definitely deserves more recognition than that.

Aside from laying down licks and riffs for RHCP’s best-selling Californication record, Frusciante has also proved himself to be a musician that’s worthy of respect and admiration.

Believe it or not, he has released several solo albums and each one of them stands as a testament of his musical versatility. He has explored various styles ranging from electronica and experimental rock plus he has collaborated with artists of different genres.

The track “Ramparts” is an excellent track that demonstrates his impressive guitar-playing ability.

Source by Jesse Burns

The post Greatest Guitarists of Our Time appeared first on ENFEW.

If you’re a teacher looking for interesting, relevant ways to dig into The Great Gatsby, why not try something like this on for size: the 1920’s were to WWI what the 1970’s were to the hippy movement. The unprecedented global carnage following the so-called “War to End All Wars” turned disillusioned Americans inwards, setting their priorities on money, bootlegged liquor, and partying. Similarly, after the hippies failed to elevate worldwide consciousness with peace, love, and patchouli oil, 1970’s America drowned its sorrows in disco, drugs, and polyester pants.

As an assignment, have your students compare The Great Gatsby to a 1970’s song in this same vein. Take, for example, The Eagles’ Hotel California, one of the best-selling and most recognizable songs from this (or any) era of American history.

Hotel California boasts some of the most analyzed and memorized lyrics in rock and roll. If the element of mystery means a lot to you, you’ll probably be disappointed to hear Don Henley’s two cents: “It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream.” Not that a bunch of rock stars would know anything about that. In other words, the symbol of Californian prosperity (back when that still existed) stands in as a microcosm of American decadence in the 1970’s.

The “hotel” (wink, wink) California is no Motel 6. It has mirrored ceilings, courtyards, master’s chambers, pink champagne, and high-falutin’ guests. The narrator can’t help but notice the seductive woman with a Benz, a mind that’s “Tiffany-twisted,” and a lot of hot guys following her around. He asks for wine, to which the captain famously replies, “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” Since wine isn’t a spirit (and we’re betting The Eagles have a basic understanding of liquor), we’re going to go ahead and assume Henley is referring to some other spirit of ’69.

In a creepy turn of events, there is then a beast-killing ceremony involving “steely knives,” which prompts the narrator to high-tail it “back to the place [he] was before.” Only when it’s too late does he realize that he can “check out” but “never leave.” How, pray tell, can a person be checked out without going anywhere physically? We’re thinking there might be some chemistry involved.

So let’s review: luxury, substance abuse, a beautiful temptress, materialism, violence, living in the past, and being trapped. Remind you of anyone?

As a rule of thumb, music is one of the best teacher resources because it can be deeply personal and easily relatable at the same time. Plus, the fact that lyrics are usually highly open to interpretation means your students will be putting in a lot more work than they think.

Source by Paul Thomson

The post Hotel California Meets the Great Gatsby – Music As a Teaching Resource For Literature appeared first on ENFEW.

My favorite songs on the cd are “Dancing queen”, “Gimme! gimme! gimme!”, “Money, money, money”, “S.O.S”, “Mamma mia”, “Thank you for the music”. “Waterloo” was Abba’s first UK no.1 single. “Mamma mia” and “Super trouper” were also UK no.1 singles. “Fernando” reached no.1 in 12 countries. “The best of Abba” is still the biggest selling album (1.1 million) in Australia,

spending 16 weeks at no.1 position.

“Money, money, money”, “Knowing me, knowing you” and “Dancing queen” were all great hits.

“Chiquitita”, “Does your mother know” and “Angleeyes”(not on this cd) reached no lower than no.4 in the UK. “Gimme! gimme! gimme!” was known as a disco hit in Europe. “The winner takes it all” was also a chart topper! Erasure released an album, which copied Abba’s songs. Abba hit back and

released an album that copied Erasure’s songs.

If you don’t have this cd, and you enjoy Abba, then I strongly recommend that you purchase this cd. You won’t be disappointed! Please feel free to click through to my website for a track list of this cd. You will also be provided with a list of the lowest priced retailers that stock this cd and many other

popular cd /dvd titles.

Source by Adrian Woodward

The post Abba Gold CD appeared first on ENFEW.

More than likely, regarding the music of the 70’s the music genre most closely related to that American decade is Disco, which really came on strong in the mainstream after the film “Saturday Night Fever”. The soundtrack from that movie went on to become one of the greatest selling albums of all time too. Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 placed the album on their 500 greatest albums of all times list, and in the same year, VH1 called it the 57th greatest album of all time. With songs like “Staying Alive”, “Night Fever”, “If I Can’t Have You”, and “Boogie Shoes” it is no surprise that this album soared to the top.

Another genre that really increased in popularity during the 1970’s is Southern Rock. There were a whole slew of Southern Rock bands in the 70’s that really exploded on to that music scene too. Bands like the Allman Brothers, The Outlaws, and Molly Hatchet made some great music, but the ones who set the standard of Southern Rock music of the 70’s is none other than Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lynyrd Skynyrd had four platinum albums in the 70’s, three of which went double platinum. Street Survivors however, showcased the 3-guitar attack of Gaines, Collins, and Rossington behind Ronnie van Zant that other bands try to copy today making Street Survivor their most important album in the 70’s.

The genre of Progressive Rock is another style of music that while born of Psychedelic Rock in the 60’s, really made its bones on the back of earlier artists in the 70’s. Bands like ELO, Utopia, Kansas, and Rush moved into the forefront of the genre maintaining the core of their listeners, while making Prog Rock Top 40 friendly as well. Of all the bands mentioned Rush really is the standard by which all other Prog Rock bands are measured by. Perhaps their most significant contribution in vinyl to music of the 70’s is the bands album “2112”, and the boss track on that album “Passage to Bangkok”

The last of the genres we are going to talk about is of course Heavy Metal, which assaulted Rock and Roll and went mainstream in the 70’s Motorhead, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden found a home within the genre making fantastic music, but the band that made it all possible is of course Black Sabbath. The album “Black Sabbath” is the undisputed father of Heavy Metal music of the 70s as well as Heavy Metal 70’s records. The three tracks that everyone mentions when discussing this musical masterpiece are “N.I.B.”, “Black Sabbath”, and “Warning” and all agree that this album is the greatest ever of the 1970’s Metal scene.

Source by Nicole Roberts

The post Music of the 70s appeared first on ENFEW.

Again this is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER! Just a list of 50.

1 Eminem – hate him or love him, he’s insane lyrically and one of the greatest rappers ever!

2 Slug – again…hate him or love him he’s insane lyrically and one of the greatest white MCs ever!

3 EL-P – tremendous MC. End of story…NO wait! Maybe top 3 white mc’s of all time!

4 Cage – started out as a dope MC, now he’s even better than that.

5 Copywrite – anyone need a dope punch line? Ohio’s shining son!

6 MC Chris – nerd? Yes! Skills? Yes and he’s also pretty entertaining

7 Necro -The Devil with a mic! Necro took Horrorcore to another level!

8 Adeem – From mc battles to albums, Glue is the man. Great live performances also.

9 3rd Bass – lest not forget our history people! The first to put Vanilla Ice on Blast! Pop pop goes the…

10 Aesop Rock – In the conversation for top 3 best white boy’s ever!

11 Diabolic -Complete arrogance, can back up every word he spits! Battles or Wax!

12 Sage Francis – The John Lennon of Hip Hop. Dynamic, creative and one of the best ever!

13 Vinnie Paz – Yes he has mad skills and may actually possess the mind control of a JEDI!

14 Okwerdz -Battle rappers can’t make music? He is starting to change that tide & help bring Cali back!

15 Apathy – Wizard on the mic,. Witty, Rugged, whatever needs done. It gets done!

16 Ill Bill – Necro’s brother, what do you expect besides sick wicked rhymes on the mic!

17 DZK – Mr. internet earned his fans 1 at a time, the old fashion way! When he’s on, it’s beast mode!

18 Haystak – Earned all of his stripes the hard way. Many years & many albums. Also MANY Fans!

19 Eyedea – Wow! From the humble beginnings of Scribble Jam to pristine albums! Eye is the man!

20 Beastie Boys – once again lest not forget our past! Some true classic albums under their belts!

21 Mac Lethal – They rap in Kansas City? Brilliant delivery and song writing! Not to shabby at battling either!

22 Jamie Madrox -The illest lyricist on Psychopathic records! He’s no gimmick! He’s got skills for days!

23 Esoteric – Creative, witty, true lyricist.

24 The Saurus – Battle raps galore. Some good songs also. Helping pave the fresh coast’s comeback!

25 Lil Wyte – Selling over 250,000 indie, of his debut album without marketing! Game over!

26 Dirtball – Now officially a member of KMK, he will continue to dazzle fans with solid material.

27 Ra The Rugged Man – This man is always underrated! He is a true beast!

28 Grayskul – Maybe unknown to some of you, very skilled MC.

29 Ryu – Demigodz- He and the rest of his crew just simply murder microphones

30 Mini Thin – What are they putting in the moonshine in West Virginia? This hillbilly rapper melts mics!

31 Celph Titled – Often overlooked & underrated, He’s a complete package of pen & delivery. A credit to FL.

32 JoJo Pellingrino -Haven’t heard from Joey in awhile, but he’s put out a lot of solid material in NYC.

33 Alchemist – Producer extraordinaire and blazes the mic with heat also.

34 Blaze Ya Dead Homie – another solid artist from psychopathic. Never sleep on this guy!

35 Remedy – White boy in the Wu Tang Clan? Nuff said!

36 Big B – Great MC who has carved a very nice lane for himself. Truly talented! A left coast gem!

37 Illmaculate – One of the sickest battle MC’s to ever live and his songs keep getting stronger!

38 YelaWolf – The only guy in Alabama making noise and it’s LOUD! He’s got skills & wit for days!

39 Prozak – Strange Music! How can you argue with any of the skills coming from that camp!

40 Kno – Cunninlynguists- Versatility, Humor, Stage Presence and kills the mic!

41 Evidence – Dialated Peoples- Impressive Skills all the way around. Solid resume & rep!

42 Bubba Sparxxx – Haven’t heard much from him lately, He did have is day though. Truly talented.

43 Asher Roth – Please don’t judge this guy on his first album. His freestyles are better than that!

44 Iron Solomon – NY Battle Don! Some solid tracks and commanding presence!

45 Non Phixion – If you don’t know, then you have you been hiding under a rock!

46 The Streets – The only non- U.S. member of the list. (UK) Some people don’t get it, I Do!

47 Boondox – The Scarecrow of Georgia, When he’s on, the track gets murdered & it’s psychopathic!

48 Yak Ballz – Terrific delivery, punches, and comedic flow. Great MC.

49 Paul Wall – Mr. bling grill put out some solid material, Haven’t heard a lot in awhile, had his time though!

50 Kottonmouth Kings -The West Coasts Version of ICP but hey rap a lot better & get a lot higher!

So that’s my list of the top 50 white MC’s. Some you assuredly know, some you might be sleeping on, I promise everyone on this is top notch and deserves a listen or an album purchase. I’d appreciate comments and anyone else’s insight on who you would add to the list.

Please stay tuned for some future articles of mine, the worst rappers of all time! The top 10 lyricists of all time, The biggest flops albums of all time and the top 10 female MC’s of all time!

Source by Jermaine Willis

The post Top 50 White Rappers of All Time appeared first on ENFEW.