Saturday, March 29, 2014

Song of the Day #9: Kanye West - "Touch The Sky"

Today's song of the day is "Touch The Sky" by Kanye West! (featuring Lupe Fiasco). 

 

Sincerely,
Julian.

Quote #12 - Bob Marley

Don't worry, 
About a thing,
Cos' every little thing,
Is gonna be alright!

-

Our artist quote of the day goes to the one, the only, Bob Marley!

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." ~ Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Sincerely,
Julian.

Daily Tips #5

Today's daily tip for songwriters is...

01. Write Poetry!

-You can say that this is sort of like a "part two" to the 4th section of 'Tips for Songwriters.' Sometimes when writing, and you get writer's block, it can be a really hard thing to 'shake off' per say. Another way to possibly rid your mind of writer's block, is to write poetry! 

Writing Poetry can help get rid of "Writer's block."

Now if you particularly like lyrics to a song, those words can connect to you in a way that possibly the regular spoken word, would not. However, writing lyrics is a form of poetry as well, and it's very important to remember that. 

However, if you have writer's block, writing literature and poetry on it's own, could help to free your mind and flow out ideas as well.

Why?

When writing song lyrics, you might have a distinct flow in your head that you write to, or you might want the words to come out in a certain way. It might be specific to how you want the song to be, and because of this, writing lyrics can sometimes be constricted to a certain format, depending on the structure or flexibility of the song. The reason why writing poetry on its own could help free your mind, is because there is no distinct flow for writing poetry. 

Poetry is a vast expansion of the world. It is purely your imagination. Writing freely with poetry, could be one solution to revert your mind back to writing lyrics the way you want them. Who knows? Try it out! It has worked for me! ^^

Sincerely,
Julian.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Song of the Day #8: 30 Seconds To Mars - "From Yesterday"

The winner of our last song of the day, for today is "From Yesterday" by rock band, 30 Seconds To Mars! Till next time, peace out to all my drafters! 

 

Sincerely,
Julian.

Quote #11 - Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park, Fort Minor)

Our last quote for today is from musician, rapper, producer, and vocalist from rock band, Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda!

"As a creative person you just get an idea in your head, and sometimes you just can't shake it off." ~ Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park, Fort Minor)


Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park, Fort Minor)

Sincerely,
Julian. 

Daily Tips #4

Need some tips for the day? 
No fear! 'Tips for Songwriters' is here!

01. Having or encountering 'writer's block' is not always a bad thing.

-If you're a songwriter, then you most likely have probably encountered some form of 'writer's block.' Yes, it is annoying, and sometimes even grueling to deal with, but I assure you, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

From my personal experiences in songwriting, there were countless times that I've encountered some form of writer's block. When it happens, you really do feel like (or at least I did) that it's all for nothing. However, every time that I pulled through and got over my writer's block, it was either the same as it was, better than before, or different all together. 

Now if you are accustomed to writing in a certain style, adopting a different style after having writer's block can make you feel a little off, or way off. An example is when this happened to me. I was so heavily a part of one style of rock that I wrote songs in, and when the opportunity came when I had to change my style of writing, I didn't know what to do. 

Blank sheet of paper (Writer's block)

Needless to say, I did it. Oh boy though, when I did, I almost completely lost track of my original writing style. Even now I am still having trouble remembering how I wrote songs before in the older format, and sometimes I wish I can revert to it, to write more songs in that style. However, even though sometimes there are cons of writer's block, there are also pros. It can lead you to new things. Perhaps a new way of singing, a new way of writing. Writer's block is a gift and a curse. It just depends how you take it, and how you look at it afterwards.

For me, it was a gift. Even though sometimes (maybe even more) I miss my old style, I have a feeling that one day it will return to me with open arms, and possibly even greater than before. Now, because of experiencing writer's block, I also have multiple styles that I can work with, and I am so thankful for that, because in the end, it just gives me more ways to hopefully connect with the world, through my lens of music and songwriting.

The bottom line is for this tip is, don't be scared of having a writer's block, because sometimes having a 'block' in your way, can lead to having a 'greater and broader view' of yourself in the end.

Sincerely,
Julian.

Song of the Day #7: Yellowcard - "Fighting"

Today's first song of the day is "Fighting" by Yellowcard! Enjoy the tune! 

 

Sincerely,
Julian.

Quote #10 - Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy)

Today's first quote is from the lead singer of rock group, Fall Out Boy, Patrick Stump!

"Advice? Focus on the craft. Study the greats. Try and understand how and why they made the writing choices they did. Then, start by copying them...just as an exercise. See if you can do similar things. Learn how to write a song like so and so. Then, when you've done that, write a song like yourself. Learn to color within the lines before going outside them.” ~ Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy)


Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy)

Sincerely,
Julian. 

"Burnout Stars"

Hey!

It's been quite some time since I have posted an original concept, song, or idea of mine. Let's get right into the action! 

For this post, I will be explaining the story behind my song, "Burnout Stars." 

I was always fascinated with outer-space and stars. The concept of how some can blowout and therefore, 'die,' always fascinated me. It's amazing how vast our universe really is, and we haven't nearly seen all there is to offer in our outer-world. 

One day, since I am also a gamer, I was listening to a track off of the 'Kingdom Hearts' original soundtrack, called "Dearly Beloved." It's one of my favorite gaming tracks, and after to listening to it that day, a fire blazed in me of inspiration to write a song about space and the universe. Of course at the same time, somehow tying it in with human emotion, and the choices that we make while we are living on Earth.

"But if we dare to dream ourselves,
 Then we should know, that in the end,
 Only time will tell, if heaven or hell,
 Will take us for, who we are,
 If we are the brightest ones, or if,
 We're burnout stars, to come undone,"

Stars in outer space

Space is so vast, and that's what makes it so exciting to me. Across horizons of stars in the sky, and that's not even half of what there is to see. It's so awesome! Anyways, back to explaining this song. =)

"But if we dare to dream ourselves,
 Then we should know, that in the end,
 Only time will tell,"

This section means that we as people are not afraid to dream. We're not afraid to have dreams, goals, and destinations that we want to reach in our lives. However, the counter-message in this section is that time is what will be the deciding factor in whether we achieve our dreams, or not.

"If heaven or hell,
 Will take us for, who we are,
 If we are the brightest ones, or if,
 We're burnout stars, to come undone,"

Before I get to explaining this section specifically, I just wanted to say that the first line of this section is not meant to be religious in any shape or form. In this section, I clarify in this song that 'heaven' symbolize the good choices that you make in life, and 'hell' represents the bad choices. So in the end, 'heaven' will take you, or 'hell' will take you, if committed good or bad things overall, in your life. 

What does this have to do with space?

For me, I put a personal touch on this song, and I believe that karma exists in the world. I also believe that if you make a good or bad decision, karma, or in this case, the 'universe' will recognize that accordingly, and fulfill that action. Those are the main ideals of "Burnout Stars." Karma, good and bad choices, and being one with where you live, and realizing that there is more to see while you are living. Bottom line, don't hesitate to explore, but be responsible doing it! =)

Enjoy the mini-voice recording of "Burnout Stars" and till next time, peace out to all my drafters! 

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Song of the Day #6: System Of A Down - "Chop Suey!"

Today's first song of the day is "Chop Suey!" by alternative rock band, System Of A Down. Enjoy the music!

 

Sincerely,
Julian.

Quote #9 - Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

It's time for a little Ozzy!

"What is this? It's music to get a brain seizure by." ~ Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)


Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

Sincerely,
Julian.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Daily Tips #3

Just wanted to throw a couple tips out there to help you guys out! 

01. If you're a songwriter and accustomed to a certain style, don't be afraid to branch out and explore! 

For me, I can't even count how many times that I've changed styles over the course of my songwriting. Well, I probably could, but that's besides the point, aha. When I was younger, I would listen to every single genre, every song, and watch every music video. Since dancing was my first musical passion, during the times I would listen to a song, I would never care about the genre, because I never thought that I would ever portray writing in a single genre of music one day. My mind was very open.

That's why I was so surprised that after I would write poems, I dove right into writing rap material. I would try to write a rap song, after every poem I wrote. 

(Not to say the raps were that good either, aha). 

 
Me (Julian Wilson) standing outside my High School


However, after my first, original song "Don't Run" was recorded and released, my entire outlook on writing music changed. It's as if I went through a metamorphosis. It actually felt amazing. Since "Don't Run" was a rock song, after its release, it managed to open my eyes to a whole new world, (not an 'Aladdin' reference...or was it? =P). 

Very soon after that, I found myself being able to write both rap and rock material for music. After that, I even started to dive into writing different styles of both rap and rock, as well.

It just goes to show that sometimes through experience, it can change your life for the better. Just remember, if you're accustomed to listening to a certain genre, or writing songs a certain way, remember that if you take a risk you don't think you should take, it can end up being a gift, rather than a curse. That's the one thing that everyone should take from this Draftboard post! ^^

Sincerely,
Julian.

Sunday, March 2, 2014