Nick ON Rock!

Study Tip 3

2009-12-06T22:19:00.000-08:00

For my final Study Tip, I thought I would talk about how I try and write my essays. When people usually try and write essays they plan out their work and try to get as much things down as possible, before actual writing time. However, I have found a way to help with those sticky situations when it comes to writers block. I’m not saying that planning out an essay is bad, actually it is always what I do first, but when I get stuck on an essay or just don’t know what to write, I will just write and then look over what I wrote. For some reason, when I just go it helps me get the juices flowing in my brain and this has helped me on various essays and has helped me get a lot of work done.

Study Tip 2

2009-12-06T22:09:00.000-08:00

Another study tip that I really use and really helps me get my work done better, is to try and get my work done right after class. I know this isn’t really a skill or an actual way of studying, but for at least for me it helps to understand and get all my work done quicker. When the subject is fresh in my mind I am more likely to want to study and to go over all my in class work and to do all my homework.

Non-Muse Event 1

2009-12-06T21:56:00.001-08:00

For my first Non-Muse event I went to a concert at the event center to see a band, named Brand New, perform. They are categorized as alternative and punk music and put on a great show that was one of my favorite concerts. They played all their best songs including, “Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades” which I can best describe as a punk song that has mixed a little bit of different types of metal and some alternative guitar. They also played other popular songs of theirs such as “Jesus Christ” and “Millstone”. This concert was also to promote their new album “Daisy”, so they played many of their new songs with some extremely cool video accompaniment with it. The concert was a great experience, and I learned a lot about the event center and it was a new cool experience for my stay here at San Jose State University.

Senior Interviews

2009-12-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

So for this assignment, I interviewed my two cousins Ryan and Cole. Ryan is a chemistry major and Cole is double majoring in history and Spanish. When I sat down and talked to them, they both had very different and some of the same advice to give me.

Ryan told me all about majoring in what I want to do and to get ahead of the game by planning on what to do first. He told me that if I knew what I wanted to do early on, I could get my foot in the door earlier. He also explained to me the importance of studying hard and that college is work. He told me If I want to do good I need to be prepared to work for it and that I need to stay on top of my assignments.

Cole told me that knowing my major straight off the bat wasn’t that important, he expressed to me the importance of experiencing college. He told me that studying was extremely important, but that I need to look at every possible thing that I might want to do, its apparently important so I don’t regret any of my choices academically throughout college. He also told me how important it was to keep myself from breaking down and to make sure I wasn’t always uptight about my grades.

In the end, I learned from both of my cousins that I need to study hard if I want to do well in college, and that staying on top of my work will always help me out. I asked both of them what they would have one differently throughout their time in college, and they both pretty much said they wouldn’t do anything differently. They only said they would have tried to do as many events through college as possible and told me not to squander my time here.

Scholarly Journal Article

2009-12-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

The scholarly journal article I chose was an article from the “European Journal of Cultural Studies”, and was basically a book review of the book entitled “David Bowie: Fame, Sound, and Vision”. The article was critiquing the take of David Bowie’s career and its cultural impacts by the author Nick Stevenson. Stevenson’s take (with which the article mainly agreed with) was that David Bowie was one artist that was culturally and musically important as an artist.

The article then went through Bowie’s career talking about how David Bowie was much more than just an artist. For example, in the 1960’s the article talked about how David Bowie was an iconic sex symbol in the time period, and was one of the driving forces in the time period that shook up a nation. The article then talks about David Bowie’s work in the 1970’s and how it tied in to the gay liberation movements. Using his skill at making an image for himself and breaking the bonds of conformity with his new idea of musical and cultural changes. The article goes on to talk about Bowie in the 80’s and how Bowie began to conform with everything and began to work just for money and profit, then leading back to his work in present day society.

The overall message of the article and the book that was about David Bowie was that, Bowie was much more than an artist. He was a cultural icon and someone who helped move people around the world with his work in movements like the gay liberation movement and with his music that began to break the norm.

5 Favorite Indie Songs

2009-12-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

So for my last music list blog, I decided to try and be original by listing my top five favorite Indie songs! This is completely ironic because Indie music is supposed to be about being different and original, and I am trying to be original and unique by talking about it but I am not really….hahaha ha ha….. well maybe its not that funny, but anyway here are my favorite indie songs that I love to listen too:

1. A-Punk – Vampire Weekend: This is one of my favorite indie songs ever. Its extremely hard to have an indie list and not have any songs from Vampire Weekend on there. This song is an extremely upbeat sounding song with its fast paced yet whimsical guitar. It’s a song that is becoming increasingly more and more popular among people and is a song that everyone should check out.

2. West Coast – Coconut Records: Coconut Records is actually one mans side project that he works on in his spare time. The man’s name is Jason Schwartzman; he is a Hollywood actor that stars in a number of his own movies. The song West Coast is an amazing song about a guy he longs to return to the west coast to go back to his lover. He composed this song with the help of other actors like Kirsten Dunst. Coconut Records is just an awesome song that everyone should listen too.

3. Sparrows – Anathallo: Anathallo is an eight-man band that mixes the sounds of a normal band with the sounds of symphony. They like to mix a lot of acapella sound into their music. They are highly talented musicians and are a treat to listen too.

4. Young Pilgrims – The Shins: You have to have The Shins on your list of indie music if you like indie music. They are a unique band that has a really happy sound to their music.

5. Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games) – Of Montreal: As the name suggests this song and band is very weird. This song was actually used on the original Outback Steakhouse commercials (which is kind of selling out for a band). Nonetheless this is still a great song that I recommend people look up.

2112 Lyrics Analysis

2009-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

So when it came down to choosing a song to analyze for this assignment, it took some time to think about what kind of song to review. Whether it should be a short song about a musician’s feelings towards love, or a song that is about some movement or a political statement. Then I put on my iTunes on random to let fate decide. I just so happens that fate decided that I should review one of my personal favorite rock operas, 2112 performed by the insanely talented band, Rush.

At first appearances, the song 2112 is very off putting. What I mean by that is that the song itself is 20 minutes long. Not many people want to put the time in to listen to 20 minutes of just one song. However when one delves into the artistry and just listens to the words that come from the great Geddy Lee’s mouth and listens to the music played by the band, it becomes apparent that this is one, if not the best rock opera in the history of rock n’ roll.

The song is about the year 2112, and how the people of the future live without music. This futuristic society is led by a group of priests that reside in a temple known as the Temple of Syrinx. These priests dictate the courses of action that humanity should take, as the “old race” of men had led the world to ruin before. Now while these priests are ruling over the people, one man finds in a dark cave a guitar and comes before the priests saying that this instrument can bring peace to the land. The priests respond by saying that it is a waste of time and condemn the man. However, this man returns home and has a dream that reassures his belief in the power that this music holds. The rest of the song from this point on is a lot of instrumental work with a few lyrics about how the man cannot conform to these priests, and for about the last 3 minutes of the song lets the listener interpret what happens next in the plot line in the song. The song ends with the echoing voice saying “we have assumed control…. we have assumed control….”

No when it comes down to what Rush meant by the song, a lot of controversy is brought up. While some people believe this song to be a creative statement about the failure of Rush’s previous album, “Caress of Steel”, some believe it to be a response to a critical review Rush received on one of their albums. Whatever the reason may be that, at least we can all agree that the song is about the journey of a rebellion. The idea that not one force can control all the universe forever and the idea that music and creativity can incite revolution.

Drug Essay

2009-12-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

So when it comes to drugs in college, many doors begin to open. As most people know, a lot of people in college (even more out of college) have tried or experimented with some form of illegal drug. Whether its drinking alcohol before the age of 21, smoking weed, or even taking prescription drugs to feel “good” most students in colleges have tried almost all of these things or at least one or the other. Its becoming hard to find drugs in today’s society that are considered taboo to the younger generation of people. Drugs for many people are becoming increasingly common sights, especially in college.

While alcohol is not necessarily a drug, it is still an illegal substance that almost everyone has experimented with in college. How common is it to hear about college parties at fraternities and sororities that have had alcohol, and all the funny, crazy, even horrific stories that go with them. A freshman just coming into college is expected to get drunk in college, or at least that’s what television puts into the minds of everyone in our society. Its almost considered wrong not to try and drink in college. However there are people that are out there that still hold to what they believe and sometimes that means that they won’t allow themselves to try alcohol in college.

When people think about drug use in college, one drug seems to come up the most, Marijuana. Most freshmen in college are usually expected or at least thought to have smoked once in their life, finding people that have never tried is becoming more and more rare in colleges today. And people who haven’t tried it are constantly bombarded with drug references and are asked to smoke all the time. It takes a strong willpower to stand up to drugs in today’s society, since everyone tries this kind of stuff nowadays.

Prescription drugs are becoming a new way to try and get that high that everybody craves. People are taking Vicodin, and Asprin for the feeling, instead of for their intended purposes. Now this kind of thing is still new to people and not so many people are doing it, however this is also changing. People are becoming accustomed to the idea of drug use, almost any form of it.

Bucket List

2009-11-23T00:07:00.001-08:00

Before I die there are many things I want to accomplish. All these things range from traveling across the world to starting a family and a career. So I have decided to categorize all the different things I want to accomplish in my life into three different categories: things that I can accomplish in five years, things that I want to be done in ten years, and things that I want to have done twenty years from now.

Most of the goals I want to have reached five years from now are all going to be academic and school related. The first and main thing that I want to have achieved five years is to graduate from San Jose State University with my degree in film/radio and television. To achieve this goal I am going to have to be vigilant and am going to have to make up a four or five year plan to take all the classes I need to graduate in this area. I am very notorious for procrastinating and like to usually put things off to the last minute, but if I am going to make this happen I am going to have to change my attitude towards work and am going to have to buckle down and get this all done. Also to graduate with this degree, I am going to have to pick out a minor in some area. That’s another thing I need to choose and need to stop procrastinating on. All in all I am not worried about how I am going to get this done, and thats because I know that I love film and that it is my passion to be a great cinematographer. I know that I will try hard and I will fight to get this goal accomplished.

In the next ten years from now, I want to be able to start my career within the film industry. My dream job is to be either a cinematographer or a director. I have always loved film and movies, and I know that if I try, and get into the film industry, I will succeed. Hopefully by this time, I will have learned all that I could from all my college classes. I also would really like to have met the girl of my dreams, and marry her by this time in my life. I know that it sounds extremely cliché, but I would really like to be able to start my family and I want to be able to have the main supporters in my life as soon as I start my career. I know that I will really need all the support I can get in the field of work I have chosen.

In twenty years from now, I want to be living comfortably in my own home with my own family and with my well paying job. I also will want to start traveling across the world. I want to visit New York, Boston, and then I want to move on to Europe. I basically want to know that I lived a good life and have done everything I have wanted to do in my lifetime.

All in all, I don’t want to achieve outrageous things before I die. All I want is a family and a career in film. Though there are things that would be cool to do like: skydiving and flying planes, I know that the things I need before I die are more important. I just want the simple things in life.

50 Influential Moments in Rock N' Roll History: Led Zeppelin's 1973 tour

2009-11-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

1973 was the break out year for Led Zeppelin. It was the year that marked the beginning of the modern arena-rock concert, and marked the year that Led Zeppelin had become one of the greatest bands of all time. It started with their North American tour, where they visited 36 different places within the U.S.A. and Canada. Their concerts would sell out in around 4 hours and would fill up giant arenas with people. For Example, in their Atlanta Georgia concert, they played for an audience with more then 49,000 people in the sold-out Fulton County Stadium. And the number of fans didn’t stop there; it started to grow by the thousands. Zeppelin even surpassed the Beatles record for most fans at a concert with 56,000 people at Tampa Stadium in Florida!

Led Zeppelin’s concerts were much different from many of the others before them. They involved lights, lasers and smoke bombs. Their concerts were loud, they were crazy, and they were meant to make you fell like there was an assault. Led Zeppelin was also notorious for never playing a song note for note. They stretched out their songs and made them long, they put in solos and instrumental sessions in places that most people wouldn’t recognize. Led Zeppelin was practically the father of the modern concert and with their music and showmanship earned a place in the rock and roll hall of fame and ultimately shaped the way we all view concerts and improv musicians.

Music Memories #2

2009-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

For this assignment I interviewed my Grandparents, and well I got some very interesting answers. I learned that my Grandparents are just like me in that they liked almost every kind of music in their decade. They explained to me that they really couldn’t pick a favorite artist in their time and that they would really just listen to whatever was on.

My Grandparents explained to me how their favorite music was Rock N Roll. I also tried to ask them what their favorite bands were, but they could not give me a straight answer. My Grandma told me that they listened to every kind of music in the 40’s and 50’s; they could not just pick one artist to represent their favorite music. My Grandpa also added that they couldn’t remember every artist, because that was so long ago that they simply forgot a lot of their old favorite artists. The few names they could name for me were: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Belmonts, Elvis, Bill Haley and the Comets, and apparently much much more.

When it came to concerts that my Grandparents had been to, there was apparently not much to talk about. However, I did learn some very interesting things about the concerts my Grandma and Grandpa did go to. My Grandpa proceeded to tell me about his favorite movie, “Rock Around The Clock”, which featured Bill Haley and the Comets. I asked him how this was a concert and he explained to me how he really went to the movie for the music and that it was more of a concert for him then an actual movie. My Grandma told me about when she went to the Brooklyn Paramount in New York to see one of Alan Freed’s Rock N Roll shows. She told me how she saw people like Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly and how she also got to see the awesome and blind Ray Charles. She told me that that was one of her best experiences in her life and how that was one of the things in her life that influenced her into trying to be a professional singer. My Grandmother had always been a good singer when she was young and she had recorded a few records when she was young. Her music was not necessarily Rock N Roll, it was more of an oldies style singing, but she told me how a lot of Rock N Roll singers like Elvis Presley had influenced her music. My Grandparents still had told me that they had not been to that many concerts in their life because they really didn’t have the luxury money to spend on music. Their parents were immigrants from Italy, and really only instilled in my Grandparents that the most important kind of thing out there was work and successfully making a stable environment for which their kids can survive in.

I really learned a lot about my Grandparents taste in music from this interview. They really did listen to the music that we are learning about right now in this class and they are a good example of people who were listening to black music and started to except blacks culturally though music. The last thing my Grandparents told me was about their favorite music today. What is funny about their favorite music today is that its almost the same case with me. Their favorite music today are the Crooners like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bring Crosby. The love the music that was a little before their time and was their parents favorite music. It’s the same way with me; I love classic rock just like my parents. Its funny how similar me and my Grandparents are to each other, especially when it comes to music.

MUSE Workshop #1

2009-10-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

So I didn’t necessarily attend the average MUSE workshop on October third. I went to Love Fest in San Francisco, which due to copy write infringement for a festival Las Angeles was re-named to LovEvolution. I went with my friend and roommate Matt Sarubbi, who on top of just being my roomie also ended up being in this MUSE class with me. Anyways, we got up at 6:30 in the morning, hopped on the bus, and got on the train to San Francisco.

My group of people arrived at LovEvolution extremely early. We actually got in for free because we showed up as they were setting up the gate, and frankly they didn’t care if a few people got in before they set up the actual ticket booth. Then we waited until the festival started up. My first impression of LovEvolution was somewhat mixed. I was really excited for the music and the dancing, but I was really nervous that I would be out of my element and that I would be the odd fish in the pond. But once the music started and the dancing began, I was in love with LoveEvolution. The music was a modern sort of dance music that involved the use of synthesizers and keyboards. There was a main stage though, that had all the elements of a good band. They had a guitars, drums, bass, and decent vocals. The main attractions though were the synthesizers and keyboards. I mean everyone was going crazy to the electronic beat. You saw things in that crowd that would make you laugh and even cry. For instance, Matt (my roommate) was being hit on by a gay guy in the crowd. The guy came up to him, and literally pinched his nipples. Matt had to tell the guy that he wasn’t gay multiple times just to get him to leave.

LoveEvolution was one of the best experiences in my life. I do feel like I have a better understanding of how Rock N’ Roll was looked at in its early stages after going to this festival. The type of music and amount of people dressed up with their “substances” at the festival would be enough to scare any “normal” person away. But that’s just how Rock N’ Roll was. Most people in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s thought the music was insane and that the sexuality and drug use was wrong. That’s just what a lot of people would think about LovEvolution today. It’s kind of funny how history repeats itself and how Rock N’ Roll history is no different.

5 Songs That I HATE!

2009-10-05T13:36:00.001-07:00

Well first of all I want to make it clear that most of the music on this list is not just songs that I hate but artists that I hate. Most of the time, if I don't like a song by an artist I usually don't like the entire group. I don't mean to sound like I don't give bands a try, but usually thats how it is for me. So sit back, relax and enjoy reading the songs and artists that I absolutely hate.

1. You Spin Me Right Round (REMIX) - Flo Rida: First of all the original 80's version of this song rocks. Thats the main reason I hate this song. It is a stupid, crappy remix of the song that has nothing but a dirty message. What really grinds my gears about it, is that no one knows the original song. They think this song is original, and it is nothing more than a crappy remake....Arghghghgh I am so frustrated thinking about it!!! Oh and I hate Flo Rida.

2. Hot Metal Doberman's - Brainiac: So have you ever heard anything so unbelievably indy that you couldn't stand it? Well that is what Braniac is. Its overly weird, disturbing and is loud. Sometimes I have a hard time deciphering the rhythm of the song. Yup this song is just plain disturbing.

3. With You - Chris Brown: Just plain and simple, I hate Chris Brown. I feel like he is a self centered guy and he thinks he is fly because all the girls love his sound. Yeah I just hear this song too much and I really really really really don't like Chris Brown.

4. Lollipop - Lil Wayne: Ok so this song was bearable in the beginning, but now it is one of the most over played and annoying songs I have ever heard! I can't stand to listen to another "Drop it like its hot!" Wow I just think Lil Wayne is an annoying guy.

5. All Summer Long - Kid Rock: This song is nothing but a rip off from the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama". Its almost the same track, but with different lyrics. Kid Rock also apparently thinks he is some form of Southern Rock artist when he is from damn Michigan. Thats just wrong and messed up. Go write your own music Kid Rock..... You Idiot!

Talking about Sex

2009-09-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

So when a freshmen takes his first step onto a college campus, he notices a lot of new and exciting things. If he lives on campus he gets to experience the joys of having a roommate, making his own decisions, and so much more. However one of the choices a freshmen gets to make when he enters college is whether or not he chooses to partake in the act of sexual intercourse. Many first year college students often feel the pressures of sex. Whether to engage in the act, to jump in to it quickly with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or to really use the internet to look up someone before you consider engaging in the act with them, sex is a major pressure on the average freshman.

Many freshmen often feel pressured right away in college to find a girl or boy to have sex with. The modern view is that you don't want to be a virgin in college. Why many people son't understand, but that holds true to most college freshmen. They feel as if the only way to grow up or really express independence is to do exactly what most parents told their children to stay away from which is sex. Whether a student decides to have sex is totally up to them, but the main thing is to make sure that both of the students are ready and protected when they are about to engage in sex.

Some people also believe that they need to jump into a relationship just for sex. They feel like they need to have a girlfriend or boyfriend so that they can justify the use of sex. Students say that they feel so "strongly" or "love" someone so much that they can't express their love any other way then through sex.

Facebook and Google are also often used just so people can see whether a person is "hot" or "DTF" (down for sex). They look up people they are interested in and almost become a kind of cyber stalker. The internet can be used to talk to these people and establish a relationship with them but most times it is used to just check out the next prospective or hopeful sex escapade.

So my honest advice to those who will be attending college anytime soon is to make sure that you and your partner are both ready for sex. If you and the person you are with both give consent and are protected, then sex can be a very enjoyable experience. There is nothing wrong with sex and one should not feel ashamed for having it, but everyone needs to make sure that the people they have sex with are ok with everything and that they can cope with whatever happens next.

Music List #2

2009-09-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

My next favorite songs that I am adding to my music lists installment are all about sex and drugs. These are my favorite 5 songs that are about sex and drugs. Most of them are humorous songs, which is my favorite kind of "dirty" songs. So without further ado, lets begin:

1. Business Time - The Flight of the Conchords: So this song is probably my favorite song that mentions any form of sex. Its about a man who is married and his wife, well having sex. But the man thinks that everything his wife is doing is part of the foreplay and lets just say its one of the funniest songs I have ever heard in my life. I would recommend everyone listen to this song.

2. Paper Planes - M.I.A.:This song is not completely about drugs, but I really like the song and there is a definite drug reference in the song. Its got a catchy beat and is another one of my favorite drug related songs.

3. The Joker - Steve Miller Band: Again this song is not about drugs, but there are drug references in it. If you haven't heard this song, you need to listen to it. I mean who doesn't like Steve Miller Band.

4. Barely Legal - The Strokes: This song is clearly about sex. Its about a guy who really wants to have sex. I mean there is a line in the song that says "I wanna steal your innocence." thats just straight up sex. Its a good song, maybe a little to raunchy for some but I like the song.

5. If You Want Me To - The Flight of the Conchords: This song is another hilarious song by the Flight of the Conchords about sex. Its a man singing to a girl he likes about all the stuff he would do for her, and of course they are all sexual acts. Its another hilarious song by them, that I think everyone should hear.

So overall my favorite dong that is all about sex of drugs would have to be Business Time by The Flight of the Conchords. I think its an incredibly creative song that is raunchy and humorous at the same time. I really think that anyone listening to that song would think that they were being treated, when they are graced with that delightful tune.

My Results On Google

2009-09-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

So when I googled myself online and noticed that I was almost nowhere to be found. I looked through a few pages and noticed that all the results were about other people's myspace and facebooks named Nick Esposito. My facebook and myspace of course were nowhere to be found making me feel like there are a lot of famous Nick Esposito's out there.

This is a little unsettling to me because I sort of want my name to get out there. You see I am a film and television major, and my main goal is to get onto the movie seen. Having my name high on the Google list of names would be a great career move for me and would help get my name out to major movie directors and producers. Hopefully I will get my name higher up on Google Search and hopefully it will involve some aspect of film or video.

I just got to be careful that whatever goes up that it can't ruin my career in film.

I did eventually find myself on like the third page of Google. Whats funny is that the thing that came up was, well my blog for this class. So I am making progress, especially with this class and college as a whole. I hope my experiences here bring my rank on Google up fast. Then I can be happy when my name can be a common household name for film.

My Music Influences As A Kid!!

2009-09-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

So the music that made me into the awesome guy I am now has changed through the years. I've gone through TV theme songs to Classic Rock to music thats considered "Indy" rock. Needless to say, I loved all that music and it all has in some way contributed to making me who I am.

In my early life the main music I listened to was, well theme song music for all my favorite television shows. I would love to get the CDs for all the shows like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Scooby Doo, and I absolutely loved Sesame Street. I would listen to them every day and know all the words to all the theme songs. I didn't have any interest in music that wasn't from a TV program. The main theme song that really made me happy as a kid was the Pokemon theme song. I remember just being excited to watch the show for the theme song. I just loved my theme song music in elementary school.

In Junior High School, I started to listen to different music. I started listening to Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. My Dad was a huge influence on my music interest at this point in my life. What ever he said I would like, I usually would like. At this point in my life everything was about classic rock and being a kid who was completely opposed to rap. That was my Dad's goal, it was to keep me out of the "rap" scene he would rather me be a rocker instead of a hip-hopper. He even bought me a guitar and guitar lessons to keep me away from all the stuff he didn't like.

Around the end of High School and present day college, my music tastes have sort of all combined with everything. I can honestly say I like a little bit of everything. I still love my classic Led Zeppelin and all the other classic rock music my Dad introduced me to, but I also like a whole bunch of other genres. I like rock, techno, electronica, indy, alternative, jazz, reggae, hip-hop, country, metal, and yes I still love my old television theme songs. Picking favorite artists is really hard for me because of all the different things I like vary so much.

I have gone from a very specific, one type music genre interest, to a very broad spectrum of musical genres. I love every piece of music that has been a part of my history, and I continue to look forward to hearing new artists that I can add to my collection.

The Best Study Habits Ever.

2009-09-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking about this earlier and was wondering, what are my best study habits? This had nothing to do with the fact that this was actually an assigned assignment of course. But I digress, I was thinking what do I do that helps me study and prepare for in class assignments, and tests. So I just listed a few things that I do that helps me out with these things:

1. I really really need to have seen whatever it is I'm learning, done at least three times. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to do things without seeing them done before hand and failing a test because of it. I just need the topic I am learning spelled out perfectly for me, or I will fail.

2. Sometimes, I play music to help me get into rhythm with what I am doing. If you play the right song to the right type of work, it will really get you in the right mode to finish all your work. It will make you want to get your work done. Just don't play death metal and you will be alright.

3. Another thing I like to do to study information is to picture everything I am learning in my head. For example if I am learning about a concept in math, like the greater than or less than symbols, I will think about an alligator eating something bigger or smaller than itself. Don't judge me.

So those are some of the main things I do to study for all my stuff that I have to do. Its not perfect, but it seems to work for me and I seem to get a lot of things done this way.

My Top Favorite Songs

2009-09-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

As you are all aware our current assignment is to post our 10 favorite songs on our blogs, so like everyone reading I will be posting my 10 favorite songs right here on my blog. A little side note before I start is that these are just 10 favorite songs of mine, not ALL my favorite songs. There are many more songs I wish I could've posted, but alas only 10 can be chosen and these are the 10 I chose....oh well. Lets begin:

1. The White Stripes - Blue Orchid:

Lets just say this is what modern classic rock sounds like to me. This song represents the change of rock from the 1950's to 70's and 2000's and is a kick ass song.

2. mewithoutYou - Nice and Blue pt. 2:

This band is probably my favorite modern band. This style of music is a progressive rock with spoken lyrics. The lyrics are what really make the song unique. Its a very poetic sound and has a very emotional sound to it. Few bands put spoken lyrics into practice.

3. Thrice - Daedulas:

This song is from a four part compilation of CDs, all of which are sung from all the different view points of the different elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. This song happens to be on the album called Air and is a very emotional song about a father losing a son. The voice of the singer is strong and the melodious music really draws you into it.

4. Daft Punk - Aerodynamic:

No top ten music list would be complete without that little bit of techno or electronica that everybody likes. Mine happens to be from a group known as Daft Punk. This song is one of the coolest sounding songs out there. Daft Punk uses synths tied in with their guitars to make one of the coolest sounding solos i have heard in a while, taking that Peter Frampton effect to the next level...

5. Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son:

This song is one of the few songs that I would like to say that I found on my own. Though my father introduced me to classic rock, It was me who one day going through old CDs stumbled upon the Greatest Hits of Kansas. Ever since I have been hooked and I would like to think that I try to live my life to that phrase: "Carry On My Wayward Son!!!!"

6. Heart - Crazy On You:

Ah Heart. This was one of the first songs I heard that had a lead female vocalist. It really set the tone for women in bands and really shows that not all women have to sing all lovey-dovey, soft and cute. They can be in a rock band and have damn good songs. Not to mention this song just sounds amazing.

7. Journey - Wheel In the Sky:

Quite frankly this song is just the best song ever to sing to while driving.

8. The Who - Pinball Wizard:

This song happens to be a part of the best rock opera of all time. The story is amazing and this is the rock opera that got me into sweet rock operas.

9. Rush - The Trees:

Rush was one of the first bands my dad introduced me to when I was young, so naturally it would be on my top ten list. Rush was the band that really showed me how amazing a good story tied into a song becomes an awesome experience. The story about the trees having a revolution is extremely clever and really cool.

10. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir:

Last but certainly not least, the first band I was introduced to when I was young... Led Zeppelin!! This was the first song that I ever heard (or at least remember ever hearing) and it shaped the music I like and listen to today! Also this song sounds like awesome walking tought theme music. Just try it, I guarantee you will like it.

About Nick Esposito and his music taste.....

2009-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Yo! My name is Nick Esposito, and I was born and raised in the roughest toughest city in all of California....Sacramento. As a kid I remember going to school and not really liking the music that everybody else liked at the time, all the grundge music, "new" rap, and boy bands of the 90's. I would always go home and tell my parents about how some kid tried to show me some new music and how I didn't like it. So one day my Dad being the old hard rocker that he is showed me some music that he told me he listened to as a kid. The band he showed me was called Led Zeppelin. I always had remembered listening to music like this in the car with my Dad and my Mom always telling him to turn it, but now for the first time I actually listened, and I now had finally heard and liked the music that is Classic Rock.

Ever since then I, my music tastes have grown and changed, but I still love the classic rock that my Dad had shown me. Now I like even more bands that my Dad liked and didn't like. So my hopes for this class are to learn more about the stuff that brought me into music and to learn the origins of the music that influenced our culture forever.