[Overview] GIVERS

Overview connected with blog entry----> GIVERS ; Mar 21st - 27th Band of the Week


With uplifting beat and energetic vibe, GIVERS is the band everyone should expect great things from. This past week was Spring Break for me, and I thought that GIVERS gave each day a voice. Though the band only harbors 5 songs from their 2009 released EP, each track had it's own energy. I love the vocals provided by Tiffany Lamson, Taylor Guarisco, and Kirby Campbell. Together, they cry out the boisterous and freedom-induced lyrics that make up each song. They're definitely going to provide some great background music for the upcoming summer. My favorite tracks from the EP are Ceiling of Plankton and Saw You First. And obviously, Up Up Up will always be a great track that gets stuck in my head over and over again. The only thing I can say negatively about GIVERS' EP is that I wanted more! Patience will be a lingering thing as I'm eager to grab a copy of their debut album, due to release this spring. I'm looking forward to what the record has to offer.

GIVERS is certainly a mood-lifter. Their lyrics seem to say "Cheer Up!" Spring has sprung and the air is getting warmer. It is good to surround yourself with feel good music in times like these.
Visit itunes for your copy of GIVERS' s/t EP.


Enjoy your listening week with GIVERS? Let .rapt know how this band has treated you! Write your own personal review, however short or long, in the comment section below. Always looking forward to hearing and sharing opinions!

Mar 28st - Apr 3rd Artist/Band of the Week announced March 28st, 2011!

Mar 26th - Apr 1st OWL OF THE WEEK

Owl of the current week. My key chain, in celebratory bliss of its return after being lost for several weeks.

life / .Mar 18th - 24th

At last...Winter has ended!
What ushered in the new season was a moon of cosmic proportions.
Supermoon was...large on the horizon. But once it made its way to the high sky, it lost impression. This blurred photo captures its minor florescence. However out of focus it may be. Hush, it adds to the effect.


I'm so pleased to be finished with my finals. Somehow I managed to score the entire week off from not only college, but also work! I've at last found some time to sloth around the house, watch a couple movies, work on .rapt, and dare I say even participate in buoyant and spontaneous activities. Thank whoever made this week possible!







There have been many observed sunsets, and beaches tread upon. A few friends were home from uni and we were able to catch up and spend zealous time with one another.

It surprised me when I woke up the other day to truly luke-warm weather! The plum blossoms are emerging and the air is becoming lighter. Though the rain still comes at curious hours of the day, there have been a number of moments where I took a look around myself and realized; Spring has arrived! Summer is in our midst, surely. I'm ready to run into the sun. I feel lucky to be from the NW, but I'm beginning to pine for the desert stars and 103F weather.
Soon.

Still desperate to make it to Sasquatch 2011, Mac and I have searched Craigslist for days looking for a decent supplier of passes. We managed to come across a few good deals, but thus far no one has responded to our graciously thought-out and to-the-point emails. This saddens. Someone throw me in a suitcase and smuggle me in. I would be fine with that. Sunday, preferably.
But if I, for some lowly reason, can not manage to deploy myself into the fest, I'll be heading to San Diego instead. California in May should be brilliant, and perhaps will take my mind off the numbing disappointment in not obtaining entrance to Bigfoot!
No matter how much you think you may know about music festivals and how to engage in the process of getting in, one way or another you always end up learning a lesson. This year's lesson seems to scream: GET YOUR PASS EARLY WITHOUT KNOWING THE LINEUP.
Next year, lot. There will be no waiting.


For now, I'm excited to be making way for the warm seasons. Hibernation is ending, and this owl is becoming a daylight bird. (sort of.)

The Nautical. [Trends // Topics]

Nautical, Nautical.... everywhere nautical!
And I love it.











Has anyone else noticed how popular stripes and oceanic attire are becoming? I go to the mall and that's all I see. I'm not ashamed to say that I pine over a good nautical shirt...and I own one too many of them.

GIVERS ; Mar 21st - 27th Band of the Week

With buoyancy and pizazz, GIVERS from Lafayette, Louisiana takes the stage for .rapt's Band of the Week!

Currently recording their Debut Record, due out Spring 2011.
A current [EP] is available, s/t and s/p GIVERS, which was released in 2009. Tracks available on itunes.
Record Label:
[Glassnote Music]
Recently on tour with band mate friends Ra Ra Riot...
With singular tours this passed January with Pepper Rabbit.

Friends throughout high school and college, GIVERS' band members Tiffany Lamson (vocalist and percussionist), Taylor Guarisco (vocalist and guitarist), Kirby Campbell (drummer and vocalist), and Josh LeBlanc (bassist and guitarist), played with various different groups throughout the Lafayette area before coming together to form what is now an aspiring and energetic collection of young musicians, proving themselves in the Indie music industry. Since emerging with their self-produced [EP] in 2009, GIVERS have toured with subjected bands such as Ra Ra Riot and Dirty Projectors. Named “Best of What’s Next” by PASTE Magazine. And “Band to Watch” by Stereogum, GIVERS is rapidly climbing the ladder to success with songs such as Up Up Up and Saw you First.

There's truly a 'Vampire Weekend' sort of vibe about them. Described as psychedelic, homegrown exoticism, and rattling optimism/joy.
GIVERS' recently performed at Austin TX's SXSW 2011 with an uplifting and vibrant rendition of their song Up Up Up.

You can really feel their music...and watching their performance, you can quite literally see how passionate and connected they are to delivering amazing sounds.

With their genuine antics, GIVERS is the band to listen to this week!

What to do?;
Each Monday, I announce an artist or band here on .rapt that I'll be engulfing myself in for an approximated 6-7 days. I invite everyone to do the same! At the end of the listening week, return to .rapt and post your comments on my [ARTIST/BAND OVERVIEW] blog entry (posted every Sunday) expressing how that artist/band has impacted you. Do a mini-review; express your likes, dislikes, or how the music made you feel. I'll also articulate my point of view and musings in my blog entry and discuss everyone's opinions!
I mostly cover newer bands as a way to get some names in indie rock out there! Together, we can discover new bands and fuel fresh inspirations through music. I would love everyone to participate! Doesn’t matter who you are...if you love music, then give it a go.

[Overview] will be posted Sunday, March 27th! Catch you then, lot.

[OVERVIEW] Broken Bells

Overview connected with blog entry ------> BROKEN BELLS ; Mar 14th - 20th Band of the Week


The melodic, soothing, humming 80's space rock of Broken Bells filled my head this past week. Perfectly timed with the SuperMoon engagement on Saturday the 19th, this band is ideal for just lying in some grass and staring up at the night sky. A brilliant source of ‘slice of life’ tunes, best listened to during daily grinds. Driving home with the moon beaming in my rear-view mirror, I felt connected with the natural night life around me as James Mercer’s voice blared through my speakers.
The sounds are reminiscent to the genres of the past...reflecting, to me, much of the sounds of the 80's. There's a slight early U2 in their style. The lyrics make me think of what's to come in the future, but keeping in mind the memories of the past. Edgy space-age mixed with earthly elements.

I truly would love to see a new record released by Broken Bells in the next couple years...there's so much potential brewing amongst the rustic guitars and colorful collection of drums and voices. James Mercer and Brian Burton's collaboration complement each other in both lyric and vibe. To see two rousing artists come together to create an even more stirring anthology of music captivates me and drives the desire for more of their work.
Two of their best pieces from my perspective are Vaporize and The Mall and Misery. I could drift away on those tracks any day.

Reminder: Broken Bells' [EP] release comes out March 29th, 2011, titled [MEYRIN FIELDS] (PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE)
And please support Broken Bells' s/t debut record Broken Bells by visiting your itunes store and purchasing your own copy of tracks. It is most definitely worth your while.


Enjoy your listening week with Broken Bells? Let .rapt know how this band has treated you! Write your own personal review, however short or long, in the comment section below. Always looking forward to hearing and sharing opinions!

Mar 21st - 27th Artist/Band of the Week announced March 21st, 2011!

Mar 19th - 25th OWL OF THE WEEK

Brought to you by good friend Zach Taiji.

life / .Mar 11th - 17th

The week has passed by slowly. I know this is due to finals over-riding my judgment of moving time.
I couldn't keep up with .rapt as efficiently as I wanted to over the past few days.... but now I am a free bird! I finished my last final tonight, and with the assignment submitted, I heaved a sigh of relief and immediately picked up my headphones to take in some Broken Bells. Perhaps some of you have been participating in the listening week with me and you understand the calm their music brings to any calamity. The Clash also coaxed me into submission.

I've begun to carry my camera around with me where ever I go. It's really the best thing I've done all year...there's so many images to capture in the world. I catch myself picking out shots, even when the camera is not in arms reach. I think it may eventually become an OCD, but hey, you can never have enough of those.


I've been rather fatigued all week....whether it's the finals, or just me not going to bed at a decent hour, I don't know. But my roomie recently told me about this technique that natural healers suggest practicing in order to get better rest and feel alive. Apparently, yin and yang is involved in this somehow; one must go to bed by 11 p.m. and wake before 11 a.m. In-between these times is the best for the inner body to be at rest, or else it is unbalanced. It certainly sounds legitimate, but knowing me...I don't remember the last time I went to bed before 11 p.m.....I'm either sick or a toddler if I'm nesting that early. But, it did make me wonder if I should give it a try? It would be nice, now that I think about it, to wake up and feel completely refreshed for once.

Earlier in the week, I drove the long trek to the neighboring port town to visit my college campus, but the journey ended up being for not, so I picked up some marble sodas and scoped out the premises for my good friend Karla. After exploring highs and lows, I eventually found her at her apartment on the bluffs, in her pajamas with her kitten Nala. I swooned her out of the house with the soda. This was for the pure intention of visiting the pier, one of my favorite places in town.
The weather was gloom and doom, but the sun had some outbursts here and there. Harbor breeze and simple times. I'm ready for Spring, I can't do rain any longer.



My Jensen turntable arrived yesterday! And with some unbridled anticipation, I dove into the packaging and assisted the FedEx box in giving birth to the beauty that was record player. At 5 a.m. I put on my mom's original copy of Meet the Beatles from 1964, and though a little morphed from it's 40-some years of age, it began to scratch out the familiar tune of "I Wanna Hold your Hand." It was like going back in time, listening to the same record with my mom and dad when I was a kid. The Beatles live on in the Jensen's speakers!


Hope everyone had a jolly St. Patrick's Day. While I knew I had loads of material to cover for my last final, I ended up going out last night with the whole lot. It was fun, but certainly not worth the inability to perform studying tasks the next day. Thank goodness for the endeavoring soul.





I think after finishing my Occupational Exploration class, I've at last come to the conclusion that I'm going to major in Journalism. ....I think I've already claimed this as my major. But I'm more certain than ever now, it is the route I want to take. Surely this life will lead me to rewarding things in the future.

Photography, Tumblr, and Prayers for Japan [Trends // Topics]

I had a few lucky moments this past week where I came across some killer photographers and their websites. Most of the artists can be found on DeviantART, but their sites reflect their persona’s far more amazingly than their ol' DA layouts.

Among these, Mariam Sitchinava’s work blows me away on a rustic breeze. Some of her cultural pieces are breathtaking; I feel like I’m going back in time...there’s a prominent vintage feel about her editing that I completely adore. And her models are gorgeous to boot.



Please send some love her way and check out her collections. Your eyes will thank you. http://mariam.ge/

---------------------------------

I’ve been discovering some marvelous Tumblr blogs as of late....which fuels the desire in me to pay more attention to mine. [.rapt's lone tumblr]

I take a huge amount of pleasure in browsing the images of this site...though the main concept is a bit random. The Wind in the Wires. This actually belongs to a well-renound DeviantART photographer, of which you can view on her tumblr as well.

And if you’re a fan of Gorillaz like I am, you’ll love to check up on these sites from time to time...
OnepeiceofCheese
We are Gorillaz

While 'We are Gorillaz' doesn’t get updated too much, OnepeiceofCheese takes the...cake...for being one of the most dedicated fans in the Gorillaz tumblr world...seemingly. I suppose if I devoted myself, I would also have a blog where I posted random bits and scraps of screen-caps and close-ups of existing official artwork, offering my own pov’s and explanations of why things are and what not.

Alright, I think I’ve said quite enough. I could go on? ...No? no.

----------------------------

I’m sure that everyone is fully aware of the Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters by now, but if not then for those of you who haven’t heard... Japan’s Sendai region and other areas were traumatized by a horrific 8.9 earthquake, followed shortly after by a Tsunami that even tossed waves over to the West Coast of the US where I reside.
As I watched the live news feed as it happened, I felt as though I was watching some disturbing apocalyptic movie. Though I normally choose not to believe that the end of days is near, its hard to ignore that all the civil wars and natural disasters going on in the world lately have some sort of odd relevance to each other.
But this, my loves, is where I draw a veil. Whether 2012 happens or not, there’s no point in dwelling over it. Enjoy your life and don’t dwell on the negative, please.
I’m not saying it doesn’t cross my mind though every now and then.

But Japan has always been a special place to me. I visited Tokyo and many other areas of the country back in 2004, and to know that such a catastrophe has occurred breaks my heart. It is good to say "Pray for Japan," as many have been doing, but it is even better to donate to a significant cause.

Artwork by cellar-fcp of DeviantART.

If you are able, please visit the following sites and make a donation.

+Hong Kong Red Cross
+American Red Cross

Anything helps. It’s times like these where we need to remember that we are all people, and we as humanity need to set aside our petty problems or differences and look out for one another.

Thank you, lot.

BROKEN BELLS ; Mar 14th - 20th Band of the Week

This week's band creates a melting sensation in my left hipster bone.

Debut record released in 2010, s/t [BROKEN BELLS]
Followed by an [EP] to be released March 29th, 2011, titled [MEYRIN FIELDS]
(Available for pre-order now)
The band has four released singles, including "The High Road," "The Ghost Inside," and "October," All released in 2009
And "Vaporize," released in 2011
Record Label:
[Columbia]
No tour dates currently.

Broken Bells is the collaborative work of two fine artists; James Mercer (lead singer of The Shins) and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley and producer behind Gorillaz.) Their tracks have been strung about my winter months like a well-favored sweater. Upon my arrival at one of their songs on my ipod the other day, I decided to partake in a listening week with all of you, to share the brilliance this band has to offer!

Mercer and Burton first encountered one another at the Roskilde Festival (a Danish music fest) in the summer of 2004. Both fans of each others work, they deemed to participate in one another's careers at some point. It wasn't until 2008 that they began formulating the foundation which would become Broken Bells, in Burton's LA-based studio.
By late 2009, they announced the band's activity and have continued to play strong to the present day. With a successful 2010 tour and solidly released record, they have struck a cord with the indie/space rock crowd. Their mellow, but experimental sounds mix an 80's vibe with a modern-day alternative jab to the ear-drums. Mercer's treble voice initiates a distinct product that allows the band to stand out broadly amongst the ever-expanding loud, in-your-face genres of the new decade.

“I think with a lot of my writing I’m trying to break somebody’s heart out there... I’ve always been attracted to that same melancholy in music; so I get what he’s talking about.” -James Mercer on working with Danger Mouse in a QTV interview, found HERE.

I find Broken Bells, while low-key, to be witty and calming all at once. I invite everyone to participate in some listening this week, and perhaps discover a keen fondness over a crisp band!

What to do?;
Each Monday, I announce an artist or band here on .rapt that I'll be engulfing myself in for an approximated 6-7 days. I invite everyone to do the same! At the end of the listening week, return to .rapt and post your comments on my [ARTIST/BAND OVERVIEW] blog entry (posted every Sunday) expressing how that artist/band has impacted you. Do a mini-review; express your likes, dislikes, or how the music made you feel. I'll also articulate my point of view and musings in my blog entry and discuss everyone's opinions!
I mostly cover newer bands as a way to get some new names in indie rock out there! Together, we can discover new bands and fuel fresh inspirations through music. I would love everyone to participate! Doesn’t matter who you are...if you love music, then give it a go.

[Overview] will be posted Sunday, March 20th! See you then!

[OVERVIEW] Beach Fossils

Overview connected with blog entry ----> BEACH FOSSILS ; Mar 7th - 13th Band of the Week

The rusty echo of a summer long ago. Running through sand towards an open blue sea; the vast thing. Envisioning something in the future; the voices of appending warm air. A considerably wide sky and the perceptive words spoken to it. Tepid, positive, and sincere.

Beach Fossils' Chris Burke, John Pena, Tommy Lucas, and Dustin Payseur come together to create a vision of longevity through their lyrics; weaving insightful statements into their lulling guitar notes. Whether one cares or means to understand what their songs are saying, you eventually appreciate them as you listen to the softly sharp melodies and distance tones. Vocalist/songwriter Payseur has truly managed to construct an indie surf band that has moved me.

I find it to be easy-listening; Good music to take a drive or contemplate life to. I can easily see myself planning out a future excursion with 'DayDream' playing in the background. Beach Fossils' sound is ideal for simply thriving in day to day life, in a calm and nature-induced mindset. During my listening week, I did a lot of in-town traveling while Beach Fossils serenaded me and my accomplices. My roomie and best friend asked; "Who is this?" I let her in on my Beach Fossils tunes and she immediately wanted to collect some tracks of her own. It makes for great wake up and start your day music.
Overall, my preferred tracks thus far have been 'Sometimes', 'Daydream', 'The Horse', and 'Lazy Day.'

I'd love to do a record review of their latest album What a Pleasure. Until then, I'll continue to wrap myself up beside the beach and float away with Beach Fossils in my ears.
Reminder: Beach Fossils is currently [ON TOUR]
Here are the US Tour Dates HERE
And UK Tour Dates HERE

Visit itunes store for your own copy of tracks from both their self-titled debut record Beach Fossils (2010) and their 2011 record released March 8th: What a Pleasure.

Hope everyone had a great listening week!

I would still love to hear some of your own perspectives and views of Beach Fossils. Leave your comments below if you have any! Or just sit there with your good looks. As long as you had a chance to discover a fresh band, I've done my job.

Mar 14th - 20th Band/Artist of the Week announced tomorrow!

Mar 12th-18th OWL OF THE WEEK

Oh the weekly owl.

Well, this week I came across, due to a deviantART journal entry made by a photographer and art major that I follow, the ever-sarcastically truthful F*** Yeah Art Student Owl of Tumblr.



I thought this bird deserved high props for the ensued hilarity it's advise memes bring to those humanity students out there. Though I am not an art major or minor, I feel like I can still relate to it's funny-because-its-true statements.

Check out the site and have a laugh.

And then think twice before you assume art is an easy subject.