Here are the lyrics to my first reggae song...

"The Focus"

The Focus

Verse 1:

Let’s focus on love not war

And let out our hand to those who suffer more

We need to unite as one

We may be different but we all live underneath the same shining sun

Love makes the world go round

When I am lost I turn to love and then I’m found

Chorus:

So who cares if you’re rational or not

Don’t base all your actions on your thoughts

Just celebrate life and peace of mind

Let’s stop the war the hate the pain

Love and laughter is all we have to gain

Just celebrate life and we’ll get by

Verse 2:

There’s so much beauty in this world

So many treasures like an oyster’s pearl

We’ve become so accustomed to this artificial world that we’re livin in

When all we need grows from the trees

And the love that we bring

Let’s make a change in our ways

Live in the light and stop causing pain

Bridge

L Elevate your senses O open up the trenched V verify what you’re here for

And Ease your mind

Some of my favorite reggae/reggae inspired songs are...

"Moonlight" by Rebelution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUH4vg_w7ZM
"Collie Man" by Slightly Stoopid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLcmtBA-W_s
"No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x59kS2AOrGM
"Wiseman" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMeICpLVF2Q
"True Love" by SOJA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTE8uQ--hUI


...these are just a few, but they are all songs worth listening to!

Reggae

Today I started researching what makes up a good reggae song, and different topics that reggae artists typically write about. Just by being a huge reggae music fan myself, I know that the content mainly includes lyrics about happiness, peace, love, nature, politics, freedom and a specific elevation in which your body experiences when you are using something too inappropriate to talk about in class..... Anyway, some of my favorite bands write and perform reggae/island music. Some examples include Bob Marley, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, Aer, and Soja. I have been listening to these artists for years now, and I believe I have encompassed tremendous inspiration from each one of them, but I have never actually tried to write a reggae inspired song. Something that I have observed by listening to this type of music is that no matter how serious the content is of the specific song you are listening to, you cant help but feel inspired, relaxed, and/or happy in some way. One of the major goals of reggae music is to bring joy and relaxation into the lives of it's listeners, and this is something that I experience every time I am listening to some good ole reggae. One characteristic that makes reggae stand out from all other genres is the infamous upbeat and syncopated guitar rhythm. Just by adding this specific syncopated rhythm you can turn any song into a reggae inspired song.

Today I started writing two songs with the titles "The Focus" and "Towards the Sun". "The Focus" is a song that is going to be about stopping war and the hate amongst all peoples, and instead truly embracing each other as equal human beings and embracing the beauty of nature. "Towards the Sun" is going to be about being your own person, staying inspired, and looking up when you feel down, but always remembering that fellow human beings are right there with you looking up at the same sun you are looking towards. This song will contain the concept of being a unique, strong person, but always knowing that there is a special unity that all human beings experience with each other.... I am so excited to get these songs finished!

 For my Online Writing course we are required to conduct a life experiment for 2-3 weeks in honor of all of A.J. Jacobs experiments included in his book, "My Life as an Experiment". After going back and forth through different ideas about what I was going to pursue for my life experiment, I have finally come to a decision. Some ideas that I had were only eating raw food for 2 to 3 weeks, not wearing any make-up or doing my hair for 2-3 weeks, not watching any of the regular televisions shows that I watch but shows that do not spark my interest to see what I would learn.


 Instead of taking action with these three ideas, I decided that, since I am a musician and song writer, I was going to write 2 songs a week that take on a different genre in which I am not familiar writing to. I want to indulge my mind into a different cultures and musical genres to see if I am able to embody what that specific genre is all about and learn as much about that type of genre as I can. I typically write pop/electronic/indie music so I am going to take the challenge of writing anything from country music to gangster rap. I think this will be fun, and I am also looking forward to the challenge that comes along with it!

My Life as an Experiment Quote

For my first blog about the book "My Life as an Experiment", I'm going to pick my favorite quotes and explain why they interest me so much. I have come across many abstract ideas and suggestions from the author A.J. Jacobs, which makes this book so intriguing to me, but there are a few quotes that I would like to point out. 


The first quote is the first line of Chapter 5, which is titled "The Rationality Project". It states...

"My brain is deeply flawed. And no offense, but so is yours."

The reason why I love this statement so much is because it is a very blunt way of saying that we as human beings all have imperfections in the way that we think, act, communicate, so on and so forth. Everyone in some way falls under the evils of stereotyping, rationalization, overreacting, and being credulous. Even though these are just a few prime examples, these are all concepts that everyone should at least try to understand and recognize when it happens to them and crosses their mind in everyday life. Maybe one day someone can figure out how to avoid these imperfections...oh wait that would be a robot. These flaws in our brains are part of human nature, and ultimately they are impossible to avoid. It's those who are aware of these glitches that empower their minds that are capable of exuding a sense of humbleness and honesty. The ones who don't recognize their faults are the ones who will forever believe that they are above all else and that their minds are mini utopias. I am an advocate for pushing ourselves to our fullest potential, which DOES require a sense of cockiness, but the difference is that when you realize your own faults you are then being an ACTUAL human being. 


Lights says it best in her song "Everybody Breaks a Glass"...

"Somewhere perfection lies, but not for you and I."

 We should all be honest with ourselves and work on our flaws, even though they will always be there, and not consume our minds with the belief that we are "perfect".