Now Playing: Hail, Caesar! (2016)

I was recently able to see the Coen brothers' brand new spankin' comedy Hail, Caesar! in theatres. Set during the 1950s, this film told the highly fictionalized story of real-life Hollywood fixer Eddie Mannix. He interacts with a cast of zany characters from actors to directors to the press, all while trying to figure out what happened to his studio's biggest star who has mysteriously disappeared.

This might sound obvious, but this movie was very Coen. It had a great cast, clever writing, beautiful cinematography, hilarious moments mixed with symbolism. The works. For all these reasons, I quite enjoyed Hail, Caesar! 

As always, the Coens have a wonderful collective cast, including Coen favorites like George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton. The film also stars Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johannson, Jonah Hill, and Ralph Fiennes. Two surprisingly amazing performances come from relative newcomer Alden Ehrenreich and Channing Tatum. I'm usually not a fan of Channing but he was hilarious in this movie and I was quite impressed! All of these actors fell right into Old Hollywood. There was great chemistry and everyone was very funny.

The Coen brothers also have an incredible ability to perfectly capture the essence of a certain decade, if they are making a period film. It's one of the reasons I love O Brother, Where Art Thou? (my favorite Coen creation). The Coens don't just give us one or two characters to focus on and expect to represent a generation or part of a generation. We get to explore many facets of 1950's Hollywood. After seeing the film, I looked up Eddie Mannix and learned he was a real person. I also didn't know that a fixer was a real, legitimate job. A Hollywood fixer is someone who is paid to clean up after the scandals of the studio's talent. In this film, the studio "owns" many of these actors and Mannix makes sure that they have their chances in the spotlight, that their records are clean and their images maintained. In this Cold War-era and family values-oriented world, it seems to be a pretty important job in the entertainment industry. From the eyes of Mannix, we get to see what it was like to make a movie in the 1950's. First, we see all the different jobs and technology that was being used. We also see all the different types of films that were being made at once in one studio. Hail, Caesar! covers all the basic Old Hollywood movies that were popular: a Roman epic; a Bette Davis or Cary Grant-esque drama; a musical complete with Fred Astaire tap numbers; a performance piece with a live orchestra and synchronized swimmers; a fun and action-filled Western. Within each film, we learn more about the people within them. Actors who struggle to transition from genre to genre, how actresses were treated differently than actors, directors trying to create art versus directors trying to make a cash grab that will garner guaranteed audience favor. In fact, this is one of the themes in the film, but we will come to that later.

This journey through Old Hollywood shows us both the good and the bad. The film's most profitable actor, played by George Clooney, is kidnapped by Communist writers. This was such a great take for the film and I love how the Coens didn't tell us right away that they were Communists. The Coens never pander to their audience; they want us to figure out the clues for ourselves. With mention of the hydrogen bomb and emphasis on public image, the addition of Communism and the Red Scare rounded out the film. Like I said before, the Coens are great at showing us all angles of a decade, the good and the bad, the ugly and the pretty. There was no mention of blacklisting at all, but I still think this secret society of Communist ex-Hollywood writers made the film more historically accurate and interesting. If you are already familiar with American history, the movie is all the more entertaining.

As with most Coen brothers' movies, there are always several themes or questions being raised and the symbolic imagery and cinematography helps establish those themes or questions. There is no doubt that there was a big religious theme in Hail, Caesar! The films opens with a statue of Christ on the cross. In the beginning and towards the end of the movie, Eddie Mannix is in confession with an impatient priest who believes Mannix visits him too often. Mannix is concerned about the accuracy of the Roman epic about Jesus Christ, and, wishing not to offend anyone, asks leaders from different faiths to view the film and give him their opinions. It is clear that Mannix is very religious, however, this part of his character juxtaposes with his job. Being a fixer includes a lot of lying; it's a very dishonest job. And yet, at the end of the film, Mannix claims that he thinks that what he does is right. I was reading some reviews and analyses on Hail, Caesar! and someone wrote that Mannix is himself a Christ figure, which is very interesting. Just as Jesus Christ had taken the sins of the world upon Himself, Mannix takes the sins of the studio's actors upon himself. This idea is very evident in a particularly beautiful shot in which Mannix stands on the set of the Roman epic film. He is silhouetted and stands before three silhouetted crosses. The last shot of the film is also very curious. There is a heavenly light that shines over the Hollywood film studio; the water tower says "Behold" on it, and then the camera moves up and zooms into the sunlight in the sky. The Coens could be saying a number of things here. Hollywood, either old or new, is one of the least spiritual places there are; this particular shot is a contradiction. It could also be criticizing the "worship" of the entertainment industry and the celebrity. But I think it raises a few important questions, some that are addressed in the film: is making movies about creating art or making money? And can you truly be religious in Hollywood, when so many jobs (including the most obvious: acting), involve lying, and sometimes other questionable behavior?

The humor, the acting, the cinematography, the history, the story itself all made Hail, Caesar! a good movie. But what the Coens really do well and they did very well here is show all different angles of a specific time period, place, or profession. Old Hollywood is very classy, fun, and beautiful, but it deserves criticism. The Coens did this wonderfully; making important statements all while putting in those silly moments that make us remember why we love the Coen brothers so much. Was Hail, Caesar! the best film I've seen in the past year? No. Was it even my favorite Coen brothers' film? No. But it had all the ingredients, to me, that made it an enjoyable and meaningful Coen film and period piece, in general.

Now Playing: Secrets of War (2014)

A few weeks ago I watched a movie I had never heard of before. No expectations or anything. I'm glad I took a chance on Secrets of War because it turned out to be an amazing movie and one of the best foreign language films I have ever seen. Secrets of War was released in the Netherlands in 2014. It is set during World War II and tells the story of three kids whose friendship is threatened due to different secrets pertaining to their identities, families, and participation in the war. Tuur's (Mass Bronkhuyzen) family is involved in the resistance against the Germans; Lambert's (Joes Brauers) father is the mayor of the village and is very close with the Nazis; and Maartje (Pippa Allen) is a Jewish girl in hiding.

There are a lot of technical and artistic aspects I really loved. I first must mention the acting. I really appreciate good child actors and all three of the leads in this film were incredible. You fell in love with each of the characters and felt for them. My favorite, though, and quite surprisingly, was Lambert. I feel like most people who would watch this film would identify the rebellious Tuur who only wants to do good and help his friends, or Maartje, the friendly girl who is trying her best to survive. Lambert is the son of the collaborating mayor, whose big brother is a very active Hitler Youth. Lambert feels ostracized from his two friends when they decide they cannot trust him, and yet he has no desire to be in the Hitler Youth like his brother. Joes Brauers performance was heartbreaking; you wished he could know the secret of Maartje's true identity and yet you fear for her safety.

This leads into another reason why I really liked Secrets of War: the cinematography and direction. There were just incredible moments that were captured on camera and I wish I could show some of them here but, really, you should just go watch the film! There are several montages during critical scenes where they switch between characters so you know what each child is doing during a certain event. I think it was very representative of the war. There will be a scene where Maartje is being taken away by the Germans, then we will see Tuur trying desperately to find her and figure out what is going on, and then we will see Lambert just happily playing with his trains. World War II affected people in so many different ways. Some were hurt directly, some had friends or family that were in danger but were not in danger themselves, and others did not seem to really know or care what was going on. In fact, it's almost like the world in general. While someone's house is getting bombed somewhere, we're over here complaining about slow Internet. But anyways, I digress. The cinematography and direction, in particular, were very critical to the storytelling in this particular film. There was one scene that really struck me. We see Lambert's side profile, staring straight ahead, and behind him are a bunch of out-of-focus Hitler Youth posters on a wall. (While they are out of focus, it is pretty obvious what they are). It is almost like we are looking inside Lambert's brain: his father's and brother's constant ravings for the Hitler Youth program are inescapable. Eventually he walks on and the posters come into focus.

If you know me, you'll know I really love a movie with good costumes. The clothes in Secrets of War were amazing. There was such variety and you could really see the difference in clothing between adults, teenagers, and children. In a war film, costuming is very important. The Stars of David and the Hitler Youth uniforms revealed the era and the conflict. The subtle differences between school clothes, play clothes and church clothes were also interesting. Basically, everyone just seemed to dress a little nicer back then!

There were so many things I loved about Secrets of War. The acting, the story itself, the writing, the cinematography - the list goes on. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. If you have seen that film or read the book, you'll know that childhood innocence during wartime is a central theme. It's the theme in Secrets of War as well. The adults in this film go to great lengths to keep the gritty details of the war from the children, but the children find themselves learning these things because the war directly affects them. We see a loss of innocence throughout the film. In one of the first scenes, we see Tuur and Lambert in a bomb shelter with the village during a German night raid. For the children, it is exciting. Every time a bomb drops, the adults worry more. Tuur and Lambert just smile and laugh. Later on, when Tuur discovers that the trains he always sees are carrying people and not rocks, the mood changes. It raises the question of how much should we keep from our children when they are all wrapped in tragedy, In Life is Beautiful, for example, the answer is "as much as possible." I think Secrets of War claims it is nearly impossible. Children are curious and smart and it is difficult to hide big, important things forever.

This became a very dark and deep discussion, but whatever you believe, I do hope you will see this movie. It will make you laugh and cry and think, and that's what you want from a movie, right?

Feb. 6: Weekly Recap

Hello everyone! xx

It's been awhile, and again (shocker) I am thinking of somewhat changing the direction of my blog, but not too much. But expect more posts; I have a lot of ideas of things to write on!

This post is going to be on the new movies, books, and music I have watched, read, and listened to this past week. Some are good, some not so much. Let's dive right in.

I watched two new movies this past week, both quite good.

I saw a documentary called Above and Beyond about the formation of the Israeli Air Force. My dad actually recommended this to me and it is really interesting. It was produced by Nancy Spielberg, the younger sister of Steven Spielberg, and it included a lot of interviews from the actual pilots who were  part of the Air Force. This was very impressive to me on many levels: one, that so many were American, and two, that so many were still alive and seemed to be doing so well! It also included an interview with Paul Reubens, whose father was also a pilot who flew for Israel. As far as documentaries go, Above and Beyond was very engaging and I learned a lot. It was released in 2014 and you can watch it on Netflix!

I also FINALLY saw the original 1931 Dracula with Bela Lugosi. I can't believe I went my whole life without watching this classic but I'm glad I finally saw it. In fact, I want to do a whole review on this, so I won't say too much here. I will just say that I was pleasantly surprised by this film and I highly recommend it.

I read two books the past week. One I read was called The Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmond Jones. It was actually a book I had to get for college when I was an acting major for that hot second. I kept it because I thought I would enjoy it later on. Robert Edmond Jones is supposedly this famous costumer and set designer in the theatre world and this book he wrote is one that is still really revered. It had some interesting points but honestly, I just have little patience now for uppity theatre people. His style of writing and some of his opinions were just so over-the-top, unnecessarily flowery, and just snooty. It's like the kind of book that Frasier Crane would have on his shelf but it won't remain on mine.

The other book I read, though, was incredible. I got it free from work and just the cover art (which I sadly, do pay too much attention when it comes to all forms of entertainment) and the description on the back made me think it would a little too childish and boring. But oh how wrong I was! It's definitely a book for kids, but it still was very enjoyable for me. It is about a twelve-year-old girl from a small town in Tennessee who comes from this incredible family but she feels like a screw-up and that she can never live up to her family legacy. She then gets involved in defending her family cafe from a developer as well as in a hunt for a treasure that is legendary in her town's folklore. It is a very relatable story that happens to be filled with magic dreams, spooky graveyards, and lots and lots of hot chocolate and muffins. It was also a very good reminder to not underestimate children's literature. YA and kid's books can very well-written and poignant, no matter what age you are reading them! The Key to Extraordinary is a very EXTRAORDINARY story (ayyyyyy).

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As you can tell by this deeply unsettling CD cover that still makes me a little bit uncomfortable, I purchased Sia's new album this week! It's called This is Acting and there's much to write on. From the first song called "Bird Set Free," I knew this album was going to be good. It's definitely different from 1000 Forms of Fear. In fact there were some songs that I just didn't quite understand and couldn't believe were on a Sia album, the most notable one being "Sweet Design" which is a booty-promotin' song featuring samples from none other than "Thong Song" by Sisqo (which, let's be honest, was the truest poetry the world received in music-form in 1999). Upon doing some research, I learned that almost this entire album is comprised of songs that Sia wrote for other people, like Rihanna and Adele, that were rejected. That's why Sia called the album This is Acting; she stated these were words she would never say herself and that the whole album was like an act. That is so interesting and it makes me love the album even more. I don't like it as much as 1000 Forms of Fear, but it's still very good. Sia really fails to ever disappoint me. My favorite tracks on this album are "Bird Set Free," the anthem that opened this album so wonderfully just like "Chandelier" did for 1000 Forms of Fear; the two singles "Alive" and "Cheap Thrills;" "Broken Glass," which is just a really pretty song; and "Space Between," which has a very Twin Peaks vibe to it. I recommend buying the deluxe version of this album because it includes two really amazing songs at the end called "Fist Fighting in a Sandstorm" and "Summer Rain."

Overall, it was a very good week for movies and books and music! The next post will be a review on the Dutch film Secrets of War, which I am very excited for. See you then xx

Why I Want to Be More Like Chihiro This Year

Spirited Away was the first Miyazaki movie I ever saw and it is still my favorite. It's a mixture of things that makes this Ghibli film my fave (and that's hard because they're all so good): the original and magical storyline, the art, the variety of characters, the music. It's a very nostalgic film. But I think the reason this movie resonates with me so much is Chihiro.

Yubaba tells Chihiro "you are a lazy, spoiled crybaby and you have no manners." Chihiro is upset about moving, a trope very common in movies that I can't personally understand as an Air Force brat. But I think moving to a new town can symbolize any change and I am feeling just that now. From being a completely dependent student to being a graduate that must suddenly make my way in the world was really hard for me to accept and it still is, sometimes. I am really lucky and grateful to have my family be so supportive and help with me so much right now, but there's still so much I'm trying to do independently. I am like Chihiro, at least how she is in the beginning. She was whiny, pessimistic, and had clearly never worked a day in her life. She's suddenly thrown into a world she doesn't understand and it's up to her to save her parents. To do that, she must do physical labor in a bathhouse. Of course she also ends up going on a magical journey, but for much of the movie we see her work at the bathhouse. It's a part that didn't fully resonate with me as a kid because I never had to have a hard job. But I do now.

I've never worked anywhere for as long as I've worked at the Scholastic Warehouse. and even though it's only supposed to be part-time work, it's early, physically difficult, often very hot or very cold, and I am often asked to stay later. For a long time, I was in a rut because of this. I want to be a writer. But I felt too tired, too busy, or too depressed to write. No inspiration at all. I blamed this job. It was too hard for me, and it was so early, I was just tired all the time. For a couple months, I looked for and applied for other jobs, including writing jobs, and had no such luck.

But this is a new year, and I made a very important resolution to dedicate more time for writing. But I need an income now, of course, to pay for all the things that adults need. And this is why I need to be like Chihiro. She had an end goal: to save her parents. I have an end goal: to write a book. For both us, the end goal isn't in sight. Chihiro had no idea how many days or even months she needed to work to save her parents but she continued to work. She put up with a boss that was literally a witch, rude coworkers, scary customers, and backbreaking physical labor. Those are hardly concerns of mine at this job, and no one's life is on the line.

Chihiro grew and developed so much in Spirited Away and I want to grow and develop just as much. I don't want to be afraid of hard work. I need to be braver. And I need to stick up for myself more. I need to be nicer to people because a good friend can really be there for you when you need one. The end may not be in sight and sometimes that's discouraging, but sometimes you just need a period of hard work, inspirational drought, and tough breaks before you get to a really happy time in your life. And I can't wait for that time and so I will work hard now.

There is so much about Spirited Away that I love, but the older I get and the more I watch it, I just want to be more like Chihiro. I will stick this job out and I will make time for what's really important.

Resolutions for 2016

Ahoy-hoy!

It's been some time since I've posted on here! I wanted to do so much, but as soon as I got some free time for blogging I got sick and am still sick! But I will be well soon and back on schedule with blogging.

I wanted to share my goals for 2016. A lot has happened this year: I graduated from college, got a job at Scholastic, and many good things have happened to my family and friends as well. And while a lot of good has happened in 2015, it has also been one of the toughest years of my life. I'm going to be honest,  right after I graduated from school, I had a typical Graduate moment (I didn't have an affair with a Robinson, don't worry) but I felt very lost and sad and didn't quite know where I was going with my life. I don't want that to be this year. I want to be more confident and happy this year, working towards all the career and life goals I want and not worrying to the point where I feel uninspired and scared to do the things I want.

I feel like sharing resolutions helps make you more accountable, and so I want to share mine because I really want to stick to them this year.

Some of my 2016 goals include:

1. Write. And write and write.
2. Be happy and work hard in the temporary jobs I have as I work toward my real career.
3. Be smart with money. Save, save, save.
4. Work on my relationship with God.
5. Walk everyday. Explore new places.
6. Get a new camera and take lots of pictures.
7. Drive more.
8. Practice guitar everyday.
9. Stay clean and organized in every aspect of my life.
10. Be nicer to people.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2016. I hope you are happy and are able to accomplish all the things you want to accomplish!

CFF: Krampus (2015)

Krampus is still in theatres, which means it's too early to determine if this film will even be a cult film, but I wanted to write on it. After all, Michael Dougherty's other movies, notably Trick 'r Treat, have huge cult followings, so we may expect the same result for this creepy Christmas film.
Starring Adam Scott, David Koechner, and Toni Collette, this film centers around the Austro-Bavarian demon creature from Alpine folklore called Krampus, who is the antithesis of Santa Claus. I would consider the film to be a black comedy and it has so far received mixed reviews from critics. It wasn't a perfect film, but I liked a lot about it that I felt a blog post was necessary.

The story finds a regular suburban family preparing for the holidays. One of the children named Max still believes in Santa, even though his faith in ol' St. Nick is slipping. Emjay Anthony portrays Max and I was quite impressed by his acting in this film. His family and extended family fight so much, focus too much on work, or make fun of him for liking Santa Claus that he finally just gives up on Santa and sending him a letter. The house is then attacked by Krampus, the mythical creature who punishes unbelievers, as opposed to Santa Claus who rewards those who believe. The family must then battle Krampus and his creepy minions.

Where the plot was imperfect in parts, the design completely stole the show. Upon first reading about the movie, I heard that there were going to be "creatures" in it and I thought "ugh." More CGI nonsense, unrealistic and inartistic, that is found in so many films today. But I was pleasantly surprised. Krampus' helpers were haunted with a holly jolly twist and so many of them seemed like real, hand-made characters. Besides the rather lame computer animated evil gingerbread men, the snowmen, the elves, the teddy bear, doll/angel concoction and especially the Jack-in-the-Box monster were all designed so wonderfully. Each creature took a traditional Christmas object and made it beyond creepy. A demonic teddy bear with two rows of sharp teeth. A Christmas angel with bulging eyes and huge wings who tries to hang someone with Christmas lights. Snowmen with unsettling faces that just keep appearing outside the window. Elves with masks that were a mix between a Jack-in-the-Box and something worn at a masquerade ball. And finally, the Jack-in-the-Box itself. It reminded me so much of No Face from Spirited Away. It began in the film as just a simple toy, but it grew a gigantic mouth and it would grow bigger and bigger as it ate people. Creepy dolls, puppets, or toys really get me and this one was just about freaky as it gets.

Another design element I really liked was Grandma's story of when she first encountered Krampus. The entire scene was done in either stop-action or CGI trying to imitate stop-action. It was very different from the rest of the film; I wasn't expecting an animated sequence in an adult comedy horror film but it was so well done. It was like a mix of Tim Burton and the Deathly Hallows story scene in the next to last Harry Potter film.

I am also a huge fan of black comedies and this film takes such a dark turn on Christmas. The opening scene is simply slow motion shots of Black Friday with calm, joyous Christmas music playing. People getting trampled, kids arguing over toys, and policemen wielding tasers. There is another scene where a beautiful rendition of Silent Night is heard while three parents are sucked into the snow by one of the awful creatures, leaving the kids alone. The film uses dark comedy to satirize the commercialization of Christmas and loss of holiday spirit in the modern era. It wasn't laugh-out-loud hysterical like some other black comedies, but it still had some good moments that all added to the general spirit of the movie.

After I saw the film, I was really interested in knowing more about the "real" story of Krampus. There isn't actually too much about him that I could find, and so it makes sense that the director felt like he could take some liberties with the character. The origin story is quite unclear as well, but from my research has found (am I not Dorothy Ann from The Magic School Bus?), the film's Krampus was very similar in design. The horns, hooves, claws, sharp teeth, chains, and bells engraved with "Greetings from Krampus" in German were all present in the film. Krampus is also sent out to punish children, just like the stories say, and Krampus will take naughty children to the underworld. This was a part of the film I really thought they had just made up, but according to National Geographic, Krampus would beat misbehaving children and then throw them into hell.

This movie definitely called for discussion to determine exactly what happened and what everything meant, but sometimes that's a good thing in a film. It calls for repeated viewings and deeper thinking. It isn't the best horror film or black comedy or even Christmas film, but it is something different. And if you're looking to make Christmas just a little more twisted this year, I would definitely go and see Krampus. 

Dear Diary: Copeland/Eisley Concert

Nearly ten years ago, I, a gawky thirteen-year-old lass who had just recently been introduced to the indie music scene, had the opportunity to see Eisley in concert. Throughout the years, it had always been my favorite concert experience (yes, even better than Neutral Milk Hotel) until now. I was recently able to see Eisley and Copeland in concert and it blew my friggin' mind and I want to write about it.

*History Segment History Segment*:
Eisley was really the first indie band I ever heard. A friend introduced me to them so I went to their website and watched the music video for "I Wasn't Prepared" (which is still my fave song by theirs today). I had never heard anything like it. I immediately fell in love and I began to learn about music that just wasn't on the radio or stuff my parents had shown me. A lot of that stuff is good but I soon found out that there is more wonderful music out there that doesn't get heard by a lot of people. Because of Eisley, I then discovered a band called Copeland. I also fell in love with this band, and like Eisley, their music had such a great effect on me. Their albums kept getting better and better until they broke up. I was devastated. No more new music and certainly no chance of ever seeing them live. Then in 2014, they got back together, made a new album called Ixora, and a few months ago, decided to go on tour with Eisley. I think it's safe to say that when I found out these two incredible bands were going on tour together I crapped my pants. I bought tickets the day they went on sale in September and in December, my sister and I went to see them.

The first band that played was a small Canadian band called We Are The City that I had never heard of before. I am so glad they were able to join Copeland and Eisley on their tour because they were such an enjoyable band. They had such a great energy and were just cool, funny guys. I purchased their newest album after the show. Some of the songs they played from this album that I really liked were "Heavy as a Brick," "Keep on Dancing," and "Kiss Me, Honey."

Next was Eisley and I was stoked but a little skeptical. Immediately I realized that only two of the actual band members were playing. The others on stage was a sister of a band member and three other replacements. But they all sounded wonderful, just like the records, and were all great performers. It was actually kind of cool because the only original band members playing were Sherri and Garron, the only two members I had met when I first saw them so many years ago. When I first saw in Eisley in 2006, they had only one album to really work with. Now they had four albums to create a diverse set. They played a lot of songs from their newest album Currents, including "Shelter" and "Blue Fish." They also played songs from all of their albums. My favorite songs they played were from their first, and my personally favorite, album Room Noises: "Brightly Wound" and "I Wasn't Prepared" (my favorite song by them). I feel so lucky that I got to hear that song live twice. It's so magical and beautiful.

Finally, Copeland played and the world just seemed to become a better place. The stage was decorated so nicely and the band had a cellist, a violinist, and a violist play with them. Aaron Marsh, the lead singer, played this cute white piano for most of the show. I had been hoping for a long time that Copeland would play my favorite song, "Should You Return," but I wasn't sure how popular of a song it was for them and so I tried not to get my hopes up. But when he started singing it, I literally teared up. That song means so much to me, I still remember the first time I heard it. To hear it live was something else. It was just like when Neutral Milk Hotel played my favorite song of theirs, Two-Headed Boy Pt. II. My eyes got a bit glassy, I can't help it. Copeland played a wonderfully long set and performed a wide variety of songs from all of their albums. Some of my favorites that played were "Chin Up," "Love Affair," "Disjointed," "When You Thought You'd Never Stand Out," and "Brightest." Aaron Marsh, who in my opinion is one of the greatest vocalists in music today, was so kind and cool. And what's really weird as well is that I recognized the bassist playing with them as being in another band called New Heights that made a YouTube video with David So.

When the concert was over, I decided to go and buy merch, which I usually don't do. I got a shirt with the tour dates on it, We Are the City's newest album, and the Eisley album Currents on vinyl. Completely satisfied with the concert experience, my sister and I walked out to find Aaron Marsh meeting with people and taking pictures. I never thought I would get to meet him and I got so terribly nervous but I decided to go and talk to him. He was so nice, and there was so much more I wish I could have told him when I met him, like how his music has not only inspired me as a musician but has helped me with my anxiety and has just been some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard, but I was far too nervous. I'm still excited I just got to shake his hand and get a picture with him.

This concert was the by far the best concert I have ever gone to. I have never had such an all-around good concert experience as this one. As my anxiety had developed, it's been harder for me to do things like go to concerts. I really have decided that I can't do any big venues or go see any artists that play music that would generate something like a mosh pit, so that cuts out a lot of bands to go see live. Musicians that play more peaceful music is better for me. There are incredible bands that perform in smaller venues and you can have a more calm, intimate experience with these bands. You have more of a chance to be able to get a good view of the performance and meet the artists. This concert was perfect for me and I feel so incredibly lucky that I have been able to see two of my most favorite bands live and learn about another great group.
And if you haven't listened to any of these artists yet, go do that right now.