the indoob! network

May 13, 2011

fripodding and graduating: “spotlight” patrick stump

Filed under: adventures,fripodding,music,school — t. sterling @ 8:42 pm
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It’s the return of the fripod posts. I thought I was going to have more of a fanfare about it, but it’s not necessary. Anyway, due to an email I received yesterday about certificates and such being in the mail, I can confidently say that I’ve officially graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting!

BUT! My journey isn’t over. I just completed phase I, which is the training. Phase 2 is job placement, which they assist with as well. I’ve already started and will be returning to the studios to start recording my demos for future voice over work.

These are some exciting times ahead of me. It’s that “Fear of the unknown” exciting and it’s cool and refreshing to have. You don’t get that when you’re already in your 9-5 job or you’re in school (college too) because from the day to day you kinda know what to expect. And for some people, that’s good, that’s how they like it. But I found out a long time ago that I don’t think I’m made for a daily routine. I mean, I would like one to some extent. It’d be nice if I went to the gym everyday at the same time or woke up in the morning before Burger King stops serving breakfast. But for the most part, I like my days to be different. I enjoy a passive adventure. (I’m not looking for an Indiana Jones type adventure right now.)

I imagine a number of my classmates, or rather, fellow graduates might feel the same way. Whether they do or now, I wish them the best of success and I’m sure I’ll be working with some of them again. Throughout my time at this school, I happened upon Patrick Stump, formerly of Fall Out Boy, and his solo EP Truant Wave. I loved the messages in the songs and “Spotlight” was one of the most encouraging to me. I know there are two versions, but my favorite is the New Regret version.

In case you miss the meaning, it’s a self empowering and encouraging song that you can be your own star and you don’t have to let others tell you what you can or can’t do or what you are and aren’t capable of doing. Early on, I felt that the song, or even the whole 6 song album, or Stump himself, was a less eccentric looking male version of Lady Gaga… when it comes to self empowerment and “be yourself” attitude.

But this fripod post is dedicated to my graduating day class of March 2011! May you all be your all spotlight (which some of you already are) and continue to be awesome and achieving those goals.

But stay tuned Indoobians, I have some catching up to do in letting you all know what I’ve done in the past 2 months. For starters, I have a Tumblr now and check out a few of the videos!

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March 18, 2011

fripodding friday… yeah, rebecca black’s “friday”

Filed under: friday,fripodding,music — t. sterling @ 8:42 pm
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Just because it’s everywhere… I’m talking about it here too.

I can’t say I’m a fan of this song. No doubt it’s catchy, but the lyrics are horrible. I’m not really blaming Rebecca herself, but really, can’t we come up with something better than “Fun fun fun fun”? This song is a prime example of extremely lazy writing. No imagine, no creativity, no fun whatsoever. There are way more things to sing about during your Friday than where you’re sitting in a car… unless, maybe the song was about a road trip. [Get's an idea for a song.]

I’m not even going to talk about the “rap” verse.

This song is definitely laughable, but like The Room, this movie will have a cult following. People love it because it’s bad. I might be part of that group. Will I be buying it on iTunes? Probably not. I don’t really wanna encourage this song to platinum status. And don’t expect this to be in any of my playlists either. Trust me, I have some “bad” songs on the ready, but mostly for my “part time DJ” gig requests… so unless someone requests it, I have no need for it.

I really could be cruel about “Friday” and as a certified critic, I have a right to be. I feel more comfortable making fun of this song than the antics of a certain fired actor who had been all over the web lately. Like someone else said, we thank Rebecca Black for making us focus on something less serious that’s going on in the world.

And Simon Cowell helped me realize how brilliant the song is. Sure it may only be a passing fade, but it’s something we might be looking back on in a few years as something we’ll look back on fondly. I hope it doesn’t haunt poor Becky in a negative way when she gets older. Seriously, I don’t. I also hope she doesn’t think the song is great… but I think she does.

And for the record, I don’t hate the song. I just think it’s ridiculous. I also find it hilarious how I helped fuel the flame and even got it stuck in a few friends’ heads.

Party on Ms. Rebecca Black! Don’t be offended if I don’t show up.

March 11, 2011

fripodding and detecting: mike detective podcast

Filed under: fripodding — t. sterling @ 11:34 pm
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Since I’m going to be taking classes about broadcasting, podcasting, and all of the above, I figured it’d be in my best interest to get familiar with more podcasts that are out there other than the ones I currently listen to. I’ve found I don’t have as much time in a single day as I thought I might. But I did find a handful of popular ones, mostly in the comedy section, called Mike Detective: Unlicensed and Uninsured Private Eye.

I’ll will warn you off the bat that this is not a podcast for children or those easily offended. But if you can look past the language and sexual references, then prepare for some hilarity to ensue.

I love it’s modern take on classic film and radio detective style noir. I would love to see this actually be taken to a TV or film screen some day, but part of it’s genius is due to not being able to physically see the action and completely relying on the very funny narrations or dialog from the characters. And like the classics detective series, they end on cliffhangers so you come back next week for the next episode as we follow our hero tackle some big mysterious crime. Each episode averages about 5 minutes where Mike battles wits with the goon of the week just to find himself in more trouble. I listened to the first one, as if it were a pilot, and immediately pushed the subscribe button and listened to the rest.

Again, this would be rated R if it were a movie, TV-MA if it were on TV but since it’s on iTunes, it gets the red EXPLICIT label. So you were warned. But it’s also very funny, so check it out.

March 4, 2011

fripodding with british soul: 21 – adele

Filed under: albums,fripodding,music — t. sterling @ 10:13 pm
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I wanted to write about this album last week, but I still hadn’t fully listened to all the songs so I’m glad I waited. I absolutely love listening to Adele sing. And I talked about Adele a while ago with her awesome song “Rolling in the Deep” so if you liked that song, I highly recommend you check out the rest of her album.

Since the album starts with “Rolling in the Deep” we’ll just move on to my favorites. I do like all of the songs, but as usual, I like more songs than others. “Rumor Has It” and “Turning Tables” are nice, but I tend to skip them to get to “Don’t You Remember.” While the whole album really showcases her vocal talents, there’s just something about this song that makes me keep playing it over and over again. This may have been the song I felt was Sam Cooke-ian. It just has a classic vibe to it. (I will have to update this later, because I can’t remember exactly what song has this specific classic sound, but she is overall a very soulful singer, which is why it’s hard to pick which song shows the best example.) But again, it’s her voice I love in this song.

Before I go on, the album is titled 21 because she was 21 at the time she wrote all these songs, just like her album 19. And during this year in her life, the majority of her songs are about a breakup, the before and after of it. Not all of the songs are sad and depressing or whatever you would relate to a breakup, and I’ll tell you which one(s) I didn’t have that feeling towards.

“Set Fire to Rain” is a song that’s beginning to grow on me as well as “He Won’t Go” which has a nice uptempo beat to it. It had a very slight Lady Gaga vibe, don’t look too deeply into finding it, because it could just be my own ears. Either way, I like it. “Take It All” has a beautiful piano arrangement, but I really like this song.

“I’ll Be Waiting” is a good song, but honestly I skip it to get to “One And Only” which may be my most favorite song on the album. This is the song I feel isn’t a sad or depressing song, and it doesn’t sound like a breakup song. It has different levels to it too. You just have to hear it to understand.

When I’m not hitting repeat, I happily let “Lovesong” play through. This also doesn’t sound like a breakup song to me, more like a lovely, peaceful ballad of love. Perhaps a memory of better times. Then the album concludes with “Someone Like You” which is a very personal and specific song, which interestingly some people including myself can relate to. It’s a very beautiful song, even though it’s a sad one. I listen to this over and over again due to her beautiful voice, the lyrics, the overall music of this song just grabs my heart. I admit, it almost made me cry, not for the meaning of the song, but the feeling the music gave me.

The album I have has bonus tracks including some live performances. If you can get that version, I highly recommend it. It might be on iTunes, I don’t know, it was a gift to me. “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” is the song that sticks out as being the most awesome of the bonus tracks, besides the live versions of “Turning Tables” “Don’t You Remember” and “Someone Like You”.

Anyway, she’s joining the ranks of my other British soul love, Joss Stone.

July 23, 2010

fripodding and saying goodbye

Filed under: friday,Friends,fripodding,life update,music — t. sterling @ 12:50 pm
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As time got closer to the ending of LOST, I had the conflicting bittersweet feeling that I’m sure many other had experienced as well. The sweet anticipation of the ending to a really great show and an awesome story that took 6 years to tell, as well as the sadness of not having new adventures to tune into every week. But alas, the time came and went. Most of us have coped with it (and are probably just waiting for the DVD to complete the set), while others are looking for replacements to fill that void. Or at least try.

On a more personal matter, that bittersweet feeling has returned. Instead of a TV show, it’s a few of the most awesome people who have had a profound influence on my life that are having their series finale. At one time or another, they have been what I would consider my rock. They are members of my exclusive, small inner circle that I tell my deepest, darkest secrets to. They kept me stable and sane as well as supported me in various ways as well as with many of my creative projects in the past. I am eternally grateful to call them my companions in this journey called life. Although this sounds like I’m on a suicide mission to reignite the sun, that’s simply not the case. You’re supposed to give flowers while they can still smell them, right?

They are just moving to a new location. Some in day-trip driving distance, others, not so close. But it’s an inevitable change we all come to at some point in our lives. Whether it’s us that leave, or those people we deem to be our best friends traveling to the ends of the earth to fulfill their hopes and desires, to which I would never hold them back but only wish them the best. And while it may seem like we are saying goodbye, it doesn’t have to be “Goodbye forever.”

So this post is dedicated to those special people in my life that are making that change in their life and moving to new locations. I pray they have success and continue to pursue their dreams. Surely I will do my best to stay in contact, and hope they don’t complain about my novel-esque emails I’m accustomed to sending. Get over if, I’m a writer… and I consider them my #1 fans so I’m expecting fan mail in return. Phone calls are also welcome, and I know they work both ways. If I need to, I’ll break out the old pen and paper until I’m able to board a plane or fill my gas tank to reach them. But since this is 2010, there’s Facebook and text messages… but don’t get me started on the limited abilities of text messaging. Needless to say, it’s not the same as riding in cars together.

So while it may seem silly to them, or anyone else, I wanted to choose “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” for today’s song, but I couldn’t find the correct version I wanted, yet it still says how I feel about them. When seriously listening and considering the lyrics, it’s what true friendship is all about. And I know that they know I don’t take the word “friend” lightly. I only hope they feel the same way about me. Actually I know they do, because I know I’m more than a friend to them just as they mean more than a friend to me. And time has shown me that these people will still be around for many years to come.

So instead, I chose what may be considered a “funeral song” but didn’t start out that way. The tear-jerking “Its So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men is a song about change and moving on.

It was first heard on a movie called Cooley High and the characters had to deal with moving on after graduating. This song also forces listeners to look back on the past, the good times, the bad times, and what’s really important with those relationships to the people we would call a friend. While it’s definitely a great change in their lives, to me it feels like a part of my life has just been hit with a huge sledgehammer. Let me tell you, it doesn’t tickle. But it’s inevitable. So we must roll with the punches because it’s all for the best.

Again, this isn’t really “goodbye” but more of a “God bless” on your journey. Michelle, Felicia, Carlton, Chris and Miss Jo, there aren’t words I can find to describe what you mean to me. This blog post is an attempt, though. And if I needed to pick one: irreplaceable.

We’ll meet again soon, my friends.

(I decided to post this song anyway because it makes me cry less.)

P.S. To those who knew him, RIP Edwin.

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