"...What Sarahbeth Said..."

tribeMuZik: Tim McGraw and Curb Records

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:10:02 -0700

tribeMuZik: Tim McGraw and Curb Records:

Today a Nashville court ruled in favor of Tim McGraw and his new record label Big Machine in a suit against his former record label Curb Records. Curb claimed that Tim McGraw was in violation of his contract with Curb and that his latest album, released on Big Machine, and all its profits actually…

Ronan

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:37:00 -0700

Earlier tonight I opened up the iTunes store to check to see what free song downloads they had to offer this week. I glanced over and saw that Taylor had the number one and two spots for top songs. I rolled my eyes. I am not a Taylor Swift fan. All of her song as of late are her various exploits with a long trail of men that she seems to have amassed in her 22 years of life. I saw that the top spot was her song “Ronan.” Immediately I thought, “oh, here we go again.” Then, for some reason, I felt compelled to click on the song. I read that song was written about a little boy, who though he fought valiantly, had succumb to pediatric cancer at almost age 4. Taylor has followed Ronan’s mom’s blog, and wrote a song about their story. I immediately downloaded the song and went to RockstarRonan.com, the site where his mother’s blog is.

I spent the next several hours reading post after post from Maya, Ronan’s “Mama.” I read about hospital visits, hope of improvement, the pain of finding out that nothing else could be done, the day he died, and how this family has struggled to deal with the loss of their son and little brother. I was struck by how his mother has been dealing with his death and her “fuck you cancer” view. I was also taken with the way she has decided to grieve and her attitude towards the death of her child. Maya denounced God with the passing of her son. To her, Ronan “isn’t flying with the angels” nor has he “gone home to Jesus.” He is no longer with her. He got cancer, was in pain, fought to live, and sadly lost that fight. Her child is dead.

Reading Ronan’s story made me think of another blog that had I read, a blog where a family handled the loss of their child in a completely different way.

The Normile of Virginia Beach lost two children within the span of less than a year. Charlie, an adorable two year old drowned in the family swimming pool. Less than a year later, their son James was killed when their family’s SVU crash on the way back from a vacation. Their family blog “Surviving Charlie” shares the Normile family’s struggle of dealing with death of their son Charlie, and now their son James as well. Elise Normile and her family turned towards God and relied on their faith, knowing that their sons are now “in a better place” and have been reunited and are happily together in heaven. Elise writes about her “visits” from them and the comfort that she gets from those visits. She has also posted journals and letters to her sons and from her other children to them. Elise has also written a book entitle “And When the Bough Broke” that highlights what the family went through and how they dealt with the death of Charlie. It contains journal entries and letters from her other children, including James, about the loss of Charlie and how they were healing.

Both blogs read like letters to boys, sometimes telling them about their day to day actives and about how they are trying to move on while missing their children. I know that some people turn to blogs like these to help them through their own losses. Here, they can see that they are not alone. Reading them has really made me think. I wonder how I would handle the loss of my siblings or child(ren). Would I turn towards God or totally against Him? Would I get depressed or would I be a pillar of strength? I know that it will happen someday, as everybody dies. I often think about the loss of my aunt Susie. My dad raised her, so for him it was like losing a daughter as well as a sister. I am so proud and forever in awe in the fact he was able to carry on with his life. Maybe I’ll share these blogs with him and he can see how others have handled their losses.

I give both families a lot of credit for putting themselves out there and thank them for sharing their journeys with the masses. It amazes me how both of these mother’s have handled their grief and that even though their grief took different forms and they have gone about trying to heal so differently, they have both lost beautiful son, and with that they will always have something in common, something that ties them to one another.

I can’t believe how much a Taylor Swift song has totally changed me in just a few hours. I’ll love my family just that much more and never take love that I have for them and with them for granted.

tribeMuZik

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:47:27 -0700

I am now the President of tribeMuZik, an independent record label based out of Los Angeles!

BFF Productions: NICEST FANS EVER?

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:45:41 -0700

BFF Productions: NICEST FANS EVER?:

bffproductions:

Friday, the Hellogiggles office and I took a field trip to see Death Cab for Cutie. It was my first time seeing them, and mostly my first time seeing a “rock” show. LET me start by stating the obvious, they killed it, totally were amazing. Beyond that I noticed something so beautiful, DCFC,…

Yomer - Drum Cover ( I Need A Doctor) (via yomer320)

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:38:35 -0700

Yomer - Drum Cover ( I Need A Doctor) (via yomer320)

Still no job :(

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:00:19 -0800

So it has now been over two years since I graduated with a degree in Recording Industry: Music Business and I still have no real job to show for it. Sure I have been working a part time internship, which don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for, but its not where I thought I would be. I have so many awesome ideas, especially involving marketing, that I just wish someone would listen to. I think I could help run a kick ass indy music company/project if just given the chance. Thats what I think the industry is about these days, taking chances. Even if you have a crappy idea or a mediocre band, just take a chance and see where it goes… a lot of people might really like it.

I am not saying just put out any old crap to see if the masses soak it up or anything like that, I am just saying take a chance.

As a firm believer in musical integrity, I hate the shape the music business is taking as of late, and thats why I want the chance to change it!

Charles Manson Coming Down Fast

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:03:41 -0800

I originally bought this book as a Christmas present for my sister. She is studying to work at a crime lab, so I thought that she would like it. I saw after a few weeks that it was sitting on her shelf, so I ask her if I could read it first, since I had run out of fresh reading material. I am so glad I did! The author of this book, Simon Wells, is a music journalist from England. He came at Charlie from a musical angle and really put in to detail the way that music was what drove Manson. Manson was a song writer who communicated with his “family” through song. He was a also a huge Beatles fan, and thought that they were speaking directly to him through their “White Album.” I found that I could relate to Manson (not in the want to off a hollywood actress way) but in the way that music has influenced most of the major decisions I have made in my life, like it did his. Sometimes music speaks to me in ways I never thought possible and sometimes get through to me more that things that people say. I really felt for Charlie as I read about how so many promised to help him with his music career, then cast him by the wayside. If they thought he was a crazy loon, they should have said something up front and not gave the poor guy false hope. You can only lead a person on so many times before they snap. Its a shame that innocent people ended up getting killed, instead of the ones that burned him.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:33:44 -0800

My iPhone!!

ZOOEY'S MISCELLANY: 20 great excuses for not getting anything done while at a coffee shop.

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:33:01 -0800

ZOOEY'S MISCELLANY: 20 great excuses for not getting anything done while at a coffee shop.:

zooeydeschanel:

1. I don’t like this chair.

2. I’m tired.

3. I can’t remember what I am working on.

4. I’m simultaneously too warm AND too cold.

5. Adult attention deficit disorder.

6. Memories of childhood. So deep.

7. There are too many people fussing with chairs around here.

8. I’ve had too…

zooeydeschanel: and to complete the picture and just be totally...

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:58:56 -0800

zooeydeschanel:

and to complete the picture and just be totally weird, here’s me, as a doll. from the “happy birthday, wendy” collection.

Coney Island

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:54:53 -0700

This song is becoming one of my top favorites!

Coney Island by Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie)

“Sitting on a carousel ride without any music or lights.
Everything was closed at Coney Island, and I could not help from smiling.

I can hear the Atlantic echo back roller coaster screams from summers past.
And everything was closed at Coney Island, and I could not help from smiling.
Brooklyn will fill in the beach eventually and everyone will go except me.”

My Summer Playlist

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:02:00 -0700

As yet another summer starts to come to an end, I wanted to create a playlist that I feel embodies the different moods of my summer, basically a soundtrack of the summer. I feel that this summer was a very successful one for me, in both my personal and professional life. Luckily the summer is not over just yet, so there may be additions to this soundtrack before the end of this month. So far this summer I have spent some awesome times with my mom, went to Virginia Beach, went to some memorable concerts, reconnected with my family and met new friends, shot a music video, and are making strides in my “romantic” life.

1) Manhattan ~ Kings of Leon
2) People Watching ~ Jack Johnson
3) Streetlight ~ Joshua Radin
4) Fireflies ~ Owl City
5) After Hours ~ We Are Scientists
6) Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow ~ Paul Abdul
7) Captain Sky Love ~ Nadia Kay
8) Write A Song ~ Dave Matthews Band
9) Good People ~ Jack Johnson
10) Virginia Beach ~ Sleep for Sleepers
11) Hey, Soul Sister ~ Train
12) A Little Opera Goes a Long Way ~ Sky Sailing
13) Summer Nights ~ Rascal Flatts
14) Dance Forever ~ Allstar Weekend

Neverending Summer

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:39:00 -0800

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have been struggle with what to do with myself since graduation. I thought I had it all figured it (since I have wanted to do the same thing since I was little) but this economy has not agreed with me, or any of my fellow graduates. I have found myself at a standstill, a crossroads if you will, trying to decide which direction to go and which path I should take. I have been on a “real job” search for over a year. I have applied to several companies in the music business haven’t gotten anywhere with a single one of them. I will never give up, but sometimes I need a little reassurance to keep going. Since music is my life, I have been reaching out to it for comfort, support, understanding, and guidance. This song pretty accurately describes my life at the moment!

Neverending Summer by Dayplayer

Every single step I take,
Seems to go the other way,
From the one that I’d intended
Thought this lunacy had ended

And the seasons never change,
They just always stay the same.
Like a band with just a drummer
I’m in neverending summer.

And I’m alone now
I’m alone now

In the city where I’m from
All the people think I’m dumb.
They said ‘don’t be such a fool,
Just get a job and go to school.’

But I ignored what they all said,
And I packed my bags instead.
Traveled to a brand new state,
Where I relied on only faith

And I’m alone now
I’m alone now
I’m alone now
I’m alone now

And I am searching for a certainty
That I can never find,
All the dreams and aspirations
That are swimming in my mind.

And if I get too close to finding out
What I appeared to say
The ideas that I once had
Always seem to slip away.

And I’m alone now
I’m alone now
I’m alone now

I’m alone now

In Your Hollywood

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:41:30 -0800

I am in love with the song “In Your Hollywood” by WAZ! The music is slow, simple, and flows along beautifully. It matches the mood that the lyrics set. The lyrics are so hard to find online, so I am emailed him and asked for them. Here they are:

It’s the life we live

‘cause it’s the life we want

It’s too much to ask

That they understand

Nights we spent alone

In your house on the floor

Nights we spent alone

In your world filled with hope

In your hollywood

When you call them out

Watch them wither down

It’s so easy to judge

Now take the time for love

Nights we spent alone

In your house on the floor

Nights we spent alone

In your world filled with hope

In your hollywood

“In Your Hollywood” is from WAZ new album “These Bright Lights” available on iTunes

My Childhood Hero

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:21:00 -0800

Tonight I finally had a chance to tell my childhood hero”thank you!” Being able to let her know the profound effect that she had on my life is something I have wanted to do for a few years now, but I never had the means to do it. Seeing her again, though due to tragic circumstances, meant so much to me. I want her to know that she is responsible for the path my life has taken. She instilled in me, a love and passion for music that is deeply routed in my soul.

Everyone who knows me, knows that music is my life! My love of music has influenced where I went to college and what I went to college for. It has taken me to places and given me experiences that most people can only dream about. I joined the church choir when I was seven. My hero was a teenage girl at the time, who took on the responsibility of teaching us young children to sing. Singing was my first musical love and she made choir so much fun. She helped hone my music reading skills and would let me turn the pages for her while she played the piano. I learned to play my first instrument, the clarinet, because she played it and I wanted to be just like her. 13 years later, my principle concert instrument is the bass clarinet. From the time I learned to play clarinet until now, I have learn to play several other instruments. Playing instruments has lead me to be in three different marching bands and a drum corps., playing in a pit orchestra for a musical, and being a member of bluegrass band. My passion for music is what lead me choose to major in music business, which brought me to a school right outside of Nashville. For a music lover like me, Nashville was the best place to spend five years of my life. I owe the happiest and most fulfilling years of my life so far to her. Everything that I am and want to be is partly because of her. (I even wrote something similar to this in my college admittance essay, which I wish I could find a copy of.)

You never know the true impact that you have on a person. What you might think of as a just a little thing, could mean the world to someone else. You could have a huge influence on the direction of a person’s life and not even be aware that you made a difference. I think some of the greatest heroes are the people that have no idea that they mean that much to someone else. A real hero doesn’t have to make grand gestures, their little gestures and everyday actions alone are life changing.

Words will never be able to fully express just how grateful I am to her. She did more than slightly influence my life, she helped shape it! My life would have gone in a totally different direction if I had never met her. She is an everyday hero!

I work in a 2nd grade classroom right now, while I wait for a career involving music, and I wonder if I will impact any of the kid’s lives in the way she impacted mine. I hope I do.

THANK YOU

Awesome Songs!

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:01:50 -0700

I have decided to make a playlist of some the most awesome song around! These songs have a certain timeless quality about them that make them very enjoyable. I have to give props to ZB (Zach Braff) for introducing me to some of these artists! A couple of them I would have never heard if it wasn’t for him… I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. True music lovers should listen to these songs… you will not be disappointed!

1) “Winter” by Joshua Radin - I think this is one of the greatest songs ever written!

2) “Fall for You” by Secondhand Serenade

3) “Come Around” by Rhett Miller

4) “Marching Bands of Manhattan” by Death Cab for Cutie

5) “Everybody’s Changing” by Keane

6) “Dreaming of You” by The Coral

7) “From Where You Are” by Lifehouse

8) “Shadowfeet” by Brooke Fraser - she is not well known in America… CHECK IT

9) “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

10) “You Found Me” by The Fray

11) “Untitled” by Simple Plan

12) “Still Fighting It” by Ben Folds

13) “Closer” by Joshua Radin

14) “New Slang” by The Shins

15) “Grapevine Fires” by Death Cab for Cutie - AMAZING SONG!!

16) “It Ends Tonight” by All-American Rejects

17) “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol

18) “How To Save A Life” by The Fray

19) “Miracle” by Foo Fighters

I urge you to listen to these songs and to judge for yourself!

TV Blog

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:54:18 -0700

Gathering inspiration from Bill Lawrence’s blog on the ABC website, I have decided to make my own lists about TV. People are always saying now-a-days that TV sucks, and there is nothing on. There is good television out there, you just have to open your mind! Now about my favorite show, [scrubs], this season so far is my favorite! I LOVED “My ABC’s” (Grover five!) I found the last couple of seasons where kind of blah, with the exception of the musical episode (much love to Jeff Marx and the rest of the crew).

To keep up with Bill, here are my lists:

FAVORITE CURRENT SHOWS

1) [scrubs] - cliche to say, but its whatev

2) Bones - only took me until its fourth season to discover it

3) Ghost Hunters

4) Glenn Beck - the man speaks the truth!!!

5) House

FAVORITE NON-CURRENT SHOWS

1) Arrested Development - pure genius! Watch it on hulu

2) The X-Files

3) Six Feet Under - Michael C. Hall is great in Dexter too!

4) JAG - go ahead a laugh about it, I laugh at myself

5) Gilmore Girls

SHOWS I HATE TO ADMIT THAT I EVER WATCHED BUT I DID

1) Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - what? It was good family entertainment, and I was like 6

2) Charmed

3) 3rd Rock From The Sun

4) Dharma And Greg

5) Little Men

SHOWS THAT I MISS AND THAT NEED TO COME BACK!!!

1) Shining Time Station - The old British show with Thomas The Tank Engine!!

2) Are You Afraid Of The Dark - a lot of those Nick shows on SNICK were AWESOME!

3) Rugrats

4) Boy Meets World

5) The Drew Carey Show

I am sure almost everyone has enjoyed at least one of these shows on this list, and if not, maybe you need to open your mind a little bit!

Photo

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:16:43 -0700

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:09:51 -0700

I just read the most amazing book I have ever had the privilege of reading in my life. I am not a very emotional person and my friends and I alway joke that I am a “cold-hearted bitch” or an “asshole” because I never cry during movies and in fact, I make fun of people, namely my mom, who do. Tonight that changed. While reading The Christmas Sweater, I found my self choking up and sobbing during several parts of the story.

The plot-line of The Christmas Sweater is based upon Glenn Beck’s childhood and the last Christmas present he received from his mother before her death. The main character is Eddie, a 12 year old boy who is a facsimile of Glenn as a young child, receives a sweater, hand-made by mom, for Christmas. All Eddie wanted for Christmas that year was a red Huffy with a black banana seat. He is clearly disappointed that he got an ugly sweater because he felt he deserved the bike because his father died a few years earlier and he had been really good that year. He never even tries to hide his disappointment with his mom over the sweater, and acts out to let her know just how upset he is.

Without revealing too much of the plot to those of you who may want to read it, Eddie acts out all day and shows contempt to his mother. He upsets her so greatly that she ends up driving them home from his grandparents house even though she is too tired on Christmas night. She falls asleep behind the wheel, crashes the car and perishes. Eddie never got to say goodbye.

This really hits home to me. While it wasn’t my mom or dad that was in a car accident on Christmas, I can surely relate to this. When I was 12 years old, my aunt was driving home from a Christmas party the day after Christmas. She pulled out into an intersection and was t-boned by a truck she never saw coming. I can’t remember the last thing I ever said to her, but like Eddie, I have the last present she ever gave to me. I never got to say goodbye to her. Since she lived in Florida, my parents went to her funeral, but us kids never did. It was almost if nothing had changed in our lives, only just about everything had.

My dad practically raised my aunt and her death sent him into a depression spiral that for years tore us apart. Her death affected us in so many ways. My dad wasn’t himself anymore. He was never happy, he never smiled, he got angry over stupid, little things. He became even more over-protective than he already was. Life wasn’t happy anymore and we hardly spoke to our dad. For a while we couldn’t go out late at night, and it took a long time for us to convince my dad that we could drive. He was petrified of us and cars. I didn’t get my license until I was almost 18. We are now really close, but it took a long time for us to heal. Our lives are now back in a happier place.

Reading The Christmas Sweater gave sense of closure, that I haven’t had before tonight.

What I just shared doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface what The Christmas Sweater is all about. While there is so much more to be had from the book, I felt compelled to share a slice of what I got out of it.

I urge you to read The Christmas Sweater. It a story about hope, faith, redemption, love, and forgiveness. It helps you re-evaluate your life and assists you in taking stock of what is truly important in your life.

Robin’s footprint at the beach.

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:44:00 -0700

Robin’s footprint at the beach.