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papipopsicle · 5 years

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NOT WARRIORS PART TWO

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Genre: fluff

Summary: In which the reader's parents are going through a rough patch, it takes it's toll on her, and they decide it's best for her to stay with family friends on the other side of America. Y/N and Billy aren't the same since they last saw each other, but somehow they are.

Song: Sunnyland by Mayday Parade

Warnings: swearing

Words: 2K

PART ONE

feedback is always appreciated

Three days.

That's how long it took for the plain walls of Billy's bedroom to drive Y/N positively insane. The garden was an overgrown jungle she didn't dare venture into, and being anywhere else in the house meant seeing and then speaking to Neil. For as long as her memories stretched, her best friend's father played the facade of a perfect gentleman in front of neighbours and friends, but she only saw the reptile that lay so close to the surface. The mere thought of him made her skin crawl like a thousand swarming fire ants.

Billy was either at school causing trouble, or out with his new friends causing trouble, only a few minutes each day spare for his best girl. It wasn't intentional, but the fact that Max even played Monopoly with her out of pity was making Y/N's eyes itch to see further than the boundaries of the small property.

"Y/N?" A gravelly voice sounded from the doorway questioningly. It was early and her clothes covered every single surface of the tiny bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed with a vanity mirror facing the window, a light blue fluffy towel hugged to her body while her damp y/h/c hair fell in ringlets down her covered back. She put down whatever makeup utensil her hand held and turned to see Billy with a look of horror etched into his features.

A small scoff exited her lips and Y/N went back to applying various products to her face, "This house is beginning to give me the skeevies, -"

"Try living here for six months." The boy joked, his expression softening as he closes the door and lay back on the bed, the sudden dip forcing Y/N to correct her lipstick moments later.

"I'm coming to school with you today." She finished adamantly and turns to grin at Billy with wild eyes.

He shakes his head immediately and groans into the grey pillow, "That's a terrible idea."

"A brilliant idea, I'm glad you agree." Y/N's hands clasp together and her grin only widened at his now pouting mouth, "You can properly introduce me to your new friends, plus I want to see how jealous your fan base get when they see how much you love me." She teases and leaves the bed to search through the outfits strategically laid out around the room.

Y/N hears a chuckle from behind her and she knows she's won, her lips settling into a smirk, "How do you expect to be let into the school, Bambi?"

The girl pauses her search to smile at the nickname Billy had chosen for her years ago. Her stomach does a little somersault as she attempts to cool the blush creeping up on her cheeks. It was easy to sweep aside the boy's classic handsomeness after knowing him since birth and always thinking of him as the kid that ate a mud-pie thinking it was an actual pie. But after being apart, after he learnt to channel his constant anger into working out instead of breaking walls, he wasn't that little kid anymore.

Like the flick of a switch Y/N comes back to reality, shaking those thoughts from her head to muster the most innocent smile possible, "I may or may not have phoned up yesterday, possibly explaining my current situation and I might've asked for a visitors pass. Maybe." Before he can let out one syllable though, she silences him with a dainty finger over his lips and her own melodic voice, "Don't try to change my mind, do you know how difficult it is to avoid Susan? I don't think she's believing that the only two things I do are either sleep or shower and nothing else. Please? I know you have appearances to keep up and people here are more misogynistic than in California, but I'm genuinely dying from boredom. A few strange looks and comments are better than sitting here waiting for you to come back only to watch you leave again."

"Fine." A smile pulled at the boy's lips, his annoyed tone dissipating as Y/N let out a gleeful squeal. Billy finally sat up and watched with curious eyes while his best friend attempted to create the perfect outfit, "You want to make an impression?" She perked up and hummed in response at his question, "Wear the green dress and Daniel's jacket."

“Thanks,” The girl grinned up at him, feeling his arms snake around her waist and tug her close. Her back fell into his chest, warm and inviting but nothing like the quick hug goodbye from him she’d become so accustomed to over the years. His grip was tighter, scared that Y/N would fly back to California and never be seen again if he let go too soon. She closed her eyes in content and began running her smooth hands up and down the exposed skin on his wrist. Billy found that moment too perfect though, this wasn’t how they behaved around each other, they never did this.

He quickly moved his hands to jab her sides and his best friend squeaked in surprise, giggling and trying to catch her breath before retaliating by squeezing his knee, “You fucker, you know I hate being tickled.”

He shrugged, not so subtly eyeing her down from her smoothed tanned legs up to her beautifully made up face, “Get dressed and I’ll stop then.”

She gathered the clothes he had chosen and locked the bathroom door behind her, not before flipping him off.

Y/N changed into the outfit the boy had chosen, confused by what impression she was trying to make. Although the dress was tight and rather short and made her show a heck of a lot more skin than all the jean clad girls of Hawkins, it was one of the most conservative dresses in her ownership. The emerald colour complemented her tanned skin, and the ribbed material hugged her torso elegantly, flaring out at the waist to create a whirlwind of swishes whenever she turned.

Her older brother's jacket hugged Y/N's shoulders tightly while she waited for Billy to fix himself up enough to be presentable for his royal subjects. The girl didn't have any textbooks or stationary with her, planning to be the devil in Billy's ear and simply watch chaos ensue for the day.

He appeared after a few minutes of waiting-forced to be quiet as Susan wanted to sleep in- with a tentative dimpled smile on his peachy lips and car keys in hand.

The four kids from three days ago appeared early this morning calling for Max, her rushed 'goodbye' filling the house with excitement before the door slammed shut behind her.

"So," Billy drummed his fingers against the steering wheel while some sort of rock roared in the background, "How's home been without me around?"

The scene felt so familiar, riding shotgun in the blue Camaro, music pounding into her skull while her best friend drove around aimlessly for hours on end. She knew exactly where her answer was headed, and Y/N's stomach dropped thinking back to the months without Billy around. The girl found a dependability within him, he protected her and this car became her safe haven late into the night when she couldn't sleep or think straight because her parents were too busy tearing each other's heads off.

She hoped and prayed that the muscly boy beside her still shared that security.

Y/N began clicking her knuckles and scoffed, realising he couldn't hear the abhorrence radiating from her sharply raised eyebrow, "Shit."

She didn't have a poetic way to explain why life with Billy was better, it just was. He kissed her cuts and bruises better even after falling off her motorbike at sixteen when it was stationary. She could play pranks on him and know he'd forgive her in an hour or so, even when they went too far. He gave her the space she asked for when life got tough and she wanted to get through it alone, and then held her when she broke down realising she couldn't. Life without him wasn't unliveable, but it wasn't right either.

"Kelly and Cameron have broken up and got back together so many times I've lost count, the people that brought your house are absolute arseholes, but they have a cute dog called Obi so I can't complain. Jessie cheated on Steve with Jack, because you know, it's Jessie, Steve punched Jack and now they're together and Steve's pining over Amy. Dean broke his leg trying to jump from the roof of Rosie's pool-house onto the trampoline then into the pool, but he landed really badly. And I just watched from the sidelines pretending to care about their drama." Y/N chuckled to herself at the amount of times Kelly had come crying to her wanting relationship advice.

"Delilah?" Billy assumed by his best friend turning up in Indiana, something must have happened between the two. He didn't want to pry, he teased Y/N endlessly about how happy she seemed with her short, gorgeously tanned girlfriend, but that all switched if she wasn't truly happy.

The air tasted bitter on her tongue at his words, "She didn't want me to leave, said long distance doesn't work when you're already hiding your relationship from nearly the entire world. She dumped me, and I nearly stayed for her. But at my going away surprise party, I walked in on her and Jessie making out in my brother's room. I mean, she didn't cheat as far as I know, but it made it a whole lot easier for me to leave."

"Guess everyone wants a bit of Jessie... slut deserves chlamydia." Billy hummed and the two chuckled at his latter statement. He managed to brighten the sour mood right in time for the camaro to pull into the small high school car park.

The sky had lightened ever so slightly, a break in the endless clouds allowing the smallest rays of sunlight to shine down on the teens from the heavens. Y/N could practically feel the stares of Billy's classmates boring through her skull and smashing her brains with a metaphorical hammer as she stepped out of the car. To them, she was the Californian dream girl. Pretty curly hair that never seemed to frizz and skin so soft once someone touched it, they craved the inexplicable sensation.

Y/N walked on without the boy, feeling his heavy arm drape over her smaller shoulders in a matter of moments. It was a warning to the lingering gazes, she was off limits. Any conversations were soon extinguished in the halls as the two entered, eyes carefully inspecting and scrutinising the stranger on their King's arm.

"I bet she's pregnant and he's the father." One girl whispered to her group of friends.

Then from another group of girls down the hallway, "I wonder if she knows Billy's fucked half of the girls in his year-"

One of the friends snorted, "Whore's probably screwed anyone who offered back home, don't feel sorry for her."

Billy must have heard all the snide comments being thrown about because Y/N felt his grip tighten around her. She paused her steps to the guidance office and the boy mirrored, searching her face in worry to find the same look as the time that she kicked Owen Howarth right where it hurt in the middle of the cafeteria, and called him out for saying she blew him in the locker room when in reality she caught him perving on the girls showers. He couldn't walk properly for two weeks.

The girl, only a couple inches off Billy's own height, took a small step to close the distance between them and whispered, "Follow my lead."

Y/N stepped back quickly but was soon pulled back into his arms, and she felt his breath hot on her ear, "They aren't worth it, Bambi, trust me?"

Billy saw her look around at the stunned students with a wicked gaze, and just when he thought he knew every last detail about her, she shocked him. Y/N's eyes found their way back to his, thoughts stilling as the effervescent kindness behind his touch lingered on her waist. They flickered down to his lips before quickly shutting, and her hands reached up on their own accord to the back of his neck pulling him down to meet her.

She kissed him and the whole world fell away. It was slow and soft, his hand rest below her ear, thumb caressing her cheek as their breath mingled. In an instant they both pulled away, eyes blown wide with invisible smiles grinning from their hearts.

"I'll come find you after class." She hummed blissfully, turning on her heel leaving Billy alone to try and find the guidance office. Y/N kept her head high and hands in the safety of Daniel's jacket pockets, not daring to look at the faces of the boy's classmates or back at him.

Her mind screamed to turn back around, drag Billy out of the school and apologise. That's not how she pictured their first kiss, up until moving to this god forsaken town the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

What the hell did I just do?

part three?

TAGLIST:

@rockyrocket15 @kcd15 @twogreeneyesandagoldenheart @mhftrs @ghost-brocolli (my new fave unsername btw) @wyattswolfhard @lucifersnipnips @cassiopeia-barrow @4everchrista @delicatelyherdreams @mautand @me-a-hopeless-romantic @buckysjuicyplums @fengarifood @lucyrocks86

Want to be tagged? Just send in an ask!

#fanfic #fanfiction #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #billy hargrove #stranger things fanfic #stranger things imagine #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #billy #hargrove #steve harrington #stranger things fluff

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tripstations · 5 years

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Where to play, stay and chill in Greater Palm Springs this Summer

By Paul Johnson on Jun 05, 2019 in Accommodation, Attractions, California, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, North America, Regions, Restaurants, Travel Miscellany, USA

Sunrise hikes, mornings at the pool, midday spa retreats, mister-cooled dining al fresco, and dive-in movies under the stars—summer has arrived in Greater Palm Springs.

Ask any local or frequent warm weather guest, summer and fall in the oasis offer plenty of perks—unbeatable prices, super affordable family vacation packages, fewer crowds, and a host of water-centric activities like Splash House, an annual multi-venue music festival taking place June 7–9 and August 9–11. Held poolside at the Renaissance, Riviera and Saguaro resorts, the parties continue into the night with open air After Hours events at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

In June, film buffs can count on quality storytelling at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival & Market (June 18–24) as ‘ShortFest’ marks its 25th anniversary this year. Now the largest film festival in North America, the festival screens more than 300 short films and attracts filmmakers and industry players from around the world.

Looking ahead, Greater Palm Springs makes a great weekend base from which to experience Joshua Tree National Park’s fifth annual Night Sky Festival (September 21)—highlights include a Star Party with 20 telescopes, music, constellation tours and sky stories. In October, Wanderlust Wellspring (October 4–6) returns to Palm Springs with a sensational array of interactive classes, workshops, holistic treatments, services and much more. Stay tuned for the line-up of wellness thought leaders, teachers and healers to be announced this month. Autumn also brings several more special events including the inimitable Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade (October 27), Greater Palm Springs Pride (November 1–3) and the second edition of Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells La Quinta (December 8).

Greater Palm Springs is currently undergoing a series of hospitality enhancements that will give travellers to our destination more tourism options and amenities than ever before. Twenty hotels and resorts have recently opened, refreshed their properties or are in development throughout our nine-city oasis. In the meantime,The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel and Resort will be popping up in Palm Springs for five days beginning August 9.

Here is the latest on where to appreciate culture, savour, play and stay in the nine cities of Greater Palm Springs.

Desert Hot Springs

Appreciate culture

Step back in time at Cabot Yerxa’s Hopi-inspired Pueblo Museum. Greater Palm Springs has a rich Native American history still thriving today. This museum, built in 1941, is filled with Native American art and artifacts. Visitors can see how artist Cabot Yerxa built the pueblo himself, using objects and materials he collected across the desert.

Savour

Eat whole foods with a side of spa. Essence at famed Two Bunch Palms serves up a menu wholly focused on “sustainable, local, seasonal and organic” ingredients. The farm-to-table restaurant features vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free fare amid an atmosphere awash in serenity and scenic views.

Stay

Escape to an exotic riad reminiscent of Tangier. Retreat to El Morocco Inn & Spa, an intimate boutique hotel centered around a secluded courtyard and spa. The decor features a blend of color and furnishings, many of which the owner purchased in Morocco, including handmade fabrics from women’s co-ops. Amenities are generous—from the French press coffee accompanying an expanded continental breakfast to a movie library, infrared sauna, spa garden, and perfectly chilled Morocco-tinis.

Palm Springs

Appreciate culture

Agua Caliente cultural center and spa will open in 2020. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is in the midst of building a spectacular new center in downtown Palm Springs to showcase its Native American heritage. When complete, the center will feature a new cultural museum, spa and bathhouse that celebrates the Tribe’s ancient Agua Caliente hot mineral spring, a central gathering plaza, gardens and walking trail.

Savour

Gather under the clock for good cheer and great food. Housed in a restored 1936 building in La Plaza downtown, Grand Central Palm Springs is a combination coffee shop, restaurant, bar and event space with a warm welcoming setting that invites diners to unplug and reconnect. You’ll find a fresh take on old favorites—stop by for breakfast and order your French Toast sweet or savoury — and even a monthly coffee membership for that much-needed daily jolt.

Stay

Andaz Palm Springs to open in late 2019. Listed by Forbes as one of “The Most Exciting Hotels Opening in the U.S. in 2019,” this new 150-room luxury hotel is bound to entice travellers with its full-floor spa and fitness center, two pools, stylish restaurant serving up Argentinian fare and stunning views almost everywhere you turn.

Cathedral City

Appreciate culture

See Broadway-caliber productions and performances at CVRep. Following an active schedule of summertime jazz and cabaret offerings, the acclaimed CVRep has four exciting offerings on tap for the upcoming season: Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner with Friends (November 6–24), Tony Award-winning musical Ballroom (January 9–February 16, 2020), The City of Conversation (March 11–29, 2020) and Native Gardens (April 22–May 10, 2020). Now located in its new 208-seat playhouse, CVRep is wowing locals and visitors alike.

Savour

Embark on a globally inspired culinary tour. Cathedral City’s diverse ethnic food scene boasts both hotspots and hidden gems laying out a smorgasbord of delectable dishes. Crave Italian? Reserve a table at Trilussa, Nicolino’s or stop by Frankie’s Italian Bakery (also a restaurant) for out-of-this-world Sicilian-style pastries. For authentic Mexican food, visit La Tablita known for its signature parillada, go Greek at Yianni’s Taverna and Wine Bar, or try BontáRestaurant & Bar for an inventive menu combining German, Argentinian and Italian cuisine. Fans of Indian food will find a wide selection of dishes at India Oven. Top it off all off with a frozen paleta at La Michoacana Ice Cream Parlor.

Stay

Whitewashed Villa Mykonos caters to the LGBTQ traveller. This upscale Mediterranean-inspired Cathedral City resort features ten 1,500 square foot villas—some pet-friendly—with dual master suites, luxe bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens, dining and living areas, and private patios or balconies. The pool, spa and BBQ areas make it easy for guests to mingle and entertain outdoors.

Rancho Mirage

Appreciate culture

Tour famed Sunnylands Center and Gardens. In 1963, Ambassador Walter and Mrs. Annenberg commissioned the construction of Sunnylands as their winter home; the rest is literally history. Today, visitors can tour the historic mid-century modern estate, viewing treasures like the more than 3,000 letters from 11 presidents dating from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama. The Sunnylands campus also encompasses a contemporary 17,000-square-foot visitors center, nine acres of gardens, and 1.25 miles of walking paths. But Sunnylands’ relevance in the world of global politics can’t be understated. U.S. Presidents have hosted numerous meetings with foreign leaders earning Sunnylands the nickname of the ‘Western White House’. Please note that Sunnylands is now on summer hiatus and will reopen September 11 with tours resuming in the fall.

Savour

When in Rancho Mirage, eat Peruvian. The new Maria José Peruvian Gourmet restaurant has taken over a space in The Atrium and is getting rave reviews for its delicious authentic Peruvian cuisine, South American hospitality and stylish décor. Go for the delectable starters like ceviche and causa, a stuff mashed potato terrine. Try the lomo soltado, fresh seafood and chicken dishes, and don’t pass up the rice pudding and Peruvian ice cream.

Stay

Recharge at Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. As easy walk to THE RIVER entertainment destination, Omni Rancho Las Palmas offers nearly every resort amenity under the sun: 20,000-square-foot spa, 27 holes of championship golf, 25 tennis courts, fitness center and five restaurants. A two-acre water playground, Splashtopia features a lazy river, water slides, cliffside hot tub and sprinklers. Those sanskids will find respite at the adults-only pool.

Palm Desert

Appreciate culture

Find amazing art around every corner. The City of Palm Desert maintains a dynamic public art collection with more than 150 pieces on display throughout the city at locations like Civic Center Park. Palm Desert also presents biennial exhibits along the main thoroughfare in the El Paseo shopping district, a community art gallery, and offers free, guided tours of the collection on select Saturdays September through May.

Stay

JW Marriott Desert Springs is in the midst of a makeover. This magnificent 450-acre vacation oasis with its stunning labyrinth of waterways is reinventing itself with a complete remodel of its 884 guestrooms, lobby, meeting and dining areas. The luxury resort will remain open during the project, scheduled to take place in stages.

Indian Wells

Play

Practice your back swing at Indian Wells Tennis Garden: Keep your fitness up with a day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Famed as the home of the annual BNP Paribas Open (March 9–22, 2020), the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is the second largest tennis stadium in the world. Visitors can watch a match or hire a court for the day to play.

Surf the Indian Wells Golf Resort on a golfboard. The environmentally friendly golfboard is letting players “surf the earth” on Indian Wells’ championship golf courses. The motorized scooters speeds up pace-of-play so golfers can get in more rounds.

Stay

Kick back and relax in this refreshing – and soon-to-be refreshed – luxury resort. This summer, Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa is undergoing an exciting enhancement with the addition of a three-story water slide tower and lazy river, as well as upgrades to the lobby, restaurants and meeting spaces.

La Quinta

Appreciate culture

Become a desert artisan at Old Town Artisan Studio: Visitors can channel their inner creative at the Old Town Artisan Studio, where they can take up classes in everything from clay sculpting to jewellery making.

Savour Indulge in wine and food pairing experience at Cork & Fork. The idea for this noted bistro came from weekly wine gatherings at Chef Andie Hubka’s adjacent cooking school, Cooking with Class. Patrons laud the award-winning restaurant for its food friendly wines and creative seasonal small plate menus. Reserve a space at one of the popular Chef’s Table wine dinners.

Stay

Spend a weekend, week or month by the lake. Greater Palm Springs meets Provence at The Chateau at Lake La Quinta, a 24-room boutique hotel boasting picturesque views, lakeside dining, lush grounds and beautifully appointed rooms. An idyllic destination for romantic getaways, weddings and special events.

Indio

Appreciate culture

Experience the City of Festivals. Mark your calendars now because November and December bring a flurry of annual festivals to this growing east valley city: Taste of Indio; Cars, Stars & Rock ‘n’ Roll & BBQ Festival; Dia de Los Muertos celebrations, Indio Powwow, and Indio International Tamale Festival (December 7–8), ranked a “Top Ten Food Festival” by the Food Network.

Savour

Another cool eatery from Chef Andi Hubka. Heirloom Craft Kitchen serves up an inventive menu showcasing small and big plates, salads, sandwiches, blackboard specials, and a nice selection of vegan dishes. Order a side of the famous truffle tots and wash it down with a grapefruit basil spritz. The Craft Beer & Wine program features small up-and-coming producers focused on sustainability.

South of the border cuisine stands out in Indio. There are so many outstanding Mexican restaurants in Indio, we’re hard-pressed to name just one. Family-owned Rincón Norteño has been a locals favorite for more than 50 years, while the Chile Relleno en Ahogada at Soul of Mexico gets rave reviews and El Mexicali Café has a loyal following for its traditional dishes and home-style Mexican breakfasts. There’s also Pueblo Viejo Grill & Tequila Bar, Macario’s Grill, El Campanario and many more on this unofficlal Mexican restaurant trail.

Coachella

Appreciate culture

Coachella Walls displays captivating socially conscious art: launched in 2014, the Coachella Walls is a mural project by local artists, showcasing art that reflects Greater Palm Springs’ agrarian roots and the city of Coachella’s community. Download a map from the Visitors section of the City of Coachella website and take a self-guided walking tour.

Savour

Baked goods from Panaderia Las Tres Conchitas. Situated on 6thStreet in Pueblo Viejo near City Hall, this local bakery churns out some of the finest Mexican breads and pastries in the Coachella Valley. Beyond the excellent pan dulce, bolillos and Conchas, the panaderia offers a mouth-watering selection of cookies, cakes and muffins.

Stay

Coachella’s first resort is now taking reservations. The highly anticipated opening of the city’s first resort is set to take place this fall. From the IHG Hotel brand and scheduled to open in November, Hotel Indigo will feature 250 casita-style accommodations, a 10,000-square-foot party pool, and 11-acre concert venue.

The post Where to play, stay and chill in Greater Palm Springs this Summer appeared first on Tripstations.

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nightangelreviews · 5 years

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Mayday Parade “Sunnyland” Label: Rise Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Emo Release Date: June 15, 2018

*Disclaimer* This is my 2nd time listening through the album, and my opinions have changed since the first listening.

Vocals: 9 Instrumentation: 8 Creativity: 8 Originality: 8 Production: 9 Flow: 8 Composition: 9 Lasting Value: 8

Tracklist: 1. Never Sure - 8/10 2. It's Hard To Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated By Bolts of Lightning - 9/10 3. Piece of Your Heart - 7/10 4. Is Nowhere - 10/10 5. Take My Breath Away - 7/10 6. Stay the Same - 9/10 7. How Do You Like Me Now - 6/10 8. Where You Are - 7/10 9. If I Were You - 9/10 10. Satellite - 7/10 11. Looks Red, Tastes Blue - 8/10 12. Always Leaving - 5/10 13. Sunnyland - 10/10

Songs Kept: 9 out of 13

Final Score: 79/100% | Grade: B

Verdict: It’s not a perfect collection of songs, but it’s easily my fave MP album.

#mayday parade #sunnyland #music #review #nightangel

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akwardlyuncool · 2 years

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Class Favorites: Living Room Concerts/Livestreams/Live Streams lol (Ranked)

I was originally gonna make this a regular post without ranking them, however because I’ve been behind, I thought if I made it an Akward Class Favorites category, that would ensure it got done and I was right. I really just didn’t like this blog not having any “record” of the concerts that I’ve been to this year, even if they were done only from my living room. In 2021 a concert is still a concert no matter where you attended it from. I also want to say that I hope livestream concerts can continue to be a regular thing, not only because of these pandemic times, but because they can add to the accessibility of concerts as a whole. Livestreams don’t solve all the issues here, they are something that can help in the process of bridging some of those gaps though.

Anyways, I’ve decided to rank each show, not by who I like better, but rather who gave me a better at home concert. Not all livestream concerts are created equal.

Note: Some of these I bought actual tickets for and others were free/had donation models or were just really causal setups, but for this post I’ve treated them mostly the same.

_______________________________________________________________________

1) Midnight World Tour Part 0: The Internet - Set It Off

November 28th 2020

This was a show that I saw at the end of last year, that missed the deadline for any of the other concert posts I had made. I also didn’t make a concert post inside of ACF 2020, so this show just didn’t get any love until now.

I remember being so rusty during this show and getting a little frustrated cause I knew all the songs by heart. Still a really good time though. Whether it’s in person or at home, Set It Off always puts on a good show. One of my favorite moments was when they had Maxx (their drummer) step out from behind his drums and sing Bad Guy and have Cody (the lead singer) on the drums, it was a cool/different moment for them. I hadn’t “seen” them in forever and they always bring me so much joy, so even if they sucked, which they for sure didn’t, SIO probably would have still made it to the top ranking. I promise I’m not doing this by which band I like more.

2) Sunnyland Sessions - Mayday Parade

March 19th 2021

Now I won’t lie I was a little distracted, as well as again, rusty during my first watch of this show, but I told myself to replay again the next day and see what happens. I did in fact replay it, fell in love, and replayed as much as I possibly could until my internet browser decided it was okay to crash/update itself cause I had ignored all the notifications when it had asked me to update it prior. Let’s just say I was hurt. This show furthered my repeat listening of Sunnyland and Mayday Parade’s catalog in general for pretty much the rest of the year. They were so good during that show, that it was hard for me to listen to much else. I also remember them being so nice and caring and I hope that they add livestreamed shows to the mix of regular shows in the furture, 1) to be more inclusive and 2) just cause I’m in love with that replay factor and sometimes my couch.

3) Scott Helman Live Session - Scott Helman

January 29th 2021

This was the first show I attended this year and although I don’t remember all the fine details I remember being really into it and the production being on point. Scott looked so happy and grateful to be there and that showed up in his energy. I do remember me singing a lot during this one, though I was probably still a bit rusty but smoother than some of the other shows. This was coming after of his latest EP had been released, so I was trying to find my footing and I believe I was mostly there. There was no second day replay on this show, so I didn’t get any rewatch feels, but I know he did a “replay” on a completely different day to accommodate other time zones. I didn’t watch that show cause it was too conflicting for my schedule, but I’m glad he gave people that option.

4) If Only You Were Lonely XV Livestream - Hawthorn Heights

March 27th 2021

Now this is just gonna be a funny/stressful (for me) story.

I bought the If Only You Were Lonely XV CD (have not received yet cause vinyl sucks) and it came with a comp ticket to this livestream where they were playing If Only You Were Lonely front to back. I hadn’t planned on catching it live/the first day it was available because I had a really important religious service happening that day/night and figured they’d overlap. So the funny thing is... The day of the show comes and I believe that I could do both, however the livestream started late, so I was for sure cutting it close. By the end I was getting ready for the service while trying to catch the end of the show. Fun fact I also volunteered to use my computer for the service and because I had been watching the show, it wasn’t at full battery by the time service was about to begin and y’all know how Zoom does on battery. I ended up pausing the last part of the show and switching over to the service when that was ready. I was so stressed during that meeting, I’m pretty sure I was sweating. I had this fear that my computer would either die on us or that Hawthorn Heights would somehow un-pause itself and the band would start cursing again, which they’d been doing when I put them on pause. I also wondered if the straps on my dress were “modest” enough since I took off my sweater cause of the sweating. I don’t think this was a good idea, cause I’m a nervous human, but hey I did it anyway and besides it would have been perfectly fine had Hawthorn Heights started at 5 like they said they would!

The first shot of the show gave me all of those old school emo feels and reminded me how much I loved just putting this album on and drowning things out, which I hadn’t done in quite some time. I learned a little bit about the making of the record and some funny stories about that time period for them as a band. It was a good time. Outside of the initial watch though, this show also had a really decent replay value. I watched this one several times until the website timed me out. Some good memories with this one.

5) GESTALT-ATHON (Live at the Amory Home Edition) - Gestalt

March 26th 2021

This was a free live show that I watched through the band’s FB and I remember having a really solid and fun time. Gestalt makes me so happy and even when I knew I’d be rusty on the setlist, every time they’d play something I knew I got really geeked. The comment section was also pretty hype too. I normally don’t participate in livestream chats cause they get so clogged and ridiculous, but that’s not an issue when it’s only a handful of the people watching, who are actively participating in the chat. There was no chat sadness for me. Fun fact they were one of the opening acts for the last in person concert concert I went to back in 2019 :( and I hope to get to see them in person again cause Gestalt I know more of your music now!

6) Watsky Make Pink Lemonade Livestream - Watsky

September 12th

This was a little chill livestream that Watsky did at the beginning of his “cross country run” to make his next album. There was supposed to be multiple of these streams, however I think this was the only one that ended up being an actual lived out thing. This time it wasn’t me who was rusty, but Watsky and his people. He hadn’t preformed in a while and since he wasn’t on top of his lyrics they ended up doing a lot of ad libs and runs and different on the spot renditions of some tracks. It wasn’t a full set list, but it was a nice and chill moment to have seen. The group also showed us part of the writing process, which was cool. Rusty can be fun.

7) CHROMA Livestream - Cartel

June 27th 2021

I hadn’t planned on going to this one, but that’s the glorious thing about at home shows, buying tickets the night before or the day of, is 99.9% of the time not an issue. Not gonna lie this was a rough one for me. Living room concerts aren’t full proof situations and sometimes no matter how hard you try, the personal engagement just isn’t there. It for sure wasn’t them, it was me and that sucks. ‘Honestly’ was FANTATIC though, and I did what my Pop-Punk heart was supposed to do and hit every line in that song. I told myself to replay it so that I could hopefully get a similar experience to the other livestream shows that I had multiple rewatches of, but sadly I failed myself and them and didn’t go back. One day I’ll see them in person though and I’ll redeem myself. (It would be nice of them however, if that redemption could happen at a Cartel Self-Titled Anniversary tour, because I know where my strong suits are with them and that album is it.)

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tgammsideblog · 3 months

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Tgamm fan event: OPERATION ENHAPPIFICATION

The Ghost and Molly Mcgee server (also known as Mollycord) is organizing an upcoming event in which Tgamm series crew is involved. The event is being hosted by Fazleyff, who is an event organizer in the Tgamm server.

Operation Enhappification is a planned charity stream, organised by Mollycord and Sunnyland Production (youtube channel) in partnership with the TGAMM crew, that will celebrate the show, its message, and the fandom built up from the people enhappified by it.

The server organizers have locked down Give Kids The World as the partner charity, and they are in the process of locking down March 2nd, 2024 (EST) as the stream date, as well as getting show staff and VOs to join.

They are thinking of holding it for around 4-8 hours, depending on the preference of both staff, hosts, and the fandom (though definitely the show staff nor hosts will not be there for the entire duration). Besides that, they'll also be premiering some big fan-made content and teasers too.

The channel where the event will take place is still in discussion. The time schedule for event is still on discussion since it depends of the series crew and the fans participating in it.

Future updates will be posted onto the @LongLiveTGAMM twitter account. I'll also try to keep you updated here as well.

#the ghost and molly mcgee #tgamm #tgamm fandom

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heros-central · 28 days

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Operation: Enhappification ENCORE! Benefitting Give Kids the World Village

It is on. Enjoy and remember to donate.

https://give.gktw.org/fundraiser/5302217#:~:text=A%20Fan%20Celebration%20of%20Disney's%20The%20Ghost%20and%20Molly%20McGee!&text=Presented%20by%20Mollycord%20and%20Sunnyland,for%20Give%20Kids%20the%20World!

#the ghost and molly mcgee #tgamm #operation enhappification

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thiswildlifeband · 6 years

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Prescription Strength Emotional Production. Been in the garage working on the lighting for the Welcome to Sunnyland Tour with Mayday Parade and it’s nearly complete. Get your tickets NOW or else you’ll forget about the show and end up experiencing it through your friends Instagram Stories.

🎟️: thiswildlifeband.com

#this wild life #mayday parade #petaluma #epitaph records

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finishinglinepress · 3 years

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FLP FEATURED AUTHOR OF THE DAY: Ana Maria Spagna is the author of several books including Uplake: Restless Essays of Coming and Going, Reclaimers, stories of elder women reclaiming sacred land and water, Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus, winner of the River Teeth literary nonfiction prize, 100 Skills You’ll Need for the End of the World (as We Know It) a humor-infused exploration of how to live more lightly on the planet, and two previous essay collections, Potluck and Now Go Home. Her first novel for young people, The Luckiest Scar on Earth, about a 14 year-old snowboarder and her activist father, appeared in 2017. Ana Maria’s work has been recognized by the Society for Environmental Journalists, Nautilus Book Awards, and as a four-time finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She lives in the North Cascades, and in 2020-2021 is serving as Viebranz Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at St. Lawrence University. You can find her at www.anamariaspagna.com and on Twitter @amspagna

TO ORDER GO TO: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/mile-marker-six-by-ana-maria-spagna/ Please share/please repost [PROMO]

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR Mile Marker Six by Ana Maria Spagna

From Rancho Cucamonga to the Lost Coast, from the scablands to Tupshin Peak, Ana Maria Spagna’s debut poetry collection quakes with the full magnitude and magnificence of a life spent up close and personal with nature. Coyote pups “nose into rattlesnake weeds” and mud bees nest in knotholes under a “sky awash in waves of stars.” Taut lines etch an account of contemporary life in the Anthropocene, chronicling humanity’s effect on the earth, and just as importantly, the earth’s effect on us. “How rarely, now, we drop to our knees,” Spagna laments, “to protect what’s ours,” though she reminds us that “None of it is ours!” Tender in their recollections and observations, these poems teem with the poignancy, precision, and clarity of cut diamonds or, more accurately, splitting “a fir needle lengthwise to spare it harm.” Pulsing. Dazzling. Fierce.

–Jill McCabe Johnson, author of Revolutions We’d Hoped We’d Outgrown and Diary of the One Swelling Sea

“Having read some of the poems that have become Ana Maria Spagna’s At Mile Marker Six since their beginnings, I can advise the reader to follow—follow her anywhere, into the deep, over the edge, back to brass tacks, and forward into the somewhere that is a dream of the each and the every. Most crucially—and with a sacredness she invents through her clear-eyed, open-hearted looking—follow Spagna’s language to its precise and lyrical root. Such is her capaciousness that the poet invites us to introduce what is known to what is felt, and that is where love roosts, not just for us, but for every made, built, or born thing.”

–Carol Ann Davis, author of The Nail in the Tree, Atlas Hour, and Psalm

Ana Maria Spagna’s words invite the reader to embrace the intrigue of the wider world. Her poems are not pretty for pretty’s sake, nor do they distract the reader from things often considered ugly. Love, wonder, and the wild are sacred but also sometimes dirty and dead. Is it dirt or is it soil? To some, it is dirt if it is smeared on your face, but soil if we are planting in it. Spagna’s poems impress upon us this: it is always dirt and it is always soil. She takes the world and pokes at it with a trailside stick – forcing us to pay attention, to gaze, to engage with each object of her noticing.

–Mara Panich, author of Blood is Not the Water

#flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry

#poetry #preorder #flp authors #chapbook #flp #poets on tumblr #american poets #leah maines #women poets #chapbooks

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orbemnews · 3 years

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Bob Koester, Revered Figure in Jazz and Blues, Dies at 88 Bob Koester, who founded the influential Chicago blues and jazz label Delmark Records and was also the proprietor of an equally influential record store where players and fans mingled as they sought out new and vintage sounds, died on Wednesday at a care center in Evanston, Ill., near his home in Chicago. He was 88. His wife, Sue Koester, said the cause was complications of a stroke. Mr. Koester was a pivotal figure in Chicago and beyond, releasing early efforts by Sun Ra, Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Dawkins, Magic Sam and numerous other jazz and blues musicians. He captured the sound of Chicago’s vibrant blues scene of the 1960s on records like “Hoodoo Man Blues,” a much admired album by the singer and harmonica player Junior Wells, featuring the guitarist Buddy Guy, that was recorded in 1965. “Bob told us, ‘Play me a record just like you played last night in the club,’” Mr. Guy recalled in a 2009 interview with The New York Times, and somehow he caught the electric feel of a live performance. In 2008 the record was named to the Grammy Hall of Fame. About the same time, Delmark was recording early examples of the avant-garde jazz being promulgated by the pianist Muhal Richard Abrams and other members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, an organization formed in Chicago in 1965. The company’s recordings were not, generally, the kind that generated a lot of sales. “If he felt something was significant, he wasn’t going to think about whether it would sell,” Ms. Koester said by phone. “He wanted people to hear it and experience the significance.” As Howard Mandel, the jazz critic and author, put it in a phone interview: “He followed his own star. He was not at all interested in trends.” For decades Mr. Koester’s record store, the Jazz Record Mart, provided enough financial support to allow Delmark to make records that didn’t sell a lot of copies. The store was more than an outlet for Delmark’s artists; it was packed with all sorts of records, many of them from collections Mr. Koester bought or traded for. “The place was just an amazing crossroads of people,” said Mr. Mandel, who worked there for a time in the early 1970s. Music lovers would come looking for obscure records; tourists would come because of the store’s reputation; musicians would come to swap stories and ideas. “Shakey Walter Horton and Ransom Knowling would hang out there, and Sunnyland Slim and Homesick James were always dropping by,” the harmonica player and bandleader Charlie Musselwhite, who was a clerk at the store in the mid-1960s, told The Times in 2009, rattling off the names of some fellow blues musicians. “You never knew what fascinating characters would wander in, so I always felt like I was in the eye of the storm there.” Mr. Mandel said part of the fun was tapping into Mr. Koestel’s deep reservoir of arcane musical knowledge. “You’d get into a conversation with him,” he said, “and in 10 minutes he was talking about some obscure wormhole of a serial number on a pressing.” Ms. Koester said the store held a special place in her husband’s heart — so much so that when he finally closed it in 2016, citing rising rent, he opened another, Bob’s Blues and Jazz Mart, almost immediately. “He loved going into the studio in the days when he was recording Junior Wells and Jimmy Dawkins,” she said, “but retail was in his blood.” He especially loved talking to customers. “Often they came into the store looking for one thing,” she said, “and he pointed them in another direction.” Robert Gregg Koester was born on Oct. 30, 1932, in Wichita, Kan. His father, Edward, was a petroleum geologist, and his mother, Mary (Frank) Koester, was a homemaker. He grew up in Wichita. A 78 r.p.m. record by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in his grandfather’s collection intrigued him when he was young, he said in an oral history recorded in 2017 by the National Association of Music Merchants. But, he told Richard Marcus in a 2008 interview for blogcritics.com, further musical exploration wasn’t easy. “I never liked country music, and growing up in Wichita, Kansas, there wasn’t much else,” he said. “There was a mystery to the names of those old blues guys — Speckled Red, Pinetop Perkins — that made it sound really appealing. Probably something to do with a repressed Catholic upbringing.” College at Saint Louis University, where he enrolled to study cinematography, broadened his musical opportunities. “My parents didn’t want me going to school in one of the big cities like New York or Chicago because they didn’t want me to be distracted from my studies by music,” he said. “Unfortunately for them, there were Black jazz clubs all around the university.” He also joined the St. Louis Jazz Club, a jazz appreciation group. And he started accumulating and trading records, especially traditional jazz 78s, out of his dorm room. The rapidly growing record business crowded out his studies. “I went to three years at Saint Louie U,” he said in the oral history. “They told me not to come back for a fourth year.” His dorm-room business turned into a store, where he sold both new and used records. “I’d make regular runs, hitting all the secondhand stores, Father Dempsey’s Charities, places like that, buying used records,” he told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1993 for an article marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of his record label. “And I’d order records through the mail. Then I’d sell records at the Jazz Club meetings. That was the beginning of my retail business.” He had started recording musicians as well. He originally called his label Delmar, after a St. Louis boulevard, but once he relocated to Chicago in the late 1950s he added the K. He acquired a Chicago record shop from a trumpeter named Seymour Schwartz in 1959 and soon turned it into the Jazz Record Mart. His label not only recorded the players of the day but also reissued older recordings. “He loved obscure record labels from the ‘30s and ‘40s, and he acquired several of them,” Mr. Mandel said. “He reissued a lot of stuff from fairly obscure artists who had recorded independently. He salvaged their best work.” Mr. Koester was white; most of the artists he dealt with were Black. “He was totally into Black music,” Mr. Mandel said. “Not only Black music, but he definitely gave Black music its due in a way that other labels were not.” That made Mr. Koester stand out in Chicago when he went out on the town sampling talent. “When a white guy showed up in a Black bar, it was assumed he was either a cop, a bill collector or looking for sex,” Mr. Koester told blogcritic.com. “When they found out you were there to listen to the music and for no other reason, you were a friend. The worst times I had were from white cops who would try and throw me out of the bars. They probably thought I was there dealing drugs or something.” It was the atmosphere of those nightclubs that he tried to capture in his recording studio. “I don’t believe in production,” he said. “I’m not about to bring in a bunch of stuff that you can’t hear a guy doing when he’s up onstage.” In addition to his wife, whom he met when she worked across the street from his store and whom he married in 1967, Mr. Koester is survived by a son, Robert Jr.; a daughter, Kate Koester; and two grandchildren. Ms. Koester said their son will continue to operate Bob’s Blues and Jazz Mart. Mr. Koester sold Delmark in 2018. Mr. Koester’s record company played an important role in documenting two musical genres, but his wife said that beyond playing a little piano, he was not musically trained himself. “He would say his music was listening,” she said. Source link Orbem News #Blues #Bob #Dies #figure #Jazz #Koester #Revered

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