#tour maria on the drums

[buffyromanoff]

Rockstar Girlfriend

You and Nat are in a band, but thats not the only thing you do together (if you know what i mean 😏)

Warnings: kinda smutty, kinda fluffy

Lenght: a little less than 1k

"We should get dressed," you said, gathering your clothes from the floor. Nat remained sprawled out lazily, as if she didn't have a whole crowd of people waiting for her to go out and sing. "Or... I could go out looking like this. Bet my fans would love it," she teased.

You watched her as she put on her bra and black tank top, a playful glint in her eyes. "Oh they totally would , but you know who wouldn't love it?" you replied pointing at yourself, smirking.

Nat laughed, her voice filled with amusement. "Getting a little jealous there, y/n? Thought you didn't mind sharing me," she teased, enjoying the banter between you.

"I don't. You're free to do whatever you want... It's not like you're my girlfriend or anything," you responded, trying to sound nonchalant. But deep down, the unspoken truth lingered between.

Just as you finished speaking, the door swung open, it was Maria, your manager. "Show starts in five minutes!-What's going on in here? Actually, I don't want to know. Y/n, you should be getting your guitar ready!" Maria yelled,  breaking the playful atmosphere with her nervousness..

Maria was right, you two were being careless, so, you sprinted out of Nat's dressing room. 

You and Nat had been hooking up for the past two months. You tried to keep it a secret but it became impossible to hide from the rest of the band considering how unbelievably attracted you were towards each other. At first you were a little embarrassed about them knowing but now? No. In fact, you were more than attracted to Nat, you were in love with her. Were you going to tell her?  Absolutely not. There was no way you were gonna risk ruining what you already had with her

Tonight marked the final show of your band's tour and while you were looking forward to the relaxation it would bring...but it also meant less time spent with Natasha. 

The show went absolutely incredible. Carol's drumming skills were unmatched, Wanda worked her magic with the bass, and you played your guitar hitting every note with precision. But it was Nat who stole the show, her voice captivating the audience and leaving them spellbound as usual.

As the band members dispersed backstage, Carol winked at you, impressed by your talent. "Damn, y/n, that solo? Pretty hot," she praised with a flirty look in her eyes.

"Yeah, y/n, pretty hot. You should teach me sometime," Nat murmured from behind, playfully slapping your butt taking you completely off guard.

You turned to face to her, a mixture of surprise and amusement on your face. "Teach you, huh? Are you sure you can handle it?" you shot back, playfully raising an eyebrow.

Nat smirked, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Oh, I can handle it, trust me," she replied, stepping closer to you. The energy between the two of you was electric, and even though you knew you should be keeping your distance, it was impossible to resist her.

As the adrenaline from the show began to fade, you found yourselves drawn to each other, locked in a passionate embrace. The backstage area was bustling with activity, but in that moment, it felt like the entire world had faded away, leaving only the two of you.

You started making out while Nat started to unbutton our pants but before things could escalate further, a voice interrupted your intimate moment. "Hey lovebirds…hate to break it to you, but we need to start packing up," Wanda called out, grinning at the situation she just walked into.

You and Nat quickly untangled yourselves, trying to regain composure as you exchanged sheepish glances. "Right, time to pack up," you mumbled, feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief. Damn it, you wanted Nat so badly, you needed her.

As the crew members dismantled the stage equipment, you and Nat worked side by side, stealing secret glances and playful touches whenever you could. There was an unspoken understanding between you, a connection so strong you never thought you’d be able to feel with anyone else…but Natasha was not just anyone.

Once everything was packed up and loaded onto the tour bus, you found yourself sitting next to Nat. The steady hum of the engine providing a comforting backdrop that made everyone fall asleep after 30 minutes on the road.

"Hey," Nat whispered, her voice barely audible over the rumble of the bus. "I had a great time with you, you know. These past few months have been... incredible."

You nodded, a bittersweet smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "Yeah, they really have " you replied softly. Nat sighed, her fingers tracing patterns on the armrest next to your wrist. Your eyes locked onto her full lips, and the intensity of her gaze hinted at her desires.

"Everyone's asleep," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah, the tour was exhausting," Nat sighed. "Are you going to fall asleep on me too, y/n?" Her voice dropped into that lower, sultry tone she knew always made you weak. You shook your head, feeling your cheeks flush with warmth. "Good girl." That was it. You couldn't wait anymore. You NEEDED Nat right now.

But as much as you craved Nat's touch, you knew the timing wasn't right. The bus was filled with sleeping bandmates, and discretion was necessary. You couldn't risk being caught in such an intimate moment...until she spoke. ’Come here baby, we’ll be quiet’’.

You straddled Nat's lap, and with her assistance, you removed your pants, allowing her to put her fingers inside you but you were weak and the sensations overwhelmed you. You struggled to stifle your moans but Nat muffled your sounds with her spare hand, reminding you to keep quiet.

 ‘Shhhh, you don't want everyone to catch you being such a needy slut like this, don't you?’’ Nat whispered and you shook your head in agreement.

You rode her fingers till you came in silence, completely collapsing onto her body, which she found adorable. 

She rubbed circles on your back as you rested on top of her while unwanted thoughts rushed through your mind. 

"What are you thinking about?" Nat inquired softly. "Nothing," you lied, attempting to shield yourself.

"Were my fingers not good enough for you, Miss Guitarist?" Nat playfully teased, stealing a giggle from you. "Do you think I'd still be here, collapsed on top of you, if that were the case?" you responded with a hint of amusement.

‘’Then tell me’’ she persisted. Silence lingered for a moment before she spoke again ‘Oh come on malyshka, you know you can tell me anything''. -Fuck it- you thought, "I... God, I'm afraid I'll ruin everything, but here goes... I like you, Nat. Not just as friends, not just for the sex... I'm in love with you."

You felt Nat's body warming up beneath you. "I... wow," she murmured, caught off guard by your confession. Assuming the worst, you attempted to get yourself off from her lap, but she stopped you. "Y/n, I'm sorry. You just caught me by surprise," she said looking....happy? "I love you too."

In that moment, your lips met hers in a passionate kiss that soon turned into a full blown out make out session. However, the mood was abruptly interrupted by a loud yawn from Wanda, who had just woken up two seats behind you.

"Shit," you whispered, scrambling to hide in your seat. Nat quickly handed you your pants, winking mischievously. "We'll continue this at the hotel" she whispered with a promise in her eyes and you knew damn well the wait was gonna be worth it.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff fanfiction #natasha romanoff fanfic #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x fem #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #dom!natasha romanoff x reader #scarlett johansson #marvel fanfiction #marvel #natasha romanoff smut #natasha romanoff fluff #rockstar nat

[operafantomet]

I was asked in a PM how I would rate the different non-replica versions. Well. I have different level of knowledge about them. I have seen three of them live, I have seen a lot of full videos of other, while a handful haven't really interested me so I only know them through photos and short clips. And from that you can't make a fair ranking. But if stunting it - and also really assuming they all had equally great casts - I'd say something like this:

1. HUNGARY: I will always give this production props for being the first non-replica production, and a beautiful one. Very eerie and moody set design, and overall a colour scheme reminding of Maria Bjørnson's but with individual details. It was like looking at the Palais Garnier from another angle. My only main complain is that I like the costume sketches a lot more than then actual costumes. But first and foremost, MOODY. Yes.

2. ROMANIA/NORWAY/GREECE/MIDDLE EAST: As such a bit difficult to rate it as a whole, as the Romanian production was a prototype massively pimped for the Norwegian premiere, and also slightly changed for the following productions. But if judging from the Norwegian production which I saw numerous times, it was all in, with the wildest chandelier crash, nice effects overall, a clear vision in the directing, and nice choreography. This too a take on the Palais Garnier which tried to find other angles and aspects than what Bjørnson did.

3. ITALY / SPAIN / MEDITERRANEAN: Beautiful, creative and very Phantom-y. This too seems to reflect on the Palais Garnier, if a bit more abstracted than the ones above. Props for three equally strong leads, not merely in the acting but also directing.

4. SYDNEY HARBOUR, AUSTRALIA: Humongous outdoor set! The same hint of fragmenter grander pieces as Bjørnson did so well. Colourful, an abundance of details, drapes, ideas. Flames! Floating gondolas! And a performance that went on regardless of massive rainstorms. With a backdrop of the evening sky and the Sydney Opera House. Gotta love it all.

5. POLAND: I like it more now than when it first premiered. I was disappointed it stuck so close to the 2004 movie, in terms of direcing, costume design and tweaks (the sword fight in the Mausoleum scene, for example). But I do appreciate the set design a lot, and the production also feature a kick-ass chandelier crash. Here for it!

6. KRISTIANSTAD, SWEDEN: A thoroughly original production, utilizing the small-ish stage to full effect. I was impressed by how much they made out of little, and how different it appeared life compared to photos. Even if the sets were clever, the golden moments of this production was in the smaller details, I felt. And I loved it.

7. CZECH REPUBLIC: Colourful, loud and brassy design, and one functioning inside a pyramide shaped theatre. Fascinating, if a bit... wobbly. But passionate.

8. RESTAGED TOUR: I mean, Maria Bjørnson's costumes (plus/minus). And very professionally executed. Some clever ideas for the staging and directing, and I do enjoy the overall idea of the drum set. But I don't think the busy sets and the ornate costumes is a good match. I wish they'd made a brand new costume design more suited for the sets. I also have massive issues with the portrayals of the Phantom, Christine and Raoul, both separately and their dynamics. In total a love/hate relationship.

9. ESTONIA: Another thoroughly original production, set between WW1 and WW2, with a local spin, an eternal winter, and a costume design reflecting on Vivienne Westwood and 1990s couture in general. The set design is angled, featuring a stage-on-stage in the back, and boxes at the sides. I like this production more on an intellectual level than really feeling it.

10. NEW ROMANIAN PRODUCTION: Rich AI based look, but oh! So crowded. I enjoy seeing a scene here and there, but seeing several is like eating a whole bag of candy: too much. I do however enjoy it in smaller portions, and I want to give props for being the first to do AI design in Phantom land.

11. FINLAND/SWEDEN: Some of the sets are awesome. But the overall staging feels so alien, and the 1980s costumes and the Phantom's gold mask is killing me. I can't. Kudos for huge opera orchestra, though!

12. BULGARIA: Too print and projection heavy for my liking, some LEGO like set pieces (including the chandelier and monkey musical box) and a costume design I'm understand very little of. This one just ain't for me and that is OK.

13. SERBIA: Oh Serbia. I don't understand you. I don't understand your vibe, your 1990s costume design, your bridge-and-cube set design. I... can't.

(and this is of course a highly subjective ranking based on my preferences and my limited knowledge of ome of the productions - it might change if I see more of them live later on)

#phantom of the opera #non replica #scenography #costume design #set design

[black-arcana]

POWERWOLF To Release New Studio Album, 'Wake Up The Wicked', In July

POWERWOLF will release a new studio album, "Wake Up The Wicked", on July 26, 2024 via Napalm Records.

"Wake Up The Wicked" — the highly anticipated follow-up to the extremely successful "Call Of The Wild" (2021) — will arrive just in time for the award-winning band's first-ever full North American tour, starting in August 2024, followed by their biggest European headline tour to date, the "Wolfsnächte 2024".

"Wake Up The Wicked" was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and marks a new benchmark and undisputed career highlight for the band. The new album is hard, surprising and full of variety. While staying true to their established, loved sound, POWERWOLF go one step further and showcase a different facet of their deft musical and technical skills. This is evident, for example, on the outstanding single "1589", which is based on a true story from the 16th century.

20 years after their formation in 2004, POWERWOLF are expanding their repertoire with the highest quality and adding many future live hits to their extraordinary discography. "Wake Up The Wicked" is yet another statement cementing the status of the band as a leading force in the world of heavy metal

"Wake Up The Wicked" track listing:

01. Bless 'Em With The Blade 02. Sinners Of The Seven Seas 03. Kyrie Klitorem 04. Heretic Hunters 05. 1589 06. Viva Vulgata 07. Wake Up The Wicked 08. Joan Of Arc 09. Thunderpriest 10. We Don't Wanna Be No Saints 11. Vargamor

POWERWOLF are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful heavy metal bands of the last decade. Multiple No. 1 album chart entries, gold and platinum records, huge sold-out arena shows, as well as headline slots at the biggest festivals have paved their way. In less than 20 years of band history, POWERWOLF has made it to the very highest league of heavy metal.

POWERWOLF has conquered countless stages at the world's biggest summer festivals, and their last "Wolfsnächte" headline tours (2019, 2022),as well as their aforementioned North American debut in early 2023, were almost completely sold out — resulting in a massive triumph. They have performed headlining sets at Wacken Open Air and Summer Breeze, as well as held premium slots at genre festival giants such as Hellfest, Graspop Metal Meeting, Masters Of Rock and many more, captivating enormous audiences. No other German metal band has been able to write a success story even remotely comparable in recent years.

Following their onslaught of North America, POWERWOLF will embark on their most impressive European tour yet in celebration of their highly anticipated 2024 studio album. Amid 16 shows in total, the tour will visit colossal venues in Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Hamburg and Antwerp. POWERWOLF will be accompanied by Swedish heavy metal legends HAMMERFALL as special guests, with support from viral rising stars, dwarven metallers WIND ROSE.

The story of the frontrunners of today's German metal scene, POWERWOLF, began in 2004 and only knows one direction: ever upwards. Their trajectory may seem like something out of a fairytale, but it is the result of the band embodying the highest quality of heavy metal in the universe. Outstanding album production, bombastic live shows and a tireless drive for perfection on and behind the stage are what this exceptional band is known for around the world.

Over the course of their career, the band has not only fascinated metal fans, but has also won over international press and critics. Countless cover stories in the most important magazines, critics' awards such as the Metal Hammer Award, and effusive album and concert reviews underpin POWERWOLF's outstanding international status.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn - vocals Falk Maria Schlegel - organ Charles Greywolf - guitar Matthew Greywolf - guitar Roel van Helden - drums

Photo credit: VDPictures

#powerwolf #wake up the wicked

[johnica-weeks]

Brian and Chrissie

Brian May (19 July 1947) 💕 Christine Mullen (birthday unknown, likely born in ~1950)

Married in 1976/1977 (sources report different dates)

Divorced in 1988

Children:

Jimmy May (15 June 1978)

Louisa May (22 May 1981)

Emily Ruth May (17 February 1987)

Christine was born in Leeds circa 1950 and she was student from the Maria Assumpta Teacher Training College, in Kensington (London) (like Veronica Deacon)

In 1968 Chrissie’s flatmate, Josephine “Jo” Morris, was dating medical student Roger Taylor, who played drums in a band called “Smile” and run a stall in Kensington market selling second hand clothes with a friend who called himself Freddie Mercury. When Jo took Chrissie along to one of “Smile”’s gigs at Imperial College she was introduced to Roger’s friend and bandmate Brian May, who played the guitar.

Theirs became a stable relationship and they soon moved in together in a small apartment with a cat, Squeaky. Bran recalled in 2010: "It was probably the happiest time of my life. I was living with my future wife in a bedsit about the size of this table. We lived on cod in a bag, we had one gas ring, we had no problems in life." Brian was busy with the band, sometimes with Chrissie and sometimes without, but Brian's strict father loomed on them: “When Queen was taking off, we didn’t speak (Brian and Harold) for nearly two years. He also hated the fact that I was living with a woman, who turned out to be my first wife, Chrissie. He thought it was immoral, I couldn’t understand it.” The second disapproved thing was the choice of music instead of astronomy. And so, after around seven years of relationship, Brian and Chrissie got married to please Harold May, soon welcoming baby Jimmy in 1978.

Like with Dominique, we have plenty of photos of Brian and Chrissie on tour and at parties. She followed him pretty often, even with children, and they seemed inseparable whenever she was there. Chrissie is much shorter than Brian, with full curves and very long straight hair. Despite touring with Queen, though, she's a very private person, we don't know much about her personality and Brian tried to protect his family's privacy as much as possible.

However, the straining routine began causing strains in their marriage as well. Years later, Brian recalled: "It’s very hard to adapt back to normal life. I was married and I had kids and the marriage survived the whole touring life really well. It was only when I stopped touring that things fell apart, because we couldn’t adapt to living ‘a normal life’."

In 1986 Brian fell in love with actress Anita Dobson, and not even the birth of his and Chrissie's last child Emily in 1987 could save the marriage. They divorced in 1988 and Chrissie has kept a retired, very private life since then.

Prompts - Day 2: Brian and Chrissie (13th April)

Hair, hair, so much hair!

Opposites attract

Please, I really need you to hold me right now.

White Queen, how my heart did ache

Brian & Roger's ships week 2023 rules and prompts

#BrianRogerShipsWeek2023 #brian and roger ships week 2023 #brian may #queen fandom #queen fandom event #queen fanfic #brian may x chrissie mullen #brian may fanfic

[sleekervae]

So Good [0.2]

Masterlist

A/N: Heyy, how's September treating everyone? I already hate school and I've done absolutely zero drawing in two months but you know what -- it's okay. Life is full of surprises and I'm just gonna take whatever the universe decides to throw my way -- we're cool. Anyway, thanks for the reads, likes, and reblogs, always helps to save a fanfic!

Warnings: none, spoilers for Yoü & I

Purple text is Korean

Namjoon stayed true on his promise to text Kimberly after she handed him her number, and they had exchanged a few texts in the days leading up to their next show, sporadic messages mostly, but there had been a few nights were the chat ran for hours. They had a particularly lengthy conversation about how she needed a new turntable, then she told him about her most played records; what she listened to first thing in the morning, which tunes kept her going in her workouts, what she played when she took a bath and when she cooked. From there, Namjoon asked about food, what she liked to cook and confessing that he wasn't very knowledgable around the kitchen.

Sometimes though, Namjoon would take hours to respond, not on purpose, either he had forgotten or was simply too busy. Kimberly didn't mind the gaps between their messages, he'd come back and continue the conversation as if nothing had happened whenever he had the time.

In her spare time, Kimberly had done her own exploration into BTS, blown away by the scale of their music videos and charmed in their interviews. Namjoon had a spectacular, though quiet charisma to him; bespoke and concise in some takes, but he could be a complete goofball in others. And those eyes of his were incredible, she could quite easily be transfixed by his gaze regardless of whether or not he was on a screen.

At the moment she was in the middle of one of their catch-up texts, sitting off in the corner of their rehearsal space. Catch the Caper were supposed to be rehearsing for their upcoming tour, however, lallygagging and complacency overtook the energy in the studio.

What would you want to do if you weren't in a band?

Probably something in public relations or just marketing altogether

Sounds pretty smart

Lol, I guess so

You been to college?

I had plans to go to Princeton initially, but the band was the better fit

Did you go to college?

I took some courses here and there, mostly communications stuff

I took some women's and gender studies, too

No kidding? How'd you like those?

Very very eye opening

The other girls were gathered in a circle around the drum set, having one of their usual debates about very important societal topics.

"But why would an audio book be considered the same as reading?" Chloe asked.

Charlotte shrugged back, "I mean -- for one, someone had to read out the book to record it for the audio,"

"But what if you're a really fast reader and the narrator speaks really slow?" Maria replied, "That would be torture for me,"

"... But that defeats the purpose of the idea. You're not doing a read-a-long with a narrator. The platform is just listening," Charlotte added.

"But you have books on a kindle, there's not much of a step up from just listening," Maria said.

Chloe strained her head to get a look at Kimberly in her corner, "Oh, Kimberly! Care to join us?" she called.

Kimberly glanced up from her phone, "Are we starting?"

"Nope," Maria huffed, "But we really ought to,"

"C'mon, this is important," Chloe chided back, "Eva wants to get a joint Audible membership,"

Kimberly cocked her head, "So... what's your problem, then?"

"Her problem is subscribing to another digital platform that she's not going to use so it'll just keep charging her card until she remembers to cancel it," Charlotte explained.

"But if I already have the books that Audible is offering, is there even a point to getting an account? I don't know what the difference would be... other than maybe laziness," Chloe mulled.

Kimberly sighed as she stood up, stretching out the stiffness in her back, "Okay, I define reading as taking in a story, that means visualizing the story and using imagination just like you would if you had a book in front of you," she explained, "I don't think there's much of a difference, anyhow,"

"Great," Chloe nodded, "I still don't know,"

"Just try the free trial for Pete sakes!" Maria snapped, "That's why they're called 'trials', dude,"

Charlotte, quickly becoming disillusioned with this conversation, turned to Kimberly as she walked over, "What were you doing over there, anyway?"

"I was texting," Kimberly sat beside her, crossing one leg over the other, "So sue me,"

"Darius?"

Chloe cut in before she could answer, "Namjoon," she waggled her eyebrows at the bassist. Kimberly glowered at her.

"Tattle tits,"

"Wait --" Charlotte shifted closer, "The BTS guy? Really?"

"Yeah. The tall one," Kimberly replied.

"Bro, they're all fucking tall,"

"The one with the nice quads," Chloe nodded.

Maria raised her brows as well, not so much in amusement, "How long you been talking for?"

"A couple of days. He's really nice," Kimberly replied honestly,

Charlotte smirked, "I'm sure he is,"

"Get that look off your face,"

Maria scoffed, "Well, you can't really blame her. You guys were practically inseparable at the AMAs," she said.

"Right up until you dropped the big B-word," Chloe added.

Kimberly grimaced, the stunned expression on his face continued to flicker in her memory. She truly hadn't meant any harm by it, Darius had become such a natural part of her life that she hadn't felt the need to shout to the world that she had a boyfriend. Furthermore, she didn't want to brush off a potential friendship with the B-word stonewall. Nevertheless, if Namjoon had that simmering hope of maybe -- just maybe -- Kimberly was confident that she had shut that down real quick. She loved Darius, after all, she was comfortable in her relationship.

"So what?" Kimberly replied, trying not to border on defensive, "We've effortlessly proved for the last three and something years that guys and girls can be friends without romantic tension,"

Chloe scoffed back, "Two of us proved it, anyway," she glanced at both Charlotte and Maria. The former was stuck in a will-they-won't-they tension with Luke Hemmings, while Maria had been secretly dating Calum Hood for nearly nine months, now. Only three weeks ago had Charlotte, Kimberly, and Chloe found them out.

Maria screwed up her face at the drummer, "Hey! The other three are still my friends," she pointed out, referring to the rest of the boys from 5 Seconds of Summer. Charlotte rolled her eyes, not having the energy to dignify this topic with an answer.

"Anyway," she sighed, "What do you and Namjoon talk about?"

Kimberly shook her head, debating how much she should privy the girls to. Sure, they all knew everything about each other, but there were still some things Kimberly liked to keep to herself. So far, Namjoon was definitely one of them.

"Anything that comes to mind," she replied, "Music, mostly,"

Chloe scoffed, "With the schedules these guys have, I'm surprised he has the time to text you at all," she said.

"What do you mean?" Maria asked.

"You have any idea how many hours a day they go for? How do you think they move like that? Takes some fucking work," Chloe replied, "Not to mention the strict diets, the travel, the training regimens,"

"So... like our schedules, minus the dancing?" Kimberly queried.

"Our schedules... but on major roids," she replied.

Charlotte raised her brows, "That bad?"

"Depending on the label," Chloe replied, "The boys definitely have a bit more freedom than the girls do,"

"As always in a modern, sexist society," Maria sighed, hunching forward, "So, when do they have time for friends? Dating? A life?"

"Maybe when their contracts run out," Chloe replied, "K-pop idols can't date,"

Kimberly refused to let it show, but she couldn't help the nervous pinching in her gut when Chloe said that, "W-What do you mean? Like -- at all?"

Chloe shook her head, "You ever hear of fan service? The labels make their money off of these guys being quote-on-quote 'available' and 'pure'. If they stay single the younger fans are more likely to buy into their brand,"

The other three sat in a stunned silence. It wasn't the first time they had heard of management getting involved in people's personal lives, but usually it was the other way around. Hell, their own manager tried to set Charlotte up in a PR relationship the previous year.

"Ugh," Maria cringed, "Why's that giving me Jonas Brothers purity ring bullshit?"

"Okay but -- that can't be for forever," Charlotte said, "It's fucking barbaric!"

"Over here, maybe. But Korea's a whole other culture," Chloe replied, "We just don't see it because we're foreigners. They treat us differently,"

Maria cocked her head, "Chlo, how do you know so much about this?" she asked.

Chloe smiled back, sheepish as she replied, "Let's call it a 2am rabbit-hole special. I'm also just a fan. -- I'm a fan of BTS, not of the record labels,"

Kimberly scoffed, "Must be pretty fucking bleak. You're writing love songs and you can't even have a lover to write about,"

"Oh, c'mon. They're grown men," Maria said, "I'm sure they're familiar with getting business done themselves,"

Charlotte physically grimaced, eager to change the subject, "Okay! Back to work!" she announced as she stood up. The girls followed suit.

Chloe chuckled, "Aw, what's the matter, Lottie? You never wanna change the subject when we're talking about Lu --"

"Chloe!" Kim scolded, pointing a sharp, manicured finger at her, "No,"

"Maria started it," Chloe chided back.

"And I'll also end it," Maria decided, looping her guitar strap over her shoulder.

Kimberly sighed under her breath as she did the same with her bass, glancing tentatively at her friends, "So... You guys still wanna' see their show on Friday?"

"Oh, I'm definitely down," Chloe replied.

Charlotte simpered, "Yeah, I'm into it,"

They all then turned to Maria, who stayed stiffly silent at first. Call her a killjoy or judgemental, but Maria wasn't the biggest fan of machine pop music. It wasn't so much BTS she was against, but the entire machine behind them. The industry of pretty boybands and girlbands with fancy dance moves, while definitely exciting, also held many dark undertones that turned her off completely. And she knew the girls felt the same because they had discussed this at length.

Maria could think of a hundred other things she could be doing on Friday, namely one of them being with Calum, and she knew the girls wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't go. Nevertheless, there was this air of hopefulness on Kimberly's face. They loved doing things together, experiencing new music being one of them. And the guys had promised to hold some tickets for them, so that was definitely a nice perk.

"Alright, I'm in," she conceded, "Do we have to get dressed up or..."

"Girl, it's a concert, not the Met," Charlotte pointed out.

"Well, I don't know," she shrugged back.

Kimberly's phone buzzed in her pocket, her lips curved up as she found Namjoon's name flash across her screen.

Do you like TGIF or Chili's better? We're trying to decide what to get for dinner

Ooooh...

Chili's, they're chicken sandwiches are lit

She hesitated as she typed her next message, her thumb wavered over the send button as she felt that nervous pinch in her gut. She glanced at her friends, their previous teasing weighing on her a little. Nevertheless, she averted her eyes to her keyboard as she pressed the send button.

When you have some time though, maybe I'll take you somewhere better than Chili's lol

She had barely tucked her phone back into her pocket when it buzzed again, her smile grew wider, and the pinching in her gut subsided.

I would like that a lot!

Unbeknownst to Kimberly, Chloe couldn't help but take a stealthy peak over her shoulder. Her curiosity however failed her covertness.

"What would he like?" she blurted.

Kimberly jumped forward, hugging her phone to her chest, "Chloe!" and as she turned, she smacked Chloe's side with the handle of her bass.

"Owh!" Chloe faltered, stumbling back and favouring her 'wound', "She hit me!" she whined to Maria.

"She was creeping on me!" Kimberly fought back, both of them looking to the oldest member.

Maria however remained stone faced, her exasperation evident as she turned to Charlotte. The moment the mousy brunette met the fiery Latina's gaze, she couldn't help but burst into giggles.

Kimberly rolled her eyes and took her place, awaiting patiently for the other girls to get themselves together. Despite her annoyance, she couldn't help but have a little bounce in her step, excited for Friday to just hurry up and roll around so she could see Namjoon again.

BTS' Friday night concert came upon them soon enough, and Namjoon was feeling rather calm and confident about the whole affair. Perhaps because he knew he looked good, perhaps because he had put his work in all week, making sure his performance would be flawless. Or simply, his self-assured nature had peaked because they were still riding high off of their American tour, the interviews were almost over and he was living his dream, had little to no worries except entertaining the crowd and not messing up his parts.

Namjoon felt like a fool for the nervous pinch in his chest whenever he saw her name flash on his phone screen, he liked talking to her, even if the limits of texting infuriated him at times. He knew when she'd be laughing at him over messages and when he'd stumble for words at a certain question, racking his brain for the English translation, and relieved he had time to form a cohesive thought before sending the next text.

He had done his own research into Catch the Caper, easily blown away by the rest of their music catalogue. Fiery and outspoken, and Kimberly shone through every solo shot in their videos. She didn't speak much in their interviews either, but when she did she was quite soft, though she had her moments where she had a bite to her. He liked that she always spoke her mind and could be so personable outright.

Admittedly, there were times when his thumb had hovered over the call button just so he could hear her voice again, when he was tired and bored in his hotel bed, when he fresh off his workout, but it seemed too eager, too much. How would he justify that? What would he say when or if she picked up? What if she was with Darius? Ultimately, his insecurity of overstepping the barely sketched boundaries kept him from calling.

At the moment, Namjoon was in the green room; his bandmates were primping, preening, notching the final buttons to their clothes and whatnot. He was keeping his composure, nonetheless excitement bubbled in his chest at the prospect of seeing Kimberly again. He had texted her that morning with details on how to find him once she and the girls arrived but he checked his phone again, wondering if she'd text to announce her arrival, if she'd even come at all.

He stayed slumped in his chair, his image in the vanity mirror a reflection of the self-doubt flickering through his wall of confidence. He wondered what she'd be wearing, what he should say and hoped he'd keep his cool around her, prayed he wouldn't make a wrong move, but no internal preparation could have prepared him for the moment when that green room door opened.

He didn't have to wait for Hobi's joyous greeting, or Jimin to practically fall out of his chair, the moment that door opened he knew it was her. Kimberly, Maria and Chloe had filed in after their stage manager, pleasantly taken aback by the guys' boisterous welcome. Chloe and Maria started integrating immediately, speaking slow with the guys and it gave them an opportunity to reflex their English. Chloe attempted to greet them in Korean, and Namjoon would've given her a solid B- minus.

Kimberly however migrated right over to Namjoon, and he was quick to stand up and greet her.

"Hi,"

"Hi,"

Her perfume enrobed him, kept him there as he inhaled it. He wasn't sure if he should go in for a hug but she beat him to the punch; she had to stand on her toes to reach properly and he found it so adorable. His own scent of equally dizzying to her and she breathed it in now, allowed his spicy cologne to overwhelm her, take her back to the night they'd night. Heat radiated from his touch, his lips at the side of her head and she smiled against his shoulder.

He at last let go and pulled back, he tucked his hands in his pockets to hide the slight shake in them. There was a shimmer of mischief in his eyes, the deep brown alarmingly familiar to Kimberly despite the fact she'd only met him once.

"You look amazing," he mired.

"Thanks," she smiled bashfully, "You look really cool,"

She had seen pictures of him on the tour, somehow seeing him up close in his stage fit was a little bit of a spectacle. He wore dark pants, a black t-shirt, and he had his silver print jacket hanging on the back of his chair. The choker around his neck was an unexpected, but cohesively charming touch. His hair was naturally fluffy, a lock fell over his eyes and it drew her eye to his jawline.

Everything about him exuded an abundance of collectedness but the mischief was still there, strong, bold and he seemed to be eternally smirking, the corner of his mouth pulled up and twitching as if he were about to make a coy joke. Kimberly was convinced she'd never seen a jaw that sharp and if she was unsure she'd been intrigued by him before, now there was no denying it.

"Is this the infamous jacket that's been circling the internet?" she chuckled, pointing curiously to the garment.

"Infamous?" he wondered aloud, "I suppose, if the internet says, so it shall be," he replied, his lips curling. Everything he said had a nonchalance, an effortlessness to it, but at the same time she wouldn't have been surprised should he have fallen into a fit of laughter.

"It looks cool," she nodded, chewing her lip for a split second, "You look cool in the pictures, anyway," stop saying 'cool' so much, idiot.

Namjoon's eyes trailed over her. There was a little less skin on show this time, allowing him less to study than before and he swallowed as his eyes fell on the tattoo on her forearm, peaking out under the rolled up sleeve of her velvet shirt. She wore blue wash denim jeans, baggy in the legs, scuffed white converse, and this time she had straightened her hair, tied back in a clean ballerina bun. It no doubt would've taken her a while to wrangle all those curls; he appreciated the creativity and effort she'd gone to.

"Did you miss me?" he asked with an undefeated smirked.

"Maybe a little..." she nodded truthfully, tilting her head at him and giving her best smile, "Miss me?"

"Almost forgot you were comin'..." he drawled, his lips betraying the harshness of his words.

"Oh, wow. Thanks," she grumbled playfully, "I only gave up my rare Friday night off for you, Joon..."

"Hey, I got the backstage passes for you, Kim..." he teased, cocking his head as they started for their babbling friend groups, "Speaking of, I didn't see Charlotte come in...?"

"Oh," Kimberly bit her lip, a small flush colouring her cheeks. The tone of her voice was clearly different and Namjoon raised and eyebrow in expectation, "Charlotte had something come up, so I brought Darius with me instead... I hope that's okay... he just went to catch up with the guys in the security," she gestured out the door was a particular vagueness.

Though the news was a shock to him, Namjoon nodded to feign as if he didn't care, scratched at his neck and jaw and she tilted her head to see if her boyfriend would come waltzing through the door.

"That's cool," he assured her, "He knows the security guys?"

She nodded, "He moonlights as a bouncer at this arena and at another club downtown,"

"Moonlights..."

"It's another term for 'work',"

"Right, right. Thanks,"

It seemed as though another man had appeared out of nowhere as he chatted in the middle of the group, and from the way Kimberly's eyes lit up he knew that he had to be Darius. He was tense as they approached him, even more so when Kimberly drew instantly to his side. Namjoon watched her boyfriend's hand slip to her hip and bit the inside of his cheek in annoyance.

For a second, Namjoon could only focus on her smile, the way she'd lit up even more than he thought possible at his side, but then drew his attention to Darius.

He was dressed in an obscure band tee and blue jeans, his hair tied into short dreads at the top of his head, the sides shaved down. He was a little more slender than Namjoon, nevertheless he was built similarly to Jungkook. He appeared quite friendly and his smile was genuine, the kind of smile which seemed to permanently stick even when faced with bad news. It made Namjoon realize he was probably frowning and he consciously turned the corners of his lips up to counter it.

As much as he hated to admit it, they looked good together. But at least he wasn't taller than him...

"Hey, have some water..." Jin said quickly, easily reading the tension in Namjoon's posture and quickly holding out a bottle for him.

"Thanks..." Namjoon mumbled back, drawing his eyes to the bottle. he hoped he was hiding his jealously in his expression but from the way Jin was looking at him, he figured that it was the opposite.

As Namjoon took a first sip, the condensation on the bottle cooling his clammy palm, the familiar cool liquid soothing the dryness in his throat, Chloe suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"Namjoon!" the rainbow haired drummer threw her arms around him in a hug, none the wiser to his sip. He choked back the water quickly and hugged her back, laughing quietly.

"Hi Chloe," he chuckled, "Thanks for coming,"

"Thanks for having us! Charlotte sends her best, by the way," she mired.

"Where is she?" he asked.

Chloe glanced to Maria, who glanced to Kimberly, he glanced back at him with a sly smirk. The girls had a secret between them, "Oh, she's sorting some stuff out with another friend of ours," Maria replied. It was clear by the sunken expression on Jimin's face that he was hoping Charlotte would've come.

Hobi, none the wiser to the tension in the room, unabashedly shrugged, "We send her video after," he nodded, beaming through his broken English.

Chloe then looked to Kimberly and Darius, "Oh! I know he's late, but this is Darius," she gestured to the taller gent.

Namjoon swallowed, "How's it going?" Namjoon drawled, holding his hand out as steadily as he could to meet Darius' already extended handshake, "Namjoon. Nice to meet you,"

"You too, man," Darius agreed cheerfully, meeting Namjoon's eye line directly with a confidence he prayed he was carrying off at least externally, "I'm looking forward to the show. Hey -- do you guys really move that fast on stage?"

"We definitely try," Namjoon smiled back, taken aback at how nice Darius was.

He shrugged his shoulders as an attempt to ease the tension he'd built there, stretched his neck a little. He took another sip from the water bottle to cool his nerves, relaxed his jaw and hoped it made him look much more unaffected than he felt.

Part of him wished that Kimberly's boyfriend was in any way dislikable, but he simply couldn't bring himself to hate the guy, could see she liked him and that he liked her. Darius didn't seem to be fake or forcing anything, had no features Namjoon could distinguish as better or worse than his and he made Kimberly laugh, they were comfortable together.

Kimberly couldn't help but watch Namjoon get pulled between conversations, gauging his reaction. She knew that no matter how deeply complicated that first meeting between them had been, that he'd felt something for her and as cool and collected as he was trying to seem, the effortlessness of his demeanour, his sudden focus on the others' conversations, there was an awkward reserve beneath the surface, a slight fumble for words, a general sense of fluster she could see that Jin had noticed too. She remembered the way he froze on the spot at the revelation of her having a boyfriend, how timid he'd been in engaging in conversation after her show and she hoped things wouldn't be too uncomfortable between them because of their first meeting.

"How'd you and Kimberly meet?" Namjoon asked, nodding to Darius, his voice a little scratchy and he coughed to clear it. He took another sip from his bottle.

"At my job, funny enough..." he replied, giving her an endearing side glance, "Her band had their album debut at the club I work at and, yeah... been a bit of a whirlwind but..." Kimberly turned to him and smiled brightly, "It's been an adventure,"

"Ooh, you a... dancer?" Jimin asked, the dimples in his cheeks visible. He nudged Namjoon who gave an appreciative chuckle as he wiggled his shoulders.

"Uh -- no, no. I'm a bouncer," Darius replied, "You know; security. And I'm in school in the day,"

Namjoon translated quickly for Jimin, who gave a quick nod of understanding, then he turned back to Darius, "What're you in school for?"

Kimberly watched from the corner of her eye, found Namjoon's continued curiosity endearing and his eyes lit up when he caught her gaze.

Namjoon caught Kimberly's eye and raised his eyebrows whilst the rest of his face was taught. She broke away first, looking to Darius as he began to speak and Namjoon considered it a tiny victory.

"Finances right now. I wanna' get my insurance license and go into a firm," he shrugged sheepishly, "It's not really interesting, I know. When people ask what I do, I just tell them I work in a club,"

"Hey, c'mon. Insurance is very important!" Namjoon nodded, "You're the proverbial safety net with a fire, or a car accident --"

"Or a snake bite," Darius mentioned, a quirky smile playing at his lips.

Namjoon hissed, "Ooh, ouch,"

"Nah, that's not the bad part, though," he chuckled, "The claim was filed by a guy who broke a window of this other dude's car to steal the crates in his backseat. Little did this poor guy know that the car belonged to a pest control specialist and there was a live snake in one of the crates,"

He squirmed on the spot, still visually invested in Darius' story, "No way..." he mulled it over for a moment, "Hold on though: the guy who broke into another guy's car filed an insurance claim for --?"

"Health insurance. But then the pest control guy turned around and sued him for damages. The robber counter-sued for snake bites and hospital bills, yada yada..." Darius trailed off with a shake of his head, "Welcome to America,"

Kimberly scoffed beside him, "My favourite is still Grand Theft Garden Gnome," she chuckled.

Namjoon's lips pulled into a confident smile again, his focus brimming more on him, selfishly wanting to understand more about her through him.

"Grand Theft Garden Gnome? This ought to be good,"

Darius opened his mouth to explain, though he was suddenly cut off by Jin and Maria's matching defeated cries of frustration. They were playing against Taehyung and Jungkook on the foosball table in the corner, clearly the youngest members of BTS had beaten them.

"I give up!" Jin cried, flailing onto the couch

"You guys have to be cheating," Maria marvelled at them, turning to Suga behind them, "Do they cheat a lot?" she pointed to them. Suga simply shrugged, Namjoon could tell he didn't understand what she saying yet.

"Suga!" he quickly translated for Suga, who's face immediately lit up as he glowered at the younger boys, shaking head.

"No," he spoke quickly. Hobi and Chloe began to laugh beside him, and Jimin got up from beside Namjoon to partake in the teasing.

Jungkook laughed gleefully, "You give up, yeah?" he giggled, eyes crinkled gleefully.

Maria, ever the stubborn one, glowered back at the pair with a sharp "No..." though given Jin's pouting, she was clearly without a partner.

Darius however took pity on her, excusing himself from Kimberly and Namjoon, "Don't worry Maria, I got you," he winked to Kimberly, "Show 'em how we do it on the East end,"

"Knock 'em dead," she sang back.

From his spot on the couch, Jin gave Namjoon a subtle look and a wink, continuing his pout as Darius took up his spot beside Maria. Taehyung puffed up his chest, trying to come off as intimidating.

"Let's go, let's go!" he exclaimed, and with that, another fiery game was on.

Kimberly looked across to Namjoon, who could barely contain his smile, rolled her eyes jokingly, "You might have to postpone your show. Maria's way too competitive, she's not gonna' quit until she wins one,"

Namjoon rolled his eyes and pouted a little, watching his friends go head-to-head as clearly, Darius was proving to be a tough match for them; his game was tight.

"Jungkook is equally competitive, so we might have a problem," he sighed, "We have to let him win at Mario Kart or his entire day's ruined," he smirked, keeping himself from shifting closer to her on the couch.

"Oh no," she chuckled as she looked back at him, brown eyes bright and shining.

He'd been trying not to lose himself in her too often, had purposely ignored the loose hairs falling from her bun, the way freckles across her nose stood out sweetly in the light, had willed himself to focus on the conversation each time her lips had wrapped around the bottle of her drink but now he couldn't not notice it all, admired her up close, fantasized about having her as close to him as Darius had, then bit the inside of his cheek at his thoughts. It would have been impossible.

"... You can sit closer if you wanna'," she said sheepishly, "I won't bite,"

Despite all the control he'd fought for, the arrogance and air of nonchalance he was desperate to exude, hid face lit up, he couldn't help it.

Chuckling, he shifted closer to her, "Sure,"

Kimberly smiled, glancing curiously at her soda bottle, "I... I don't suppose you have anything hanging around that's stronger than ginger ale?"

Namjoon simpered back, "At the moment -- no. We're supposed to keep sharp for the stage," he smoothed the side of his hair back with the flat of his palm. Kimberly couldn't decide if it was nerves that had prompted him, or if he was trying to keep up his act, but either way, he looked effortlessly cool doing it.

"Very fair," she nodded, "I don't wanna be a bad influence or anything, but I could go for a Paloma right now,"

"Is that your favourite drink?"

She nodded, "Mhm. Tequila, grapefruit, and lime. That's it," she replied, "You have a favourite drink?"

"Probably just soju," he said with a shrug, "The watermelon one is my favourite,"

"Soju..." she marvelled aloud, "It's like sake, right?"

"Kind of, but soju tends to be sweeter," he replied.

"Don't judge me, but I've never tried soju," she admitted with a laugh.

Namjoon's eyes went wide, "No kidding?" she shook her head, "That's like never trying water! If I had known, I would've brought some for you,"

"Hey, gimme' a break. I only turned twenty-one a couple months ago," she tucked some loose hairs behind her ear.

He cocked a brow, "But did you only start drinking at twenty-one?" he asked, bringing his voice to a lower whisper.

"Officially -- yes. Unofficially -- no comment," she sipped her ginger ale to make her point, "Were you such a boy scout back in Korea?"

Namjoon smirked back at her, leaning in close, but not close enough to make her feel uneasy. He didn't want her or Darius to detest him for anything, knew that if friendship was all he could have, then he'd take it and hold it close to his chest.

"No comment,"

#bts #bts namjoon #bts taehyung #bts jhope #bts jungkook #bts jimin #bts suga #bts jin #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts x reader #kim namjoon #namjoon x reader #namjoon x oc #original story #original female character #band blog #band imagine blog #band imagines #namjoon

[skinks]

I got tagged by @rockcandyshrike to do a wee music meme post and I’m gonna follow her example and do my top 10 most RECENT repeated songs because that’s more interesting than just my top 10 repeated songs. gives it a lil summer snapshot. I find that I mostly listen to metal and prog in the winter whereas as soon as the sun is actually warm I remember funk and classical exists lmao

1. Breakwater - Release the Beast

However hard you might imagine this song goes, you’re not ready for it!!! Heard this for the first time before the Coheed show the other night, immediately recognised a part of it being the origin sample for the entire daft punk song “robot rock”. This is so insanely good, and my discovery of it coinciding with actual summer weather means I’ve been blasting it while driving around with my windows down nonstop lmao. You’re welcome fellow citizens. The beast is fucking released

2. Bilmuri - BOUTTA CASHEW

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean I stop listening to metal and post-hxc… Bilmuri have never failed me except for the fact that they never tour the UK. The danciest tongue-in-cheek bangers this side of dance gavin dance

3. Halogen - U Got That

SPEAKING OF DANCE!! Who among us can resist a house drop when it’s this chonky. I heard this on a tiktok meme shared to tumblr that I had to do like 3 levels of googling to understand because I’m an old woman. But this song makes me actually want to go to a club for the second time ever in my crone life

4. Caroline Polachek - Caroline Shut Up

I had heard a snippet of one of her songs ages ago and it didn’t wow me, but I gave her new album a try and holy moly!! Really interesting acrobatic vocals plus lush dense intricate dramatic varied production… im in love. Even though this is actually from her first album, it’s the best example of what I like about her stuff. She’s like a mix of Bjork and 90s Madonna and Enya and Imogen Heap. And brother I’m nothing if not a Heaphead. Caroline pls come to Scotland

5. Maria Callas - O Mio Babbino Caro

I got this song stuck in my head and of course it’s so hard to sing along to a soprano aria, but I specifically love this Callas version because the way she really takes her time with the phrasing emphasises the longing of it and it makes me cry

6. bel canto - A Shoulder to the Wheel

Recently discovered there’s a name for an artistic aesthetic I have VIVID memory and nostalgia for from the mid-late 90s - the name of the aesthetic is Global Village Coffeehouse. I found a 50 hour gvc playlist on spotify and have been finding banging new music one of which is this song!! I love the propulsive synths and drums and the DRAMA… let it wash over u

7. Chris Rea - On The Beach

It’s got to be this specific single version not the slower album one! My whole life I only knew Rea as the singer of a pretty great xmas song until this April when my beloved pal added this to our Highland roadtrip playlist. If this doesn’t get you feeling like a neon-soaked sweaty lounge-lizard having a hallucinatory tango under a palm tree with a sexy extra from Miami Vice idk what will

8. Aviations - Coma

Is it really a joe skinks music post if there’s not a 10 minute prog metal song………….

I’m hoping their last two singles this year mean we have an imminent album incoming and it’s gonna SLAP as hard as the rest of their output! Aviations embody everything I love most and seek out in my prog metal; super agile clean AND harsh vocals interacting with the extreme amount of syncopation and intricacy in the instrumental arrangements. Aviations use piano in their compositions better than any other prog band I enjoy. I mean listen to this shit it’s beautiful

9. Stereophonics - Pick A Part That’s New

I had a really fun time making a playlist of songs I remember my parents always playing in my childhood, it’s full of a lot of 90s soul and electronic music and also this… whiny britpop. But it surprised me how much fantastic whiny britpop there is

10. Sumerlands - Force of a Storm

My brother introduced me to this album and it truly fucks how much they sound like an old-school Heavy Metal band while being fully contemporary. Like they truly sound like Sabbath or Iron Maiden but with modern production sensibilities. I LOVE the strength of this guy’s voice. Like if this doesn’t make you feel like a barbarian riding a winged steed and brandishing a massive sword against a dragon drawn by Frank Frazetta idk what will. Can u tell fantasising is how I process music

I will tag @shrikestrike @acuzena @lungtile @kitsune-sam @wordssometimesfail @kelsey-arts @erebones and whomstever else wants to… of course nobody has to if they don’t want

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

IN THIS MOMENT Is Preparing To Record Eighth Studio Album

Grammy Award-nominated hard rock outfit IN THIS MOMENT is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its eighth full-length album.

On Saturday (January 28),IN THIS MOMENT shared the following update via Instagram: "The recording of the new ITM album is about to begin, This album is for you all. Through thick and thin you reman our constant… We cannot wait for you all to hear what we are conjuring up".

Last October, IN THIS MOMENT released an EP called "Blood 1983". The effort commemorated the tenth anniversary of IN THIS MOMENT's gold-certified album "Blood" (2012) and was made available digitally across all digital service providers as well as CD via BMG.

"Blood 1983" was co-produced by Tyler Bates and Dan Haigh, and mixed by Zakk Cervini.

Since coming to life in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT has presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of "mother" figure and frontwoman Maria Brink — joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Dimmel. As millions convened upon the group's otherworldly and unforgettable concerts, they quietly emerged as one of the most influential and impactful bands of the 21st century.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood", the quintet has garnered two gold singles — "Blood" and "Whore" — followed by Top 25 entries on the Billboard Top 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). Bringing their total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast-to-coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Welcome To Rockville to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner) with longtime collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH).

IN THIS MOMENT is Maria Brink (lead vocals),Chris Howorth (guitars),Travis Johnson (bass),Randy Weitzel (rhythm guitar),Kent Dimmel (drums).

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

#maria brink #In This Moment #2023 news

[golikehellmachine]

friday, nov. 4th

it’s the end of a very long, covid-y week full of chills, fevers, and the both hilarious and alarming beginning of the end for twitter as we know it.

anyway, social platforms and websites rise and fall. speaking of, i’m still getting reintroduced to tumblr and don’t really know what — if anything — i’ll do with it on the regular, but for now, i’m leaning toward the idea of using it as a music blog.

which brings us to this!

here’s a friday playlist of mostly new music. i’m going to try to stick with things that are available on bandcamp, whenever possible; if there’s something older, out of print, or worth sharing a video for, i’ll use youtube, but i’m going to stay away from the streaming services as much as i can.

***

first up, this track from soft kill’s newest, ‘canary yellow’. from their social media, it sure looks like they’re on a long hiatus, if not done for good, and i can’t blame them. some of them have young kids now, and they’re stuck in that terrible spot where they’re doing great work, getting good shows, bringing big crowds, but not big *enough* to even break them even by the time they get home from a several week or multi-month tour. the state of the music business is, well, sort of like the state of everything else.

the whole record is excellent, and their best work, by a *lot*. they finally seem to have a handle on both what they’re doing and what they want to do, and i think they got both right here. i’m going to link two tracks, because they’re both superb.

first up, THE LINE. if you caught the 2017 return of twin peaks, you’ll be familiar with the chromatics, ruth radelet’s full-time gig. she takes over vox on this one, and it’s a lovely, melancholy, swaying kind of song.

next up, my favorite from the record, and, i think, the first single, CONGRATULATIONS TEXT. this, to me, feels like exactly what they’ve been trying to get right since the beginning, and this sound is like a sweet little paper boat set sail down the river. hopefully it turns up again sometime in 2024 or 2025, as they’ve suggested it might.

next up is from a debut that seems to be picking up a lot of steam — big joanie. far too much indie and indie punk has been too straight, too male, and too white for far too long, and it’s super dope to hear a band that is none of those.

this record’s out on kill rock stars in the US and (i think?) the UK, and while KRS can be really hit or miss, this one’s right on target. it’s a slow build, with electronic drums, really lovely harmonies, and a good danceable club groove. i somehow managed to get my vinyl of this record last week, and i’ve been listening to it on and off since then.

it’s funny — as a hopeless jawbreaker fanatic when i was a young man, i was, at first, a little unsure of what i thought of jets to brazil, because, at the time, they sounded like such a departure from jawbreaker. now, as an (ahem) older man, i can hear all the ways that jets to brazil were just really a natural evolution from where jawbreaker were by dear you, and this really comes through on ETC., the final jawbreaker odds and ends collection.

i did become a jets to brazil fan, and, in a pretty similar progression, as a young man, i thought PERFECTING LONELINESS was inferior to the band’s debut, ORANGE RHYMING DICTIONARY. i feel exactly the opposite about it, today; i rarely put ORD on the turntable anymore, but this record goes on at least once a month.

this particular song, CAT HEAVEN, used to sound so sappy and trite to me when i first heard it, but now, i think it’s the loveliest song on the record, and my second or third favorite. it’s a lovely ballad, and the final lines of the verse have, once or twice, brought me to tears with their sweetness and melancholy. it’s a real gem.

a true story about rainer maria is that a friend of mine played in a wild, screaming, anarchopunk hardcore band called brother inferior approximately 300,000 years ago, who once did a few tour dates (or maybe a whole tour?) with them. it’s weird to think how you used to be able to catch profane existence-ish hardcore bands right up next to saddle creek emo tearjerkers.

this record felt like it was meant to be their big break, coming in 2003, right around the time that saddle creek bands and rilo kiley were finally getting out of basements and bars and moving into small and medium theater shows. they never really went all that far, but i always thought this single was supurb; it’s urgent, exciting, and feels like the wheels are about to fall off all the way through. even towards the end, in the descending close, it sounds like it might come apart any second.

twitter is a weird place, but there is (or, at least was) a lot that was fun about it, and one of those things was discovering other musicians and what they do.

dan lehner’s a fantastic and versatile trombonist based out of new york, and while everything he’s done is great, this is really, really superb.

DEEP RED BELLS is, of course, a neko case joint from blacklisted, and used to be *very* well known and prevalent anywhere you might hear neko case being played (bars, coffee shops, the supermarket). i think it faded to the background a little once fox confessor brings the flood came out, because fox confessor is such a monster record that it blots out the entire sun, but DEEP RED BELLS is still worth remembering.

dan tells me that sami stevens, the vocalist for this lovely rendition, only had a sort period to prep for it, but you could have fooled me, everything’s in the right place here, including dan’s trombone.

RIP twitter, long live twitter, twitter will never die.

x will never, ever, not be one of my favorites. i do not care that exene is paranoid, i do not care that billy zoom is a right-wing libertarian, i don’t care, it doesn’t matter, shut up. x are an american institution and a permanent american punk rock and americana staple, and all of those idiosyncrasies — unpleasant though they often are — are part of that, too.

we’re hoping to catch them next month at revolution hall, e.g., the venue of choice for people old enough to prefer to sit at shows. of course, they’re much older than we are, and doing all the hard work, and i appreciate them for it every time.

under the big black sun always has and always will be my favorite, and REAL CHILD OF HELL is my favorite from my favorite. there’s a version of this on the excellent documentary “The Unheard Music” which is just john doe and exene working on it together that i wish a full recording existed of, but the full band version is legendary and lasting.

bridal veil are locals here in portland, and friendly acquaintances of ours that we’re working on putting some shows together with in 2023. they’re a really fun live act — which is not always a given with their particular brand of droning, driving shoegaze.

this EP reminds me of some of the best parts of 90s alternative radio shoegaze — enough hooks to keep you engaged, even if you’re not a huge shoegaze fan, lush orchestration, heavy low ends and lovely highs that cut through it. jordan at room 13 did a superb job mixing this exactly right, and if we weren’t already firmly in love with our own engineer and studio, we’d definitely be looking them up.

i don’t know much about this band, other than my partner — whose taste is infinitely, unquestionably better than mine is — telling me that i absolutely have to hear it, and she was absolutely right. nothing else on this record hits quite right like this one does, but this song is such an excellent, raucous good time.

it reminds me, more than anything else, of james at their best, and james at their best were very, very good.

and so we come to the end — tumblr has a ten song limit per post, which seems perfectly reasonable, because otherwise this post, already too long, would go on forever.

not all 00s nostalgia is good; like every decade, most of what was released in the 00s was trash, and that was especially true for a lot of synth.

but not ladytron.

ladytron were always effortlessly, unbelievably cool. the kind of cool you absolutely would not ever meet, at least in the united states. they’ve been consistent from the beginning, but nothing ever quite scratched the same itch for me that light & magic, from 2002, did. until… maybe now? twenty years later, CITY OF ANGELS, the first single from their upcoming record, time’s arrow, might hit the exact same sweet spot that their jet black, white belt, neon breakout record did. it’s sure an enticing thought, enough to get me to pre-order it.

#Bandcamp #soft kill #big joanie #x #ladytron #bridal veil #the great long meadow fire #jets to brazil #bandcamp friday

[daggerzine]

The Clientele- I Am Not There Anymore (Merge Records)

I was extremely excited to hear about a new Clientele release, especially when I noticed that there were nineteen new songs!! They began recording it in 2019 and it is well worth the wait. I loved the “Bluer Over Blue” video (watch below), but what I did not know was that there were many short interludes throughout the album. Nevertheless; those short pieces are gorgeous mood setting masterpieces interspersed at just the right moments. Anyway, The Clientele are back, as a three piece again; Alasdair MacLean on vocals, guitars, tapes, beats, bouzouki, Mellotron, and organ; James Hornsey plays bass and piano; and Mark Keen on drums, percussion, piano, and celesta. 

The album starts off with a whopping eight-minute jam, “Fables of the Silverlink.” You’ll notice right off the bat; the strings kick in immediately. Beats, horns, many additional touches this time around. But still a gorgeous melody and Alasdair’s soft vocals that fans love. Despite its length, it’s a song that you wish wouldn’t end.  Next up, “Radial B” is the first of many beautiful interludes that carry this work of art. “Garden Eye Mantra” is a slower, bluesy piece filled with delicate guitar that sort of meanders its way until a distortion of sound kicks in along with Alasdair’s rapid-fire vocals. “Lady Grey” is a bouncy, string-filled number. A gorgeous melody with nice piano touches.  “Dying in May” is a rat-a-tat percussion battle with strings and shouting vocals. It’s almost tribal sounding with a “Tomorrow Never Knows” vibe, but with The Clientele’s spin on it. See if you agree here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrG7DghQby8   

“Conjuring Summer In” is a short, beautiful piano piece with the spoken word of non-Clientele Jessica Griffin that eventually lets the strings take over.  The first single, “Blue Over Blue, ” is a faster battle between delicate and fuzzy spurts of guitar. Then the horns and strings swoop in until a seesaw organ takes over.  Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-YpCcy05OA   Up next, “Radial E,” by far my favorite interlude; solo, gorgeous piano. “Claire's Not Real” is classic Clientele complete with intricate guitar work along with swirling strings. Check it out here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_r9NgWnPYo  

Next up is “My Childhood,” an eerie reading (courtesy of Griffin again) with psychotic strings rising and falling. “My childhood is this familiar life which seems to be but is not.” This line pretty much sums up what this song is trying to get across. Definitely the most unusual piece on the album.  Track 13, “Chalk Flowers,” is another softer beauty. Simple piano, strings, and Alasdair’s vocals. Possibly my favorite on this album. “Hey Siobhan” is another pretty song that expands with soaring harmonies.  With “Stems of Anise,” the guitar takes center stage with an almost bossa nova rhythm section. Another bouncy gem that will cheer you up.  “Through the Roses” slows things down a bit, but another amazing, dreamy pop song to add to their massive catalog.  Next up is “I Dreamed of You, Maria.” This is a horn-filled, rattling snare drum track filled with elaborate guitar work. Another beauty. The album ends with “The Village Is Always on Fire.” Yes, the nineteenth track unfortunately brings this album to a close. It begins with a cinematic scene complete with more “My Childhood…” readings and then the strings pop in for a battle with the rhythm section, especially the snare. It eventually fades out and the sadness of the album ending sinks in. 

It’s best to capture the brilliance of this album by listening to it all in one sitting, maybe even with headphones if you can. It’s also difficult to pull out one track without wanting to listen to more of this album. More great news, the band is embarking on a US tour later this summer in August. Hoping to catch them in Chicago to see how they will perform these new songs live. I think the first time I saw them was in Madison at High Noon Saloon in 2007 with Beach House opening. I ended up seeing them again there in 2010 with Field Music opening. (I did see them in Chicago at Schuba’s also, but who knows when that was.) The point I’m making is that it’s been way too long since I’ve seen them live.   ERIC EGGLESON

https://theclientele.co.uk/

https://www.mergerecords.com/product/i_am_not_there_anymore

https://theclientele.bandcamp.com/

[mothman-can-write]

Could you elaborate your PUNK AU?

Ohhhhhh you don't know the can of worms you're opening, anon.

Sadly, spoilers :)

For now, I'll try and explain without giving away anything, but please feel free to ask me about this AU once I've started posting (spoilers still to be witheld until revealed, ofc) because i'm a little feral about it in my own brain

The basic premise is your usual band tour AU, where Natasha, Bucky, Wanda and Clint have a punk rock band. Tony can't be their manager for their tour and Maria fills in despite her own past with the punk scene. Natasha is battling recurring issues that she thought she'd managed to shrug a long time ago, and some maybe not so forgotten. Maria is fighting with ghosts and beliefs she's only ever resigned herself to live with forever. Chaos (and a healthy does of angst) ensues.

Whilst the focus of the fic isn't sexual, it is about the alternative scene in the 90s, and Maria and Nat both have complicated feelings around the topic so it will be rated mature/explicit and there will be some explicit scenes that are plot relevant along with the general... Vibe of queer 90s divebars

Some bonus things that may interest viewers in no particular order:

Nat beating up and/or humiliating dickheads

Transfem butch Maria

Nat plays lead guitar and Maria plays drums

Almost comically long slow burn

(Hopefully) a lot of grundgy emo punk vibes <3

#responses #Punk AU #ramblings

[basstunnicliffe]

ANNOUNCEMENT: 2023 Tour

I have a new project and I'm thrilled to use this run of dates to explore new music from outer space in independent venues around the UK.

Bass Clarinet: Maria Lamburn Drums: Laurie Agnew Keys: Ross Hicks

Shout out to all the venues and to Jack Tyson Charles + Big Hogg for gifting the support slots, Andy Garside for the graphics and Tom for the photography.

16/02 - Ucheldre Centre, Holyhead 17/02 - The Blue Bell, Conwy 09/03 - The Rum Shack, Glasgow 27/03 - The Bell Inn, Bath 20/04 - Cadwaladers, Criccieth 21/04 - Cellb, Blaenau Ffestiniog 22/04 - The Swellies, Caernarfon

#uk music #uk tour #uk jazz #uk band #independent music #unsigned music #unsigned band #unsigned jazz #independent jazz #holyhead #anglesey #north wales #ynys mon #Conwy #Gwynedd #Glasgow #Scotland #Bath #Big Hogg #Cadwaladers #Criccieth #CellB #Blaenau Ffestiniog #The Swellies #Port Dinorwig #Felinheli #Caernarfon #Wales #Cymru #Nowhere Ensemble

[atlfics]

Missing in Action- All Time Low Fanfiction

Jack doesn't act like himself on tour, to the concern of his bandmates. Word Count: 4881

TW: depression, references to suicide

More notes at the end. 

“Thank you so much Denver, be good to each other out there, and we’ll see you next time! We love you!” Alex exclaimed as the last notes of Dear Maria came blaring from the amplifiers.

Alex danced around the stage as his bandmates jammed around Rian’s drum kit, and the crowd went wild, screaming and clapping as the show came to a close. Once the jam was over, the four of them walked up to the front of the stage to throw guitar pics, setlists, and drum sticks out into the crowd.

Alex grinned from ear to ear as he watched the fans excitedly try to catch everything, then made his way offstage a few minutes later. The rest of the band followed him, Rian and Zack walked together, and Jack trailed behind them, walking slowly and looking down at the ground.

“That was a great show! I think it was one of the best of the tour so far!” Rian stated, grabbing a towel from a crew member to wipe off some sweat.

“Dude, we’ve only played, like, five shows so far, isn’t it a bit early to say that this is the best show?” Zack asked, making everyone but Jack laugh.

“Well, I guess you could say that it’s been the best show of the tour so far, we still have twenty more shows to play before we decide which one is the best of the whole tour. The show did go really well, but I can’t get used to this altitude here. We’ve played Denver almost every time we’ve toured, but the altitude kills me a little bit every single time,” Alex continued, clearing his throat.

“You still sounded good, man, but this altitude is a lot. I’m just glad that we’re going to a flatter state next,” Rian said.

“That’ll be nice, and I’m so glad we have a hotel tonight, too. I don’t hate sleeping on the bus, but a huge king bed is definitely a thousand times better, even if I have to share it with Rian,” Zack replied, making Rian roll his eyes.

“We’re basically leaving now, right?” Jack quietly said, reminding his bandmates that he’d been standing there the whole time in silence.

“Yeah, we do. I guess we should get on now, so we don’t get left behind,” Alex joked, awkwardly laughing.

He was a bit concerned about Jack; he hadn’t been acting like himself all day. Jack had been extremely quiet and to himself since the previous night, but it had gotten much worse over the course of the day. Part of him wanted to ask Jack what was going on, he wanted to make sure that his friend was okay, and help if something was wrong. Despite this, Alex also knew that Jack typically came to someone on his own when things were rough, and Alex trusted that this situation would be the same.

After everyone shared an awkward smile at Jack’s response, the four of them walked out the back door of the venue, then onto the bus. They all greeted their driver, who let them know that they’d be stopping for gas once they were out of the area of the venue, then took a seat in the front lounge. Alex was surprised that Jack had joined them, but hoped that this meant that Jack was starting to feel okay from whatever was bothering him, if something had been bothering him at all.

“Alright, well we have a little over an hour until we get to the hotel in the next city, how should we pass the time?” Alex asked his bandmates, earning shrugs in response.

“I think I’m going to go nap in my bunk, I’ll be back there if you need me,” Jack replied, awkwardly getting up and looking down at his feet as he disappeared to the bunk area.

Alex, Rian, and Zack all exchanged confused looks while they waited to make sure that Jack was out of earshot. After a couple minutes, Alex opened his mouth to speak.

“Okay, is it just me, or does he seem a bit off?”

“I was thinking the same thing. Has he talked to one of you guys about whatever’s bothering him? He hasn’t come to me, I would’ve said something if he did,” Zack continued, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Same here, he hasn’t said anything to me, either. I wonder what’s up with him, he normally comes to us when he’s upset over something,” Rian pointed out.

“Exactly, that’s what worries me, it’s not like him to just isolate like this. I mean, he’s normally pretty happy, and doesn’t get upset or sad, so it’s weird that he’s even down about something. I really wanted to ask him what was going on, but I’m hoping he’ll just come to me soon like he normally does. I don’t want to make him feel awkward or anything, but I want to know what’s up,” Alex explained, sighing as he grabbed a bag of chips.

“Well, hopefully he will soon. Maybe he’s waiting until we get to the hotel to talk to you about it, so it can be a bit more private,” Zack suggested, making Alex shrug his shoulders.

“Yeah, maybe that’s it. I guess I’ll find out. Hey, do you guys want to play a game on the Play Station? I kind of want to get my mind off of this,” Alex offered, getting up to turn on the console and grabbing three of the four controllers.

“Sure, we haven’t played anything in a while, but I’m still going to kick both of your asses!” Rian exclaimed, making his friends laugh.

“We’ll see about that, Dawson! Let’s play a racing game,” Zack requested, as Alex selected his profile and the game that Zack had mentioned.

Alex quickly set up the game, then they started to play. As they played, Alex tried his hardest to stop himself from worrying so much about Jack. For all he knew, Jack could be just fine, maybe he was just tired from having to readjust to life on tour. Sure, he normally didn’t have such a drastic personality shift like this on past tours, but they were getting older, maybe that’s what this was. The three of them continued to play until they felt the bus slow down as it pulled into the gas station.

“I want to get some food, or a snack, or something, I’m really hungry. Do you guys want to come with me?” Alex offered, as his friends stood up.

“Sure, that sounds really good. Should we invite Jack?” Rian suggested.

“Yeah, you guys go on in, I’ll see if he wants to go, then meet you inside,” Alex proposed, walking towards the bunks while Rian and Zack made their way off the bus.

Alex knocked on the side next to Jack’s bunk, then saw Jack barely pull back his privacy curtain.

“Are we at the hotel?” Jack asked, his voice small.

“Nah, not yet, we’re at the gas station. I just wanted to see if you wanted to come in with us and grab something while our driver gasses up the bus,” Alex offered, sympathetically smiling at his friend.

“Um, I think I’m going to stay here, I don’t really want anything. Thanks for the offer, though,”

Alex sighed, he wanted to know what was going on, Jack was acting so unlike himself that Alex didn’t even feel like he was talking to Jack, he felt like he was talking to some other person in Jack’s body.

“Okay, um, I guess I’m going to go on in, then. I’ll let you know when we’re close to the hotel. If you think of something you want in the next few minutes, text it to me, and I’ll grab it for you,”

“Thanks, Alex,”

Jack pulled his privacy curtain shut, then Alex heard him shift around in his bed for a moment before the bus was filled with silence. Trying his hardest to not worry about Jack, Alex got off the bus and went into the gas station, where he saw Rian and Zack standing by the slushie machine.

“He didn’t want to come?” Rian asked, filling a huge cup with cherry slushie.

“No, he said he didn’t want anything. I’m still going to grab some snacks for him, just in case he ends up wanting something later. Do you know how far we are from the hotel?” Alex asked, grabbing a slushie cup.

“We’re about twenty minutes out, that’s what our driver said when we saw him filling the bus. I’m so excited to sleep in a real bed tonight, I’ve missed having a real mattress,” Zack continued, making Alex laugh.

“Dude, we’ve been on tour for a week, not two months, you slept in your own bed at home less than a week ago,” Rian pointed out, making Zack shrug his shoulders.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that this bus has mattresses that are clearly from a college dorm! I swear, when we visited our friends who went to college, they had beds that were more comfortable than the ones we have now!” Zack exclaimed, as Alex filled his slushie cup.

“Maybe so, but we have a lot more touring in front of us, so you’d better get used to it! Let’s get in and out of here so we can get to the hotel before it’s insanely late,” Alex suggested, before leaving his friends to browse his snacking options.

After a few minutes of looking around, Alex decided on a couple bags of chips and some candy for himself, and the same for Jack. Once the three of them paid for everything, they got back onto the bus, and took their same seats from earlier. When they were situated, the bus began moving again, as it got back onto the main road.

“I’ll wake Jack up when we’re about five minutes from the hotel. Until then, do you guys want to play again? I think I’m owed a rematch!” Alex exclaimed, grabbing his controller.

“You’re so on, good luck beating me!” Rian replied, as Alex started a new game.

The three of them played and ate their snacks until their driver announced over the intercom system that they were just a few minutes out from the hotel.

“I’m going to go get Jack now, can you guys turn off the console and put everything away?” Alex asked, standing up.

“Sure, we can do that,” Zack replied, walking over towards the Play Station.

Alex walked over to the bunk area, then knocked on the side of Jack’s bed like he’d done earlier. He didn’t get any type of response, confusing him some.

“Jack, we’re just about to be at the hotel, you need to get up,” Alex tried, still knocking.

Alex couldn’t hear Jack at all, and the privacy curtain never moved. As much as he didn’t want to invade Jack’s privacy, he had to get Jack up so they could walk into the hotel, so Alex pulled back the curtain and immediately felt his jaw drop. Jack wasn’t there, his bunk was completely empty, except for a couple pillows and a blanket.

“Oh, shit,” Alex muttered, his mouth still open in shock as he went back out to the front lounge.

“Alex, are you okay? You look like you just shit a brick,” Rian pointed out, as Alex took a seat.

“Jack’s not back there,” Alex finally replied, watching his friends’ faces mirror his own.

“What do you mean he’s not back there? He stayed here when we went to the gas station, where else could he be? Do you think he’s in a different bunk or something? Like, maybe he’s trying to be funny,” Zack suggested, making Alex immediately shake his head.

“No, I didn’t check, but I don’t think he’s in a silly, joking mood right now. You guys can come look with me back there, but I don’t think he’s on this bus,”

The three of them quickly went back to the bunk area, both checking a few beds each with no luck. Alex quickly looked in the back lounge, and Rian checked in the bathroom, both being unsuccessful in finding their friend.

“Fuck, this isn’t good. I’m going to try calling him. Ri, can you tell the driver that we probably have to turn around and go back to that gas station?” Alex requested, pulling out his cell phone and going to Jack’s contact.

Rian walked up to where the driver was, while Zack and Alex sat back down in the front lounge as Alex called Jack. After a few rings, it went to voicemail.

“I just told the driver to turn around, did you reach him?” Rian asked, sitting back down with his friends.

“No, he didn’t answer. I should’ve just asked him earlier today if something was going on, this wouldn’t have happened if I’d just been a good friend in the first place,” Alex continued, sounding upset with himself.

“Hey now, don’t blame yourself for this, dude. You just didn’t want to be invasive, you did think that you were being a good friend. We’ll find him, don’t worry,” Zack assured, putting a supportive hand on Alex’s back.

“We’ll find him if he’s even still at that gas station, what if he’s been wandering since we left? It’s been a while since we were there, he could’ve gotten really far since then,” Alex stated, putting his head into his hands in frustration.

“Wait, I know how we can see where he is!” Rian exclaimed, pulling out his phone and unlocking it.

“What do you mean, Rian? I mean, unless you’ve got some type of chip implanted in him or something,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, it’s not in him, it’s in his phone. I’ve never told you this because I didn’t want you to make me disable it, but I have all of your all’s locations on my phone,” Rian replied, showing Alex his screen.

Alex was looking at a map with three icons that had the first letter of his first name, along with Zack’s and Jack’s.

“Right, um, why do you have this? This is borderline creepy, dude,” Zack pointed out, to which Alex nodded in agreement.

“No, it’s extremely useful! On our last tour, there were so many times where Jack and Alex would get plastered on a night off and bar hop without telling anyone. Trying to speak on the phone with you guys would be useless, usually the signal would suck, the bar would be loud, or you’d be too fucked up to form coherent sentences. I put this on all our phones for if that were to happen again, and now I’m really glad I did. It looks like Jack is still at that gas station, sitting behind it,” Rian explained, pointing to the icon with the letter J in it.

“Shit, I guess he is. So, you’re sure that your location tracker thing is accurate, right?” Alex asked, grabbing Rian’s phone and staring at the screen.

“Well, it worked great on our last tour, so it should be. We weren’t in an area with no reception, so it should be current,” Rian replied.

“Man, I hope so. I still can’t believe this happened, I should’ve checked on him when we got back on the bus or something, like, I just feel like this could’ve been prevented had I just tried to be a better friend,” Alex continued, sighing.

“Like I said before, this isn’t your fault, Alex, so don’t blame yourself. It’s all going to be okay, we’re on the way back to him now, and we’ll figure out what’s going on, okay?” Zack assured.

“Zack’s right, this isn’t your fault, but it’ll all be okay. Let’s just try to stay calm until we get back to the gas station,” Rian added, patting Alex’s back.

The ride back to the gas station was the longest fifteen minutes of Alex’s life. Never before had he felt so desperate to be somewhere other than where he was. He knew that he’d be having a conversation with Jack now, and he felt nervous for it; sure, he’d talked Jack down before, but this seemed entirely different than all the past times. Normally, Alex went into conversations like this feeling confident that he could help, but he didn’t feel this way now. He couldn’t help but wonder why Jack didn’t come to him earlier, and why it had to turn into this situation.

Eventually, the bus stopped moving, and Alex saw the gas station from earlier out the window.

“Do you want us to go with you, or do you want to go yourself?” Zack asked, as Alex stood up.

“I think I’m good to go alone, I also don’t want him to feel ambushed or anything. Is he still in the same spot, Ri?” Alex asked, turning his attention to Rian, who was still looking at his phone.

“Yeah, it looks like he is. If you need something, just text us, we’ll be here,” Rian replied, a sad smile on his face.

“Thanks, guys, I’ll be back as soon as possible,”

Alex walked out of the lounge, and thanked the driver for stopping, before walking off the bus, and towards the back of the gas station. Jack was sitting on the ground, his back leaned up against the building, and his head in his hands. He was crying and shivering, as it was a chilly October night.

Alex quietly made his way over to his friend, not wanting to startle him while he was in such a vulnerable position. He slid down the side of the building to sit with Jack, who still didn’t know that Alex was there, then Alex put a hand on Jack’s shoulder, making him jump.

“Shit! Who’s- Alex, is that you?” Jack frantically asked, his quiet voice cracking as he spoke.

“Yeah, it’s me, dude. Sorry to startle you, I didn’t mean to sneak attack you like that,” Alex replied, trying to keep his tone even, despite his nerves.

“What’re you doing here? I figured that the bus left already,”

“Well, it did, we actually almost made it to the hotel. I went to wake you up, and you weren’t in your bunk, or any of the other bunks, or the back lounge, or the bathroom. After panicking that you were gone, we realized that you probably got off here, and came back. What’s going on, Jack? Why did you sneak off the bus to stay here, while almost giving the rest of us heart attacks?” Alex demanded, his tone more stern than he’d intended.

Jack looked back down at his lap as he cried some more. Alex scooted closer to Jack and put an arm around his shoulders, hugging him as tightly as he could while he cried. They stayed like this for what felt like hours to Alex; the uncertainty and cold air made this moment feel like time had been paused for the two of them.

Eventually, Jack’s crying began to subside, and his breathing started to become even. He used the sleeves of his hoodie to wipe his eyes, before turning back to face Alex.

“Sorry about that,” Jack finally said, sounding embarrassed.

“Don’t apologize, it’s okay. What’s going on, Jack? You’ve been distant since yesterday, and you’ve had this sad and depressed demeanor that I’ve never seen you have before. To be honest, I wanted to ask if something was up the moment you started acting different, but I didn’t want to pry, you normally come to me, or Rian, or Zack, when something’s going on. What makes this time different?” Alex asked, his tone much more sympathetic this time.

“Um, it’s kind of a lot, if I’m being honest. We can go back on the bus and get to the hotel so we can sleep, if you want,”

“No, that can all wait, I want to see what’s going on with you first, that matters way more to me right now. I don’t want to force you to talk if you’re uncomfortable doing so, but you’ve got to understand, I’m worried about you. You’ve not been yourself, and you snuck off the bus, probably hoping that we wouldn’t realize and come back for you. Please, I just want to help you feel okay again, dude,”

Alex pulled Jack closer, and rubbed circles into his back. Jack shifted around uncomfortably, then finally settled into his spot.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you, but sorry in advance, because it’s probably going to sound really dramatic and stupid,”

“I’m sure it won’t dude, and I’m not going to judge you; I want you to talk to me because you’re my best friend and I love you, and I just want you to be okay,”

Jack took one last deep breath before clearing his throat so he could speak clearly.

“Alright, well, remember how after our last tour, I was diagnosed with depression? I mean, I knew I had depression for a long time before getting that diagnosis, but it was made official then?”

“Yeah, I do. I’ve thought that you’ve been handling that really well since then, to be honest. You’ve not said much about it,”

“Right, well, it’s not really been good since I got that diagnosis. Some things have gotten better, I’ve learned real coping skills that don’t involve me drinking myself into oblivion, but some things have been worse. My thoughts have been a lot lately, um, they’ve been kind of scary, and even if I do all of my new coping skills a thousand times over, the thoughts are still there,” Jack explained, his voice wavering again.

“What thoughts have you been having, Jack?” Alex bluntly asked, still rubbing Jack’s back.

“Quite a few, but the main ones have to do with feeling unwanted. I don’t know what it is, or why I have these thoughts, or how to get them to shut the fuck up, but I’ve been waking up most days lately, feeling like a huge burden on everyone in my life. You guys, my other friends, my family, everyone. Like, I feel like everyone in my life just tolerates my existence because they have to, not because they want to, or because they like me. Sometimes, that gets a little darker and I-“

Jack cut himself off, his voice cracking as he started to cry again. Alex reached the arm that had been at his side the whole time around, so he could wrap Jack into a proper hug.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay. You said it could get darker, what did you mean by that, man?”

“Um, well, I’ve never actually said this out loud to anyone before, even the therapist I was seeing prior to this tour, but, um. The thoughts I just mentioned, sometimes feeling unwanted can make you feel other things, too, things that are just as stupid sounding. There have been days lately where I don’t know if I want to be here anymore, where I don’t know if I want to wake up the next day. I’d never actually do anything to myself, I’m too scared to do anything like that, but sometimes not being here sounds nice, then I wouldn’t have to feel unwanted and like I’m a burden on other people,”

Jack’s tone was shaky and quiet, saying these thoughts out loud was clearly very difficult for him to do. Instead of crying again, Jack focused on taking deep breaths and looking down into his lap. Ever since he’d gotten off the bus earlier, he’d done a great deal of crying, he didn’t feel like he had anymore tears left, and he wanted to speak without getting emotional; he just wanted to communicate how he was feeling, and he wanted to get the thoughts he’d been having somewhere else aside from his head.

“Jack, man, I’m so sorry, I had no idea that you’ve been thinking like that recently. Why didn’t you come talk to me, or the others? We would’ve done everything we could to help you,”

“It’s hard, it’s so fucking hard to talk about, man. Like, I know that everything my mind is telling me is wrong, like, logically, I understand that. Despite understanding that, I still can’t help but think those things, and believe them to be true. Over the last couple days, I’ve been feeling so unwanted, and I wanted to talk to you about it, but I couldn’t make myself do it, it made me feel like a burden. That’s why I decided to sneak off the bus, I didn’t want to keep myself in a space where I was making myself feel unwanted, and I think part of me wanted to see you guys come back for me, to prove myself wrong,” Jack continued, still looking down at his lap.

“Well, did it work? Did you prove to yourself that me and the guys care about you?” Alex questioned, loosening his grip on Jack a bit.

“For now, yeah, it did. You guys actually came back for me, and you’ve proven that you care about me just by having this conversation with me. So, for now, I feel good, but that doesn’t mean that this feeling will last. I bet I’ll wake up tomorrow and feel the exact same way that I have the past few days. I’m not going to do something as stupid as this again, staying behind at what seems to be a pretty shady gas station, but I’ll come up with other stupid shit that I could do instead,”

Jack shifted around a bit, putting his head into his hands. Alex sighed, he hated to hear his best friend talk about himself in this way.

“Well, if you feel like this again, come talk to me, Rian, or Zack. We all love you, man, and we’re happy to listen and help in any way that we can. This band wouldn’t exist without you, and my life wouldn’t be as good as it is if you weren’t in it,”

“You’re just saying that,” Jack replied, rolling his eyes as he looked back over to Alex.

“No, I’m not. Meeting you in eighth grade was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You completely changed my life, partly due to the band, but also just because of who you are. When I met you, I was a shy, insecure kid who was afraid of his own shadow. You took me under your wing on my first day at your school, and ever since then, you’ve talked me up when I’ve needed it, and you’ve been an amazing friend all around. I’m so lucky to have you in my life, and so is everyone else that has that privilege. You’re not unwanted, or a burden, you’re my best friend, and always will be,” Alex assured, making small smiles start to appear on their faces.

“Thank you for that, it means a lot to me. I should’ve just come to you when it started getting bad, I shouldn’t have tried to handle it alone. You’ve always been really good at talking me down in times like this, I should’ve used my resources better,” Jack joked, awkwardly laughing.

“Yeah, you should’ve, but I also could’ve come to you, I could’ve asked you what was going on. I was waiting for you to approach me, I didn’t want you to feel cornered or forced to speak, and I was worried about reading into something that wasn’t even there. I’ll come to you next time I think you need it,”

“Thanks, Alex, that means a lot. Sorry about all this, I didn’t mean to cause such a scene and delay our traveling schedule. Thank you for coming back for me,”

Jack and Alex exchanged a smile as Alex pulled Jack back into a tight hug.

“You don’t have to thank me for that, dude. You’re my best friend, I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. Also, sorry to bring this back up, but the really dark thoughts you mentioned, if you think them again, please let me know. I don’t want you to think about not being here, and shit like that, okay? It’ll never be a burden, I promise,” Alex assured, sounding serious.

“I will, don’t worry. Hey, it’s really fucking cold out here, should we get back to the bus?”

“Good idea, let’s do that. Oh, I grabbed a couple bags of chips and some candy for you when we were here earlier, but if you wanted something else, I think the gas station is still open,”

“Hm, maybe we could take a quick look inside? To be honest, ice cream sounds really good right now,”

“You know what, I was thinking the same thing. Come on, let’s go,”

Alex stood up, then extended his hand to help Jack up. They exchanged one last smile before walking into the gas station together. Alex and Jack knew that this likely wouldn’t be the last conversation like this that they would share, but that was okay. They could always count on one another to be there, and that was all that mattered.

A/N: Hey guys, this was a request for zack_and_alex on AO3! I haven't written a request in a pretty long time, so I really enjoyed working on this! I have more fics in the works, and plan on posting again soon! As always, please send in requests or ideas if you have them. Also, my next fic will be my 300th, which is absolutely insane to me; thank you for the continued support, it means the world. -Liv

#Alex Gaskarth #Jack Barakat #Rian Dawson #Zack Merrick #ATL #all time low

[operafantomet]

POTO DUBAI

Lifting up a question from a previous post:

"Any comments on the Dubai production? From what I have seen on Instagram, the colour palette of costumes is strangely muted, it looks a bit drab as a result, unlike the opulent original. Cheaper no doubt, but looks about 10-15 years too late in terms of silhouettes. Erik’s organ in its rocky niche is a nice gothic touch"

The current Middle East Tour started its life as a sit-down production in Romania in 2015, with design by Andrew Riley. The same production opened in Norway in 2018, but then massively vamped, with pimped sets, a new and fierce chandelier, and an overall upgraded costume design. This production continued to Greece, and now the Middle East, closing in Dubai as we speak and heading to Kuwait Bulgaria next.

I agree that the palette is fairly muted. It's an incredibly blue production, if anything. There were scenes I would have wanted a splash of colour, of red, of green, of pink, of yellow. After two hours there is a certain blue overdose. The overall mood is this:

But I like the set design a lot. Moody and monumental but still with enough blank spaces where the imagination can kick in. And very much a nod to the Palais Garnier throughout, but other angles and details than Bjørnson's design. I am especially fond of the ever-present Garnier-esque proscenium and chandelier, as well as the "torn" drum-structure featuring the organ or dome on the other side, and a diagonal staircase on the other side.

The mock operas and the glittering mirrored hall for Masquerade are the only to break the "blueness". Here's the main look for Il Muto:

And the two main looks for Masquerade, the first being very golden, and the second very red.

As for the costume design being a bit "late" for when POTO is traditionally set - yes. I've done two off-hand interviews with people involved in this production. One of them told me that it was the London office encouraging non-replica productions to seek out other time periods, other styles, other looks, to not become Maria Bjørnson blueprints. That is why you have inter-war style in Estonia, non-defined or modern-day style in Finland, Serbia and Bulgaria, 1860s movie clone in Poland, and Edwardian/Belle Epoque in this particular production.

(there ARE non-replica production doing full-blown Victorian, hereunder Hungary, Czech Republic and the Mediterranean version, so it doesn't seem to be set in stone. But the word used was encouraged, not demanded)

There also seems to be a will to do things opposite of the original. "So the Phantom wears his mask on the right side? Then we'll go left!"... "Oh, so Christine is a brunette? Then we go blonde!"... "Oh, so Meg is a blonde? Then we go brunette!"... Yeah.

I hope that answered your questions/comments and gave some links and stuff to explore further :)

#poto romania #poto norway #poto greece #poto middle east tour #phantom of the opera #andrew riley #non replica #scenography #costume design

[sixthemusicalextras]

2022-23 UK Tour Swalt Q&A (minus Leesa)

@/natpilk1 on Instagram, 11 June 2022

Q: If you could be one of the ladies-in-waiting, which one would you be and why? Natalie: I think I'd be Maggie on the guitar! Grace: I'd be Maria on the drums! Harriet: I think I'd be Joan so I'd get to shout in peoples' ears Natalie: Nice. I think Maggie 'cause she's cool, but they're all cool!

Q: If you could relive any moment with SIX, what would it be? Natalie: I've got a few for this... I would relive my engagement 'cause that was amazing, probably my debut, 'cause that was amazing, probably the last night with the old cast 'cause that was also incredible, and West End debut!

Q: Were you interested in the Tudors before you got the role? Grace: When I got the job, ehrm, someone got me a secret Santa present - and got me a Catherine of Aragon book. Natalie: 'Cause you were interested in them - Grace: 'Cause I was interested in them - Natalie: They're all well interesting [They then proceed to sing the Horrible Histories Wives of Henry VIII song]

Q: If you had a different colour alt costume, what colour would you pick? Grace: I wouldn't change mine. Mine's the best. Natalie: Rude! I wouldn't change mine, 'cause *mine's* the best. Harriet: *joking scoff* Mine’s the best...

Q: Best palce you have toured with Six? Natalie: I would say probably that Dublin and Belfast, but for the theatre this place is pretty good. Grace: I really liked Edinburgh 'cause I made my debut there! Harriet: Edinburgh for debut, but I had a really lovely time in Kingston! Natalie: Yeah, Edinburgh was really good - buzzing for Glasglow, as well.

Q: Favourite track you've played? Harriet: (whispers) Aragon! Grace: I dunno. I like them all. Natalie: I like Catherine Parr, I think. And Cleves.

(The queens answered a lot more questions than this, but these were the ones I wanted to keep for reference)

#six the musical #six 2022-23 uk tour #natalie pilkington #harriet caplan-dean #grace melville #q&a

[epistrophyarts]

Epistrophy Arts presents

Meridian Brothers (Bogotá, Col)

With Superfónicos (ATX)

Tuesday August 16. 8pm

Antone's Nightclub (305 E 5th St., Austin, TX 78701)

Tickets $25 advance, $35 door

“Genius prophets of colombian weirdness" - MTV Iggy 

“For those who haven’t heard previously heard them, Colombia’s Meridian Brothers are easily among the most interesting groups in South America” - AFROPOP

“Tuneful, clever and enormous fun” - THE GUARDIAN 

“The Meridian brothers push all boundaries of what you think you know about music. Promise, you'll love it” - NPR 

“So why listen? Because it takes a strong will and clear musical vision for a band to cut through all the music for which Colombia is known” - NPR 

“A dream world between electronic experimentation and regional folk” - LE MONDE 

“Tropical madness from the most consistent of all the “world for club culture” labels. Twisted cumbia at around 150BPM... terrorises the dancefloor!”- GILLES PETERSON 

Colombian guitarist and composer Eblis Alvarez started Meridian Brothers back in 1998 as a vehicle for his own experimental music.  Over the years, the group has evolved into a five-piece band focused on re-interpreting all manners of Latin Tropical styles with a strong psychedelic and experimental sensibility. The Meridian Brothers’ music uses popular Latin American rhythms, augmented by sampling techniques, elaborate effect processing, and Eblis’ quirky and theatrical vocals, which channel imaginary characters with both pathos and humor.

The group has released records on Soundway records, Names You can Trust and Bongo Joe and have proved very popular in South America and Europe where the band has toured extensively and has started to reach out to an audience more familiar with indie rock and experimental than Latin music.

Meridian's new album is a tribute to New York's 70's era Salsa Dura. For the project, they have created an avatar, a fictitious group named El Grupo Renacimiento, and written a new repertoire trying to emulate the writing style of those late 60's and early 70's groups while retaining the Meridian Brothers idiosyncratic style of arranging and recording. The sound of instruments has been modified to fit the Meridian electronic templates, and the result is a fantastic album true to the spirit of Salsa Dura and in line with Eblis Alvarez two decade-long experiment with Latin tropical sounds.

The album will be released on the Ansonia label - a historical Latin label that was specialized in Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban music from the 1960's and has only recently been revived and has made its catalog finally available on digital platforms.

Meridian Brothers new album will be their first release in over 30 years - a nod from Ansonia Records to the legacy of Latin music history as it steps into the modern era.

Eblis Alvarez has been an intricate part of the new generation of Colombian musicians for the past ten years. He is also a former member of Frente Cumbiero and a current member of trio Los Pirañas.

Meridian Brothers include Maria Valencia (saxophone, clarinet, percussion and synthesizers), , Cesar Quevedo (bass) and Alejandro Forero (electronics and synthesizers) Mauricio Ramirez (drums)

Superfónicos is Colombian Funk. Better yet, it is Caríbe Soul…fed by the Indigenous and African roots of the band’s Colombian heritage, telegraphing a politics of peace and unity from the stage to your ears. They only ask that you dance toward a place in your mind beyond struggle and strife.

Superfónicos was formed when bassist Nico Sanchez and guitarist Erick Bohorquez began discussions about creating a group with a foundation in Afro-Colombian rhythms. They soon teamed up with guitarist Andres Villegas and percussionist Daniel Sanchez, and started rehearsing together during time away from their other bands. That core group developed the band’s unique sound, laying the foundation of what was to come. In 2016, gaitero and vocalist Jaime Ospina—who has recorded with the likes of Pacha Massive—relocated from Colombia to Austin, where he met and instantly connected with the group. It was also during this time that the band met with famed local producer and Grammy winner Adrian Quesada at Level One Sound. Their recording session resulted in a sound that not only encapsulates a moment in time but helped to define Superfónicos as a collective. It is a musical mestizo that is ever-changing but deeply rooted in Caribbean flavors.

Epistrophy Arts is a grass-roots cultural organization dedicated to presenting the finest adventurous and improvised music in Austin Texas. Since January of 1998 we have presented over 50 concerts with some of the major figures in international contemporary adventurous music

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

Portugal. The Man – The Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ – February 23, 2024

Portugal. The Man – an alternative rock band originally from Alaska, now based in Portland, Oregon – brought their most recent tour to Asbury Park to the iconic music venue The Stone Pony. Celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, the legendary club is where artists like Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi got their start. It Is a legendary club filled with lots of history. A sold-out show at the indoor stage with an age-diverse crowd unlike I’ve seen before at any show.

The night started with the incredible Philly based opening act, SNACKTIME. The group formed just recently during the COVID-19 Pandemic, performing small street shows in places around Philly like Rittenhouse Square. The band is made of seven members, with jazz, soul, funk, pop, hip-hop, and R&B influences which are heard in all their music.

The band had almost every instrument you could think of up on that stage. Saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, guitar, and even a sousaphone! They paid tribute to Bon Jovi by singing “Livin’ On A Prayer,” definitely a crowd favorite. Their energy was infectious, and the crowd loved them, some even there just to see them! They left the stage, introducing Portugal. The Man.

Before Portugal. The Man came out, the band had Lakota Harden come out onto the stage to discuss her story about growing up as an Indigenous young girl and how rock n roll saved her life. She is an activist for Indigenous rights and welcomed an Indigenous father and daughter to share a song welcoming the crowd to the show. It was an amazing and unique way to kick off an already great show.

The band came out strong with a long instrumental set with the crowd going insane with excitement. With such a large discography and their first album dating back to 2008, they had so many songs and such little time to perform all of them. Their setlist was incredible, with a great mix of songs off their newest album, Chris Black Changed My Life and their older albums like Evil Friends and The Satanic Satanist. Their stage presence was unique as they seemed to really care about just the live music and not the glitz and glam of performing. They were in their element and focused solely on putting on a good live show.

The band had their opening act, SNACKTIME, back on stage to help them out with some songs with horns. “So Young,” the first song they performed off their album Woodstock, was a crowd favorite. The crowd was packed wall to wall but that didn’t stop anyone from having    a fun time. The fans were jumping and dancing around with loved ones and strangers brought together by their music. The band started wrapping up their set with their biggest hit “Feel It Still” off their album Woodstock, which won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group performance at the 60th annual Grammy Awards in 2019. The song peaked at number four    on the Billboard Top 100 chart eight months after its release and went 7x platinum in the US.

This was the loudest the crowd was the whole night, people dancing and screaming throughout the entire song. The show was incredible and at such an amazing venue with a great history in the music industry. A show with Portugal. The Man is one you will not want to miss.

Maria Gilles

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: February 24, 2024.

Photo ©2024 Maclay Heriot. Courtesy of Atlantic Records. All rights reserved.

#Portugal. The Man #2024 #Concert Reviews #The Stone Pony #Asbury Park #Maria Gilles