Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
Breaking Up in 2017
No matter what background, everybody has experienced heartbreak. This is a list of songs that make you feel better by empathy. The link to the playlist on Spotify is below.
Elayna ForanPublished 6 years ago in Beat
Returning to Manchester Arena
Manchester Arena opened its doors in 1995. It's been through a number of incarnations and to my knowledge had four different names as sponsors have come and gone. In the twenty plus years since its launch, the arena has been host to thousands of the superstar names in the entertainment industry.
Richard DouglasPublished 6 years ago in Beat
Sweet December Day
In 2016, I was scheduled to open up for Leon Russell at the Tower Theater in Bend, Oregon in May. When a tour bus broke down, that show was postponed to December 7. When I realized this was the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I felt compelled to write a song to commemorate this auspicious day, a "day that will live forever in infamy." Only since it happened 28 years before I was born, I knew next to nothing about it.
Victor JohnsonPublished 6 years ago in Beat
A History of the Ubiquitous Air Horn
For those struggling to place this half-beloved, half-hated sound, give thanks to the internet for providing us with a site that instantly plays an airhorn soundbite for all your air horning needs, wherever, whenever.
Jane LiangPublished 6 years ago in Beat
Laughs Weren't All You Were Getting Last Night!
There's nothing like amazing music to make a point. With a team of winners, there is nothing that can stop you. That is why I chose this song by "Nas & Puff Daddy- Hate Me Now" it gives off strength and confidence, which I felt last night. I had all my friends there to support my new album.
Satin DollPublished 6 years ago in Beat
Deconstructing the House Of God
I bought the King Diamond album, House Of God, the day it was released in 2000. I was the first one in the piddly town I lived in to buy it. It had a wild story, excellent guitar work, some wild album artwork painted by Thomas Holm (who painted classic Mercyful Fate and King Diamond album covers in the 80’s) and a few new King voices that were never heard before, or ever heard since. I’ve listened to the album a lot, but never really paid attention to hidden meanings the songs might hold. It wasn’t until recently that I was listening to it on Spotify that I realized at least three of the songs reflect how I felt during certain times in my life.
Nick FalknerPublished 6 years ago in Beat- Top Story - December 2017
7 Worst Songs of 2017
As 2017 quickly draws to a close, its time to toughen up and dissect the best and the worst of what the musical world had to offer these past 12 months. While the majority of people seemed to detest 2016 as a whole, the music we were gifted wasn't actually as bad as one would think. However some of the worst trends to saturate popular music in 2016 have only seemed to worsen, growing larger and more inescapable every year. It just seems that recently pop music has lost its "pop," leading to more and more mediocre instrumentals and lyrical themes to spread like generic wildfire. It is with this in mind where we shall begin to take a look at some of the worst songs to come out in 2017, however we shall first set some ground rules. First off, as with any musical or cultural commentary, this list is entirely subjective. I have my own theories and ideas as to what makes music "objectively" bad (as if there were such a thing), and these biases can be greater understood by reading some of the other works I've done on popular music. Second, this list won't be exploring the worst deep cut off of the album that your cousin's German neighbor put together using a 4-year old version of FL Studio in his basement, rather this list will be focusing on songs that are either by well known and successful bands or artists, or songs that were simply successful themselves. With this in mind, let us begin this list with:
Matt KnightPublished 6 years ago in Beat 
The Best Concert Experience
When you hear a band for the very first time it can be amazing and very emotional. I say emotional because sometimes a song let alone the band themselves can touch you like nothing else can. The words they sing, relate to your thoughts and relate to you as a person.
Mandy PetitPublished 6 years ago in Beat
Daddy Stingray Returns with his Sweet Talkin' Symphony
Who knew that without Daddy Stingray the world we know would barely exist. All the more remarkable since his musical sting and songwriting only blesses us every 15,000 years. In the desolate interim, Daddy Stingray lives in a cave nestled beneath a volcano. But he does at least make frequent appearances as Dave Hoffman - father, husband and entertainment scene professional.
Rich MonettiPublished 6 years ago in Beat
Review: Metro Boomin & Big Sean's 'Double or Nothing'
I'll admit it, this one took me by surprise. I wasn't necessarily shocked that Metro Boomin and Bug Sean would work together, but it was more so the fact that the album seemingly dropped out of nowhere. I was excited to hear what Metro had in store for us this time. After all, just a couple of months ago, he dropped his album Without Warning with21 Savage and Offset. Unlike Metro Boomin, this is Big Sean's latest addition to his growing discography since February's I Decided which featured chart-toppers like "Moves" and "Bounce Back." Becuase of all of this, I couldn't wait to listen to what the pair had in store.
Kaya SabirPublished 6 years ago in Beat
'All My Troubles'
I'm not perfect, but I don't really think being perfect makes for very good songs anyway. I always get my best inspiration when I'm feeling some sort of way, especially if I'm angry, sad, or frustrated with a situation, with myself, or another person. And in the case of this song it was all of the above. I wrote this song in probably ten minutes; and if you ask any other songwriter that's usually the time frame of either genius or disaster, but I'll let you be the judge of that. The day this song poured out of me like warm molten lava from a volcano, it was extremely cathartic. I sat down on my cloud bed (yes, that's right, my bed feels like a cloud) with my guitar, pen, and my journal, and I wasn't really upset in that moment, but I had been thinking about myself and my past, and how I'd gotten to where I was at that moment. And then it hit me. I'm human, I make mistakes, and I'm not perfect; And that includes my relationships, and my stupid choices with questionable characters. I often question my own character, and I'm definitely not an angel. But, that doesn't mean I deserve or anyone else deserves to be treated less than, because of their mistakes. And that's where the lines, "If I turn myself inside out; Bare my soul for all to judge me now; You would see, I'm far from an angel baby; I make promises I can't keep; I want to make love instead of breathing." come from. I was never afraid to jump, but always afraid once I was in the water... of the unknown consequences looming in the darkness. I've always associated love with sex. That's how I thought you were supposed to receive love. And when I wanted to feel love, that's what I sought out in my relationships. It wasn't about finding a 'soul mate' although I craved that so desperately (and I still crave that type of dreamy connection). I convinced myself that's what it was; but it was never about love for the other person. But, also for me I think it was more of wanting to feel wanted. To feel accepted, and to feel enough. And that was definitely my first mistake growing up. And where I firmly believe 'all my troubles began... at 15 at a homecoming with a boy I thought I loved. Let's call him Toby. I met Toby the summer before my Sophomore year of High School through a friend when I worked at a skating rink in my home town. She was dating one of his friends and Toby was tagging along one night. Afterwards we went to this old lot that had a bunch of sand dunes and goofed off for a while and talked. I was very green to dating, never even kissed a boy and I was just super excited to have someone interested in what I had to say. Someone who was completely different from me in every way. I was really into punk rock and emo and wore a lot of black then (I still wear black and listen to emo haha) and went to an Arts High School (for creative writing). He was really preppy and was on the baseball team at his Private School. We went on a few dates after that, normal things like bowling with a group and the movies. A couple months later he asked me to his homecoming, and that's when I met his first girlfriend, who wasn't yet over him. And she was a cheerleader. His school was really small so everyone knew everyone, and I was the odd one out in more ways then one. I wasn't into sports, I didn't listen to rap, and I hated heels. I was so uncomfortable. He had been pressuring me to give it up to him for a while; we had been together 6 months; he also told me that he only did it with virgins, and my insecure, naïve little head didn't see anything wrong with that. But, despite everything, I thought he loved me, and I thought he was worth the beginning of a long and crazy journey of discovering my own worth. We ended things a couple months after that because his ex kept texting me mean and awful things from his phone (like she was going to tell my father that I had sex) and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I kind of became a little depressed and withdrawn after that. I wrote a lot of sad poems and stories and let my grades slip. But, I ended up meeting a really nice boy who started working at the rink, and (again using a boy to validate my happiness) I thought I was 'whole' again. The lines, "I want to feel even if it's pain," I think are my favorite out of the whole song, because it's so true. When you're hurting you want nothing more then to numb yourself in any way possible. But, I think actually owning up to those feelings, staring them in the face and saying, "I'm not afraid of you," and letting yourself really feel it, and consume it, and understand it completely; that's when you start to heal. "I've got my scars no ones ever seen; Yeah, I'm real good, I'm real good at hiding my shame; I'll be the first to smile, and say everything's okay; Then I'll leave you before you can walk away" — I'm always the first to say goodbye, the first to push people away, and the first to run away when things get hard. For the first time ever in my life, I've been in a relationship longer than 4-6 months. I really have no idea what I've done differently with this one other than not ending it when I really should have. I can tell that this one (we'll call him Nick) really does care for me, but he has some scars too, and not just metaphorically; he almost lost his life in a motorcycle accident a few years ago, and maybe I just feel compassion for him. More than I've ever felt before. It hasn't been easy, though. Nick has had some trouble with the law, and I have no idea why that didn't scare me away, either. Maybe because I'm in my 30s now, and he's 26 and makes me feel young. Or maybe it's because I'm in my 30s now and I'm afraid of being alone. We're always haunted by our mistakes, the ghosts of our tribulations constantly floating in the back of our minds, and our hearts. But, in the end they're what shape you, make you grow, and learn, and able to conquer the next misadventure, loss, or struggle. You are strong, you are loved, you are worthy, and you are enough.
Alex MariePublished 6 years ago in Beat
Holiday Gift Ideas for the Vinyl Enthusiast in Your Life
If you know someone or are someone who collects vinyl, you know the hobby doesn't stop at just the records themselves. Frankly, it's more than just enthusiasm—it's obsession.
Will VasquezPublished 6 years ago in Beat
