TPOL rough draft....

Rockin’ in the USA:
This project was intended to be used to research music in context with the history and the events during that time. In addition to historical research we also were asked to write and performance original song. Writing a song is much different than writing a paper or a poem or even a personal diary and performing the song was even harder. We practiced for so many hours for a three minute performance and we didn’t get the chance to try again if we messed up. I really enjoyed writing the song though. My group also made it really easy to work together to write the music so everything went really smoothly. When I was younger I always loved to write songs for fun and to get different emotions out. As a group we all decided to study the genre of Indie music. I know I like indie because of the wide variety of sound that indie bands and artists have written and composed. I never realized how new indie music is and how unique of an idea it was. I always thought that artists wrote their music because it was something that they truly believed in. I now realize that there are so many artists out there that would give up their original sound for a bag of gold, so to speak. Indie is defined as an independent artists that won’t sell out their sound for any price. It first originated from punk rock in the 1970’s and 1980’s, a bunch of people who had something to say about anything would create a band and sing about what was on their mind. At first indie was a lot more of an abrasive sound rather than now, where it is more of a guitar pop sound. Once indie became more mellow it was also becoming more mainstream and that led to commercial success. In the 21st century there were a lot of indie bands playing free concerts for universities because college students could relate to the lyrics and liked the music.

The main reason I am so passionate about school is partially because of my goals in the future, I want to have as many options as possible. I love spending time learning, studying, and researching animal behaviors and sciences. If I do choose to persue veterinary medicine as I hope, I know I can never be too well versed on any material having to do with animals. I chose for my TPOL to study, understand, and compare animal instincts versus human instincts. Edward Wilson, a credited ---------, discorvered the theory of sociobiology: the -----------------------------------------------------------------------.

Current Events- Keeping SUVs?!

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/06/12/suv.irpt/index.html

Summary/ Significance: People are finding a bright side of our very dark and unfortunate climate situation. Unfortunately, the bright side they found isn't going to help our environment. People in Texas are buying the SUVs and trucks that so many Americans are deserting for more fuel efficient cars. The low prices on the older models mean, lower car insurance rates, and smaller, if any, monthly payments. One man in Texas said he was snatching up the used cars as fast as he could so he could sell them in south America for double the price and they are in high demand there because of the lower gas prices.

I personally believe that it is important for our economy and our earth that people continue selling their big cars for smaller cars with better gas mileage. But I would rather see those older cars be recycled and reused then have car companies putting even more energy into making more cars that we shouldn't need. Is recycling bad in this situation? hmmmm..... ?

Music Project- Indie

New Indie: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=107443193
MySpace Girl
by Bubble Boy

Middle Indie: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=1244976
Don't Cry Out
by Shiny Toy Guns

Older Indie: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=20745745
Familiar Ceiling
by Phil Spector



Indie-- also known as independent artists and record labels-- has been played and recorded for as long as popular music has been. Though some indie musicians were frowned upon by major record industries and others, these musicians weren't in the business to make tons of money but to play what they were passionate about. And really isn't that what music is all about?

The thought behind indie, or alternative music, is that the musician has the freedom to play and write music that is completely genuine unlike some Pop bands that will play anything for a bag of gold. It really wasn't until the mid-1900s that indie song writers began popping up every where. Now there are hundreds of bands classified as indie.

Indie was first sparked after punk rock in the UK during the 1970's. They were bands supported by small independent labels; this is why they were classified as indie because they were on independent labels. They gained their popularity from the independent magazines; their music was popular among a small group of music lovers. Indie rock music was inspired by punk music, '60s pop music and counterculture, and occasionally electronic music and European pop. One of the first indie bands to become successful was The Smiths; their music influenced other Brit pop bands during that time. In the US indie was classified as music that branched off from alternative that was inspired by movements from 1970's and early 1980's. Also indie music was associated with abrasive, distortion-heavy sounds. Then in the 1990's in the UK indie music was connected to mainstream music as a result they got commercial success. During this time many indie bands were signed to major record companies or major independent companies were bought by major record companies. So during that time the label "indie" was applied to commercial guitar pop. During the same time in the US, the events were quite similar to the ones happening in the UK. Then in 2000 the indie music attracted many college students so bands like Silversun Pickups, The Kooks, etc offered to play shows for free to gain recognization. It may seem ridiculous to some people that the bands aren't signing with major labels but that shows that they aren't there for the money and they are just out to have fun, do what they love, and share that with the rest of the world.

http://fluff.info/blog/arch/00000158.htm

cover song:
http://www.jamglue.com/search?category=All+of+Jamglue&query=Kooks
Seaside
by The Kooks

We chose to use The Seaside because of its simple but beautiful lyrics and music. The kooks are a great example of one of the many indie bands to make it big in the 21st century. The Kooks made it big in 2004 after playing free concerts at colleges and universities. The song, The Seaside, we believe was inspired by the the lead singers home town, the Yorkshire seaside town of Saltburn.

With all of us soon to be leaving for college I know I personally can relate to loving my home town and all the memories I have had hear.

Seaside - The Kooks
Tabbed by: Alex Branchini
Tuning:EADGBED
#m F#
Do you want to go to the seaside?
B# C#
I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to go
D#m F#
I fell in love at the seaside
B# C# G# F#
I handled my charm with time and slight of hand
D#m F#
Do you want to go to the seaside?
B# C#
I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to go
D#m F#
I fell in love at the seaside
B# C# G# F#
She handled her charm with time and slight of hand
D#m B# C#
But i'm just trying to love you any kind of way
D#m B# C# G#
But i find it hard to love you girl when your far away ... away

O Pioneers!

Cather, Willa. O Pioneers! New York. Houghton Mifflin Company: 1995.

Reason, Type and Setting:This book was recommened to me by my librarian based on the other books I have read. This is a book that takes place in the late 1800s to the early 1900s in Nebraska and is about the hardships a pioneering family face.

Plot: At the beginning of the novel we find that Alexandera Bergson, the main character, is in town talking to a doctor. Her father is on his dying and after his death her mother also passes away leaving the four kids to live alone on their farm. Everyone in the county seems to be leaving because of how difficult it is to farm the land there but the Bergson family sticks it out despite the brother's unintrest and they eventually hit it big and make tons of money on their crops. Alexandra is constantly being faced with problems of loosing a loved one, whether they must move awaya or pass away, she is constantly in rough positions.

Character:Alexandra is the oldest of the siblings and she is described as a strong and independent young woman. As the book goes on I saw that she was indeed physically and emotionallystrong but the more that happens in her life the reader sees that she has a lot to deal with and it isn't as easy as she makes it seem. I feel like I could relate to Alex in a few ways and that was what really captivated me.

Evaluation: I did enjoy the novel and I found the plot interesting and emotional. The novel wasnt one I would say kept me wanting to read, but I did feel like it was interesting and I was able to have more insight into life in the 19th century. I also liked the aurhors message to never give up on the things that are important to you, like the land to Alexandra and to her father. If there is something you truly love or care about you should do your best to preserve it and to work towards saving it.

Even though the book takes place two centurys ago I still felt like it had a lot of important information that could be translated into our work and lives today. There arent many people I know now that are farmers but I do know people who have hardships at home and in their work and it has made me realise that despite how hard things get we shouldn't always fight them, we should try to fix them and stay strong like Alex. I would have liked to see more closuer on some of the ending issues but other than that I did think the novel ended well.