EVANESCENCE My all time favorite band is Evanescence. I consider them to be extremely talented both individually and as a whole with a wide variety of topics in their music and a wonderful range of music itself. I listen to Evanescence whenever I get the chance be it walking with my iPod, while taking a shower or just at home making very my own concert swearing (and yet knowing its definitely not true) that my voice is just like Amy Lee's. I was first introduced to this band by my cousin when I was 10 years old and ever since I heard the amazing music of "Bring me to Life" plus the chilling piano solos and beautiful vocals of "My Immortal" I was hooked, even against my mother's criticism that they were too "goth" and "suicidal" for me to be listening to at such a young age.
Since then I have anxiously waited and listened to the songs of their 3 CD's in addition to other singles and EP's that have been released. Their variety of topics and tones were there for me all the time, but especially during my preteen and teenage years where in anger, sadness, strength and confusion I would find solace in the lyrics of each song. As of today listening to Evanescence's music always makes me feel empowered, strong, capable of anything... except singing like Amy Lee, or playing the drums like Will Hunt, or the bass like Tim McCord ... or the guitar like Terry Balsamo or Troy McLawhorn. But other than that, while listening to their music I'm pretty sure I can do it all, especially if it's their latest CD's first single "What You Want".
Evanescence is a highly influential band having touched the lives of many teenagers as you can tell by the posts left on their official Twitter page. In addition they helped raise funds for the relief of the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti with their charitable single "Together Again" and often include topics in their songs about issues that are important to the band members such as sex trafficking in their song "My Heart is Broken".
AND YES, I went -in arena- to their concert on an unforgettable October 6, 2011 accompanied by my also fan boyfriend. The intensity of the music and the feeling in my chest as soon as the drums reverberated and I saw them come on stage is indescribable and has yet to be superseded.
And still to this day, each and every time I hear a song they played at the concert I am transported back to that night and can feel the vibrations and emotions as vividly as that day.
Since then I have anxiously waited and listened to the songs of their 3 CD's in addition to other singles and EP's that have been released. Their variety of topics and tones were there for me all the time, but especially during my preteen and teenage years where in anger, sadness, strength and confusion I would find solace in the lyrics of each song. As of today listening to Evanescence's music always makes me feel empowered, strong, capable of anything... except singing like Amy Lee, or playing the drums like Will Hunt, or the bass like Tim McCord ... or the guitar like Terry Balsamo or Troy McLawhorn. But other than that, while listening to their music I'm pretty sure I can do it all, especially if it's their latest CD's first single "What You Want".
Evanescence is a highly influential band having touched the lives of many teenagers as you can tell by the posts left on their official Twitter page. In addition they helped raise funds for the relief of the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti with their charitable single "Together Again" and often include topics in their songs about issues that are important to the band members such as sex trafficking in their song "My Heart is Broken".
AND YES, I went -in arena- to their concert on an unforgettable October 6, 2011 accompanied by my also fan boyfriend. The intensity of the music and the feeling in my chest as soon as the drums reverberated and I saw them come on stage is indescribable and has yet to be superseded.
And still to this day, each and every time I hear a song they played at the concert I am transported back to that night and can feel the vibrations and emotions as vividly as that day.
 MAROON 5 Another of my favorite artists are Maroon 5 which I've listened to since my preteen years when I heard "She will be loved" for the first time thinking what a beautiful song is was and how unique the vocalist's voice was. I usually listen to them while driving or working on the computer. After listening to a few songs I was convinced of their talent, individuality and musical variety. Their variety of topics, themes and musical patterns can take you from lovable, to full of hate in no time; and that is exactly how I feel when listening to them. Depending on the song I could be dancing, thinking about someone (in a good or not so good way) or just singing along with hottie front man and vocalist Adam Levine. Unfortunately I have never been to a concert because the time they came to PR I didn't have the money and still regret it horribly. One of the most important aspects of Maroon 5 that I consider worth mentioning is that contrary to many other bands the original members are still the same since their beginnings, they have attended college despite starting their career young and they financially support many charities dedicated to Tsunami relief, gay rights and the environment. |  EMINEM Marshall Mathers better known as Eminem/Slim Shady is considered by me and many to be one of the most influential rappers of the past decades. His music, rhythms and beats have always had a unique style combined with strong, emotional lyrics with messages that often reflect his view of society, his personal problems or just making fun of pop culture. I remember listening to Eminem for the first time in the 90's courtesy of my older brother and at the time not being able to understand half of what the songs was about but bopping my head to it nonetheless. Now when I hear the songs both old and new I have a completely different view and appreciation of what they mean and enjoy them even more. Be it while driving, cleaning or showering Eminem definitely brings out the angry critical side of me, noticing everything from abusive relationships to overrated pop artists to political issues. Exactly why I consider him to be such a relevant artist because in his own words from the song The Real Slim Shady "I'm like a head trip to listen to cause I'm only giving you things you joke about with your friends inside your living room". And that is the essence of his music, things that many people go through, think or critique; the only difference is having the courage of saying it out loud. |
To learn about an artist
Usually artists, bands and musicians alike have their own official page, an official fan page and many other sites made by enthusiastic followers, magazines or tv programs. Also with social media being such a big part of today's activities musicians take advantage of this having their own Myspace, Twitter and Facebook accounts. It was these types of pages that I looked at, as would any fan when researching an artist of interest
Evanescence
Official Page - The official page has many things that cater to a fans needs: biography, videos, music, photos, news, store, link to fan club and of course contact infomation with the bands label. The only thing its lacking is information of the artists that influenced the band and awards they have won. And one very important detail I missed was the information of the beginnings of the band.
Twitter Page - Official twitter account for the band it includes the latest updates of new releases, giveaways, tour dates etc.
All Music Page - The all music page is a type of database that focuses on the band, its biography and discography. Interesting facts I found on this site was that it included the credits for movies and tv shows where some songs have been used and the different awards that have been one by the band. The only thing I could not find on any of the pages was information on the charities that the band supports.
Maroon 5
Official Page - A very user friendly site with pretty much any information a fan would need. It has the official biography, latest news, tour dates, audio, video and photos of the band. Not to mention links to the fan page and shopping page. It is what a person would expect from an official site. The only thing I consider missing from this page is information on the charities and philanthropies of the band, which I think are nice aspects to know of the artist to have a view of what is important to them other than obviously music.
Official Fan Page - Very similar to the official page, it has a stronger focus on fan interaction having a special section for the bands Twitter news feed, the fan club mailing list and more emphasis on the latest news of the band members. Both pages are missing awards, credits and inspiring artists.
Rolling Stone Page - Rolling Stone Magazine online has somewhat of a database on bands and artists which has a small bio and links to the main sites. Since it is very basic info it doesn't contain photos, videos or tour dates.
Eminem
Official Page - Not as user friendly and informative as other official sites I've seen. Focuses only on information about the upcoming CD and links to the merchandise and social pages. No photos or biographical information (although for any bio you can just listen to his songs).
IMDb - Since Eminem is not solely a rapper he has his very own IMDb page that contains his biography, photos, videos and credits to movies that include his songs as part of the soundtrack in addition to credits where he is an actor or producer. As a bonus it includes personal details and trivia about him
Myspace Page - Definitely not a user friendly page! Which might have something to do with how long it's been since I visited Myspace, I guess there were a couple of updates I missed out on. The page does have an extensive archive of this music which I thought was really nice, it also includes artists similar to him and who influenced his career, photos, videos and a space for future concerts when on tour.
Evanescence
Official Page - The official page has many things that cater to a fans needs: biography, videos, music, photos, news, store, link to fan club and of course contact infomation with the bands label. The only thing its lacking is information of the artists that influenced the band and awards they have won. And one very important detail I missed was the information of the beginnings of the band.
Twitter Page - Official twitter account for the band it includes the latest updates of new releases, giveaways, tour dates etc.
All Music Page - The all music page is a type of database that focuses on the band, its biography and discography. Interesting facts I found on this site was that it included the credits for movies and tv shows where some songs have been used and the different awards that have been one by the band. The only thing I could not find on any of the pages was information on the charities that the band supports.
Maroon 5
Official Page - A very user friendly site with pretty much any information a fan would need. It has the official biography, latest news, tour dates, audio, video and photos of the band. Not to mention links to the fan page and shopping page. It is what a person would expect from an official site. The only thing I consider missing from this page is information on the charities and philanthropies of the band, which I think are nice aspects to know of the artist to have a view of what is important to them other than obviously music.
Official Fan Page - Very similar to the official page, it has a stronger focus on fan interaction having a special section for the bands Twitter news feed, the fan club mailing list and more emphasis on the latest news of the band members. Both pages are missing awards, credits and inspiring artists.
Rolling Stone Page - Rolling Stone Magazine online has somewhat of a database on bands and artists which has a small bio and links to the main sites. Since it is very basic info it doesn't contain photos, videos or tour dates.
Eminem
Official Page - Not as user friendly and informative as other official sites I've seen. Focuses only on information about the upcoming CD and links to the merchandise and social pages. No photos or biographical information (although for any bio you can just listen to his songs).
IMDb - Since Eminem is not solely a rapper he has his very own IMDb page that contains his biography, photos, videos and credits to movies that include his songs as part of the soundtrack in addition to credits where he is an actor or producer. As a bonus it includes personal details and trivia about him
Myspace Page - Definitely not a user friendly page! Which might have something to do with how long it's been since I visited Myspace, I guess there were a couple of updates I missed out on. The page does have an extensive archive of this music which I thought was really nice, it also includes artists similar to him and who influenced his career, photos, videos and a space for future concerts when on tour.
In their words
Evanescence
“Forget the place you're trying to get to and see the beauty in right now...”
“If people make fun fun of you, you must be doing something right”
“This moment right now between us and the fans, it feels like a celebration, a homecoming, a family reunion”
"Must be exhausting to lose your own game" (Call Me When You're Sober)
Maroon 5
"I was the music dude that was naked all the time with the girls, and that's fine, no problem with that."
"If I were too smart, I would realize all the ills of the world."
“Mothers, we love you. Thanks for making us.”
"So scared of breaking it that you won't let it bend (Misery)
Eminem
“If you have enemies, good that means you stood up for something.”
“Damn. How much damage can you do with a pen?”
“If there's not drama and negativity in my life, all my songs will be really wack and boring or something.”
“Imma be what I set out to be without a doubt undoubtedly.” (Not Afraid)
Wrap it up!
Click on the names of the songs to see the videos and I really hope you enjoy them and give yourself a chance to listen to different styles. As you can see my musical taste is very varied (how I think it should be!) and I hope you can learn something both about me and these very talented people through my post.
Some fun facts I came across while doing my research of them is that Amy Lee from Evanescence will always have something water related in her videos: it could be raining on her, she's drowning or walking into the ocean the point is water will always be an element of her videos. Maroon 5 was originally called Kara's Flowers they even had an album under that name which never really took off and then exactly 10 years after they originally formed Kara's Flowers their first album as Maroon 5 "Songs about Jane" went platinum. And Eminem is left handed, was arrested at age 20 for shooting at a cop car with a paintball gun and at age 9 was beaten so bad by a bully that he spent over a week in a coma.
The internet is pretty much a double edged sword for many artists; on the positive side it gives them what they need: exposure. It allows people to listen to a song, like it and find out more information about them. It facilitates research, such as the one I did for this post. But to the negative the internet is filled with false information about many artists and is a tool for easy piracy which of course harms them and their labels. In addition its possible for songs, information and photos to become leaked against the bands will.
Some fun facts I came across while doing my research of them is that Amy Lee from Evanescence will always have something water related in her videos: it could be raining on her, she's drowning or walking into the ocean the point is water will always be an element of her videos. Maroon 5 was originally called Kara's Flowers they even had an album under that name which never really took off and then exactly 10 years after they originally formed Kara's Flowers their first album as Maroon 5 "Songs about Jane" went platinum. And Eminem is left handed, was arrested at age 20 for shooting at a cop car with a paintball gun and at age 9 was beaten so bad by a bully that he spent over a week in a coma.
The internet is pretty much a double edged sword for many artists; on the positive side it gives them what they need: exposure. It allows people to listen to a song, like it and find out more information about them. It facilitates research, such as the one I did for this post. But to the negative the internet is filled with false information about many artists and is a tool for easy piracy which of course harms them and their labels. In addition its possible for songs, information and photos to become leaked against the bands will.
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