VIDEO: DIANE BIRCH COVERS TEARS FOR FEARS "EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD"



Diane Birch once again creates a timeless classic of a timeless classic, taking on Tears For Fears 80's hit "Everybody Wants To Rule The World." Her latest album, Speak A Little Louder, is out now. 

Penny S. Cilpen's Birthday Is One For The Books: Deleted Scene

READ PART I of Penny S. Cilpen's Birthday Is One For The Books

READ PART III of "Penny S. Cilpen's Birthday Is One For The Books"

ALTERNATE JAKE CONVERSATION:
“Jake you were going to forget my birthday this year, and I feel like we are growing apart. I’m very sorry I tried to force you and Ally and Gouda to surprise me. By the way, my favorite cake is tiramisu.”
“OH! That was it. I know it started with a T.”
“Jake I’m just a little confused. I thought you were going to forget it was my birthday.”
“Why? I never forget, and I forget pretty much everything.”
“I just felt it coming on.”
“How?”
“It was like two weeks and I didn’t hear anything and…”
“So—you feared us forgetting your birthday?”
“Wow. Feared. I don’t know about feared.”
“You feared it.”
“I was afraid you guys were going to forget.”
“And what does that mean, us ‘forgetting?’”
“That for one, it’s not a priority, and two, you don’t really care as much as you could, and three, that we’re moving apart.”
“Hmm. And how are we moving apart?”
“Well, we’re growing up. You’re about to do some traveling, Gouda’s got his own business, Allison is going to grad…”
“And how are you changing?”
“I got a new job.”
“I’m not a rocket scientist, but all the changes with us have been happening for a while. Your change happened this year—you’re changing more than all of us.”
“So, Rocko what are you saying? Are you saying this is my fault?”
“I’m saying look at how you’re looking at it. That’s all.”
“Listen, I feel as though birthdays are special to me. And I can’t convince you why. I’d just think you’d honor that and show me you respect it. It’s like my thing.”
“Yeah, your thing. We all have different things.”
“Really, like what, what’s your thing? Like what’s your “thing” with me.”
“Hmm—Well one of my things, here’s one. I hate when you walk behind me.”
“That’s weird.”
“If I’m talking to you, you shouldn’t be walking behind me, it’s disrespectful. We should be walking side by side.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I said it! And another thing that drives me up a wall is when I start opening up to you and then you get a call and you just “have” to take it. I feel like you have stomped on my ego.”
“Whoa.”
“Yeah that’s my thing. Do you have a call?”
“My phones on silent Jake. Dang!”
“No that’s just my thing. Everyone has one.”
“So now knowing that, if I didn’t cater to your thing, how would you feel?”
“Well, you see Penny, it depends. I know I’m valid but I also know I’m biased. I can’t expect you to satisfy my feelings all the time, especially when that’s my issue.”
“So suppose I didn’t satisfy your feelings at all, like showed a blatant disregard, would you feel…”
“Some type of way. To tell you the truth, yes, but again, Penny, it’s really all how you look at it.”
“For real, Jake, that’s bull. Perception is very tricky. There’s a thin line between apathy and perceptive caring. There’s a point in which someone does not respect your vulnerable areas to the point of neglect.”
“Yes, but there’s balance in everything. I’m not here to stomp on your weakness, but I’m also not here to feed it.”
“So when you first heard of me wanting you to plan something, was the want even valid to you?”
“I don’t count, Penny, but no, it wasn’t.”
“How could you say that?”
“Girls always ask me for my opinion and then when I give it to them…”
“Ok Jake, I’m going to breathe. I can take it on. Speak.”
“When’s the last time you celebrated your birthday?”
“Like 3 weeks ago.”
“Buzz. Wrong. When’s the last time you celebrated your birthday?”
“Is this a trick question? Three weeks ago. If you do not remember I can recall it for you. I called you and asked you…”
“Penny. Look at me.”
“What?”
“Are you looking at me?”
“Yes. Do you have your contacts on?”
“Look me in the eye and tell me when the last time you celebrated your birthday was.”
“The question, if I dare repeat it, is when…was the last time I celebrated my birthday. You mean me?”
“Yes.”
“You mean…”
“You actually celebrating your own birthday.”
“I celebrated it with other people.”
“What have you given yourself in the past 18 years?”
“Nothing.”
“There.”
“So?”
“You should try to give something to yourself. Stop looking at us. You want our love—you want our appreciation. Number one- we always have given that to you from the get, and always will, but number 2, it starts with you. And on the other hand, I just don’t understand birthdays. Birthdays are full of vanity. Everyone thinks they are the princess and the king on their birthday. Everyone bow down to me, kiss my mother-fricking crown.. The birthday-zilla. I don’t see you as that self-absorbed. That’s why I can’t understand why birthdays are your thing.”

“Wait a sec Jake. Hold up.”
“Go.”
“You went to Chucks birthday fiesta this summer, and not to mention Tino’s toga birthday party last month. How are you telling me you think it’s vain and you go?”
“Sidenote—Tino is a birthday zilla. He made all of us draw straws to see who would serve him breakfast in bed because we lost a sports bet to him, and I got the shortest straw, so I had to do it. And he was wearing a crown the whole time.”
“Haha. So you cooked him breakfast?”
“No I ordered it, hid the packaging in my bookbag, put it on a tray and there you have it.”
“I thought you could cook!”
“I can but he likes his bacon a certain way, I was just like forget that mess. But anyway I have fun there, at the birthdays and stuff, but I know it’s vain. It’s like a movie to me. I really feel like life is a movie. And people love movies and try to recreate them. And I get it, but I see past it.”
“So this is a watery opinion you have.”
“Hear me out.

Everything you see about birthdays and galas of friends is media oriented. Tell me the last time you celebrated the birthday of someone who never had a birthday. Or gave back? And when was the last time a movie directed at teens with a birthday scene became famous for a “small get together?” People put out images that they feel would be ideal to the general public. It’s not exactly real.

Instead of looking without, consider lookin within. I say do that for just one year, and see how people will flock to you to shower you with love. The love you already have. The love you wouldn’t have to look for. In addition to that, I just feel as though if you didn’t care so much about it, or want it so much, it would find its way to you. Like something you have that you never put a desperate energy to having that I want is the ability to meet anyone I want. You, Penny, can just make a phone call and people just answer you. I want to meet the ever gorgeous Pamela Anderson. That’s not just within my reach. I want it so much, but it comes at ease to you. A part of it is also because you’re not so attached to that.”
“It gets to the point in which it looks like I’m taking it for granted.”
“Well....”
“Ok Jake, that’s all I can take.”
“Okay. I’m not pressuring you to not be you; I just wanted you to challenge yourself to look at it differently. I don’t like seeing you suffer. I don’t mean to sound like a pain in the ass.”
“Wait…”
“Sup?”
“I am very grateful for you. Thanks.”
“I didn’t do anything, but your welcome. Pizza tomorrow at 3?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Me neither.”
--GB







VIDEO: MATEO PERFORMS "KEISHA" WITH LOOPS


Mateo creates another innovative video playing around with his song "Keisha" on a Boss Loop Station. The machine records and repeats a sequence of sound, and sequences can be added to create background to a tune. 

Watch as he adds beats to the Loop Station, turns around and performs  the tune effortlessly, and deletes parts of the loop at the end.--GB

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FRESH RÉ


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Fresh Ré is a crew that there's no need to sleep on.  The young band from Ireland consists of five members who are all teens. They provide allure in their pop sound, and  they're a captivating talent that you will remember. 

The name "Fresh Ré" means "The Next Generation;" it's a new epoch in time, and it is represented by the youth of it's members. But before taking a listen to these youngin's doing it big overseas, theres just five things you should know about them before they dominate the globe.

When I Was a Kid...

When I was a kid.. I never could color inside the linesI really tried to color inside the lines because I wanted the picture to be perfect. I just don't know how my kindergarten teacher did it. She was a beast with her coloring. I mean, I could only get it close to perfect. I'm not sure why I could never get it 100%, but maybe it's because I just didn't fit in those lines.--GB

Welcome to Girl Blue Sees The Light--The Artists to Watch portion of this blog profiles those members of  musical creatives who have drawn, colored, sketched, or operated outside the lines with their work. The "5 Things You Should Know" section schools you on those index cards, those factoids you need to know about an upcoming artist. The OTLC (Outside The Lines Crew) is an artsy way of delving into the background of an upcoming music artist, and shows reasons why you should, or will, listen.

These profiles are a recurring staple to the blog, so stay tuned for the best of what's next in 2014. 

Penny S. Cilpen's Birthday Is One For The Books Part III



Part III
I called Ally 10 minutes later.
“Allison, I’m so sorry I treated you like crap. I’m so sorry. My favorite cake is tiramisu! T-I-R-A-M-I-S-U!”
“Ok Penny. Ok. Stop whining.”
“I have an issue.”
“About your birthday? I thought we discussed that.”
“Jake said he loved me.”
“WHAT?”
“Jake said he loved me.”
“How?”
“Allison, we were talking about birthdays and he’s like, “Yeah, we all care about you, GOUDA loves you, Ally loves you, I love you too.”
“Hmm interesting.”
“What do you think he meant?”
“I think he means he loves you. What did you say?”
“Uh….”
“HAHAHA, congratulations Penny.”
“I really don’t think that’s how he meant....”
 “Or you could be falling in love!!!!!!”
“God. Ally. God. Ally…..Ally. GOD. I gotta go.”
“Call me when you get the ring!”

Jake called me the next Friday.
“I’m calling you! Hi Penny.”
“Ok what’s up Jake?”
“There’s some amateur comedy show slots at Ally’s college for next Friday. I think you should do it.”
“What? I don’t know how to be funny on command. You think you can just press a button and be funny? Like I have a button like that? Like it’s my belly button or something? Like it’s red?"
“No. You have to do this. You’re life is friggin hilarious. You need to get off some steam. And it will be fun.”
“’My-life-is-frig-ing hilarious.’ First of all, thank you dearly for your infamous tact. Your insulting love is appreciated, much so. But I don’t know Jake. I don’t know if I want the dook show that’s my life to be on display.”
“I think you’d feel a bit better about your birthday if you could laugh about it. If you win that’s $200 in your pocket, easy.”
“You really think my plight is worth $200?”
“Your ‘plight’ is priceless.”
I paused. “I’ll think about it.”

Ok so I decided to do it. I decided to make everyone feel better about their lives by getting on stage and making other people laugh about how screwed up my life was.

Gouda, Allison, Jake, Mom, Dad, little brother Skip, Hef, and some friends from high school came to see me—ahem, laugh at me, and I was really nervous. But before the show I tripped and everyone pointed an laughed, and, needless to say, I warmed up to the feeling.


Comedy Bit

“She just turned 18 and is about to take on the world as the next big entertainment journalist of our time. In her spare time, though she loves hanging out with friends and cracking jokes with timely wit and sarcasm. She loves Avril, Britney, Madonna, and all the pop greats, and thinks that O-Town should have stuck it out for the long haul, presenting, Penny S. Cilpen!"
*Hoots and hollers, standing ovation


Wow guys, you don’t have to stand up. I didn’t say anything yet! Give it up for my friends, who convinced me to come up here and make fun of my life. Especially Jake, my best friend. Give it up for him! Big up his ego. Go ahead.

Who in here is part of the Class of 2003! Give it up for the class of 2003 yall! Seriously, I know we are all just as happy as I am that I made it through the hell that was high school. I gave my watch away after I graduated. After counting down for so long, I no longer have a need to tell time. Every time anyone from our class even hears the year 2003, we start screaming. In the weirdest places too. Every time I see a calendar, it’s like,
“YES!”

 Then I hear a voice going, ‘Penny?’”
“I’m fine, MOM.”

2003 was a milestone, but so was my birthday a few weeks ago. I’m 18 y’all. I’m legal but I’m not legal. I can drive but I can’t drink. Hmm.

My birthday this year was one for the books. Let me try to tell you what happened, and then I’ll laugh vicariously through you, while I cry a little on the inside. Sound good?

So first off, I, gotta just say it, gotta spit it out. I can be a brat. I can be a big brat. I’m a woman, and I’ll tell you what I want in not so many words and have you guess the rest, anyone relate? Mom?

Sorry to call her out, she’s embarrassed, now. But that’s why I called her out though.

This year what I wanted was a party. But instead of throwing it myself, I tried to get my friends to throw me a surprise.

I don’t know if any of you guys know what surprise actually means in the dictionary, but, in a real “surprise,” that’s not how it works.

So I tried to get Jake to throw me a surprise, and he’s a man with no real sense of memory, so he didn’t know what I want. Maybe I should just say, he’s a man, so he didn’t really know what I wanted.

Then he had my friend Allison call me and ask me what I wanted and I flipped out. “How do you not know what I want, haven’t I been your friend for like 18 years?” This is a conversation about cake, by the way. She didn’t know what cake I wanted, and she kept asking me and asking me and she didn’t get an answer, so they got me chocolate mousse.

I like tiramisu.

But I didn’t say that.

I’m a woman, hear me roar!!!!

So they took me out on my birthday, gave me a present and everything. And I completely wasn’t satisfied. I seriously wanted some type of Animal House mess to go on. I wanted people being thrown from the stairs, toilet tissue and streamers in my backyard grass, red cups. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating. I just wanted a big bash in numbers. So what I did was, after that bash, I tried to throw another one.

With the people from my internship.

Now I can say this because most of them at the end of the summer won’t be continuing on with the company. And boo hoo to that.

So I called like 9 people (yeah I’m bad at planning), 5 said no, ok we’re doing some math here, so that leaves 4 who said yes. 1 canceled at 3pm that day, one canceled at 8pm that day, one didn’t exactly cancel, but flaked. She fell asleep, and that leaves one person.

Let’s rewind. Mathwise, that kinda means I should have just spent the night in my jammies watching reruns of Drake and Josh. But I went out knowing that two people were going to show up-- and I went.

Anyway, I got there, and I walk to the store, and some rando guy, here’s the clincher. This is the thing, he didn’t exactly look homeless. He didn’t smell, he was fat, short, and Teletubby  pudgy, wearing a blue tee shirt, and he had a mushroom hair cut. He said in his scrawny voice, “Got a quarter?”

I’m treading on thin ice, I know it.

He was really close. And hell, I was pissed off and I told him I couldn’t help him, which really means please get away.

Then he’s like, “I’m sure you got a quarter in that bag of yours!” And he hits my bag.

This may be the point where I run right?

But I said, “You don’t want to mess with me right now.” Grandeur, right?

He said, “What are you gonna do?” Edging closer and closer.

And then I did what any smart, sensible woman would do. I screamed at the top of my lungs. But I really screamed at him, and I looked him dead in the eye.

And then he backed off.

Thank you, thank you.

So that you would think is the worst part of what happened. The worst part is what happened two days later, when the girl that fell asleep, lets call her, Lay-Z-G, comes up to me and says, “You don’t have to treat us like we all did something drastic to you, it was just a party. I fell asleep.”

You know how it is when you really want to do something, you don’t fall asleep. Unless you’re a narcoleptic.

When can you not use this excuse?

Weddings. Especially when you’re the bride, groom, or priest.
Births.
Live TV.
Court.
Your own concert.
The first day of your job.

Come to think of it, you can probably only use that excuse for surgeries and funerals. I just don’t know about that fall asleep excuse. Knock on wood I don’t do that tomorrow after saying that.

I said, “You don’t know what happened, I was there waiting for you guys and a homeless person tried to attack me!”

Do you guys know what she said?

She said, “Wow, at first I felt so bad that I fell asleep and couldn’t make it, but now I just feel sorry for you.”

Burn.

I know.

So I did what any passive aggressive woman would do, I wrote her a letter.

Let me take it out. But sike! I’m not going to read it, I’m just going to show you that I wrote it, and that the contents could all be summed up with one finger.

Whew.

If there was anything I learned this year, it’s that some people you can’t make care. And others, you have to let them. And to the ones that do, you have to care that they do. Also, that quality trumps quantity. And yes my dog is more quality than some people in life. Shoutout to my dog Saucy, wherever you happen to be in the house right now….don’t chew on that, and put it down.

Anyway, my friends are in the audience. I don’t think they’re heated at me anymore, right? Don’t hold it in! Ok.

My friends know that most of the time I like to relax and chill when I’m not working, have dinners and do regular hum drum stuff. I could be considered by some to be an introvert. 

This whole scenario is centered on me wanting to have a big bash. But really, it seems to be a pull between the introvert and the extrovert. Introverts and extroverts have always been at odds with each other. Like, this is a sample introvert vs. extrovert conversation at a party.

Introvert: Sitting on the stairs, drinking water.
Extrovert walks over. “Hey, Intro, what’s up. Are you ok?”
Introvert: "I’m fine, what’s up?"
Extrovert: "You’re not drinking, it’s like you’re not enjoying the party. Excuse me: DJ turn the music UP! TURN! THE! MUSIC! UP!...Oh yeah. OH YEAH.”
Introvert: "This is your song I suppose."
Extrovert: "This is my JAM! Ump Tah Ump Tah Ump Tah! You need to enjoy the party more! Life Is short! Here, have a drink!"
Introvert: "That’s ok Extro, I’ma head downstairs and play some cards, where it’s chill."
Extrovert: "You’re such a party pooper. You can go home and do that! Hey, I spy with my little eye! Someone wants to dance with you!!!!!!"
Introvert: "No, that’s ok…"
Extrovert: "You’ll never procreate and help the world like that! God said procreate! Come here Kennedy.”
Introvert: "Oh no."
Kennedy: "Heeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy do I see a party pooper!?!?!?!?!?! We gotta loosen you up!!!!" *Starts dancing uncontrollably*
Introvert: *walks away *
Extrovert and Kennedy: Weird!

So this next situation is more in the introvert’s element: a music debate over dinner.

Introvert 1 “Yeah Natalie Merchant vs. Alanis Morissette.”
Introvert 2 “Natalie Merchant all the way. Her voice just gives you chills.”
Introvert 3: “There is NO way you can put Natalie Merchant over Alanis Morissette. Talk about hits alone!”
Introvert 1: “They both did their thing. What do you think, Extro?”
Extrovert: What? *wakes up…*
Introvert 1: Natalie Merchant vs. Alanis Morisette.”
Extrovert: "I like KISS. Is this like, a book club?"
Introvert 1: "What exactly do you mean by 'book club?'"
Extrovert: Oh crap. I got a text, it’s Eddie, he’s in trouble. I’m so sorry I gotta… *runs away.*
Introverts 1: Did you sense something was off with Extro?
Introvert 2: Interesting.

Maybe a Kumbaya session would help.

Anyway, As you see I quote music a lot. Did I mention I love my job? Did I mention where I work? I work for Magaman Music, and I am their sole teen journalist contributor. My parent’s freaked out at the idea at first. But I told them I have it in the bag, and that was after singing Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like A Bird” to them, and they couldn’t handle hearing the whole thing, so they caved. I’ll take my chances. If anything my focus at being able to meet famous people who otherwise would take a one in a million chance to meet makes me a good candidate to play lotto. It’s a good start to all the things I want to do. I get to interview them, I get to write about pop, which I love, and I get to be around a bunch of industry cats who can eerily all carry a tune pretty well themselves.

We need to get them all in a video and have them sing cover songs. That’d be great, and then at the end of the video Kelly Clarkson can offer them a record deal. I bet some of them can blow her out the water.

Lets make all musicians the record label heads and the record label heads musicians. Madonna can be A&R!

It’s been fun, guys. Thanks, tip your waitress.


Penny won the comedy show contest prize, which was $200. She gave half the money away, and saved the other half. --GB



Did you enjoy this installment of Penny S. Cilpen? Want more? Hold on, there is a deleted conversation coming up next week. 

Thanks for reading Penny S. Cilpen's Birthday Is One For The Books!--GB

NEW SONG: MARA HRUBY STINGS WITH "CRY ME A RIVER"

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Mara Hruby stings with "Cry Me A River," the first offering off of her next EP, Archaic Rapture, due out March 18, 2014. Listen to her croon to her former lover, telling the sap to cry a river, for as she sings, "I cried a river over you."

Julie London's "Cry Me a River" track was the inspiration behind Mara's rendition. As Mara shared with GBSTL on why she chose Julie's music, "I felt the voice in her words just speak to me, and I felt like I could tap into that sadness and feel ok because I know other people could feel it as well."

Archaic Rapture is a project that took her two years to create.  She describes its significance with these words, "Archaic Rapture is something that I once had that is no longer relevant... I really wanted it to be a tribute to Julie London, a tribute to heartbreak, but also a tribute to women that may fear showing their emotions and being open and accepting of their pain." 

The release is sure to hit hard on the heart. Stay tuned.--GB  




NEW VIDEO: NGAIIRE, "ABCD"



Ngaiire sticks to the basics in her video for "ABCD" off of her freshman album Lamentations. Trickling down the piano keys, her delivery is simple yet bold, and her gorgeous harmonies melt well together, creating a powerful ballad.--GB

NEW VIDEO: SID SRIRAM, "SAGETRON"



Sid Sriram’s new video for “Sagetron” is the exemplification of the power of nature’s beauty. From strong stones peaking through the water to sky high trees in forest land, to the majestic mountains and the landscape surrounding it, Sid tells his journey of the learning experiences of the ropes of life. The gripping production brags of striking upper octave piano keys and upscale arrangement; it’s the precursor to the album Insomniac Season: West Coast Nightfall Pt. II, scheduled for a release in 2014. Lyrics under the cut.--GB