Here is StillLine, a great example of local music in St. Louis.
I hope you enjoy this video!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Being A Local Musician
So it’s everybody’s dream to grow up and become a rich and famous rock-star and over the past few months I have been working my buns of steel off to make that happen for myself. Turns out, while it has been a blast getting to know the guys in my band and hanging out, recording new music, grabbing beer at the bar and ultimately playing shows, that there’s a ton of actual WORK that goes into the local music scene.
Most of it isn’t actually physical work but my God, writing music is mentally taxing beyond all comprehension. I mean seriously, how can people honestly think it is easy to pull good, original music out of thin air. It isn’t. It’s no wonder artists get so mad when people illegally download their music. I just got finished playing my guitar for eight straight hours and can barely stand up, let alone think. That’s almost as long as people work in real (albeit boring) jobs on a day to day basis and I worked my kiester off the whole time. I am here to tell you, it’s hard.
Then you come to promotion. Getting people to your shows or to buy your cd is one thing but it’s extremely difficult to get your music out there and noticed when there are fifty other bands in the same area that play on a regular basis in the same bars you do. It’s also pretty tough to get people to take you seriously when you even mention you’re in a band in the first place, because let’s face it, most bands stink. Period. Sometimes, when you do have a show, you lug around 1000 lbs of gear, spend weeks promoting and practicing and nobody even shows up.
That’s why we need people to support local music. There are plenty of places to hear good original tunes on the cheap and you get to support some up and coming legends. Sometimes it sucks to be a rock-star but it’s all worth it in the end.
A Walk in the Park
I grew up in the woods of House Springs, Mo, so it should come as no surprise that I spend the majority of my free time searching out great parks within the St. Louis region. This quest has become not only a hobby of mine, but a passion. As the leaves change into a kaleidoscope of colors and the wind invites you into the embrace of beautiful weather, take a moment from your studies to enjoy one of the greatest seasons in some of the best St. Louis parks
This kingly park is a favorite for many individuals. On any average visit you may see hikers, runners, cyclists, mountain bikers, equestrians, fishermen, dog walkers and families. The park’s setting is varied enough to satisfy any personality. The network of extensive trails sweep along the Meramec River, tower upon steep bluffs, and wind through dense forests. Castlewood is a great local park to get your legs moving with an intense hike, or rejuvenate your mind with its peaceful atmosphere.
"Castlewood is pretty, has great views...the serenity is everything I need to relax after a stressful study session," said Amber Bueter, fourth-year physical therapy student. "I like to climb the trails along the bluffs and look out over the river; it helps me get away from my life of constant tests and assignments."
- Take 141 S to exit on Big Bend Rd – turn right – follow for 2.3 mi.
- Left onto Reis Rd. – follow to end (1 mi)
- Left onto Kiefer Creek Rd. – enter park
This area, once known as the resort community of Times Beach, provides a diverse landscape for visitors to explore. Because of its location along the Meramec River, the trails of these flat lands traverse among wooded sections, through prairie grass fields and around small wetlands. The looped trails, which are mostly paved or crushed gravel, are perfect for cyclists, roller skaters, runners, walkers, equestrians and families with small children (I have also seen search and rescue teams as well as police K-9 units train here in the fields). Route 66 is a great park for anyone looking for a beautiful outdoor setting without the stress of difficult terrain.
- Take 141 S to exit I-44 West
- I-44 W to exit 264 – Eureka
- *NOTE* Do not exit onto exit 266 as signs indicate; the Outer Rd bridge into Route 66 State Park is closed permanently
- Turn left onto 109
- Make immediate left back onto I-44 East
- Exit 265 – Williams Rd.
- Immediate left onto Outer Rd – enter park (to access main parking, make first left under bridge the right at stop sign)
Located less than 10 miles from Maryville, this park provides miles of paved (and some crushed gravel) loop trails around Creve Couer Lake, a 320-acre oxbow lake that was once part of the Missouri River. The park truly offers an active landscape for more than just runners, walkers, or cyclists. When the weather is ideal, the lake is spotted with kayaks, sailboats, windsurfers and rowers. The setting of Creve Couer Lake Park allows for the merge of every lifestyle.
- Take 141 N to Olive Blvd - merge right
- Left onto Creve Couer Mill Rd.
- Continue right onto Creve Couer Mill Rd.
- There are three parking/trailhead options:
- Left into parking lot of Lakehouse restaurant
- Continue on Creve Couer Mill Rd. to right on Maryland Heights Expy. – continue to right on Marine Ave. – boathouse parking on left
- Further on Marine Ave. parking on right
Each of these three parks contains a fabulous network of trails, but there is one trail that dominates them all; Green Rock Trail. The 14.5 mile one-way trail travels through the connecting parks. The terrain of the trail mimics that of the Ozark range and provides the opportunity for hikers to enjoy a beautiful within the wilderness.
These are only a few of the many parks located within the St. Louis region. For more options, visit some of these sites for more information.
Bleed Blue
I of all people thought I would never be saying this. But here it is, I love going to Blues games. Pro sporting events usually drive me nuts. Watching them from home is fine, but going to the games always seemed like a terrible idea. With prices of parking, eating, drinking, and admission, usually costing me in the $50 range, going to any type of game always seemed like a terrible idea. This isn't even mentioning that all of these prices are paid to watch someone PLAY a game...some of which make money like this. The entire thing is really kind of ridiculous.
However, the Blues seem to be up to something a little different. Finally, after having a for-sale tag on the organization for years, the team has become financially stable and shown that they are making a commitment to winning. The Blues have begun to release some of the old and aging talent, and embrace younger players like new franchise goalie Halak.
The Blues have also marketed themselves aggressively to a younger audience, by making not only the games more affordable but the concessions as well.
An example of this can be seen here.
Here are the Blue's main deals:
Everygame Counts Season Tickets
Every Game Counts Season Ticket package and you'll get a full season ticket plan while only paying half the price up front.You'll pay the second half when the Blues clinch a Playoff spot during the 2010-11 season.
Student Nights
At Thursday and Friday home games during the 2010-11 regular season, you can get a Mezzanine Level seat for just $20 or a Plaza Level seat for just $35. Plus, with each ticket, you'll get a hot dog and soft drink. Simply present a valid Student ID at the Scottrade Center Box Office 90 minutes before the game to get this special offer.
FAMILY NIGHTS
Families benefit at every Saturday and Sunday game at Scottrade Center. Get four game tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks and two boxes of popcorn. Family Night packages start at $99 and are available online.
Meet Blues Package
Want the best Blues hockey experience available? The following packages are available at most Thursday and Saturday home games at Scottrade Center. Pricing for Meet the Blues is $600 (Platinum Games), $550 (Gold), $500 (Silver), $400 (Bronze) or $300 (Value).
Each Meet the Blues Package includes:
4 Bommarito Automotive Club Seats (all-inclusive food & beverage)
2 Autographed Hockey Sticks
Meet & Greet with Blues Player
The student night, season ticket deals, and family night, are a brilliant marketing technique that has really give the team a much more human and likable image. The Blues have become less like a cold business like other teams, and fans have been noticing. Joe FaQuin, a University of Missouri student has said, "I love going to Blues games, its cheap, and there is always tons of people there now."
And Joe is not alone, for the last three seasons, the Blues have been less than great in standings, but fans came out every game in large numbers. While the last few seasons have been rough, I think the future will be much, better especially if the Blues continue to keep their fans in mind with every business decision they make. Its not a matter of if we win a cup, simply when!
From Student-to Student: Meet Your President
Pop quiz: Who is the president of the United States? Unless you are living under a rock, that was an easy question. Okay, one more. Who is the president of Maryville University?
I had an epiphany while waiting for Fareed Zakaria's speach at Maryville University's Speaker Series Event. The gentleman that I sat next to asked me a simple question. He asked," Who is the president of Maryville?" I confidently answered him, "Mark Lombardi." The questions did not stop there. I failed to answer any other questions.
On my way home, I was ashamed. There I was, a Maryville student, representing Maryville itself, and felt like I failed. As a Maryville student, it is important to know who the president is, leading the school that you are attending. Not just his name, but who he really is.
Doctor Mark Lombardi is the tenth president of Maryville University. He began at the university in July 2007, with the vision to expand it's growth both size and academically.
Dr. Lombardi earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science at Purdue University. He also earned his Ph.D and master's degree in political science and international relations from the Ohio State University.
Kathy Lunan, the Chief of Staff & Liasion to the Board of Trustees, descibes Dr. Lomardi as " a strong leader, informed decision maker, visionary and always aware of what benefits students."
Lunan also descibes the president with having a great sense of humor. She quotes Lombardi saying, " For our students, everything inside the classroom should be challenging and everything outside the classroom should be easy."
Lunan explains that it is up to Maryville students how involved they want to be with Maryville. " students need to decide for themselves if it is important to know the leader of the educational institution they have chosen to attend."
There are many opportunities to meet Mark Lombardi. if meeting the president is important to you, attending orientation, athletic events, concerts, lectures, and other activities on campus will get you a couple steps closer.
You might be as lucky as I was to unexpectedly run into him in Gander Hall. If not, don't be shy to set an appointment at his office. For senior of 2011, you're closer than you think. Mark Lombardi will proudly hand you your well-deserved diploma at the Graduation Ceremony.
I had an epiphany while waiting for Fareed Zakaria's speach at Maryville University's Speaker Series Event. The gentleman that I sat next to asked me a simple question. He asked," Who is the president of Maryville?" I confidently answered him, "Mark Lombardi." The questions did not stop there. I failed to answer any other questions.
On my way home, I was ashamed. There I was, a Maryville student, representing Maryville itself, and felt like I failed. As a Maryville student, it is important to know who the president is, leading the school that you are attending. Not just his name, but who he really is.
Doctor Mark Lombardi is the tenth president of Maryville University. He began at the university in July 2007, with the vision to expand it's growth both size and academically.
Dr. Lombardi earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science at Purdue University. He also earned his Ph.D and master's degree in political science and international relations from the Ohio State University.
Kathy Lunan, the Chief of Staff & Liasion to the Board of Trustees, descibes Dr. Lomardi as " a strong leader, informed decision maker, visionary and always aware of what benefits students."
Lunan also descibes the president with having a great sense of humor. She quotes Lombardi saying, " For our students, everything inside the classroom should be challenging and everything outside the classroom should be easy."
Lunan explains that it is up to Maryville students how involved they want to be with Maryville. " students need to decide for themselves if it is important to know the leader of the educational institution they have chosen to attend."
There are many opportunities to meet Mark Lombardi. if meeting the president is important to you, attending orientation, athletic events, concerts, lectures, and other activities on campus will get you a couple steps closer.
You might be as lucky as I was to unexpectedly run into him in Gander Hall. If not, don't be shy to set an appointment at his office. For senior of 2011, you're closer than you think. Mark Lombardi will proudly hand you your well-deserved diploma at the Graduation Ceremony.
Friday, October 22, 2010
College, Work and Stress
When you think of college life you think of students going to classes, studying, going to events on campus, and of course working. It has become a necessity for students to have to work part or even full time jobs while attending college. Of course, with trying to juggle school, your social life, and work can come a good amount of stress. While going to college and working a job it is helpful to know how to handle it all.
In 1985 the number of students who worked full-time while in school full-time was 366,000; in 2000 over 828,000 full-time students were working full-time. Working while in college can bring many different problems with your studies. It can limit class choices, limit class schedules and also limit the amount of classes you can take. Many people work while in school for different reasons from making money to pay off school and/or student loans to having some money for fun and for your social life.
“I do think it is necessary [to work while in school]. Not just so I have some sort of income to buy books, food, etc., but I also think having a job while going to school teaches people how to multitask and better prepare them for when they leave school.” says Maryville senior, Jenna Bartak.
Working while in college can be a good and bad thing. Depending on how you handle all of the different demands that may be required of you. I went from going to school part time and working 30 hour weeks to going to school full time and only working 15 hour weeks. I never thought the two semesters would be very different but working less hours a week has turned out to be a very positive thing for my schooling. Not only does it allow me more study time but also more social time while learning how handle both work loads, just in a less intense way.
Third year PT student, Talia Arndt says, “Now that I am not working this semester I am less stressed compared to when I worked all the time last semester. Also, I now have a lot more time with friends so my social life is much better and I now actually enjoy school and am having fun.”
If you are trying to juggle a busy schedule of work and school there are many different ways you can handle the two without getting yourself stressed. Some tips are taking a break from both so that you can exercises a little, go eat your favorite snack, have fun with some friends, or even just take a nap.
In 1985 the number of students who worked full-time while in school full-time was 366,000; in 2000 over 828,000 full-time students were working full-time. Working while in college can bring many different problems with your studies. It can limit class choices, limit class schedules and also limit the amount of classes you can take. Many people work while in school for different reasons from making money to pay off school and/or student loans to having some money for fun and for your social life.
“I do think it is necessary [to work while in school]. Not just so I have some sort of income to buy books, food, etc., but I also think having a job while going to school teaches people how to multitask and better prepare them for when they leave school.” says Maryville senior, Jenna Bartak.
Working while in college can be a good and bad thing. Depending on how you handle all of the different demands that may be required of you. I went from going to school part time and working 30 hour weeks to going to school full time and only working 15 hour weeks. I never thought the two semesters would be very different but working less hours a week has turned out to be a very positive thing for my schooling. Not only does it allow me more study time but also more social time while learning how handle both work loads, just in a less intense way.
Third year PT student, Talia Arndt says, “Now that I am not working this semester I am less stressed compared to when I worked all the time last semester. Also, I now have a lot more time with friends so my social life is much better and I now actually enjoy school and am having fun.”
If you are trying to juggle a busy schedule of work and school there are many different ways you can handle the two without getting yourself stressed. Some tips are taking a break from both so that you can exercises a little, go eat your favorite snack, have fun with some friends, or even just take a nap.
The Evolution of Social Media
Over the past few years, social media including Facebook and Twitter have become wildly popular. As of early July 2010, Facebook has over 500 million active users and people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. Facebook is primarily used as a way to maintain your relationships with your friends and family, but the full capabilities of Twitter are still being understood.
On October 5th, Twitter's expanding reach became evident in the sports world. At 5:53 p.m., ESPN personality Bill Simmons tweeted two simple words: "moss Vikings." The tweet seemed out of place because of Simmon's typical humorous nature on Twitter.
"It really didn't make any sense to me. Normally, when I see a Tweet from Bill Simmons, it is something very funny or it is serious news in the world of sports. The two word tweet just didn't make any sense to me," said active Tweeter Jordan Willimann.
It turns out that the tweet was an accident and was actually meant to be a direct message to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter. For those of you foreign to Twitter, a direct message is a message you can write to one specific person that only that singular person can see. On the other hand a Tweet is something for all of your followers and essentially the whole world to see. Quite the difference.
On the set of an ESPN show called "E:60", Simmons was unable to realize his mistake until 6:18 p.m. when he tweeted, "Sorry, that last tweet was supposed to be a DM. Rumors swirling about a Pats-Minny trade for Randy Moss."
By this time, it was much too late. Less than 40 minutes after the original tweet of "moss Vikings", Pro Football Talk, an online football website, published an article "Unintended tweet sparks rumors of Moss-to-Minny move". By the end of the night, multiple sources confirmed that the Patriots were interested in trading Randy Moss and a few hours later he was actually traded to the Vikings.
The development of this story shows the unbelievable capability of Twitter. In two hours, a single two word tweet that came out of nowhere turned into the most important NFL trade in the last five years. For someone following the story from its beginnings as a tweet, it is amazing to see the unbelievable path the tweet took all the way to actually occurring.
It is difficult to truly understand the full capabilities of Twitter. Twitter can be the forum used to inform the world of breaking news. Twitter can be the place to find breaking news immediately and where news can develop. With thousands of users all updating their news feed by the minute, each user can find the most up-to-date information, all while staying in their own home.
On October 5th, Twitter's expanding reach became evident in the sports world. At 5:53 p.m., ESPN personality Bill Simmons tweeted two simple words: "moss Vikings." The tweet seemed out of place because of Simmon's typical humorous nature on Twitter.
"It really didn't make any sense to me. Normally, when I see a Tweet from Bill Simmons, it is something very funny or it is serious news in the world of sports. The two word tweet just didn't make any sense to me," said active Tweeter Jordan Willimann.
It turns out that the tweet was an accident and was actually meant to be a direct message to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter. For those of you foreign to Twitter, a direct message is a message you can write to one specific person that only that singular person can see. On the other hand a Tweet is something for all of your followers and essentially the whole world to see. Quite the difference.
On the set of an ESPN show called "E:60", Simmons was unable to realize his mistake until 6:18 p.m. when he tweeted, "Sorry, that last tweet was supposed to be a DM. Rumors swirling about a Pats-Minny trade for Randy Moss."
By this time, it was much too late. Less than 40 minutes after the original tweet of "moss Vikings", Pro Football Talk, an online football website, published an article "Unintended tweet sparks rumors of Moss-to-Minny move". By the end of the night, multiple sources confirmed that the Patriots were interested in trading Randy Moss and a few hours later he was actually traded to the Vikings.
The development of this story shows the unbelievable capability of Twitter. In two hours, a single two word tweet that came out of nowhere turned into the most important NFL trade in the last five years. For someone following the story from its beginnings as a tweet, it is amazing to see the unbelievable path the tweet took all the way to actually occurring.
It is difficult to truly understand the full capabilities of Twitter. Twitter can be the forum used to inform the world of breaking news. Twitter can be the place to find breaking news immediately and where news can develop. With thousands of users all updating their news feed by the minute, each user can find the most up-to-date information, all while staying in their own home.
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