I apologize for not telling you my halo was cut from paper...

I refuse to buy into the elitist notion that certain legitimately talented bands aren't worth listening to because of their mainstream success or because of the fact that their lead singer is a female. I feel like music is certainly something that can tell you a lot about a person, but it's not something you should let define you.
I love Paremore. Hayley Williams has one of the greatest voices in music today. I love Fall Out Boy. Fall Out Boy were actually the first band that affected me on a deeply emotional level. It seems trite, but I could relate to every line of each Fall Out Boy song. I felt like Pete Wentz wrote them directly for me. And now that I'm older, I don't relate to them as much, but I can still appreciate the fact that I once did, and that they were a huge influence on the way I listened to and appreciated music.

On female fronted bands:
I recently went to a concert where I saw one of my favorite bands, Eisley, perform. Right before they played, lead singer Sherri was talking about how people weren't very receptive to them because they were girls (well three of them are), and I was actually and literally appauled. Eisley is brilliant (for lack of a better word). They have been around for over 10 years and they are so organic and original (I've thought about it a lot, and these two words are the only two to best describe them). I don't know any other band that blends the qualities of dreaminess and beauty so brilliantly and cleverly. Lines like "I followed a rabbit through rows of mermaid entwined shrubbery...." and "I cut the moon in half and stuck a piece to my hair..." inspire me to think outside of the cliches of everyday boring melodramatic normal existence whilst song writing (I mean whaaaaat....i don't write songs....). And bands like Tegan and Sara, Rilo Kiley, Fleetwood Mac, all with female lady singers are all so brilliant and a huge part of music today. I'm no feminist, I just feel like people don't give girls the cred they deserve. And the fact that most women in the music biz have to flaunt in order to receive any sort of recognition probably doesn't help our cause, but I am most certain that one day this will all change. (hopefully.)

I'm really not sure the specific point I'm trying to make, but I feel it can be best summarized in these words: "be who you are." I know, how cliche. But it's true. Embrace what you love and DontGiveAFlyingspaceball about what others think about it. You shouldn't let someone else's idea of what is right compromise your own taste or idea of what is good.

I believe Max Bemis did calling out these shallow close-minded jerks best in the song "Admit It!!!" :


"Proto-typical non-conformist. You are a vacuous soldier of the thrift store gestapo. You adhere to a set of standards and tastes that appear to be determined by an unseen panel of hipster judges-BULLSHIT-giving your thumbs up and thumbs down to incoming and outgoing trends and styles of music and art."

I do just fine, with my car and my guitar.


Have a swell week.