TOW 25 - Walk the Moon performance @ iTunes Festival

Popularity is an abstract concept. Each has his or her own perception of allure and attraction, but what grants someone national appeal? A single person or a group of people is able to gain the love and affection of thousands of people, despite each person having a different perspective on perfection. Musicians are able to pull at the hearts of millions not only across a country but also across the seas. It would be naïve to say their popularity is solely based on their music. It is live performances that create the magnetism of international stardom; it is these that allow small town bands from Ohio to create a far-reaching impact. Walk the Moon’s iTunes Festival performance demonstrates the persuasive forces of appearance, energy, and interaction, the basis of what distinguishes memorable musicians.

            The appearance of Walk the Moon is representative of their music, automatically informing its listeners of its purpose. The painted streaks of purple and white lining each member’s face set the band into a unique genre – automatically the audience realizes the band intends for this concert experience to be a fun one. Paint is associated with creativity and imagination, two qualities that can definitely create a good show.

            A show should be energetic and lively; when a band presents those traits in its performance, it heightens the overall experience. The concerts that feel on the brink, the atmosphere practically ready to burst – those are the shows to remember. Walk the Moon is constantly jumping up and down, dancing around the stage, making a fool of themselves, in order to encourage the audience to do the same. It is essentially this spirit that spreads throughout the audience, and it is that spirit that spreads the audience to an international level.

            When a band interacts with its audience it creates a connection between the two, a feeling that is coveted by most. When Walk the Moon talks to its audience, encourages them to dance, they are creating a more intimate atmosphere; even though the audience consists of thousands of people, the band is interacting to them as a whole. That ability of performance is not only impressive, but also coveted.

            Walk the Moon was not known by many in London until the iTunes festival. They were not known in this area until the Made in America festival of 2013. Performances are what spurred its fame. While in a perfect world it would be the artistry that generated fame; in reality it is the band’s poise and how the portray themselves that does it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oexD-3Lstc

http://irocktheshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/walk-the-moon-at-firefly-festival-papeo-281.jpg

TOW 24 - Love and Limerence – the Experience of Being in Love (Dorothy Tennov)

Love is never simple. After devouring this scientific marvel of a book, Tennov makes it clear that the popular notions of love tend to be faulty misconceptions. One must consider all of the various types of love, which, after an extensive and lengthy Google search, can be summed up in four general types: affection, friendship, romance, and unconditional. Tennov explores the depth of limerence, a sentiment bordering between infatuation and love but is not necessarily either. Honing in on a controversial theory in the psychological community, Tennov delves into the reality of limerence and its threatening potential using credible consensuses and graphic metaphors.

            Tennov’s work demonstrates that she has the mind of a researcher: whether collecting her own data or generating theses from experts, Tennov strings together a variety of evidence to reach a valid conclusion. The foundation of Tennov’s study began with a compilation of student opinions, all stating very similar experiences in love. After analyzing these and identifying the trends, the conclusion Tennov develops is not only logical for herself, but also to the reader. If all the evidence points to the conclusion Tennov draws, no matter how strange or unaccepted, then it is only sensible to accept her thesis as rational.

            Drawing parallels between complex, experimental concepts and simple, daily-life functions creates a sense of comfort within the reader making the text easier to understand. Toys and games are at the comprehensive level of a toddler. Therefore, when Tennov states “you find yourself a player in a process (love) that bears unquestionable similarity to a game,” the simplicity of one idea transcends to the other” (67). An extremely sophisticated style of writing, the comparisons Tennov uses allows the readers to study complex thoughts on an understandable level. If the simple-minded can accept her thesis as true, then it is at least worth exploring the validity of that theory.

            What are usually just words on paper are transformed into real-life situations through Tennov’s provoking and thoughtful analysis. Skeptics cannot deny that Tennov’s studies and evidence are cogent if not concrete; the ingenuous peoples who are not well-versed in scientific jargon cannot deny that Tennov’s theories make sense. If the two opposite ends of a spectrum, educated versus the… less educated, can accept a theory, everything else should simply fall into place.

IRB Intro Post: MP 4

Politics and feminism - two notions that have historically not meshed well together. Extraordinary, Ordinary People is a memoir of family and the autobiography of Condoleezza Rice detailing her life through the civil rights movement, her life in the world of politics, and her life in values and principles. With the daunting task of college essays on the horizon, a common question is "Describe your role model." A family member suggested I read this book as a stepping stone in order to determine the qualities I look for and value in others. Rice has always been a name in the back of my mine, along with her titles, but I've never thought of her as more than that; after hearing rave reviews of not only her life stories, but also her writing styles, I decided this book is definitely worth a shot.