The Graveyard Near The House

I had a blast when I went back to Maryland this week. I hadn’t been home since August so it was nice seeing everyone and hanging out again. It was a very eventful week too. First thing I got to do was go to a concert featuring the bands The Drowning Men, Mona, and The Airborne Toxic Event. The latter was obviously my favorite, but I enjoyed the first two bands as well. I went straight from the airport so it was a race between time and traffic to get to the venue. Luckily we got there just as the doors were opening so we were not to far back. Once the concert started I ended moving back a little further because people were pushing to the front, but I didn’t say anything. The best part of the concert was when The Airborne Toxic Event playing their song The Graveyard Near The House. It is my favorite song from their most recent album and I had never seen them play it live before, despite having seen them live three times since the album dropped. I was super excited when they started playing it and almost the whole audience was singing along. This was amazing because before they played it there lead singer, Mikel, said the song almost did not make the album because he though people might not like it. He was extremely wrong and I am thankful that they decided to put it on the record anyways. After they finished the song Mikel almost started crying and said it was his favorite performance of the song yet. Something I know he does not say every night. I think this was because the audience was so into the song the entire time. After they were done with the song and concert my dad and I went home happy. The next day of break I got to hang out with my friends in my basement like old times. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone again, even though it was only for one day. The next day was Thanksgiving. My family and I went to my Aunt’s house to celebrate. I had hot pockets because I do not like Thanksgiving food that much. After that my dad, older sister, and I went to see the new Muppets movie. It was awesome because of all the cameo appearances that were in it. Everyone loves the Muppets. The next day I went to a hockey games at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. I went with my friends Katie and Sarah along with my dad. We saw the Capitals play the Rangers. The Capitals lost which upset us, but it was still a lot of fun. We tried to go ice skating in D.C. after the game, but Sarah did not want to because she said she would fall to much. The next day I was able to sleep in so I did. When I got up I made plans with a couple of friends to go see a movie before I had to leave the next day. My vacation was a lot of fun and I can’t wait until the next.

Welcome To Your Wedding Day

Yesterday I had a very interesting and in my opinion very fun University 1010 class. Before we even started class our teacher told us to raise our write hand. We said “I swear I will not hurt Ms. Joy.” As the entire class drew confused looks the teacher said we would be debating controversial topics. I was both excited, but concerned. While I myself enjoy these types of debates, I know some people can get really heated and it can end up in not being such a great idea. I am very glad our teacher did this however, as these types of conversations are very important in college. I believe it is a very good learning experience not only to hear other peoples views on different subjects, but also to learn how to be tolerant when it comes to those differing views. We discussed four major topics with scenarios for each to get a wide array of views. The first topic we went over was capital punishment. To voice our initial opinion the teacher split up the room into thirds. On side was yes or I agree.  The middle was maybe or I’m not sure. The other side was no or I disagree. For capital punishment I went to the yes side. The class was pretty evenly spread on this topic. She then narrowed the topic to if your favorite relative was sentenced to capital punishment. Most people moved to the maybe and no side at this point. I stayed on the yes side thinking, “Well if my ‘favorite’ relative killed someone, they wouldn’t be my favorite relative anymore.” I feel capital punishment is cheaper than keeping someone in prison, which is nicer than living on the street. I also feel the person they killed didn’t get a second chance, so why should they? The teacher then brought up abortion. Being in the south I knew no one would say yes, so I ended up being the only person saying yes, it should be legal. I’m not saying I believe abortion is always the right choice, but I feel as humans we have a right to do what we want with our bodies and the law shouldn’t constrain that (as long as it is not harming ourselves). People moved as the teacher changed the scenarios, but for the most part my fellow classmates seemed to drift to the no side. The third topic was gay and lesbians. Again, I was on the yes side for all three scenarios. The first was should it be allowed. Most every student said yes. The second was should they be allowed to adopt. Almost every student said yes except for one who had the excuse, which I see as illegitimate, that the couple would abuse the child if it was the same sex. The third scenario was marriage. This is where the class split up. I stayed on the yes side, but the more religious students felt that it was wrong due to the bible saying marriage is between a man and a women. I understand where they’re coming from, but definitions change over time and it is not like the religion owns the word. If that were the case only christians could truly be “married.” 

The final topic was drugs, which we didn’t discuss to great lengths. I finally moved to no when she asked if we would turn in a best friend, but then changed to maybe when I realized it really depended on the drug. I had a blast in this class because I always enjoy others views, even if I don’t agree and I felt like I learn a lot about my classmate for the better. I hope they learned the same for me.

This Losing

I’ve been thinking about people back home in Maryland a lot lately. I miss my friends and being able to hang it with them. It is not that I have not made friends here or anything, it is just weird being away from the people you have gotten so used to being around. I especially miss my fellow band members. Being in a band was the best part of high school for me. I met so many new people and made so many friends (and fans). It was a great experience. Over winter break we plan to get back together and play a show. Hopefully over the summer we will also be able to play some more shows and at some different venues than the ones we usually play at. Im even thinking of trying to go on a little mini tour or something. Travel out of state some and hopefully give our fan base a chance to grow. It would be very expensive however. We would have to pay for gas, food, and merchandise to sell at the shows. Not to mention it would be difficult to actual book the shows. None of us have any experience with touring though. We do not know how to book shows or how to find places to stay. It is a huge risk to go on tour because people may not like your band or you could lose money from not making enough off of shows and selling merchandise. Even though it might be tough I still want to try touring. I am one hundred percent sure it would be a fun, rich experience even if we lose money. Even if we gain only one fan along the way it would be worth it. Back to missing my friends I really do miss them a lot. I really felt myself around them. I am glad that I am still able to communicate with them however through the power of the internet. We play games like Left 4 Dead 2 and World of Warcraft together whenever we get the chance. Even with me twelve hours away it still feels like I never left when we talk and play games. We give each other a hard time just like we always did and occasionally they say the miss me, but not very often. I can not wait to go home and visit them all. I even feel like I have become closer to people I was not very good friends with in high school. It is nice being able to talk to them about random things that do not really matter. I find it is a good way to relax. At least when I am not playing games or guitar. Losing this band was the hardest thing though. It was hard to willingly give it up, but I needed to so that I could get a good education. I hope everything works out though. Playing in a band as a career is my dream and I really hope it comes true.

This Is Nowhere

Lately I’ve been starting to hang out in the lobby of my dorm instead of sitting inside of my room. I am really glad that I have started to do this. I have been able to meet a lot more people who live in my building and all of them are really cool. I think in any girls every came to hang out in the lobby though that would be bad. Not for us guys, but for the girls themselves. Everything we do in the lobby is completely what would be expected from guys. Nothing is censored and we all just act like ourselves. It would be a fun experiment thought to have some girls come hang out and see how the guys would react. Would they act the same as they always do? Would they change their attitude to try to impress them? It would be a lot of fun to see. I think personally I would change. I tend to change the way I act around girls. Usually I am a lot more shy around girls than I am guys. Unless they reach out to me first I will keep to myself and only acknowledge them if they do so first. I try to not be so shy, but a lot of the time I can not help that I act this way. It is just who I am. I think a lot of the guys would immediately try to hit on a girl that is introduced to the lobby. Either that or they would just act like guys and probably end up scaring her away. I do not think their is anything wrong with this. Guys just have to be guys sometimes, even if the surrounding females get turned off by it. It is a lot of fun hanging out in the lobby. I have been able to meet a lot of new people from all over and I have made some new friends. When we all hang out in the lobby is usually consists of all of the guys just sitting around watching the television or doing something on the computer. A lot of the time football is on, which I do not really pay much attention to because football does not interest me. I would rather watch a sitcom or some comedic TV show. Sports wise I would rather watch soccer or even hockey. Most of the time I just end up ignoring the TV and talking to people about random stuff that really does not matter. I do have a good time sitting out in the lobby though. It is better than sitting in my dorm with no one to talk to in person. Sure I can talk to my friends back in Maryland, but it is not nearly as fun if they are not actually there. When I do talk to my friends in Maryland a lot of them tell me how much they miss me. A lot will say how they want me back so that I can play bass for them. There are not very many bass players in Maryland. I am really glad I came to Tennessee to go to college. There are a lot of musicians here which is good. I know I will be able to start a band soon.

R.I.P Steve Jobs

Wishing Well

Last week while walking back from the McCallie Cafeteria I noticed a flyer posted on a bulletin board. Normally I wouldn’t notice any flyer in particular but the thing that stood out about this one is that it said “BASS” in big, bold letters. I walked over to read it. Apparently a band was looking for a bassist. Being a bassist who always is looking for  a gig, I wrote down the numbers posted and decided to contact them. Later when I did I got to talking to the guy a little bit. I told him the styles of music I liked and he told me what type of music they were looking to play. I said I would be interested, but first had to warn him about something. He asked what and I told him I didn’t have any of my gear in Tennessee. I’m from Maryland and I had left it there thinking I wouldn’t need it. I was wrong. I needed my amp, my bass, and all my pedals if I wanted to play. I told him this, but after I did he didn’t respond to me. I took that as a “we’re not interested then” though it would have been nice if he could have told me that. I understand his reasoning though. No one ever wants to wait for a musician to be able to play. I have and it almost never works out. This got me thinking about all the stuff I forgot and wish I had brought. The main thing I wish I could have taken with me here to Tennessee is my car. I’m basically stuck on campus without it. There are some things in walking distance, but not much. I’m not able to go to concerts or the movies. I can’t go out to eat. I can’t even go to the grocery store to get some necessities like tissues and shampoo. It’s really hard going from a lifestyle where you can pretty much go anywhere to having to stay in one place. I hope I can have my car next semester though so I can go explore the area. Even without a bass I still find ways to play “bass.” I was smart enough to bring my acoustic guitar so a lot of the time I will use it like it is a bass. It is a lot different though when you’re used to four thick strings and have to switch to six smaller ones. Luckily I had learned guitar before I learned bass so making the switch between that two has become a very easy thing to do. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving break so hopefully I can bring some things back with me. There is a whole wishing well of things I wish I had brought, but just for got.

The Kids Are Ready To Die

Last week I decided I wanted to get involved in intramurals. I used to play soccer my sophomore and freshmen year of high school and always played on recreational leagues when given the chance, so I decided playing intramural soccer would be good for me. I contacted that area two coordinator to let him know I would be interested in playing soccer. He was keeping track of everyone in the area who was interested in intramurals. I gave him my name and he put me on the soccer list. A couple of days later I got an e-mail from the housing league chair saying that there will be a team and that I will be on it. Soon after I got an e-mail from the team captain. He was very nice and I could tell he really enjoyed the sport. We talked for a little while and discussed positions and availability. Later that week, after the team was full and all the paperwork was filled out, I got an e-mail from the captain about practice. The team of twelve was suppose to meet outside the KUC Tuesday at six. When I got to the KUC there was only about five other people there. They were the only ones to show up. Once we realized this we had to decide where to practice. Our captain was only a freshmen and he heard about a field we could use, but it was a long walk. The co-captain who was a senior thought it would be a better idea to just go to the recreation center and play on the indoor field. None of us really argued with him and thats what we did. It ended up being just as far a walk as the other field, but the indoor field was nicer because it already had other teams there. We were able to just hop on the field and scrimmage another team instead of having to run drills for practice. Once we started I could really tell how out of shape I was. I was sucking wind minutes after the first play and my legs were burning. It was painful for me, but luckily another team came and gave us a break. It was nice to sit down and relax, but I knew it wasn’t for long. It was our turn to play again and my legs once again burned when we played. I could only stay about and hour an half. I limped back to my dorm and took a long shower to try to sooth the pain. My legs were incredibly sore after that practice. I knew I wouldn’t be able to play for the team because I was so out of shape. I felt like I was ready to die every time we played. I told them I wouldn’t be able to play and they were disappointed, but they understood. I need to get back into shape on my own terms before I can play soccer at a competitive level again.

It Doesn't Mean A Thing

Last Tuesday I was scheduled to meet with my academic advisor. It was a requirement for my University 1010 class. We had take the focus test in class earlier in the year and we had to go to our advisor so they could help us interpret it. The test was suppose to state our skills and interests based on a series of questions and then list careers which best suited those skills and interests. I didn’t completely understand why this was a requirement because I already knew what I wanted to do which is work in the recording industry. I came to this school for the reason of studying the recording industry and that is what I intend to do. Nonetheless I didn’t argue and did what was required of me. When I got to the advisor I sat down and we began going over the focus test. I scored highest in Artistic. The next highest was Realistic and the third highest was Investigative. Artistic was very fitting for me because music is an art and I want a job involved in that art. Realistic also fit because I like to work with my hands which is why I’m interested in audio production. You use your hands a lot to create and/or edit the music on the computer along with running the sound board and other things. Investigative only kind of fit. The only way it applied to me was that I wanted to learn more about music all the time along with how to record. Other than for those two topics I’m not a very investigative person. We then look up jobs that fit my focus test. Nothing came up that went with the recording industry. The closest one we could find was choreographer, but we had to change the meaning from choreographer of dance to one of music. I didn’t really think this was the same thing, but I went along with it. I was thinking more of a producer would be a better fit. My advisor then started to tell me how the recording industry was a very hard industry to get a job in and made me look for other things I would be interested in doing. I did what she asked and thought of majoring  in computer science or aviation as an alternative. However, when we looked at the focus test, a job in either of these fields did not come up either. This didn’t discourage since I wasn’t really interested in those fields anyway, but my advisor seemed a little offset by it. She said she wasn’t trying to discourage me from pursuing a career in the recording industry, but her attitude seemed like she didn’t think it would be the best idea for me. I thought she was terribly wrong. I am very passionate about music so I believe with the passion I will have the drive to work hard and to succeed. I have heard from almost everyone that the industry is hard, but I’ve know that ever since I was first interested in career in it. I’m not going to stop chasing a career just because someone says it’s hard, even if its true. I’d rather try and fail than to not try and not have the chance to fail. What other people say about how hard the industry is, it doesn’t mean a thing.

Something New

Walking into my dorm room I immediately sit down at the computer. This isn’t unusual for me, in fact it has become my habit to sit down, even if only for thirty seconds, to check my Facebook and e-mail. When I went through this routine last Monday, I noticed I received an e-mail with the subject “Got Talent?” It was from the Area Two coordinator so I quickly opened it to see what it was about. The message stated that there would be an acoustic evening/talent show Friday September 9th along with a “Meat” and Greet for the people living in Area 2. While I normally would have been interested in performing at an event like this, I had nobody to perform with (I’m not a very good solo act) so I was a little discouraged by that. I still wanted to get involved with this event. I e-mailed the coordinator back asking if I could help set up and run sound for the show. Being a freshmen I didn’t expect to be able to help with much. I figured I would get in the way more than I could help, but I had to start getting involved somewhere. A couple of days later I got a reply. The coordinator responded saying he would love for me to help with setting up and running sound and to meet in the Smith Hall lobby Friday at 3:30. I excitedly accepted the offer and couldn’t wait for Friday. As the 9th rolled around I got up and went to my regular class that day. I came back and just relaxed in my dorm until 3:30. When the time finally came I quickly got up and headed over to Smith Hall. Jeremy, the guy who usually runs sound for these types of events, was already there and waiting. I introduced myself and we started to set up. I told him I had run shows like this before so he was confident he could tell me to do something and I would be able to do it without a problem. We took out all the equipment including tents, chords, stands, microphones, speakers, monitors, and the mixer. I quickly set everything up just like I would back at high school and then proceeded to check the mics. Once I knew they were all working, I checked the speakers and monitors. Jeremy was very helpful showing me how to use the mixer. I had used one before, but there are so many different makes and models, there is always a slight learning curve when you work with one you haven’t before. He showed me the basics of how the board functioned and I was ready to go in no time. He even told me that I better keep living in Area Two so that I can run sound when he was gone. He really had faith in me. The show started and went smoothly. I carefully adjusted the volume and tone of the speakers as needed to make sure everyone who played sounded good. Once the show got rolling Jeremy stood back and let me control everything for the most part.

I enjoyed my time getting to run sound and was glad I could get involved so early into my freshmen year. In high school I was known as the guy who ran sound for almost everything. It was really something new for me to have to take the initiative to get involved and try to get my name out there once again.

Why White Noise

I have been asked to explain why my blog is title "White Noise" so that is what this post will be about. There are two main reasons why the title is "White Noise" both in a way pertaining to music. Before I get into that however there are few things you need to know about me. The main big one is that I am a musician. I love music and everything remotely related to it. That doesn't mean I am a fan of all styles and genres of music (in fact I can be very opinionated about what I do and don't like at times), but rather that I can appreciate music wherever it may appear, even if it doesn't appeal to me on a personal level. With that being said lets get on to the title of this blog. The first reason I named it "White Noise" is what white noise is. It is basically static, much like a empty signals between radio stations. In my Intro to Music class I learned that white noise can be created from playing all or enough of the notes (A-G), including flats and sharps, together. All at the same time. This made me think how this blog could be about anything, but it is all in one place. At the same time. Each note could be and different post, completely unrelated to the last, or it could be about the exact same thing. Regardless, when you put all these notes together, white noise is created. The second reason is related to my favorite rock band, The Airborne Toxic Event. They got their name from the book also titled "White Noise" by Don DeLillo. In the book something happens that is described as "an airborne toxic event." The band liked the quote and decided that would be there name. Now I haven't read the book so I do not know if the title comes from the white noise I described above. It might. It might not. The reason that the band is relevant is not only because their name is somewhat related to the title "White Noise," but also because the title of each post (with the exception of this one) will be a title or lyric of one of their songs. I chose to do this because this band has influenced a lot. I have seen them live four times, each better than the last, and I want to continue seeing them until they retire. They have made me realize what music I really enjoy listening to and further made me want to pursue a career in the music industry in some form. The image to the right is also the album cover of their most recent record "All At Once." I figured it would fit with the theme. For anyone who reads this I encourage you to listen to them and maybe you can understand more why they influence me so much. You might fall in love with them or you might turn to hate them (I know quite a few people that do). Just remember though, The Airborne Toxic Event. With all that being said I hope this clears up why exactly my blog is titled "White Noise" and I hope to be posting here again soon. Thanks for reading!

-Jonathan Gott

Duet

    I first remember seeing a signer at MTSU during Convocation. A lady to the left podium, standing and repeating everything the speakers said, but not with her words. Rather with her hands so even those who could not hear could understand what the celebration of Convocation was about. After the ceremony my roommate and I went to the presidents picnic, waited in line (for a very long time), and finally got something to eat. With food in hand we walked over to the ice truck so that we could have someplace to lean as we ate. I looked to take a bite of my hot dog and when I looked back up, there they were. An asian girl and a white boy. She was very tan and he had long hair, a beard, and glasses. But this wasn’t what I noticed about them at first. I was intrigued with their conversation. Not with the content, but the delivery. They were signing and I was so natural for them. Going back and forth as swiftly as two friends would talk about a concert they just saw or a joke they had just heard. For some reason this interaction amazed me. It’s not like I haven’t seen something like this before, but this time it just hit me. Still I had no idea what they were talking about. Was it a friendly conversation or a hostile one? Did they already know each other or did they just meet? I couldn’t tell. All I knew is that I didn’t understand them. They were signing extremely fast and understood each other as well as any other two people having a conversation. I stood there watching, trying not to look to intentionally because I didn’t want them to think I was staring at them. I tried, but I couldn’t keep my eyes away. I was just fascinated with the language and really thought it was a beautiful way to communicate. Soon enough a third person came up and that just made even more questions arise. Could he hear? Could he sign? Did he know these people? After I while I could tell he was talking to the boy. I then realized that the boy with the beard could hear even though he was signing to the girl. He then appeared to be translating what the third boy was saying to the girl and vise versa. This amazed me as well and just made me more interested in their conversation. I wondered if my roommate had been watching, but was to involved in their conversation to start my own with him. As I watched some of my previous curiosities were answered. I could tell they were all friendly with each other. Their facial expressions were just like those of two people speaking with each other. Smiling, laughing, and just having a good time. Who needs to hear to communicate I thought. Not these people. All they need is two arms and two hands. This encounter really stuck out to me and remained in my head not only because I find signing to be a beautiful form of communication, but also because after seeing this interaction it really made me want to learn how to sign.