When you live like I do

Blog Challenge Post 13

I find bands more difficult to write about than other things, especially when I haven’t been to any concerts. So this won’t be a very long blog post, but I will try.

I started listening to Three Days Grace a few years ago. I don’t remember quite how it all started, but I think one of my sisters had one song of them. And then I probably heard some of their music on the online radio station Bandit Rock, which I was listening to a lot at that time.
So I got hold of their two CD’s, and found out that nearly every song they have made is totally awesome. It has the exact right amount of hard rock to it, you can hear the lyrics, and the lyrics and melodies just strikes a chord with me.

Last year they released their 3rd album, but I wasn’t overjoyed. I didn’t like the lyrics of that one as much as I love the two first albums. And I still haven’t been able to embrace that album. But I love the two first albums so much that I still have to say it’s my favorite band. (I have to add that Breaking Benjamin nearly made it as my favorite, but had to be a good number two in the end.)

Not long ago I saw a YouTube video of them playing “Get Out Alive” live. The vocalist sings almost better live than he does on the albums!! So now one of my big dreams is to see Three Days Grace live in concert.

Leaving you with two YouTube videos. The first one is the live video of "Get Out Alive" I was talking about, and the second is the music video for "Animal I Have Become", one of my favorite songs.

 

 

 

Blog Challenge Post 12

 

My favorite musician is Unni Wilhelmsen. It has been since I was 14 and bought her first album. As I write this I am 28, and the fact that she’s my favorite has never wavered in the last 14 years.

I guess I can call it part of my brains “split personality” traits. My music genera of choice have been metal and hard rock since around the age of 15, and Unni Wilhelmsen is calmer and not so anger based. But her voice and lyrics have always spoken to me, and she is the only musician/band I have kept “faithful” to for all these years, and I will keep buying her albums as long as she makes them.

I have been to two concerts with Unni, and both were awesome. She is even better live than on her albums, which is saying something if you have heard the albums. The first time I saw her life I went alone to her concert at Samfundet in Trondheim. Not sure which year this was, but it could be 2004. As I sat there alone in the dark, listening to the woman whose songs I grew up with tell stories about how the songs I love and which mean so much to me was written, tears were streaming down my face. It was one of the biggest experiences of my life, and I don’t think I have told anyone before how much this moved me.
The second time I went with one of my cousins to Olavshallen in Trondheim. I was actually a bit skeptic, because Unni had made an album in Norwegian. And I’m not much for artists singing in Norwegian. I hadn’t even bought the album, but since she was once again in Trondheim I just had to go. This was in 2006. Needless to say the concert was once again awesome. And Unni became my one exception when it comes to Norwegian lyrics. The new songs blew me away, and the album has become one of my favorites. After the concert I actually got to meet Unni in person. I was so starstruck I almost couldn’t say anything. But I bought the album from her, and she signed it. Actually the signature is pretty special, because we found out her middle name is the same as my name, so she signed with both her names and she told me she don’t usually do that. I had forgotten my camera that day of course, so I didn’t get a picture with her. But I did take a picture of her with my cellphone with the sucky camera:

(In those days cameras on phones weren’t good at all, not like now with my HTC Desire HD with an 8mp camera…)

I should stop here. I could keep raving on about how great Unni Wilhelmsen is, but I think you get the point. Instead I leave you with the music videos of one of my favorite songs, "Humbly for her":

PS: I recommend you go to Unni Wilhelmsens MySpace site. There you can listen to some of her songs, and watch her music videos. : Unni Wilhelmsen