Random Review: Beth Quist & Lucidity

Here's my review of Beth Quist from Get Glue:

When I was 10 years old, my mother and I were living in Boulder with my mother's then-boyfriend, who was also a musician and had a little recording studio in his home, and Beth would come over all the time to record her album "Lucidity" which was released in 1995.

I remember sitting there listening to her record one vocal track for a song, then another, and another, until she had beautiful songs filled with intricate harmonies. She also played the instruments. She is really a very talented lady if you think about it. 

Thanks to the daily repetition of recording, I already knew each song by heart by the time "Lucidity" was done, but surprisingly, I didn't get sick of it. I listened to my copy of the CD pretty regularly. My favorite songs were the upbeat and attitude-driven "American Giver" fueled by the drum beats of a doumbek, the sweet sounding "Mourning Dove" which literally sounded like flying, and the sorrowful "Goodbye" in which she hit the high the notes beautifully. "Crazy" and "Prodigy" were also amazing songs.

I haven't heard her newer music, as we moved away and lost touch not long later, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that Beth had more of an influence on me over the years than I thought. I later started recording my own vocal tracks, and then going back and recording another track, harmonizing with myself, until there were sometimes up to 10 tracks of harmony. I guess this idea kind of came from her in a way, so, thanks Beth. ;) 

Below is the only video I could find on Youtube with one of the mentioned songs in it:

Beth is still making music, and she now performs with Cirque Du Soleil! How cool is that?!? You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Youtube. 

This has been a Random Review from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. Have a good week! 

 

Suicide Prevention Week

According to To Write Love On Her Arms, this week is National Suicide Prevention Week, and today (September 10th) is World Suicide Prevention Day. 

As you may already know, I founded R.I.S.E. (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) which aims to help those struggling with suicide to RISE above it and heal. Below is something I said to someone struggling with the loss of a loved one to suicide:

When we lose someone, especially in such a horrible way, such as suicide, it's important to remember them not for the way they left us, but for the way they lived. In stead of remembering all the grief caused by their passing, choose to remember all the good times you shared. That is the part of them that will live on forever. In the words of Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

I thought the above quote was perfect for this day. A day when so many are grieving their lost loved ones. Sometimes all we need is someone to listen to us with an understanding heart. That's why RISE is here. If you've lost someone to suicide, please reach out and talk to someone. And if you are having suicidal thoughts yourself, we are here for you too. Suicide is not the answer. Please reach out to someone. In addition to R.I.S.E. , here is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 

I'm no professional, and I've never personally lost anyone I loved to suicide, but I have come close a few times, and it is a scary thing. I can only imagine how awful it must be to lose a loved one to suicide, but just try to remember all the good times you shared with them. 

I've also had suicidal thoughts many times throughout my life, and if you're struggling, I can tell you it gets better. Whatever you might be struggling with, it's never worth taking your own life. Suicide doesn't make things better, it only eliminates the chances of things getting better! 

 Whether you are suffering from the loss of a loved one to suicide, or whether you yourself are suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts, I can only say one thing: 

You Are Not Alone!

I leave you with the latest R.I.S.E. video:

Keep Rising! 

-Kylie Kerosene 

(R.I.S.E. Founder) 

Random Review: Another Earth & The Saw Lady

Here is the review I wrote of "Another Earth" on Get Glue::

When I first heard about this film during the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, I was immediately intrigued. And when I saw Brit Marling for the first time, talking about the movie, I saw a fire in her eyes that is only found in the most talented of filmmakers, and intrigue melted into determination. I knew I needed to see Another Earth. And today I finally have.

It was even better than I expected, with amazing and unique cinematography, believable and heart grabbing performances, and a beautiful storyline. I was completely sucked into this world, and I found myself surprisingly attached to the main character (played by Marling). This was probably due in part to the way the film was shot (mostly handheld with an in your face technique that many films don't use often), and in part to Marling's stunning and talented portrayal of her character. 

Yes this is an independent film, and yes it moves slowly for the first half, but then it picks up in a big way. I think it's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a fan of science fiction, or just a fan of good movies in general.

Watch the trailer for "Another Earth" here: 

Also, there is a scene in the film where one of the characters plays a saw like a violin. When I saw this, I was floored. Being a musician myself, and having been brought up surrounded by many different cultures and styles of music, I have seen a lot of things, but never something like this. It was one of my favorite scenes in the film. The idea is so unique and innovative, and the music is one of the things that made "Another Earth" great. It's amazing how such beauty can be pulled from a saw.  

Below is a video of "The Saw Lady" Natalia Paruz, 
who played the saw for the film. Prepare to be amazed:

You can find Natalia on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on her website. 

Keep your eye on the sky. You never know what might be out there. ;)

This has been a Random Review, 
from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. 
Have a good week!

First. Blog. Ever.

I realized yesterday that it's kind of blasphemous for a writer such as myself to not have a blog. So, here I am. I've been writing for years, but I'm only now starting my very first blog. I feel like a kid. I'm way out of my league. But I figure if everybody else can do it, why can't I? Birds fly over the rainbow, so why can't I?!?

...Anyway... 

Where to start? 

I guess I'll "introduce myself" for those who don't know who I am and what I do.

 I'm a writer (in case you didn't catch that the first time). I began writing poetry when I was a little girl living in New Mexico, then poems turned into songs after my mother and I moved to Colorado, and then I started attempting to write short stories and novels. Back then, they were about things like fairies and princesses. I mean come on, I was a little girl. But now I'm all grown up, and the subject matter has changed. I'm currently working on a novel called Undying. It's the first book in a science fiction trilogy. It's been called "Twilight for robots" among other things. I can't say too much about it, except that it's more epic than I ever anticipated, and I'm so excited to get it out there.

I'm also a musician. Or at least I try to be. My mother (and everyone else in my life) was very musical when I was growing up. She taught piano, played the guitar, and sang. So of course it wasn't long until I was following in her footsteps. When my mother would give her piano lessons in the living room, I would hear them from my bedroom. One day, after a student left, I came out of my room, sat down at the piano, and played exactly what she had been teaching her student, simply from hearing it from the other room. After that, music exploded into my life, and I've been writing songs ever since, while attempting to play the piano, guitar, and penny whistle. I've had a few music projects over the years. My current project is TwinStar, which I started with my husband when we met. We mostly write songs inspired by themes and characters in horror and science fiction films. TwinStar can be found on Facebook, Youtube, and the long-forgotten Myspace. I am also working on getting some of my solo music out there, but we'll see what happens.

And, last but not least, I am a video editor. When I was young, I used to listen to music and make up little videos to the songs in my head. I would annoy my mother and whoever else was around with my little "timelines" of my imaginary music videos. I don't think I even knew what a music video was at that point, much less that I could actually be making them. Then, when I was a teenager living in Lexington KY, a family friend introduced me to video editing, and it was instantly my number one passion. I could finally get what was in my head out there for other people to see. It's been about 10 years, and it's still my passion. I make music videos of movies and video games on Youtube, and I also make videos for my support group R.I.S.E.

Speaking of which, I founded R.I.S.E. (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) in 2008, to help spread the word about these epidemics, and to help victims and survivors RISE above the past and begin healing. I've met some wonderful people over the years, some of which are kind enough to help out with R.I.S.E. I'm so grateful to them. Together, we are hopefully saving lives by helping people see that they are not alone, and that suicide is not the answer. If you're interested for any reason, we are on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. Also, our Spokesperson Rindi runs a blog for R.I.S.E.

I have yet to make any kind of profit from any of the activities above, but I don't mind. It's not about money. It's about doing what I love.

Other than all that, I'm just a woman, living in Kentucky, playing video games, listening to music, and watching movies and television. Wow, that sounds boring. Oh, also, I'm on an eternal quest to find the meaning of life, and to evolve as much as I can while I'm here. But aren't we all? ...Wait... Don't answer that...

In this thing we call a blog, I will post updates on projects I'm working on, random ramblings for your reading pleasure, and movie reviews and things of that nature. I will try to post once a week. But we'll see what happens.

This has been a blog (specifically the first blog ever) from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. Yes, I stole that line from Spider-Man. I forgot to tell you I'm also a bit of a nerd. Surprise!