Top Ten: Things To Do When You're Bored In Class

Hellooo!

I'm finally finished school for the year!! Yayy!! I have nothing much to do with my time except blog, eat, sleep, work, become morbidly obese and cry.

Yeah, I was joking about the last two.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a lesson of some description and a couple of my classmates found a rather amazing list of things to do in class when you're bored. It was rather entertaining to watch this one guy actually do half the things on the list. I've decided to shortlist the most brilliant things into a top ten that should keep you from being bored- until you get sick of them, anyway.

And away we go!

1. Ask your teacher if you can go to get a drink/go to your locker- it doesn't matter, just find some excuse to leave the classroom. On your way out, walk into the door. This is one of the ones we did and it was so ridiculous and over-the-top it was hilarious! You should've seen the looks he got from one teacher!! Extra points if the doors of your classroom aren't even made of glass.

2. Write a love letter. Leave it on the seat when your class finishes so the next person to sit in your seat ends up with a random letter. Lemur and I decided to do this one in maths a few weeks ago- it was brilliant. I can't remember what we actually wrote- I think it was something along the lines of:

"Dear person I have never met,

I have loved you since the first time I saw you.

I do not yet know your name yet, but I wish to meet with you and express my appreciation for you.

Meet me at *whatever obscure place we could think of* on Friday lunchtime and I will reveal my identity to you.

I love you."

Even better was the fact that when we walked into class later that week, we actually had a reply! When writing your own letter- the weirder the better!

3. Try and sneak into another classroom without the teacher noticing you. Get out of your class somehow and walk into another class, do a dance and leave before the teacher turns around if you can get away with it. A guy kept doing that in our history class. It was actually really hilarious because he got away with coming in, moonwalking from one side of the room to the other and back again, then leaving without being noticed at all. Our teacher didn't catch him until the last week of term. Everyone thought it was funny that she just caught him after about eight weeks of doing this.

4. Ask your teacher if they've seen your imaginary friend. Lemur, one of our other friends and I did this last year to prank a student teacher. We described our imaginary friends Bob, Frank and Geoffrey in great detail. We actually followed him to the staff room telling him all about what they looked like, their personalities and everything. Geoffrey was a sinister old guy; Bob was short and blue and Frank... I don't know. Then there was Steve, who was very upset. Our twisted storyline was: Frank and Geoffrey ran away together and Bob went with them as a chaperone. Steve loves Frank and Geoffrey and  was running around on the roof looking for them.

He didn't teach our class for very long after that.


5. Climb out a window. Obviously, if you're in an upstairs classroom, this isn't going to work. Unless you really want to die, or you're REALLY stupid. Someone actually managed to do this in New Zealand. Someone threw his pen out the window, so he climbed out to get it. The teacher turned around when he was standing outside the window and somehow didn't notice him standing, very obviously, on the other side of the glass. He then managed to get back in and at his desk without her even noticing he was gone.

What a ninja.

6. Go into the wrong class. Blondy and I did this by accident back in first term. Our science class was right next door to another year ten science class, and we followed the wrong class inside. We were pretty confused when we saw the teacher standing out the front, but we thought, "oh, he must just be relieving." Yeah, no. He called roll and there were a bunch of people definitely not in our class. So we went to leave and we got yelled at for trying to walk out of the classroom. He wouldn't let us explain. Once he stopped yelling, we just said quietly, "we're in the wrong class, sir." Everyone was wetting themselves laughing (including us) and we had to explain why we were late to our teacher (who probably thought we were really stupid.

7. Make an animal noise after every sentence, like a full stop. For example, Lemur and I decided to do this. We decided to 'meow' after every sentence in our music class. Our teacher, who is slightly crazy (but the healthy kind of crazy) thought this was absolutely hilarious. One of the guys decided that it would be funny to "woof" whenever we said "meow", which Mr. Music Teacher thought was even better. What made it even more amazing was the "who let the dogs out?" that followed the "woof." So whenever Lemur or I spoke, it was followed by a "meow", "woof", "who let the dogs out?". It was grand. It will probably annoy everyone near you when you speak, but if you know people with a good sense of humour, it will be great.


8. Fling elastic bands at people. Well, not at people. It requires a little planning as you have to actually have plenty of elastic bands at your disposal, but here's what you do as my dad used to do it. You aim at the ceiling directly above someone's head. It works best if it's a person who's actually concentrating really hard on what they're doing. That way, they'll have no idea what's going on. So once you've got your aim good, fling it. If you've done it properly, it will hit the ceiling and fall straight down onto the person's head (or, if your aim wasn't quite that good, right in front of them or on their arm or something. Fifty points to your Hogwarts house if it goes down the back of their dress/shirt/imaginary clothes).

9. Get everyone in your class outside in the middle of class without being caught doing it. My Kiwi "twin" actually lead this escapade. She was telling me about it. They had some teacher who said she had the eyes of a hawk; she could see everything. She actually managed, one by one, to get everyone out of the classroom bar like, one kid who didn't want to, without being noticed. When she actually turned around, apparently there was a massive "WHAT THE HELL!!!!" Would've been gold.

10. Swap names with people. This was another thing my "twin" was involved in. It only works if you have a new teacher or a relief teacher, or if it's first lesson of the start of the year- if no one knows who you are, though. When the teacher calls roll, say yes to someone else's name. Go by that name the whole lesson. It requires a bit of planning, because everyone else has to know what's going on, but the hilarity is worth it.


So there you have them! The top ten things to do when you're bored in class! For best results, try them on a teacher with a good sense of humour, and don't try when it's obvious that they're in a really bad mood. Have fun, and if you try any of these, let me know how it turned out! I will definitely post more often now that I have FREEDOM!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo

The Underground Experience: The Electro Kid!

Hey ninja-minions! That last post wasn't a trick of the light; I really am back- though probably with less free time…

So in case I hadn't gushed enough to you about On The Pulse, here's what it was: a bunch of up-and-coming bands of the pop-punk genre all playing in Brisbane on one night for the enjoyment of the general public. I'd talked about it to PJ for months on end and it was the best news ever when we found out we were going! Put our excitement this way: PJ got banned from talking about it at all starting the week before we actually went and my friends stopped talking to me. But it was totally worth it!!

I was keen for the whole show in general, but there were a few bands on the line-up that really stood out to me straight away. For starters, obviously Tonight Alive, as the headlining act, in bold print, caught my eye first. Then, reading down, I saw The Never Ever and The Monster Goes Rawrr! By this time, I was fangirling so tragically I couldn't concentrate on anything else. And the fact that I was doing this down the hall from my host sister who already thought I was crazy didn't exactly warm her heart. But besides those obvious three who I never shut up about, there was another band I was excited for.

A one man band now with all the trimmings- a drummer, a guitarist and a bassist.

A band with a catchy, unique and fun sound that immediately had me listening (and dancing, though that was probably better left unsaid).

A band very close to home.

An epic little band called The Electro Kid!

I found out about them when Giles (the lead singer) followed me on Twitter. This is one of the reasons I adore Twitter- just because that's pretty much why I've filled up more than three-quarters of my iPod with music alone! Anyway, I followed all the links and adored what I heard! I'd barely looked at the line-up properly at this stage, so when I saw a tweet about On The Pulse, I double checked the line-up and got really excited!!

At the concert, I was not disappointed! There are four guys in the band- Giles Higginson (vocals), Luke Iles (guitar), Aden Bignell (bass) and Tristan Higginson (drums). The show was awesome- the songs were just as good live, they got the audience into it and they were just generally fun to watch and sing along to!

PJ and I met up with them a bit later and got our shirts signed and Giles took a photo with us. (Unfortunately, said photo was rather unflattering for PJ and me because she had an interesting facial expression and I looked like an oompa loompa made of melting plastic. Nice.) But the horridness of that photo is beside the point- what's awesome is that Giles, the lead singer did an interview with me just for your entertainment!

20 Questions with… Giles Higginson (The Electro Kid)

1. How’d you all meet?
Giles: We all met each other at our high school, and me (Giles) and Tristan are brothers.

2. How’d you go from a solo project to the whole band?
Giles: Well it started off as a solo project in early 2010. As I started to get a little bit better and released my debut single, I decided I wanted to start playing some shows. This then lead to getting a live band and then that went to the full band thing. It's great because it gives us so much more diversity and depth.

3. How long have you been playing your instruments?
Giles: I literally started playing the day I started TEK, so about a year and a half; I'm not very good though.

4. Where did your name come from?
Giles: There's no huge, super deep meaning behind the name. I basically just wanted to have the word electric or electro in the name, and at the time I was listening to heaps of electro pop, lots of those MySpace bands from back in the day, so I decided on The Electro Kid because it was the type of music I wanted to make and the type of music I was listening to.

5. Who would you name as your biggest inspirations?
Giles: For me personally it would be The Ready Set; my excitement was unbearable when I found out he was coming to Australia.

6. What’s the best part of playing a gig?
Giles: The two best things for me would be seeing what the people who are watching react like, it's great to see people enjoying something that you have created. Also, just being able to have fun and get into the music on stage is a great thing.

7. What was the first gig you ever played?
Giles: We opened for a Sydney band called The Never Ever in Brisbane on May 21st 2011. It was crazy because I had listened to TNE for a while and really looked up to them.

(Yep; told you TNE were amazing!!)

8. How do you replicate the electronic sounds live?
Giles: We have a backing track with some synths and beats. Also, I have played a midi trigger pad with some samples and synths on it before, and looking to incorporate some live synth in future shows.

9. What’s the best show you’ve ever played?
Giles: The best show we have ever played was On The Pulse Festival in Brisbane, we had a good crowd for the first band on the smaller stage and every band playing were really awesome.

(Yayy!!)

10. Who writes most of your music?
Giles: I write all of the lyrics and the basic synth and other keys, then the other members build around that with their respective instruments.

11. How would you describe your music?
Giles: I would probably say electro power-pop or electro pop-rock something like that.

12. What inspired ‘For Yourself’?
Giles: 'For Yourself' was inspired by situations i see a lot where good people are brought down by bad friends, when people try and change themselves to be someone they're not and fit in with the wrong crowd.

13. What’s the best song you’ve written?
Giles: My favourite song I've ever written would be 'Actress', but I do like the lyrics for 'For Yourself' because they have a relatable message.

14. How and when did you start to get heard?
Giles: MySpace is where this all started; Twitter is where i have reached out to a lot of people. The first time people really started to hear us was when we started playing shows.

15. What’s the biggest ambition you have for the band?
Giles: For this to be what we do in life.

16. What’s the best song ever?
Giles: My personal favourite song is The Ready Set - Unender

17. What’s on the agenda for 2012?
Giles: Hopefully play lots more shows, tour, get bigger, release a new EP and/or single and to make a music video.

18. What can we expect from your next release?
Giles: The new EP is called Stargazing; it will be out before the end of 2011. You can expect similar stuff, but with more powerful hooks and more guitar.

19. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Giles: Follow your dreams.

20. Any messages for the people of general cyber-space?
Giles: Thank you so much for all the support so far! Expect to be hearing more from us. You can like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theelectrokid

I honestly can't recommend these guys highly enough. I don't know whether it's the fact that they're locals, that they're completely lovely or that fact that their music is- oh, I don't know- AWESOME!! (The fact that they opened for TNE is cold, hard proof of that!) but you have got to check them out! And there's no excuse- there's Twitter, Facebook, Triple J: Unearthed and PureVolume just waiting for you to log on!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo

Short Stack: The Story So Far (Preceded By Ramblings Of My Very Own)

Hi guys!! Ok, don't kill me. I know my blogging has absolutely sucked a gazillion gigantically fat Tic Tacs lately, but I have reasons! I'm not making excuses exactly- well, I am, but they're good reasons!

First and foremost, I got back from New Zealand, obviously. I rarely posted while I was over there because obviously, I'm there to meet new people, and pick up an accent as I did. It's not heavy, but apparently I can't say double 'o' properly and my "i" and "e" sounds get mixed up. If you're from anywhere but Australia or New Zealand, you may not be able to hear the difference at first, but trust me, it's there. It's even more obvious if you're talking to someone and you drop the word "thongs" in a sentence and they look at you like you have three heads. For those of you who don't know, Kiwi's call thongs "jandals." It's quite funny; I don't know where the word exactly comes from. So if anyone knows, comment and tell me! I plan on doing a post on Kiwi slang soon, so hopefully if I get myself into gear, it will actually happen!

Secondly, I have a job now, which means my posting will probably be limited, especially over the Christmas holidays. Goodbye, social life; hello money! I'm saving up for a digital piano because I've had the one little, tiny synth keyboard for almost six years now. As much as I love it, it's about time for an upgrade. I've been writing my own songs lately and I love it. Music and writing are the two passions of my life and to bring the two of them together is amazing. It's such an incredible feeling to be able to sing something that you've written and practiced and edited so many times and be happy with it. PJ and are getting serious about the whole band thing now- who knows the song, Yourbiggestfan by Never Shout Never? We can play that together now; her on guitar and me on piano. If you guys are interested, we might post a video on here or on YouTube... we'll see what happens.

So, as per usual, I've just rambled on and on from a tangent. I do actually have a reason for posting. Well, two actually. I wanted to tell you guys about the premiere of Short Stack's movie and a music festival I went to called On The Pulse. On The Pulse I will probably save for later though, as I cannot possibly talk about it properly in this post mixed in with my ramblings and others, and it was a BIG deal for both me and PJ, so it will definitely, DEFINITELY be my next post. No matter what.

Tonight I went to the premiere of Short Stack's self made documentary, which, if you didn't know, was broadcast live via satellite all over Australia. Which meant that it was happening in the same complex as my work. What they broadcast via satellite was:

• The red carpet event, hosted by Maude Garrett and Matt Acton of The Hot30 Countdown
• An acoustic show- they played their newest song, Bang Bang Sexy as well as an old favourite of mine, Sway Sway Baby and the incredible Planets.
• A brief Q&A session with the boys.

I do envy anyone who actually went to the premiere in Sydney, but the Sunshine Coast one was incredible. There were about thirty of us in the cinema, all screaming teenage girls (and a token boy). The atmosphere was just incredible; it was like an extended family. Everyone was cheering and screaming together and it was... I can't even explain it!

The movie itself was really special. I liked how Andy edited it himself; the fact that they did it all themselves without paying someone else to do the hard yards gave it a really personal touch that you don't get from many movies like that. You really get a sense of how much work they've put in to get his far in their musical careers and it makes you respect them just that much more. They gave credit where credit was due to everyone who helped them out along the way, and you basically felt like you were on the journey with them.

Short Stack have had a bit of a bad rap in the music scene from a lot of critics. So many people commented on how focussed they were on their image as opposed to the music, but when you watch the movie you can blatantly tell how wrong those haters were. They changed their image between Stack Is The New Black and This Is Bat Country because they cared about the music and fans more than anything else and they wanted to make that perfectly clear. Anyone who hates on Short Stack for that reason should really see that part of the movie and understand how wrong they are.

There is a part in the movie where Shaun puts on his serious face for once (gasp, shock, horror!) and they talk about how Short Stack nearly called it quits at one point. I found this part really touching because I personally have found so much comfort in them for good I-don't-know-how-many years I have listened to their music. For more than half of my life, especially the past three years, I've endured so much bullying. It put me in a pretty dark place that I couldn't pull myself out of. Then along came Short Stack and I fell in love with their music and their bright personalities straight away. I was already learning piano, but I really threw myself into it completely, heart and soul around the time I started listening to them. I realised that no matter what happened in my life, music was a solid rock that I could cling to; it was a family I would always be a part of. When I broke up with my first boyfriend, I fell back into the rut but music was the footholes that helped me to climb out. I started writing music then because writing was the only way I could show any emotion, and putting it to music, the only thing I really knew about and understood was the only thing that made me feel better, and I owe that release to Short Stack.

But of course, being Short Stack (as they obviously are), it wasn't all tears and love stories. They're fun; there was a lot of joking around. The highlights for me were definitely the tour pranks on Heroes For Hire and Because They Can, and the clips from old Short Stack TV episodes that I haven't seen in so long. On the weekend, I've decided PJ and I need a Short Stack TV marathon. Or maybe just me lying in my bedroom alone....whichever works! I especially liked the comparison Andy made between their Youtube channel and Jack Ass- "Stack Ass" is the best name for it there could ever be. And when you see Andy standing in his backyard, kicking himself in the head, you understand completely. Our cinema was in tears of laughter.

I honestly give this movie 110/5, for obvious reasons. I've pre-ordered the DVD which comes out on November 4- if you didn't go to the premiere, or even if you did- YOU MUST GET IT!! It is so worth it. However, just a side note- the actual DVD will apparently be rated MA 15+, so it's at your own discretion!

Anyway, I'm going to bed. 'Night, everyone. I hope I didn't bore you all to death for the sake of fangirling, which is what I'm doing right now. When I got home, I was pretty much a death metal panda. My eyeliner had run halfway down my face- not because I cried, but because bouncing up and down in my seat for two hours made me break a sweat!- and from screaming and yelling, my voice actually sounded like I was screaming death metal. Which I was doing during the beginning of the movie. They played Planets over a two minute countdown and because I was so incredibly loud and noisy, something happened to my voice and I was doing the death metal cover. Short Stack gone screamo... interesting.

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo

Ninja Ten

Hey guys!

It was my birthday on Thursday and now I'm fifteen. Fifteen, and before long, that will be thirty. Only two years left of high school! Me, out in the real world? It's a scary thought. Just next year, I'll be able to get my learner's licence! Gosh, that's pretty nerve-wracking.

Anyway, I love birthdays. For me, it basically means a crap-load of new music! Right now, I have 947 recently added songs on my iTunes. About 20 of them I bought on iTunes, another 20 were off a CD that I bought, a gazillion of them were songs I got off my host brother and sister, and the rest I salvaged off my old iPod nano! I have one of the little fat ones and it had soo many songs stuck on it- I rescued them after about two years- finally!! 

Today's post is pure music; I thought I'd share with you the best songs of them all.

Love Drunk- Boys Like Girls
For my punk-pop lovelies, this one's for you. I never knew it by name but I have loved it for ages. Boys Like Girls are about the most awesome you can get. Their whole album is just... well, please excuse me while I dance wildly around my room!

The Llama Song- Burton Earny
My best friend bought it on iTunes. It goes for a total of 40 seconds. It is so stupid and pointless that it is actually so awesome. It's for those with a sense of humour and a love for llamas. That would be you, Danisnotonfire. If you don't know him; I'm doing a post tomorrow on YouTubers. Stay tuned, folks!

Loser Like Me- Glee
My absolute anthem, personal theme song... whatever you call it; that's what this song is to me. It's just awesome! It sums me up perfectly, and Glee is just amazing, no matter what my dad will say! I adore Cory Monteith and his voice and Lea Michele's in one track- to die for!!

Tonight Tonight- Hot Chelle Rae
Yep; it's mainstream. You've heard it everywhere, right? I love it so much! It is the first more-than-decent pop song I've heard in so long! I can't resist dancing and/or singing along whenever I hear it. They've set the bar pretty high, and I cannot wait to hear more from them. 

Fall For You- Secondhand Serenade
It just sounds pretty and kinda romantic and sweet, which is pretty much typical of Secondhand Serenade. It's not one to burst your eardrums or have you busting out some kind of breakdance moves in the middle of a flashmob, but it's beautiful. The kind of song that has you lying in your room doodling in your journal, thinking of That Guy. 

On The Brightside- Never Shout Never
I never thought I'd thank school for finding me a cool song, but I am! They played it at assembly one Friday, and it was just so cool! It is the cutest song ever, and Christofer Drew Ingle's voice is just to die for! It's a positive mantra that's catchy and simple, a perfect little pick-me-up on a down day!

Scene Kid- Scream Infamy
I believe I've mentioned the sheer epicness of Scream Infamy and the loveliness of Josh before in The Underground Experience? Well when I got my iTunes credit *cue victory music* this was on the top of the list! If you didn't read it- click here! This is what Josh had to say about the inspiration behind the band's first single:

"Honestly, most of the Sydney music scene. Hardcore/metal kids and 'hipster' scene kids really annoy me a lot. They act like they are better than everyone when in fact, they are just not. The song is about getting rejected by a girl cause she would prefer to date one of these 'scene kids', obviously, and the music is inspired by old school punk rock."

Read the post if you haven't already!

Burn So Bright- The Sundance Kids
Once again, I hail thee, Genius sidebar on iTunes! I knew about The Sundance Kids beforehand, because they were the opening act for Short Stack at a local show that I unfortunately couldn't get tickets to- grr! I didn't end up looking up their music, and I'd sort of half forgotten about them until iTunes stepped in. I heard this song and started crying. Yes, I cry over beautiful songs. If you haven't heard them- think The Fray with a splash of Short Stack.

Secret Valentine- We The Kings
This song is just epic in so many ways. Could it be the fact that We The Kings are just awesome and attractive? Perhaps. But this song is G-R-E-A-T! It pretty much is me, and in my favourite style of music too. Pretty much the greatest thing ever!

Blast The Stereo- The Never Ever
The Never Ever. Enough said. Back in the days before Dylan Nash, there was Colby McQueen (now lead singer of another Sydney pop-punk five piece, Wake The Giants). Despite my lasting loyalty to Dylan, I still adore the fact that Colby was a part of the formation of my favourite unsigned lovelies.

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo

The Underground Experience: Lurid Midnight

Hey ninjas!! Sorry, I know my posting has absolutely sucked lately, but I've been SO BUSY! Yeah, I know, no excuse, but I've been switching countries again! Aussies- I'm back, baby!

That's all beside the point. Tonight, in case the title didn't give it all away, I have another installment of The Underground Experience! It's about a little band just starting out that I've known about for a while! They're probably the one all-girl band that I know of that aren't all bubblegum pop. They're inspired by bands that I love- think Short Stack, Forever The Sickest Kids, All Time Low... punk meets pop- but with a touch of girl power!

Meet Kione, Lisa, Sian and Amanda- four average teenage girls from New South Wales, Australia with a passion for music and a quest for awesomeness!

So what instruments do they play? Kione is the drummer, Amanda is the lead singer, Sian is a lead guitarist and Lisa rocks out on the bass! They may not have much in the way of songs out and around on the internet yet, but these up-and-coming ladies won't be far off!

 

Plus, the girls were super-lovely enough to do an interview with me especially for you guys! Which means it's time for...

20 Questions... with the ladies of Lurid Midnight!!

1. Where did you all meet? 

Sian: The others met in primary school or grade 7. I moved down to New South Wales from Central Queensland and just happened to stumble across some of the nicest girls ever who shared all my interests :)

Kione: Lisa went to the same primary school as me, Amanda went to a writing work shop and I just happened to be there. Siân just turned up out of no where.
Lisa: I met them at a strip club in the middle of school.
Amanda: We met at high school at the beginning of grade eight. 

2. How did you decide to become a band? 

Sian: It was just something I'd always wanted to do. I wanted to start a band when I lived in Queensland, but no one liked the idea. It just so happened that I moved down here and met Amanda, who wanted to have a music based career as well. 

Kione: It was all Siân and Amanda’s idea, I just tagged along.
Lisa: I wanted to get closer to Alex Gaskarth.

Amanda: Ever since I was 4. I've always wanted to be a musician, it seems like a fun and exciting job.

3. Where did your name come from?
Sian: My older sister is a novelist and is writing a series of vampire books, the third one being called Lurid Midnight. We had been looking for a name, and had been tossing around two or three for about two weeks when she told me we could use the name of her book as long as we gave her credit for it, and the name has just stuck ever since. If you have Wattpad, Mibba or Inkpop,  you should really check her out :) her username is PawLuvzVampirez.

Kione: Paige's book. She's Sian's sister.

Lisa: Paige's vampire book.

Amanda: Sian's sister Paige wrote a book called 'Lurid Midnight'.

4. What bands inspire you?
Sian: Short Stack and Because They Can definitely. Mayday Parade, The Maine, My Chemical Romance, All Time Low, We Are The In Crowd, Tonight Alive, Boys Like Girls, For Our Hero, This Providence, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows and VersaEmerge are pretty big influences too.

Kione: Short Stack mainly, but Because They Can, All Time Low, Tonight Alive and pretty much any other band that came from nowhere are big inspirations to me. 

Lisa: Because They Can, All Time Low, Short Stack, The Maine, You Me At Six, We The Kings, etc.

Amanda: The Amity Affliction, Jack's Mannequin, Death Cab For Cutie, VersaEmerge, The Maine, All Time Low, Brand New, Forever The Sickest Kids and more. 

5. How would you describe your sound?
Sian: For vocals I'd say we sound a bit like Tonight Alive, and for the music, probably Because They Can or For Our Hero. Possibly throw Jack's Mannequin into the mix too. All in all it's a pretty awesome sound, which you'll all be hearing soon :)

Kione: Amanda's voice is like Jen from Tonight Alive and Hayley Williams put together. 

Lisa: We sound like sh*t bags. 

Amanda: Tonight Alive meets Paramore and VersaEmerge.

6. What do you like doing better; covering songs or writing your own music?
Sian: Covering songs is fun; playing songs that everyone knows and loves, and knowing no matter what people will scream the lyrics back to you is a great feeling, but first you have to figure out how to play the songs, and have to adjust them to fit Amanda's voice. With writing songs, they'll always be in Amanda's range because she's the one writing them and we can add our own music as long as its all in the same key. And it means a whole lot more when people scream the lyrics of a song you helped create, than someone else's song. 

Kione: Covering music would be so much fun, but writing our own is better because we are letting you know what's going on in our life.

Lisa: Covering songs because then I have a reason to scream more about Alex Gaskarth's voice. 

Amanda: I like both. Covering songs is great, but its always nice to write and perform something of our own. 

7. Who does most of your song writing?

Sian: Amanda does, because if anyone else did it, it would be difficult because the song might not be in her range.

Kione: Sian and Amanda because Lisa and I are too lazy.

Lisa: Manda and Sian because me and Kione are lazy sh*ts.

Amanda: I do. I've been writing songs for a few years now. 

8. What inspires your lyrics?

Sian: Basically everything going on in our lives. Our group of friends is almost constantly arguing, and there's always the issue of boys, and sometimes deaths in the family, etc.

Kione: I would guess family, friends and crushes.

Lisa: sh*t.

Amanda: Having crushes on boys (sigh), and anything that just comes to my mind, like friends, cities I want to visit, etc. 

9. How long have you guys been playing your instruments?
Sian: I started learning guitar in March this year when we started. My Dad used to be in a band and he teaches me from home, which is good because it's free, and music lesson prices are tremendous at the moment. 

Kione: I started learning the keyboard at the beginning of this year but I gave up and I'm buying drums soon. 

Lisa: I started learning the electric but gave up because I'm lazy. I've probably been learning bass for about 2 months now.

Amanda: I've had my voice my whole life ;)

10. What are your favourite subjects at school?

Sian: Music and lunch :D
Kione: Music, Tech and Science.

Lisa: Sorry, school's crap so I can't answer that question. The only good thing is how I met my friends at the school strip club. 

Amanda: I like Music, lunch break, and English :)

11. What do you get up to on the weekends?
Sian: Most of the time I just stay at home on my computer all day unless we go out shopping or something. I have my guitar lessons with my Dad for about 3 or 4 hours every Saturday though. 

Kione: In winter I play netball on Saturday mornings, the afternoon I either go shopping or just stay home. Sundays are normally free. 

Lisa: Um, mostly spend time on the computer and I play sports every Saturday.

Amanda: I travel around the state. I go to a new town every weekend. 

12. What other hidden talents do you have?
Sian: I can play the Clarinet. I used to be in the school band in primary school and was 1st Clarinet. If you went through my parents' computer, you'd find about 977365783426858736485 videos of me playing it with the band. I also like writing stories like my sister, and people say I'm a pretty good singer :S

Kione: I'm a great netball player and a pretty good writer as well.

Lisa: You'll have to find out in bed ;)

Amanda: I'm a professional blogger ;) oh, and I'm good at playing pokemon. Do those count as hidden talents? 

13. How long have you all been playing together?
Sian: We've been a band since March 24, 2011. Is it sad that I remember the date? :S

Kione: We haven't officially had a band practise but should have one by Christmas at least.

Lisa: About 5 months now? I don't know!

Amanda: Around April this year. 

14. Where can we hear your music?
Sian: No where yet, we're still learning our instruments and stuff, but we should have a cover of Remembering Sunday by All Time Low up on our YouTube soon so keep a look out :)

Kione: No where yet, but hoping to start doing some covers. We are learning Remembering Sunday by All Time Low.

Lisa: Listen to All Time Low. Alex Gaskarth stole some of my lyrics ;)

Amanda: the internet!!!!!

15. What is your favourite song ever?
Sian: Um, either 17 by Short Stack, Blood & Ice Cream by For Our Hero, You & I (Tonight) by Because They Can, or Where The City Meets The Sea by The Getaway Plan. I can't chose. Its impossible.

Kione: SWEET DECEMBER!! By Short Stack. 

Lisa: Um, I don't know. Probably We'll All Be... by The Maine.

Amanda: I hate Hartley by The Amity Affliction :3

16. What’s your nerdiest habit?
Sian: I've read the whole Harry Potter series at least 5 times each. I've probably read The Deathly Hallows about 8 times to be honest. And I hate when my books get bent. When I moved down from Queensland, and opened the box my books we packed in, I cried for hours. The removalists had packed my books with the spines facing the top of the box, and there was about 3 levels of books in the box, and every one of them got bent in some sort of fashion. They broke the spine of my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was horrible. 

And I got 100% in my maths test on the Pythagorean Theorem. Pretty stoked about it. 

Kione: I always have to fit my maths note on one page. I hate having two pages of notes!

Lisa: Stressing over tests.

Amanda: I love reading.

17. What’s the craziest thing you guys have done?
Sian: I've done a tone of crazy stuff in my 14 year lifetime, and there's definitely more to come. I think the craziest thing I've done is playing tin can soccer with my friends in Queensland on concrete floor, while it was chucking it down with rain, and I slipped over like 3 times, and we got in trouble with the deputy. Or becoming friends with Kione. That was definitely a crazy idea. 

Kione: Well, whenever someone from our table goes to the toilet at school in the lunch break, we yell their name out when they're walking back. And because we go to a small school, basically the whole school turns around and stares at them.

Lisa: Um, a guy pulled off my bikini top and I turned around and slapped him in the face while I was still topless :S

Amanda: One time I was camping with friends and we wanted phone reception and it was like midnight, so we walked up a cliff right next to water with sparklers just to get on facebook. We risked our lives for the internet. 

18. What’s your biggest ambition musically?
Sian: I don't care about getting big, and touring with huge bands like All Time Low or anything. I'm happy as long as we have a group of faithful fans, no matter how big or small, that will stand up to haters, come to every show, and scream our lyrics back to us at the top of their lungs as if it was the last thing they would say in their life. That would be amazing. Even though touring with All Time Low would be awesome, I like to appreciate the littler things. Sometimes they're more important. 

Kione: To get signed, put out an album and even do a tour. 

Lisa: To become well known, but not famous as such. It would be too much stress.

Amanda: To be able to save people through the lyrics I wrote. I want to make people happy, I want them to be able to make it through tough times. I want to make them feel like life is worth living every day.

19. How would you describe your sense of style?
Sian: In winter, all I wear is skinny jeans, band shirts and leather jackets. I love my leather jacket :3 in summer I don't wear singlets, I just wear t-shirts. Mostly band shirts, hahaha, and shorts. Especially the high waisted ones. Even though I'm skinny I feel uncomfortable wearing singlets. I don't know why. And I wear converse all the time, whether it's summer or winter. The only time I don't wear them is if I'm going to the beach. 

Kione: I love skinny jeans, hoodies and band tees! They are the best, but in summer I tend to wear shorts and singlets. Connies are the BEST!! Haha

Lisa: Different but a little bit of the trends. 

Amanda: I'm not even sure!

20. Any messages to people of general cyber space?

Sian: You're always worth it. Don't bring yourself down. You're absolutely amazing, no matter what anyone says. Self-harm should never be an option, and nothing is worth taking your life over. Be yourself. Don't change for anyone else. If someone picks on you, they don't have a life, and desperately need to get one because they're pathetic. Follow your dreams. If someone tries to stop you they're not worth your time. If you're one of our fans, then thank you. Those two words will never do justice, no matter how many times I say them. I love you all for giving us a chance at this. And if you're one of the people participating in our competition, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We would not be where we are right now without you guys posting our facebook link everywhere and telling your friends about us. 
Oh, and wherever Lisa mentions Alex Gaskarth or the school strip club, she's joking. Actually, she's joking practically all the way through this interview. 
Kione: Hello, please check us out, we have a competition running RIGHT NOW!! Follow the link >>> http://www.facebook.com/notes/lurid-midnight/our-little-competition/149373428479049 
Lisa: Hi I'm Lisa and I'm single :P

Amanda: Never ever give up on your dreams. You can do whatever you want to do, don't let anything or anyone get in the way of that. I believe in you, you deserve good things. 


So I'm thinking future female Short Stack? Who knows what's in store for these girls! Let's hope they stick to their dreams and become AWESOME!!!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo

P.S.: I'll try and post more often, I promise!

The Underground Experience: Scream Infamy

It's finally the moment we've all- well, I know I have, anyway!!- been waiting for... the first review of The Underground Experience!! I'm really excited about it!! And away we go!!

First up, we have a great little band from Sydney called Scream Infamy!! They are absolutely amazing!! Think catchy, pop-punk guitar riffs and tons of energy. Yet another one of my unsigned lovelies; the music these guys make is pop-punk magic!! If you hear their single, Scene Kid (which you should all go and buy on iTunes right now!!), you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. For those of you too lazy to look it up, watch it now!!

Scene Kid- Scream Infamy



Bet you understand me now, huh?!

Another reason I adore these guys is how lovely they are. The lovely Josh was sweet enough to play twenty questions with me especially for you guys!! My first time interviewing anyone, so hope you love it as much as I do!!

20 Questions With... Scream Infamy!!

1. Where did you all meet?

Mutual friends and me (Josh) and James have been cousins since birth! 

2. How did you decide to become a band?

Me and James have been jamming since we started playing our instruments (really badly!) and we eventually decided to start a real band!

3. Where did your name come from?

I just put two words together, Scream and Infamy, and it fit and holds a really important meaning. Most of our lyrics are pointing out people that are in the wrong, or are 'infamous', so the name is pretty fitting to our music.

4. What bands inspire you?
Say Anything are personally my favourite band; we're seriously influenced by anything from Parkway Drive to Lady Gaga to Blink-182, as well as local/obscure bands.

5. How would you describe your sound?

Pop punk with a touch of indie, emo, alternative rock. We like to think we sound a bit like Fall Out Boy, All Time Low and Good Charlotte, so if you like those bands you need to check us out.

6. What do you like doing better; covering songs or writing your own music?

Covering songs is always fun, but people singing along to your lyrics, rather than a Blink-182 cover is an amazing feeling too. The best singalongs we get are to Scene Kid and Cool Story Bro!, hopefully our new material is 150% catchier so we can get more singalongs!

7. Who does most of your song writing?

I (Josh) write all of the lyrics and most of the music; the other boys usually come in and change parts to how they please. I'm pretty much the evil dictator when it comes to songs though; my kids are like my babies!

8. What inspires your single, Scene Kid?

Honestly, most of the Sydney music scene. Hardcore/metal kids and 'hipster' scene kids really annoy me a lot. They act like they are better than everyone when in fact, they are just not. The song is about getting rejected by a girl cause she would prefer to date one of these 'scene kids', obviously, and the music is inspired by old school punk rock.

9. How long have you guys been playing your instruments?

Throughout high school we've been learning and perfecting our musicianship. I've personally been playing for 4 years.

10. What are your favourite subjects at school?

Music class is always fun! I love multimedia too, great way to let out my other creative streaks.

11. What do you get up to on the weekends?

Playing shows, or just going to local shows trying to support the scene!

12. What other hidden talents do you have?

Haha I don't think I have any talent at all! Awkward!

13. How long have you all been playing together?

November 2009, nearly two years!

14. Where can we hear your music?

Screaminfamy.com is your best bet, but if you like us on Facebook you automatically get a puppy (Facebook.com/Screaminfamy). 

15. What is your favourite song ever?

Definitely. Friday - Rebecca Black. Either that or something by Adele, what a babe.

16. What’s one thing you look for in a girl?

Awesome personality! And if she likes the same kind of music as me, I wouldn't complain either.

17. What’s the craziest thing you guys have done?

Probably some of our shows have had some crazy stuff happen, like jumping into the crowd, swearing at people to mosh or dance. One time we got paid a lot of money for a show we literally brought two people to, haha.

18. What’s your biggest ambition musically?

To get signed and tour the world! And also to learn how to sing, hahaha.

19. Your debut release is set for early next year… what can we expect?

Expect something as pop punk as pop punk can be in 2011, catchy hooks, fun rhythms, intense breakdowns, techno beats to pump up the bass for, bass drops to destroy subwoofers, I could go on forever...Oh yeah, sexy guitar solos and a s**tload of autotune.

20. Any messages to people of general cyber space and your fans?

THANK YOU x infinity for supporting us and keep on supporting us because you ARE Scream Infamy! Without y'all, we have nothing. Except our boyish charm and stunning good looks. [You got that right!! :P] But in all seriousness, we love each and everyone of you, y'all are beautiful xoxoxoxxo <3

So, who else can't wait for the next release?? If Scene Kid and Cool Story Bro! are just  the beginning, just wait until what comes next!! Exciting?? I think so!!

Once again, here's where to find them:

Facebook.com/Screaminfamy

Screaminfamy.com

Twitter.com/Screaminfamy

Screaminfamy.bandcamp.com <-- FREE ACOUSTIC EP FOR DOWNLOAD!!

Yes, you read right. Free music, people!! Get on it!! And support them and their awesome epicness by buying Scene Kid on iTunes!

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo