humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of music professionals, amateurs, inspiring students, celebrities, lifestyle influencers, and general feel good human stories in the music sphere.
Country & HipHop
1987 – The year I was born. But maybe not the year I should’ve been – Read Ahead My teen years ran from 1997 until 2006 but I can tell you now, majority of music I listened to during that time frame was definitely not the era I was born in, but different styles have shaped who I am today.
By Ashleigh Holmes5 years ago in Beat
Gen-X Teen Alone in the Wild World. Top Story - May 2021.
The year was 1987, my excitement could easily be seen by anyone who cared to notice that I was officially, at least in my mind, grown-up; a 'teen-ager' at last. Teen years are when childish innocence seems to be naturally abandoned for more important things such as social interactions and a budding awareness of more than the personal space around one's self. These years are when one becomes aware of the world and the inconsistencies with all the innocent and simple rules children learn; be nice to others and always - always treat others as you'd like to be treated - "The Golden Rule".
By Meko James 5 years ago in Beat
One Last Caress
Teenage angst you ask? Dating the tall, dark, sexy skater boy with long curly hair and a six-pack, whom your mother absolutely loathed. That was my teenage angst. Because of him, I grew an everlasting love for a specific band called Misfits. The song Saturday Night was our favorite song. One that he would sing, loudly into my ear as we laid wrapped in each other's arms on my family sofa. And which is now part of my everyday playlist.
By Angelique Gamez5 years ago in Beat
Bangs, Converses, and Blink
In 6th grade I was a jock, but a part of me didn't quite feel like I belonged. I was attracted to weird clothing, which included a studded belt I wore everyday and two different colored converses. I chopped my bangs late one night and dyed the tips of them bright pink with some semi-permanent dye I bought at a hot topic. I would show up at practice and I wasn't made fun of but it was very well aware I was different. While most of the girls on my soccer team ran after football and baseball players, I longingly crushed on a boy who was in the town's punk band. One morning I opened my locker to find a CD mixtape left inside. The first few songs were from the Blink 182 album "Take off your pants and jacket", the rest of the list included songs from bands I wasn't too familiar with. The bands were Boston pop punk bands like Four Year Strong, Vanna, and others more known like A Day to Remember and Taking Back Sunday. I excitedly entered the bus and put the CD into my walk-man, while I longingly stared out of the window and felt like our two punk souls were connected. That mix was the playlist to middle school for me, through fights with my parents and my heartbreak with that boy. What it really was- was a door through a culture in Massachusetts that led me through rebellion and underground scenes in my teenage years. The first time I drank alcohol, smoked a cigarette, losing my virginity and self exploration came post my blink 182 days. A local venue in a historic run down theater on the other side of town called the Palladium was my weekend hangout spot. Bands that were on their way to becoming big, to nobodies played there. With a musty smoky atmosphere you walked through run down hand crafted doors on a velvet floor. Bathroom graffiti, band merchandise tables, and colorful arrays of Mohawks, bangs, spiked hair, chokers, tattoos, facial piercings, would hide this theater's past. The ceiling was muraled with some kind of biblical scene of angels and large Greek columns fell down the sides of the interior. It was taken over by creatures who lurked around Central Massachusetts from broken families and lost souls to create some kind of community. When I didn't feel like I had a home that original punk mixtape led me to a community of misfits that had more heart than your church mom.
By May Brault 5 years ago in Beat
A moment of bliss
Looking out through the window I can only see the top of the trees piercing the blue infinite ski. The sound of birds, chit chatting with one another fills my ears and makes me drift away in thoughts. As I bury my mind in the bitter sweet memories of my adolescent years, I’m put “face to face” with one of the many remainders for the person that I am today.
By eternal_sun5 years ago in Beat
Punk Music, The Cold War, and The End of the World
On a quick grocery run a few years ago, somewhere between the ramen noodles and the toilet paper, “London Calling” by the Clash poured out of the overhead speakers, and a little piece of me died. The music of my teenage angst was reduced to the kind of peppy background noise that makes you happy enough to buy the manager’s specials. Apparently the end of the world is now grocery store fodder and I am officially fucking old and the end can’t come soon enough. I understand my teenage self in a whole new way.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Beat
My Songs Forever
My Songs Forever By: Camron Washington The songs that helped me through my angst times when I was a teen were more than just songs for me. Many of them saved me from committing suicide. My life was never the easiest during my teens. I missed out so much and if it were not for these songs, I would not be here on earth right now. A song that speaks for itself is Turning Out by AJR. Growing up, I thought everything would be just like what you had seen on tv. This was not the case. In this song, some of the lyrics that hit hard say, “Maybe I’m stuck on what I see on TV, I grew up on Disney, but this don’t feel like Disney." This truly related to me. I felt like he knew exactly what I felt and was going through. Reality sucks and any adult will tell you this. Do not grow up so fast. Stay young for as long as you can. In another line, it says, “You say I turned out fine, I think I’m still turning out.” This is still me to this day because I am not done turning out. I do not think I will ever be. There is so much to learn in this world and not a single person can say that they have it all together. If they say they do, they are most certainly lying.
By Camron Washington5 years ago in Beat
3 Generations of Music
I grew up with music, John Denver, the Carpenters, Johnny Cash, and Kenny Rogers. I listened to the Eagles, Boston and Foreigner, Creedence Clearwater and the Beatles. There was always something playing on our big console record player. I remember the Partridge Family, the Monkees and the Beach Boys. My playlist would probably include music from this generation to start with.
By Vicki Goodman5 years ago in Beat
We Were The Boys
Liverpool in the swinging sixties. I have to say, my childhood was not an easy one. I was an undernourished and introverted child born and brought up on the wrong side of the tracks. I was bullied and beaten on a frequent basis at home, at school and out on the streets. I was once attacked by a group of figteen sixteen year old thugs who left me for dead. I did not expect to live a very long life and at times neither did I desire one. There was very little joy in my young life apart from music and football, I was fanatic about both. And it was those two things that sustained me during some of my most difficult days.
By Liam Ireland5 years ago in Beat
