What I’ve Learned, a summation of this blog

This blog has been a whole new experience to me. I have never done anything like this, written anything to publicly put online.

While writing this blog I have also been using the social media twitter to advertise and promote my blog. I don’t have much experience promoting my work, although I have done a little with promoting my music on Facebook and Instagram. Promoting for this blog however, has been a whole new experience. I’ve learned it is a lot harder than it looks to get people to be interested in what you are trying to promote.

You have to word your tweets in a way that draws people in, makes them interested in your cause. Without it, nobody would want to tune in or watch it grow.

I think my site could have been improved if I would have tried to incorporate some interviews of new artists, I think it really could have taken this blog to the next level. I also could have done a better job at promoting, by trying to be more active on my Twitter; by liking others post and replying to their posts, or just reaching out to make any connection. My favorite part of this blog had to have been when I created this site and made the whole layout, I really got to showcase my creativity. I think that this whole project could really help me promote any future projects or music that I work on. If I ever run a businesses social media, or build a website, these tools could come in handy.

Looking back on my website, there are also several important stats that help me gauge my outreach. My most popular week was February 24th to March 1st, I had 13 views and 11 visitors. My most popular post is my Chelsea Cutler concert review with 8 views, I think this was my most popular post, because it was an actual concert and it had an artist more people may have enjoyed. The most surprising thing to me is that people actually viewed my site, I didn’t think anyone would actually pay attention or care to read it. I guess there really is an audience for anything.

I’m really grateful for the opportunity this website gave me to talk about a topic I love and I have really enjoyed the time I have had with it.

Outer Banks Playlists Review

Recently Netflix released a new hit show called Outer Banks. It has become a new kind of sensation everywhere. Because of quarantine, people are just looking for things to watch and do, and this show managed to captivate many people. This show has actually inspired many different music playlists on Spotify, that are Outer Banks themed. Today I plan to mention and review a few.

It seems that so far there have been two kinds of playlists being made; rap and indie music. People seem to be split down the middle when it comes to the exact vibe the Outer Banks holds. Personally I think that is has more of an indie music appeal, but that’s just my opinion. However, there are some playlists that include both genres.

I think I’ll stick to what I know best and just review the ones with indie music on them, I’m not well versed in rap music.

First up is is the playlist outer banks – pogue inspired. This list has a lot of good songs to drive down an empty highway to with the windows rolled down. There is some alt-j, third-eye blind, Bob Marley, Tame Impala, Declan McKenna and more. I like that this playlist is not ridiculously long, that way you can listen to all of the songs on it without running out of time. I also don’t think there is one song on here that I would skip if it came on.

Next is the playlist outer banks;). This playlist has a lot of artists on it that I haven’t ever heard of before, so it was nice to hear some new music. Some of the artists included were Cayucas, The Teskey Brothers, Sandollar, Widowspeak and The Clash. This playlist also was a really good length for a car ride somewhere if you feel cooped up in the house.

These playlists were just two of my favorites that I found, but if you search up Outer Banks in the Spotify search bar there are so many more playlists to discover. These playlists will be great for the summer time, even if we have to spend it all at home.

Conan Gray “ Kid Krow” Album Review

For this post, I wanted to go more in depth about an album I briefly talked about in my recent post. Kid Krow by Conan Gray was recently released on March, 20, 2020. With a total of 12 songs on the album, this is Conan Gray’s first album following his 2018 EP Sunset Season.

This album is the same style as his debut EP, but there is an entirely different feel to it. Sunset Season was such a carefree, take that kind of work. It displayed more teenage spirit and was more of a feel good EP. His new album was a lot more bittersweet, and carried a lot of nostalgia. There are a lot of songs that talk about the pain of growing up and reminiscing on simpler times in this album, it has a more serious tone.

I think this album sounds like dreamy pop. It’s very soft and fluffy. It’s very easy listening, and the lyrics actually take you somewhere when you listen to them. They actually manage to make you feel something.

I have quite a few favorites from this album, including Heather, Little League and The Story. The first song is about unrequited love, something a lot of us experience growing up, and I find it really relatable. The last two both talk about growing up. Little League is about reminiscing on old times and how nothing is the same anymore, and how old friends have become strangers. The Story is about how judgmental society is and how much it can affect upcoming youth.

If you’re a fan of Conan Gray, or you like artists like Borns, Alec Benjamin and Thomas Heaton, you will most certainly enjoy this album! It’s out on many platforms, like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube. I really enjoyed this album, and I have a feeling you will too!

Pitchfork.com Blog Review

Pitchfork is a pop culture music blog that updates the world on pop culture music news. Usually they just post about new album and song releases but recently they have posted about how the music world has been affected by the Corona Virus. They even have some interviews from different artists about their albums.

One aspect that I truly respect about this blog is that they write purely about the music. They don’t write about drama or gossip about the artist, they take the time to review the music instead of making judgements on an artist personal life. When I’m reading up on an artist, I don’t want to hear all the fluff, I like to just hear about their work and what their inspiration does.

And when they do talk about things other than music, it is important news. Like if an artist has passed away, and more recently about the Covid 19 news and how it’s impacting the music world. They have shared different concerts and festivals that have been cancelled and given very valuable information that answers many questions people want answered.

My favorite posts are when they interview an artist and have them break down every song on their album. You get to see behind the scenes what the song actually means and get a feel for how the artist works. It’s fascinating to hear about and inspirational for other musicians trying to write music.

Pitchfork is my go to blog when it comes to information on new music. They never seem to disappoint; but don’t take my word for it, go check them out yourself!

Corona Virus Playlists

Last week I was supposed to play as a special guest at an open mic at a restaurant called LSA, but sadly with the Corona Virus becoming more and more serious everyday it was cancelled. I was going to play all the songs that are going to be on my new EP, and it was going to be a really good way for me to advertise my music to an audience. And as bummed as I am that it was cancelled, I understand that it was in everybody’s best interest to stay safe. So I had the idea that I would instead write a post on some of the best playlists that were made on Spotify for the Corona virus.

First up is the playlist Coronavirus Quarantine Party. This playlist is pretty great for a number of reasons, but the big reason is for the name play. Some of the songs included are Toxic by Britney Spears, Fever by Peggy Lee, No Time To Die by Billie Eilish, Don’t Stand So Close To Me by The Police, and Pray For Me by The Weekend. As you can see the creator got his inspiration for this playlist from the Corona Virus. Many people would see this as poking fun at such a serious issue; which it is, its sort of classic millennial and generation z coping mechanism to use humor as a way to get through all serious dilemmas and events.

The next playlist that I found was Corona-vibe-rus. This playlist just had a lot of good songs that I like to listen to. It also has pretty clever word play, but also has songs that’s titles don’t pertain to the virus at all. Some songs included are Survivor by Destiny’s Child, Hard to Move by Triathlon, Antidote by Orion Sun, The Cure by Lady Gaga, and body ache by Purity Ring. Whats really cool about these playlists is that there are so many different kinds of music on them, not just sticking to one genre.

With everything that’s going on, it’s really cool that we can connect through music like this. With the technology we have, we can create a playlist to share with others. And it gives us something to be happy about in this time of panic, and just a way to connect to people we won’t be able to see for awhile.

Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits, and Summer Rental Concert Review.

Top Center is Christian Sparks, bottom left is Summer Rental, and bottom right is Sam from Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits.

On Friday the 28th of February, I went down to The Coffee Bar to see Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits, and Summer Rental play. It was a really low key show on the square in San Marcos, Tx. I heard about this show from somebody in my FDOM class over twitter. She tweeted me under one of my tweets and recommended I go see them. I had heard of Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits before, but I’d never heard of Summer Rental. At first I couldn’t find anybody to go with me, everybody seemed to be busy; but then I remembered a girl I met my first semester at Texas State while listening to Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits. So I reached out to her to see if she wanted to go with me, and luckily she did!

The Coffee Bar was pretty small, so once the music started playing everybody was a little squished. Thats how you know the music is good, everybody is so lost in it they don’t realize the person beside them has been bumping into them for an hour straight. Plus the cover fee was only $5; which is great for a college student. trying to justify everything they spend money on.

First up to the gallows was Summer Rental, and let’s just say they will go on to live another day. The crowd loved them, I loved them, they had a really great genuine energy to them. Being in a small venue really worked to their advantage, everything felt more intimate and in sync with the crowd. Their music is pretty similar to Wallows. They are also a local San Marcos band; all the members go to Texas State except for Ben. I actually got the chance to talk to Sean (Sean the keyboard player, apparently there are two Seans.) and Ben, they were really nice and super down to earth guys. Overall I really enjoyed the experience of getting to hear them play and recommend going to see them if you have the chance.

Then came the main act, aka Christian Sparks and the BeatNik Bandits. When I listened to them play, it felt like summer; the windows rolled down and the sun shinning down on you without a worry in the world. Their music has the capability to make you feel warm and nostalgic, and that is a great quality to have. I found them very similar to artists like The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. It’s a very indy folk kinda sound. They had such a great stage presence, and the whole crowd just felt alive; you could almost feel the hum in the air. I especially remembered when they covered one of my favorite songs by Houndmouth called Sedona; I was so indescribably happy, ecstatic even. Overall they had a stellar performance and it’s always such a treat to get to see them play, definitely go see them if you ever get the chance.

Chelsea Cutler, Alexander23, and X lovers Concert Review

Chelsea Cutler (Top Center), Alexander 23 (bottom left), Alexander 23 and I (bottom right).

Hello! This week I spontaneously decided to go to a show in Austin two hours before it started. The show was for Chelsea Cutler on Sunday the 16th at Emo’s in Austin; Alexander 23 and X lovers opened for her. I had just driven back down to San Marcos from this gig I had played up in Dallas over the weekend and my friend didn’t want to go to the show alone, so I looked on twitter for anyone who was selling tickets, and luckily enough I found someone who still had a ticket to sell.

I had heard a few songs from Chelsea Cutler and Alexander 23 beforehand, but other than that I had never really heard much from any of the artists and didn’t really know what to expect. All I knew was that they had a similar sound to artists like Jeremy Zucker and Julia Michaels. We waited outside the venue in a pretty short line for around an hour before going in; we got super close to the stage and  waited for the first artist to come on.

The first artists that came on were a band called X lovers. They are a small band with just a lead singer(London Jackson) who plays the guitar, and a drummer(Jacob Ames); they have been playing together since they were 10 and 11 years old. They have a sort of a soft pop rock kinda sound, similar to Rex Orange County and a toned down version of Yungblud. They had such amazing energy on stage and were really great at holding the crowd’s attention. They also sounded absolutely stellar live, which not all artists have the ability to do.

Alexander 23 came on next, and he did not disappoint. His backdrop was super simple with just a light up heart sign with his name on it that would flash to the beat of whatever song he would play. It was just him, his drummer, and guitar/bass player on stage; which worked so well with his sound. He has a similar sound to artists like gnash, Jeremy Zucker, and JP Saxe. His voice is absolutely insane, and he had no trouble singing live; I don’t think I heard one mistake, it sounded flawless. My favorite song he played that night had to be High School. It’s my favorite from him. I actually got the chance to meet him after the show; he is so incredibly humble and nice. Especially considering how tired he was; and he waited to see every last person until there was no one left.

Last, but certainly not least, Chelsea Cutler finally makes her grand appearance. Before she came out there was this montage of videos following the path of her whole career so far and it showed how far she has come, and it was a great way to hype up the crowd. She came out with so much energy right off the bat; and she kept the same high energy all the way through the set. She was jumping around everywhere(even from the top of the drum set at one point)and running around. Every song she sang, you could tell she felt it and wasn’t just going through the motions; she was enjoying herself just as much as the rest of us were. She killed it, just absolutely left it all out on the stage.


Overall this was such a lovely experience, and I highly recommend you go see any of these artists. You will not be disappointed.

About Me

Hello! My name is Devyn Lucas, and I am a Freshman at Texas State University majoring in Mass Communications with a focus in digital media.

I’ve known that I’ve loved music since the times I would make up my own words to songs in church because I couldn’t read the lyrics yet. My family has always been super sports oriented, so it took me awhile to be able to start performing and grow as a musician. Once I started I couldn’t stop;I am a fanatic when it comes to music; I listen to it, I write it, and I basically breathe it. Because I’m a musician myself, I always love to discover new artists and hear new music.

I’ve always loved the energy of concerts and shows, the feeling of the crowd. It’s this otherworldly experience that you find yourself looking for again and again; a sort of adrenaline high. Learning how artists think, write, and express themselves through their art is absolutely fascinating.  I love experiencing music, but I love knowing where it came from the same if not more. What better way to get the answers I want, then to ask the questions myself. 

This website will be a combination of reviews of live music performances and interviews from new artists who are up and coming in the music business. I look forward to this being an enlightening experience that opens my eyes to the music scene in Texas; and getting to know many new and incredible artists. 

This blog will include a variety of different artists and genres, and will cater to all music lovers of all different types of music who would love to get updates on new artists or artists they haven’t heard of before.

I am so excited to embark on this journey and to write about something I love! If you would like to get updates on my post, follow my twitter.

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