Oh Hot Damn: These Are My Jams (vol 3: Alarm Clock Songs)

The Matches said it: It's the alarm versus me and the snooze button wins.

Maybe it's the fact that I tend to stay up until 4am most nights, or the fact that sleeping is just so damn great, but I end up hitting snooze on average about 6 times per morning. One of my alarms uses itunes to wake me, and I've learned the importance of finding a good song to wake up to in the morning.

You might think it sounds like a good plan to wake up to your favorite song. Bad idea-- after it rips you from sleep for the 3rd or 4th time, you're really just going to start resenting it. You can't pick anything too upbeat or loud, or you'll hit snooze as a reflex before you have a chance to realize you're awake. Pick something too mellow and you might not wake up at all.

If you use some itunes-based alarm clock, what's YOUR favorite song to wake up to? I'm always looking to build up a good morning playlist!

These are 3 of my favorite alarm clock songs. I discover new ones from time to time, thanks to shuffle, but these are the 3 best ones I can think of:
1. Four Year Strong "The Takeover"
Most FYS songs will just make you fall out of bed if played loud enough early in the morning, but the first 10-12 seconds of this song will lull you awake without making you want to hurl your computer across the room. This made me realize the key to a good alarm clock song: slow build of volume/intensity.
2. Nate Dogg/Warren G "Regulate"
In addition to being one of the best songs ever, this fits my previously established criteria. Be careful though, hit snooze too many times and you'll be having early-morning mini-dreams about playing dice in an alley and/or gunfights.
3. The Dangerous Summer "The Permanent Rain"
I woke up to this the other day and I'm pretty sure it was atleast partially responsible for my day-long good mood.

the constellations remind me i am home [mix 1]

Hey everybody,

So I realize I haven't properly introduced myself... I'm Maggie. Carrie & Naomi brought me on to fill the position of "Promotions Coordinator" which is essentially a fancy way of saying that I'm supposed to hustle people into coming back for more Inklings related goodness after each visit. You'll see me posting bulletins and tweets and pictures and all the stuff that the Inklings staff have been previously doing - but we're really going to be kicking it up a notch!

I could use your help, too! Posting banners or bulletins about our site and interviews is a great way to spread the word about your favorite bands we've had on the site. :) In addition, we hope to be giving back more to you as fans - our current contest is the chance to win schwag from the Pop Goes Punk 2 crew! Tomorrow is the last day to enter, so head on over to http://www.inklings.tv/features/contests/ to do so.

And finally, the crux of this blog post: the mix. A lot of times I just think or articulate via some weird soundtrack that makes sense to very few people but me. However, this time I'll share - maybe you can find a new band/song YOU like.

1. versaemerge - past praying for
2. hot water music - flight & a crash
3. four year strong - bada bing wit a pipe
4. anarborrrrr anythiiing
5. thursday - time's arrow
6. versaemerge - moments between sleep
7. this providence - chasing the wind
8. this providence - sand in your shoes
9. neko case - middle cyclone
10. the receiving end of sirens - this armistice
11. a replay in my mind of pierce the veil's michael jackson cover from taste of chaos...

Taste of Chaos

Last Wednesday, Maggie and I spent the day hanging out and shooting interviews at Taste of Chaos. The last time we shot at Nokia Theater, we were jammed in the catering room: a lovely white abyss with a loudly humming fridge. This time we were shown to possibly the coolest room ever, full of orange couches and those folding wooden screen/room dividers.

First we talked to Josh and Jake from Four Year Strong-- between the red walls of the room, red pillows on the couchs, their red shirts, red hair and red beards, the shot was a huge wash of red except for their faces (see here). We talked about Taste of Chaos and also asked them some fan questions (which will be posted excusively on FriendsOrEnemies.com)

We also talked to Pierce the Veil and Bring Me the Horizon (two bands who we somehow missed out on during our time covering Warped Tour this summer!) as well as Liam from Cancer Bats, who is one of the most friendly, chatty and positive people I've had the pleasure of interviewing.

We returned our cameras (unfortunately missing Cancer Bats' set in the process) and headed back for the show. We got there right in time for Pierce the Veil, who put on one hell of a show. In general, any band that plays a Michael Jackson cover is probably going to be ok by me. Four Year Strong killed it as usual. Maggie shot photos of FYS, BMTH and Thursday, so keep an eye out for some of those coming soon.

Somehow I'd made it this far in my life without seeing Thursday. I didn't think that could be true, but I checked, and Taste of Chaos was my first time seeing them. Sick show. The audience batting around those huge black balloons was possible the coolest thing I've ever seen at a show.

Look forward to Taste of Chaos coverage coming soon to Inklings. In the meantime, we just posted a new interview with Breathe Carolina. Interviews with Anarbor, This Providence and The Hoodies to follow shortly. Also, enter our Punk Goes Pop 2 Trivia Contest and check out our new blog feature on Stuff Scene Kids Like

I think this week I'm going to start a series of blogs called Shoot Stories. Sometime ridiculous things happen, and some of those stories exist here already in abridged form...but some need to be retold.