How I Discovered: Alfie Boe

There is a difference between meeting an artist and discovering their music. I discovered Alfie Boe's music during the summer before my senior year when my friend suggested that I listen to his version of "Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables. Being a huge fan of the musical but also being more familiar with Colm Wilkinson or even Hugh Jackman, I remember saying, "He is almost too good of a singer to be Jean Valjean." I then largely forgot about him for a while.

Months later, as I sat in a New York restaurant for preshow dinner with my aunt, I noticed a black shirted, backpacked man walk straight past the tables into some sort of private underground room. I remember saying to my aunt, "I think that's Alfie Boe." We had flown up to celebrate my birthday by watching my all-time favorite musical, and frankly I had been somewhat disappointed that Ramin Karimloo's run as Valjean had come to an end. There's a certain magic that is felt when you actually see a celebrity, though, and I just had a feeling that this normal-seeming guy was none other than English tenor Alfie Boe. In some small effort to confirm my suspicion, I tweeted at him, "Am I hallucinating or did I just see you at the restaurant I'm eating at before the show??"

To my absolute surprise, he replied. I have never been more overjoyed by the word "probably" in my life, but in my mind, I knew. It had to be him.

A few minutes after this Twitter exchange, we made our way to the theatre and sat down. I had been waiting to see the show for weeks by this point, but now I was also hoping to see if the normal guy I had seen in the restaurant was actually the heroic Jean Valjean.

I will stop myself from overly gushing details about the performance itself. However, I will say that everyone in the house knew that "Bring Him Home" would be something incredibly special, and it was.

I will also say that my brief conversation with Boe made it obvious: he is a fantastic performer, a genuinely kind man, and unquestionably the man I saw at dinner that night.

Favorite album: Alfie (2011)

Favorite songs: "Bring Him Home" is so far ahead of the others that it's the only one I'll include

How I Discovered: Rod Stewart

There are only a few things I own that I consider irreplaceable, and each of them have a memory attached to them. Two of them, I got on the same night as a random surprise gift from my friend's dad: a practically mint condition Babicz acoustic guitar and an album which I had never heard, Atlantic Crossing. Though not my first introduction to Rod Stewart, the album was the first time I listened to his music with eyes that looked at his music as more than just one or two good songs.
I will say that I'm still in the process of discovering Stewart's music. He has a staggeringly large catalog, and I have only really explored two of his early releases. However, it doesn't take a lot of listening to realize how thoughtful and honest he is as a writer. One of my favorite songs off Every Picture Tells a Story has the line "Oh I never was good with romantic words/ so the next few lines come really hard," which was something of a revelation to me. Rod Stewart is certainly old, and he grew up in a time completely different from me in a country different from mine in ways I don't even realize. When both of us are honest with ourselves, though, we have the same doubts, joys, struggles, and thoughts as anyone who's ever lived. His songs are about the love and life every person experiences.
As a fun side note, Rod Stewart's music has helped me grow as a performer. I've used songs like "Sailing" and "Mandolin Wind" to help me get into character before plays, and his mandolin-heavy Every Picture Tells a Story has inspired me to purchase and try to learn the mandolin for myself!

Favorite album: Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Favorite songs: "Maggie May," "Mandolin Wind," "Sailing," "All Right for an Hour," "(I Know) I'm Losing You"

How I Discovered: Paramore

I was first really introduced to the group around sixth grade, even though I had been aware of their existence for years because of my brother's "emo" phase. My exposure to Paramore, like most of my exposure to music throughout elementary and middle school, was heavily influenced by my two friends Jack and Trevor; the three of us exchanged songs and basically created one large music library. I convinced Trevor to buy Riot! on iTunes, and it was this album that truly hooked me on Paramore with its heavy guitar, relatable lyrics (especially at the time), and generally new and young spirit.
In contrast to some of my other favorite artists like The Beatles or Queen, Paramore are a very recent artist. They released their first album, All We Know is Falling, in 2004 and rode the pop-punk/ emo wave of the mid 2000s with bands such as Cute is What We Aim For, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, and other ridiculously named bands. Of course, the pop-punk wave crashed, and many of these groups found themselves without their fans, their relevance, or any real artistic output.
Not Paramore. Where Riot! allowed me to form my first really strong connection with the band, 2013's Paramore sold me on them being a truly great band. The album shows diversity of styles, lyrical and compositional maturity, and a fun, hopeful spirit throughout. The album was on repeat during my freshman and sophomore year, and because they are a modern band, I got to experience them in an unforgettable way: live and in person during the growing periods of the band.

Favorite album: Paramore (2012)
Favorite songs: "Grow Up," "Ain't It Fun," "Brighter," "crushcrushcrush"

How I Discovered: Run River North

It's hard not to notice a rock band comprised entirely of Asian-Americans, yet I never would have heard of them at all had I not been incredibly bored on a flight on March 28th, 2014. On that day, I read an article in American Airlines' inflight magazine, American Way about a new up-and-coming band and made a note of the band in my phone so I'd remember to look them up when I landed. For whatever reason, the band didn't really stick with me for any significant amount of time after.
Two years later, I rediscovered the band through Spotify and have certainly not forgotten them since. Their self-titled debut album is very folk-influenced and not something I would normally listen to otherwise, which is perhaps why I never really stuck with the band back in 2014. By contrast, their newest album, Drinking From a Salt Pond, quickly became one of my favorite albums ever when I sat down to give it a listen. As a musician, I love the sound they've developed through their newest album. As the son of a second-generation Filipino-American immigrant, I appreciate the way the lyrics of their first album in particular give subtle nods to the immigrant experience I've seen my dad and his sisters navigate.
The most exciting thing about Run River North is that they are musically and career-wise the youngest band I listen to on a regular basis. Unlike classic rockers or dissolved boybands, their story is still in its early stages. I'm excited to see where it goes next!

Favorite album: Drinking From a Salt Pond (2016)
Favorite songs: "Elam," "Pretender," "David Robinson"

How I Discovered: *NSYNC

At the end of my sophomore year, my friend and I took a fateful trip to F.Y.E., a music and video store at Triangle Town Center. Both of us being huge rock and alternative fans, we of course decided to purchase *NSYNC's Greatest Hits for $2. We laughed our heads off in the car at how ridiculous the lyrics, production, and singing generally were.

One year later, I'm wearing an *NSYNC t-shirt as I type this review. I do not think they're the greatest band in the world, nor do I even think the majority of their songs are of any artistic merit at all. A lot of the time, the band is genuinely laughable. That's exactly why I love them. They are a perfect picture of what a boyband should be: over-the-top, cheesy, unnecessarily serious, dated, and unashamedly marketed at teenagers of the time.

I love listening to albums all the way through, and my experience of *NSYNC has been primarily defined by my journey through each of their releases. My thoughts while listening to Greatest Hits were mainly, "This band is hilarious." After listening to some of the songs on The Essential *NSYNC, my thoughts were, "This band is actually kind of good." The Essential, which is a more comprehensive look at the band's career, includes one of my all-time favorite a cappella tracks, "I Thought She Knew." I dare anyone to listen to that song and tell me the five aren't incredibly talented singers. At the same time, I dare anyone to listen to No Strings Attached's "Just Got Paid" and hold in their laughter. *NSYNC is, with all their faults and cheesiness, fun to listen to.

That's enough for me.

Favorite album: No Strings Attached, 2000

Favorite songs: "I Thought She Knew," "Just Got Paid," "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)," "Selfish," "No Strings Attached"

Progressive Era and WWI Essential Questions

Muckrakers, Social Gospel Reformers, settlement house volunteers, social workers, and other experts all seemed to operate under the assumption that widespread change invariably led to change. Social evils could be, in their eyes, overcome by reform and social action. This was not always true, however: the so-called Progressive victory of Prohibition only lasted for a few years and failed to actually eliminate the "demon rum's" influence in the US.

Progressives sought to return power to the people- that is, the voters. Many were disillusioned with the political system in place, wherein political machines and corrupt government officials often held power. Legislation like the 17th Amendment allowed a greater public control of government, and Theodore Roosevelt's 1912 Presidential campaign was arguably the closest a third party has ever come to the White House.

In a lasting sense, Progressives failed to reach their goals just as often as they succeeded. They won many victories, such as the ratification of the 17th Amendment and the establishment of regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration. However, many of their "greatest" achievements were only temporary: the much celebrated Prohibition Amendment was seen as a Progressive triumph but has since become the only Constitutional Amendment to be repealed.

The Federal government's homefront efforts during the First World War fell largely into one of three areas: the "necessary" restriction of civil liberties, concentrated propaganda, and the complete overhaul of America's economy into a "mighty war machine." The Espionage and Sedition Acts made speaking out against the war effort illegal, supposedly allowing the government to secure victory without opposition from home. Hugely effective pro-war advertising campaigns by artists like J.M. Flagg stirred public support for the war. Finally, the country's many factories were optimized for war, as many looked to factory work as a way of avoiding frontline combat duty.

Many Americans saw the Treaty of Versailles as nothing more than a guarantee of American involvement in future European wars. The isolationist movement in the country proved stronger than the desire for the "lasting peace" that Wilson so cherished.
Americans in 1920 looked to put the violence of European conflict behind them, rejecting Wilson's League of Nations and deciding instead to elect Warren G. Harding. His victory, they hoped, would usher in a new era of "normalcy" wherein Americans could once again focus on America.

Progressive Era Reading Guide

Chapter 28

1. Elimination of society's evils (corruption, monopolies, social injustices)
2. The operations of trusts/ monopolies (McClure's and Standard Oil Trust), dirty practices on Wall Street (Lawson), life in the slums, false advertising
3. Power for the people, not "interests" or "big business"
   Initiative as a way for citizens to propose legislation themselves
   Referendum as a way for citizens to be final approval for laws
   Recall as a way to remove unwanted public officials
   [What is an Australian ballot?]
   Direct election of senators (17th Amendment)
   Women's suffrage
4. Locally-elected city management established
   Fought "slumlords," prostitution, juvenile delinquency
   Wisconsin fought trusts at the state level under Robert M. La Follette
   Regulated railroads
5. Fairly successful given the passage of Constitutional Amendments (17th and 18th), increased regulation of industry and transit (trains and workers' compensation
6. Control of the Corporations
   Consumer Protection
   Conservation of Natural Resources
7. Roosevelt actually believed that consolidation (basically monopolization) was a product of the 20th century and the regulation was more necessary than dissolution
8. Led to Roosevelt's passing of Meat Inspection Act (1906) and Food and Drug Act (1906) to investigate factory conditions
9. Roosevelt's identity as a naturalist/ outdoorsman President
   Call of the Wild and other bestsellers glamorized the "great outdoors"
10. Increased supply of currency (Aldrich-Vreeland Act, Federal Reserve Act)
11. Young, energetic conservationist/ progressive
    "Trustbuster"
    Allowed Taft to win Presidency in 1908
    Highlighted America's role in the world at large
12. He sure was!
13. Using American money to boost foreign interests ("If we invest in a country the other guy can't")
    Manchuria: US attempted (and failed) to buy Chinese railroads ahead of Russia and Japan
    Caribbean: money pumped into Haiti, Nicaragua, etc.
14. [I do not really understand]
15. Roosevelt realized that Taft was not the successor he was supposed to be and decided to run for a third term against Taft after being rejected by the Republican Party

Chapter 29

1. New Nationalism (Roosevelt): consolidation and regulation, women's suffrage, social reform and aid
   New Freedom (Wilson): small enterprise and an unregulated, monopoly-free market, "competition drives toward prosperity"
2. Wilson would certainly not have won if it was a competition between two parties; Roosevelt would certainly have won if Taft had not run and vice versa
3. Appearance and mannerisms of a professor
   Oratory skills and stubbornness of a fervent Presbyterian
   Belief in citizens' rights as a product of the former Confederacy
   "loved humanity in the mass rather than the individual person"
4. The tariff
   The bank
   The trust
5. Regional reserve districts allowed emergency currency and Federal Reserve Notes to actually be distributed beyond the largest cities
6. Federal Trade Commission (presidentially-appointed investigation committee) and Clayton Anti-Trust Act (basically a reworking of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act)
7. Positive: actually accomplished his original goals, benefited all sorts of Americans (laborers, civil-service employees, sailors)
   Negative: advocated segregation
8. Conservative foreign policy, "war on dollar diplomacy" and pulled out of China
   Wilson was forced to intervene in revolutionary Haiti and Dominican Republic
9. Tampico Incident almost resulted in a war between a reluctant Wilson and the violent Huerta
   Pancho Villa hated "gringoes" and was assailed by licensed cool cat John J. "Black Jack" Pershing
10. A system of alliances meant that disputes between two countries could escalate into wars involving all of Europe (in this case, the murder of Austrian heir Franz Ferdinand
11. Kaiser Wilhelm's autocratic tendencies, German industrial sabotage and violence
12. German u-boats sank a passenger liner with Americans on it and unsurprisingly refused to apologize
13. The Republican candidate was not a politician and was plagued by Roosevelt's refusal to go away
    Most people really didn't want a war
    West woved Wilson