"When I’m not feeling my best I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me." -Beyoncé Knowles-Carter "We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up gender equality becomes a natural way of... Continue Reading →

"Everybody sees me as this sullen and insecure little thing. Those are just the sides of me that I feel it's necessary to show because no one else seems to be showing them." -Fiona Apple "If I respect myself and believe in what I'm doing, no one can touch me." -Fiona Apple Certain artists are... Continue Reading →

"I grew up in a world that told girls they couldn't play rock 'n' roll." "I figured out it was a social thing, what women were allowed to do. At a very young age, I decided I was not going to follow women's rules." -Joan Jett Joan Jett's 1980 debut solo album may not be... Continue Reading →

I understand the two way street that I've stepped onto with this one. I have no plan to do a whole month themed after empowering men, frankly I'm not sure I could even find 7 albums interesting enough to comprise that Musical Training Plan. However, here I am dedicating hours of my time and great... Continue Reading →

Have you ever sat down and listened to some music, or watched a movie, or read a book and just had the sense that whatever you were hearing, seeing, or reading was special? Like, you can't quite put your finger on it, but for some reason, just out of reach, it hits that inexplicable and... Continue Reading →

With some genres you don't want to start with the masters. A lot of the time the real kings of their respective genres are also the ones who exemplify all of the purest elements of that genre and, therefore, don't often make music that newcomers can fall into with ease. This is the reason that... Continue Reading →

Man oh man do I enjoy Soul. I don't actually know what served as my introduction to Soul music, as far back as I can remember I've just kind of enjoyed it. Something about the usually sparse instrumentation which allows for the singer to take over and completely make the song with no so much... Continue Reading →

First things first, let's talk about what Progressive Rock actually is. Progressive Rock is a subgenre of rock and roll which originated in the UK in the late 60's and had a critical, commercial, and creative "golden age" which most Prog fans recognize as being from 1969 until 1975. Now we all know what rock... Continue Reading →

So all 7 of the albums this week are meant to act as starting points for people looking to try out new music. Some of these albums will be from genres that I am well acquainted with and I deem, for a number of reasons, to be a good way to introduce the genre to... Continue Reading →

This Jacobs kid sure is an old soul, huh? I swear, all of the real country fans that I know never listen to this stuff; it's all Kenny Chesney and Florida Georgia Line and things of that nature, and that's all fine and good, but this pick is one made from experience. Those more modern,... Continue Reading →