what a productive/pointless day

well so far today i got up showered and went to my studio drawing class. we didnt even draw. we 'cratiqued' each others drawings that weve done so far this semester and basically we all walked around the room and did nothing. made fun of a few but basically i got and showered for nothing. then i went back to the room and bullshitted for a bit and then jen and i went to the gym. the tredmills werent working so i did the bike for a half hour and believe it or not broke a sweat. ahah. sop then i headed off for another shower. and then jen and i went to lunch. thne i went back to my room and bullshited some more. and then me and marissa decided we were going to go to her car and get honey the movie so we could watch it. but since it was such a hike to get to her car we decided to go to d donuts for some tastey delights. then we ventured to find this mysterious railroad that would bring me directly to south station instead of taking the T on friday and transferring and all this other bull shit. well we got a bit lost and almost went on the highway in that case we wouldve been fucked bc neither one of us know the area well enough to get our asses back. ahah. then it turns out the mysterious railtroad was really the local commuter rail whcih is about 5 mintues away. haha. but now i know where to go on friday so thats good. but marissa and her friend were going to do a raodtrip type thing this weekend in providence so i told her to go to NYC and she could give me a ride [just kidding] and she might actaully take it into consideration. so that would be ultamietly sweet. and maybe i will be able to drive as well. WOOOOO. so i hope that happens bc im broke and really cant and dont want to hav to deal with the traveling to get home. but its a few more days and i cant wait. eaither way i have to egt outa class early on friday. i think. so hopefully by tomarrow marissa will have made up her mind completely. so ya. thats basically it. then we went back and watched honey except i had to leave for a meeting with my FYS teacher so i missed the ;ast 10 mintues whcih is lik the best part. so grrrr to that. and i effing got there before 3:00 which is when the meeting was scheduled for and it lasted all of 2 mintues. so i was lik eff this im not walking all the way back to my dorm so here i am in the lab typing about ym day. i have sewing class at 4:00 and i want to get there early bc were having a test on threading the machine and im not worried but i want to get there early enough to practice one time through. shouldnt be a big deal. well im going to finish up my final copy for the valencia essay so i can hand it in tomarrow. but for now heres the rough copy....



Renee Mckenna Perkins English 101.

VALENCIA: THE AGE OF EVOLUTION

I remember the first show I went to. It was a Valencia show. I heard of them off of Anthony Cable’s MySpace and that’s when I fell in love. There was something about their music that it just brought me to life. Ever since then Shane, JD, George, Brendan, and Max are the guys I never stop listening to.

Now that a few years have gone by and I’ve been to as many New England shows as possible, I take what people say personally. For example when I first meet people I usually mention something about Valencia right away so they know who I am and where I’m coming from. This means that their music, their shows, their merch, everything relating to them is apart of my life. So when someone says ‘you’re obsessive’ and stereotypes me as a groupie I take offense. Yes I’ve been to many shows but that is because I truly enjoy the music and the kids that go see Valencia.

Over the past few years many people that I see over and over again have become this little community and when we are all at shows together we are one big family. I say we are a family because we enjoy each other’s company, weather it is when we are screaming to the lyrics or waiting outside in the freezing cold before the show starts. Everyone goes in, sings along, dances and just has a good time hanging out. This is definitely one of the reasons that I like Valencia so much. Them and their fans are just really nice down to earth people who make me happy. There has never been a time when I was angry or sad around them except at the end of the night when the fun is all over.

There are so many bands that are popular today and if you are not big into band music then you would probably say Valencia sounds just like every other band out there. You’re wrong. Valencia is one of the best bands that I have heard and seen in the under ground music scene. First off none of their songs are sad and depressing. They’re all upbeat tempos about friends, life, and appreciating where you come from, hence why their music makes people happy.

There is also this feeling, an intense adrenaline rush I get when the music is playing and I’m screaming my head off. It’s almost like I’m in my own high and no one around can touch me. I can hear my heart beating in my ears and I can feel the blood pumping through my veins. Having been to so many shows I know what to expect when they preform. I know the routine that JD and George do in the middle of every song. I know Shane’s little hand maneuvers and the lyrics he spots people out in the crowed with his eyes. I know when Brendan moves away from the mic to shake his head before he returns to sing again. And I know exactly how Max works it out in the back on drums.

Valencia never ceases to amaze me. Shane is always working the crowed weather its with his eyes or when he sings. JD on guitar and George on bass always have their little switch each others spots on stage routine, but they always throw something new in there whether it be a turn or a jump. At one of the Warped Tours this summer I remember George actually getting down on his knees at one point, and I was shocked, I had no idea where their stage presence was coming from. Brendan always stood in his little spot with his guitar, singing back up vocals and shaking his head like he’s an old school rocker, but he’s slowly started to come out of his shell and started moving around a lot more, making more eye contact with the crowd. As far as Max goes, that man is the craziest drummer, and he makes the best faces that make me laugh all the time. I guess it makes me proud in a way that they always have something new to bring to the table.It has also been a joy to see how much they have grown as a group together.

Now how does all of this information have to do with me? Well it’s easy you see, Valencia having been such a big part of my life at shows has also affected me outside of the concert world. They have affected me in my personal life, introducing me to all different types of people, making me a more sociable person. For example the little Valencia family that has developed show after show has made me more friends from all over the East Coast. I have friends that are so diverse because anybody and everybody can listen and enjoy Valencia’s music. An example of the different people that I have met and listen to Valencia is my friend Liz from Pennsylvania. She is a big time theater person. She loves musicals, plays, City streets and performances of that genre, and she is also one of the biggest Valencia fans I know. A band that is completely out of the style of music she is into making her life all about. I also have a friend named Marisa who is a small town girl, who is laid back and doesn’t get out or do much, and she can’t get enough of Valencia and their music when most of her hometown friends are into country music. Just these two friends alone show how two very different people can share the same excitement for Valencia. I have friends that are happy, sad, rich, poor, city kid, country kid, anything you name it. So many people with different lifestyles have come together because of Valencia, and I couldn’t be more happy to have met them and now be apart of their lives.

Valencia has made me think about the things I do. I have tried to become a better person because I always think how they would react to what im doing. Would they be happy, mad, disappointed, pleased? They have always made me proud and have always been nice people, why couldn’t I be the same way. Before Valencia was in my life I was more high strung and angry at everyone all the time. Whenever I got mad at someone for something minor I thought about Brendan and his easy going personality, and tried to let what was bothering me go. Overall I have just tried to become a nicer person because Valencia are nice people all the time. Sure there are times when you get mad and you cant let it go but I try not to be overly dramatic about things anymore. I’ve tried to become more of who I want to be as a person over what other people want me to be because Valencia is so down to earth. They’ve made me want to work harder to reach my future goals and have taught me to be less afraid in doing that. They show me and all their other fans this by staying together and growing to be a better band by the music they make and what they bring to the table at show time. They all gave up college to start the band, a risk they took to chase their dreams. Everything that Valencia has done whether it was playing a good show, making me laugh, make me want to chase my dreams, or to be a stronger and better person, it was all through their music and their personalities, and has changed who I am today from who I was a few years ago.

My only fear is that Valencia will end up the cliche band story. Get famous and forget the little people type of thing. Not only do I fear that it will affect the fans but I fear it will affect their music. It is slowly starting to happen. They keep getting bigger and bigger every time I turn around. They have so many fans now it’s hard to believe they even remember my face. No matter how famous they get they have already made me a better person and helped me make friends I never thought I would have. So I will always give thanks for that. I would be upset if fame went to their head and their music became un inspirational. I cant say now what would make their music that way, they only thing I could say that would disappoint me in their music is if it didn’t come from the heart and they let someone else write it for them. I always tell myself no matter how bad things get in the cliche band department I will always think of the good times and the things that I have already learned from the band that has grown so much.


thats it. the end.

renee<3333