The Rebelution is Coming... to Oregon!

By: Michael Rivera

Stop and take a deep breath, Oregon. Why? The air will be permeating smoke when this southern California reggae-rock band hits the streets of Eugene and Portland. That’s right, the 2007 iTunes Editors Choice for Best Reggae Album will be steam-rolling their way into our great state. 


Rebelution will be traveling to Oregon this month: Eugene, at the McDonald Theatre, on the 23rd and Portland, at the Roseland Theatre, on the 24th. So for you reggae fans, This is a show that will not fall short and is well worth the money to see.  

After a three year hiatus, Rebelution comes back strong. In 2007, they told the world to have some “Courage to Grow”. Then in 2009, they said to look on the “Bright Side of Life”. As 2012 is in its beginnings, Rebelution now tells us its time for some “Peace of Mind”. 

As a popular southern California reggae band, Rebelution ignites the fires for many reggae listeners as its album continues to pick up momentum. Starting in Santa Barbara, California, Rebelution has moved swiftly with their reggae romance, that promotes love of all kinds.


This is Book Music reviews that with Rebelution “you will find a lot here to enjoy, from the tracks that strip out the band and are turned into potential romantic reggae ballads to the songs ready for dancing.”


According to Zen Robbi of The Pier: “As soon as you press play on Rebelution’s ‘Peace of Mind’ album, you are officially a passenger on one of the most picturesque, inspirational stories of passion and musical inspiration.”

Rebelution didn’t just come out with one disc to impress; No, they cultivated a three-disc set of their songs: One radio track, One acoustic set, and a dub set. This definitely appeals to a whole different amount of music enthusiasts. Some of the tracks like “Sky is the Limit” saying things like “No time for the wicked; if you’re in my line, I’ll just go around the side. You can’t keep me down.” Rebelution promotes a solid message to the youth, yet some marijuana referencing can turn some parents away from their” children listening. Other popular songs include “Good Vibes” and “Meant to Be”, featuring Jacob Hemphill, slows the beat down to a soul-soothing rhythm that can captivate its listeners. “Closer to Me” featuring John Popper, (The Blues Travelers), who breaks down a phenomenal harmonica solo to end the song.  

In my opinion, Rebelution time off has paid off tremendously. The advantage of their three disc album allows more people to listen to a variety of their songs, not just one style. Rebelution keeps continuity of their message; not swaying or selling out to make more capital gains. For college students, they were the same as us just trying to make a difference in our daily grind.

So, again, take a deep breath and feel the “Good Vibes” to what is “Meant to Be”, which tells us that the “Sky is the Limit” when we wanna get “So High”.

Happy Hour Helps

January 19th, 2012

By: Michael Rivera


Happy Hour; the working class or fiscally-strapped college students time to relax and enjoy one of America’s favorite pass time. It’s the fact that drinks are cheap AND so is food,” says college student, Kaylyn Van Ackeran. “When you drink you wanna eat but spending so much money on beer makes you hesitate on ordering that $10 sandwich.” 


Happy hour isn’t just a time where cheap drinks and appetizers can be found. No, it is a lifestyle, tradition, a routine in our daily grind. It's more about the atmosphere than just the prices, yet that is the wonderful upside. Ir's the college student's saving grace. “Happy hour has better a better turn out by it's cheap attraction,” says Shannon Bodenhamer, a Corvallis Applebee’s server, “but it's (Happy Hour) not just about better prices; people want to be entertained while they are out.” 

Walking into Applebee’s, the smell of  Cowboy Burgers, mozzarella sticks and french fries permeates the air, with a slight accent of honey barbecue boneless wings. Looking around: there are other college students, laughing and talking just a little louder than the next table. There is a group of guys, glued to SportsCenter, with the occasional disagreeing scowl or nod of approval. “Bartender, what are the specials today?” you ask, “Well sir, it’s happy hour so $3 domestics, $3 wells, and  half off appetizers,” he replies. This is startling; how does one become so lucky?

McMenamins on Monroe is a great place for a college student to relax across the Oregon State campus, making it a popular spot. They're popular for their $2.50 tater tots, that go down well with any five popular home brews: Terminator Stout, Porter, Hammerhead, Indian Pale Ale, and The Ruby. During happy hour, you can drink these delicious beers for a modest $3.25.

Block 15, a popular spot in on the corner of 3rd and Jefferson, is well-known for their happy hour specials. Manda Castellano, a bartender and sever, explains why Block 15 boast one of the best happy hour's in Corvallis. 

"The food is fresher because everything is made in house, to order. Not bad for a menu that ranges $2.00 to $4.00 an item. Add that with $3.25 pint and you can't beat that price," said Castellano.


Happy hour is a lot about saving people money, yet it seems that people go more for the entertainment. Any regular guy or girl can go enjoy the company of friends and not worry about spending too much money. If you’re in need of a cheap smile, happy hour will always be there for you, 3 p.m.-6 p.m, Monday through Friday. Check out Applebee's and Block 15 if you want a nice treat for your wallet.

Welcome to "The Daily Grind"

By. Michael Rivera

6:30 am. You arise to the sound of radio voices in the morning, giving their two cents about some issue that should be important. Slam! is you fingers on the snooze button. After a bit of struggle, you rise to start your day. A hot shower helps you move swiftly to complete consciousness. You go through your morning routine; coffee, updating on current events, and maybe... just maybe... some breakfast. You get in your car and drive away to your destination. The daily grind that we all do to sustain.

The name of this blog, "The Daily Grind", is something that everyone has in common; its our routine throughout the day that we keep to. So for Winter Term 2012, this will be my daily routine with the goals of being informative, provocative, and entertaining.

Comments and critiques are welcome by all, but will only be taken under consideration by relevancy and importance of figure (aka Rob Priewe). Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you enjoy!