Media Blog Project 2: Rebelution and the "Peace of Mind" Album

Introduction:

Music is one of my favorite parts of the media. It is a way to change a culture, especially the youth of nations. Reggae music has always talked about liberation for many different issues that we deal with. Rebelution, a southern California reggae-rock band, came out with their new album, “Peace of Mind”, sets that tone in music around the country. 

(From Left to Right: Eric Rachmany, Rory Carey, John Wesley Finley, and Marley D. Williams)

Describe:
A band that started as a couple college students covering old roots-reggae star, Don Carlos, are now hitting the music scene big. Eric Rachmany, lead vocalist/guitarist, brings a powerful, yet soothing voice and mad guitar solos that provide the leadership of Rebelution. Marley D. Williams, bassist, is who I believe to be the backbone of the group; with his amazing reggae bass lines, Eric is free to stop playing and focus on singing. Rory Carey, keyboard, is a lot like Marley; he brings the key elements to making the songs more vivid to the audience. Westley Finley, drums, has this insane ability to come up with the most unique drum beats for the group. He sets a great tempo and controls the speed of the music.Together through their success, they have their own label, “87 Music” partnered with Controlled Substance Sound Labs.

Rebelution has their creditability as well. They are the winners of the “iTunes Editor’s Choice for Best Reggae Album of 2007”, “Top Reggae Albums (“Courage to Grow” was No. 4 in ‘08, “Bright Side of Life” at No. 1 in ‘09, and “Peace of Mind” topping the No. 1 spot for ‘12) Top Independent Reggae Albums of 2012 (“Peace of Mind” at No. 1), Top Digital Album (“Peace of Mind” at No. 8), and number 13 on the Billboard 200. Rebelution topped their other albums with more collaborations and a three disc set; an album that sold more than 16,000 on its first week.


Analyze:

Every band wants to be different; set apart from others within their genre. Rebelution is one of the few to actually change a genre of music, maybe even start their own kind. They’ve help create this southern Californian Reggae, a mix of many cultures that reside in that part of the state.


I listen to two other reggae-rock bands, The Expendables and Slightly Stoopid. Comparing their albums against Rebelution is simply unfair. Why? Look at the Billboards and tell me who holds three tops spots for Reggae hits, and neither of those bands come close. While they are along the same lines as Rebelution as far as the reggae music sound, Rebelution is proactive. They are telling the viewer about a way of life, not about partying and living free. Rebelution comes to educate where others simply will not. They have tapped into what many new reggae-rock bands forget: roots rock reggae. What does that mean? It means that the message is positive and we band together as people.

Last year, I went the Ragga Muffins Festival 2011. This venue had a lot of traditional, old-school reggae singers and bands. Most of the people were of Jamaican or African descent. When introducing Rebelution, the host was very rude, saying, “I don’t know who they are or why they are here at this reggae festival, but give it up for Rebelution...” It was a rude introduction, but the crowd did not care. After opening up with “Attention Span”, everyone was on their feet. After playing two more other songs (Green to Black, Bright Side of Life), Rebelution humbly exist the stage. The crowd is cheer, “Bring ‘em back! Bring ‘em back!” The host tries to introduce the next performer, but was greeted by angry boos. Inevitably, Rebelution returns to the stage and continues to perform. Not only has Rebelution superseded their expectations within their genre, but have shown to be a tough act to follow.


After seeing them in Hollywood on February 17th, you could tell by the size of the crowd that their humbleness has paid off. A sell-out crowd at the Palladium, everyone looked excited and ready to here the band play their set. Opening up was Pep Love, a hip-hop rapper who flowed well with the reggae beat. Then, The Green played and got people off their feet. As soon as Rebelution came on, the crowd when wild. From the balcony, you could see thousands of lighters illuminated the room and a cloud of smoke around the stage as the laser lights piecing through haze with red, green, purple, and yellow colors. They played for two hours straight, no pauses. They exited the stage, only to come back as the crowd cried out their name: “Re-bel-u-tion! Re-bel-u-tion! Re-bel-u-tion!” After only 2 minutes of continues chanting, Rebelution, literally, ran back out on the stage and played for another half hour. The started at 10:45 pm and rocked th house until 1:00 am.



Interpretation:



Rebelution’s general message is simple and can be made into a statement and question about life, just based on their albums: “Rebelution” says to have some “Courage to Grow”; because if you don’t look on the “Bright Side of Life” how will you ever have “Peace of Mind”? Rebelution’s work is important to our culture because they send a message that anyone can listen too. The target audience is mostly college-aged students, but crowds are growing. Teenagers and middle-aged adults are growing in increasing numbers. Many parents are turned away by their references of marijuana; yet if you stop and listen to the lyrics, they talk all about positivity and growing as a community. We have so many different type of music that promote violence and anarchy,  Rebelution changes the pace to give the reggae some rock and tell others to care for each other. It reflects a part of our culture that wants to promote the unity of everyone, regardless of class, race, etc; they promote social justice to start with the individual. They target mostly open-minded people; the college scene has eaten up their music as well.


Engage:

I own every single Rebelution album. I cannot resist their music because it is so bluntly genuine. I was first introduced to Rebelution by my dad, who is a huge fan. I bought their first two big hit albums upon their release in 2007 and 2009. Since then, I’ve been diligently trying to get others interested in their music. It can be hard to come by great music these days, so whenever you find something, it is our jobs to spread the word. Going to the concert is a once a year event for my family and me. We don’t see each other very often, so we do things that we can all agree on when we do have the time. Strengths of the album's message is the promotion of having peace. The only thing holding them back from being a household favorite is the constant marijuana referencing.


Summary:



In conclusion, Rebelution has proven once again that they can hit the top charts with their music. Through their success as a band, the have inspired other people with their reggae rock vibe. This award-winning band is slowly sweeping across the nation, making a name that will be remembered for years to come. From covering the roots of Don Carlos to standing on the top of the reggae billboards, Rebelution is a band that you want in your collection. They will not cease to entertain you with all their albums.

LBCC Staff Profile: Jeanine Howell

You know you're in Jeanine Howell's office when you see her not at her desk. Right there on the second floor of Takena Hall, there are several piles of documents, very well organized yet cluttered as well. There is a picture of two animated roosters, Oregon State and LBCC, right next to each other.

Jeanine started school and work at LBCC in the summer of 2003. Applied for the dual-enrollment program and was in to Oregon State and began taking classes at both campuses. While attending both schools, she worked part-time for the LBCC Career Services and was a manager at Oregon State’s Pangea Cafe.

She ended up graduating with a B.S. in Business Administration. She stayed with LBCC working for part-time in the Student Life and Leadership Group, Disability Services, and Student Assessment Center. This all amount to full-time within LBCC.

As of 2008, Jeanine has been full-time as the Program Assistant to the LBCC/OSU Degree Partnership Program. Along with her clerical work, she advises, gives placement tests and instructs students on how to proceed with entering college.

“I like being able to utilize my knowledge and skills to do better, for everyone. Anything I can do to facilitate the process makes a difference in helping students register,” says Jeanine.

She is also involved with College Now, a program that helps high school students earn credits in high school. Just fill out some paper work, and the high school student has the potential to complete many of the first and second year prerequisites before even receiving a diploma. These classes are taught by approved instructors that articulate the coursework toward the college level. These credits have the ability to transfer to many other colleges and universities.

Jeanine Howell is a hard worker. Why? You are more likely to receive an e-mail or phone call than finding her in the office. She works on helping students dual enroll with Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College. She isn't all business; You will see a picture of her son, who she is so proud of and talks about regularly.

“My boss is always saying to me, ‘Where are you?!’ I tried you at your office and you’re there!’ He told me to get a will return sign. The funny thing is that I get so busy I forget to put it up.”

When you first meet Jeanine, you can feel a genuine vibe. Her time is very precious, yet she will find the time for you. Why? Jeanine believe in the success of people.  

So while Jeanine is working full-time at LBCC, she is also working on her MBA at Corban University. She can relate to students with the stresses of college. Yet, she will always encourage you to better or keep doing well. She knows about the mediocre sleep schedule, the daily grind of homework and even more paperwork on top of that with her job. Yet, she will always seems to muster a smile whenever helping somebody.
Jeanine represents Linn-Benton Community College everyday she comes

“I want to bring something to my job, my students, and LBCC. We are here to help students succeed. It isn’t to do it for them, just to help,” she says.

to work. There are many moments throughout her day where she is trying to help someone succeed. Having worked with the system for a while, she knows how to answer students questions or make the right phone calls. No matter how busy, she will work hard to see people succeed.

Delirium

By: Michael Rivera

Clueless excess to the system creates collaborative clutter
to those that seeks no pin or point to the justice 
not served for the greater good of the humanity 
that slightly still remains today, till tomorrow comes 
to knock on the door and bring a new set of fickle conscious captions 
that you will see and read, yet forget like the refection in the mirror 
that perpetrates insanity of sociological perspectives,
untrained to the eagle's eye is always looking from the sky is the limit to gravity that will keep us down to the ground.

Sometime the myriad context creates a certain confined criticism of captivated conundrums,
that we run circles around , hoping to find the answer that are inexplicable to us,
because our framework is flawed.
Our motives to find a specific answer to the questions
results in unattainable recognition between truth and lies. 
For one must accept the errors of their way in order to grow into something new and provocative.

The socialism of capitalist enterprise is the slow death of a two-combined systems that we know could not stand on it's own.
It's the people who suffer from pure ignorance what they want to be, not who they are.
Reality will soon fade away to fantasy fiction; 
a new drug that takes us away from the horror and brings us to what we want to see.

When the delirium sets in,
the stories will rock the very essence of the existence
until the one wakes up from the dream within
the reality of nothing that agrees
with something that it timid in it's tone
of deceptions that never reveal the hidden meanings
are all underlying in its theme
yet no one knows the difference in what is decided
to be with continued deprivations of this man's sleep

Who Knew the Skyy Was So Sexy

By: Michael Rivera

Let’s face it: How do you market a product that averages seventy-five thousand deaths in the past 3 decades? Simple: Sex, money and glamor. Most Americans are brought up in a society that promotes these types of behavior because if you’re not cool, you’re not interesting. Skyy Vodka is notoriously infamous for its “sex appeal ads campaigns, which are highly successful. Many people find controversy in this ad campaign, yet these ads are still easy to find around the Internet. Skyy instills a message of class, promoting that the world is yours for the taking.

Describe:
The campaigns are more subtle that people think; it’s not just a gorgeous girl standing or laying down. Those are the items that keep you staring at the ad. No, its the looks, the body position, the dress, the setting, and where the product is located. The early attraction gets everyone. Yet, as we look deeper into the picture, we look for a story. We want meaning behind the pictures we see. Take this ad for example: There is a beautiful brunette, sleek and slender in the body with very well-proportioned assets in her top and bottom areas. She wears a provocative dress that exposes her cleavage, back/lats, and her long, smooth legs; barely covering her private box of womanhood. She holds a shaker, used to make what appears to be a martini. She brushes one leg against an unseen man sitting in a very expensive looking seat. The mystery man wears a very smooth suit and holds his martini glass very astute, like he shouldn’t be waiting for his drink. She stares at the man’s face with what seems to be a look of passion, yet not of the love kind. She screams for his attention, by this devious and manipulative look. She gives off a vibe of pure infatuated sexual desire.

Analyze:
This ad uses a very strong sense of snob appeal. This caters to a higher class audience, yet will bring in people of lesser means, due to the glamor that it portrays. The setting is in what seems to be a penthouse suite, that only a person with very established needs could afford. Also, the style of furniture used is very modern, giving the off the vibe of new and innovative. This definitely is more related to a myth, because most people don’t have the means to live a fantasy like the photo represents.
Interpret:

This ad is just another picture in Skyy’s massive ad collection. Take a look at a couple more of these campaign pictures: you can see the underlying themes clear as day. Skyy chose sex as its biggest promoter. Their ads push ethical boundaries, even in their own distilled spirits community. These ads cater to your college students, who wants to be cool and fly. Middle to rich classes definitely get positive reinforcement about their status due to these advertisements as well. Unfortunately, high school students can fall into this campaign due to their interest in growing up. They want to be older, more mature; so, they’ll pick up on this message of being powerful and sexy.

Evaluate:
This ad is very strong for magazines, because people will take the time to look at the picture. They will come up with their own assumptions of the product, but here is the real kicker: Since this is a very focused picture, viewers will tend to see this an associate it when looking at a Skyy Vodka bottle.
In conclusion, Skyy is trying to set a new standard for sexy in the alcohol business. As time goes on, they push and push to find the barrier of which they can break. The latest controversy of their ads caused a nationwide disturbance, which Skyy could only smile about. Regardless of positive or negative attention, They are still talking about how sexy Skyy can be.