Skip to main content

Introduction post

Hello! My name is Gus Paul. I am a born and raised Fairbanksan, and I guess I take some pride in that. I grew up in Goldstream during the 2000s (I am freshly 21 years old), and for those of you not familiar with the area it's a hotspot for harmless hippies and hicks alike. I have been studying accounting the past almost 3 years, and love the profession. Most of my classes are online this semester, but I take my accounting class in-person. Excited things happening in my life right now include finishing my degree on-time next year, and also working as an intern for an accounting firm in Anchorage this summer. 

My relationship with music has always been an intimate one. Some of the first music I remember as a child include "Pictures of You" by The Cure, "Stronger" by Kanye West, "Thank you" by Dido, and "The Scientist" by Coldplay. Both of my parents listened to a broad range of music growing up. From Joni Mitchell to 50 cent, I was exposed to it all. The only instrument I have been guided to play was the recorder in 3rd grade. My grandma on my dad's side is an avid musician, and lovingly forced my brother and I to learn a few Christmas songs on the piano and bass. This did not go over well, and after the 2nd year of trying she gave up. Today, I enjoy having endless access to all music through my Spotify account and still love music. An old family friend with season tickets to the Fairbanks Concert Association shows often invites me along. Much of the music isn't to my taste, but there is enjoyment in just watching the performers, and the feeling of live music. 

Here is a link to the first song I ever remember, this is a live version so it's a little different than the one I listened to: 



This is a photo of my Passionfruit vine last March






Comments

  1. The Ukulele FoolFebruary 1, 2023 at 7:07 AM

    I got a chuckle out of hippies and hicks. I have several friends that in the Goldstream area. My friend Hilda is an artist, so I guess she'd be in the hippie category. The recorder!!! Inexpensive and fairly unbreakable - weapons of screeches and squwacks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gus PaulFebruary 4, 2023 at 2:31 PM

      Hah! I'm glad you liked my description. I love Goldstream, and the 85 degree hazy days in the valley are what I live for. 

      Delete
  2. Sophia MartinFebruary 2, 2023 at 12:08 PM

    Hi Gus,
    Your name sounds like it belongs to a relatable side character; a compliment you may not have received before, but it is nevertheless a compliment. I also learned the recorder in third grade, but I'm starting to realize that it's one of those memories that everybody has.
    Best of luck to you for Spring 2023!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gus PaulFebruary 4, 2023 at 2:29 PM

      I'll take it! Thank you. The Recorder seems to hold a special place in many of our hearts.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2023 at 8:41 PM

    Woah, the recorder is an awesome instrument to learn! Having a broad music range is always so interesting because sometimes you can be in the mood for country and the next day heavy metal. Living in Alaska all your life must have brought you so many good memories as it has me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lianna J.February 5, 2023 at 10:00 PM

    Hi Gus! I too was raised with a wide variety of music though I refused to listen to anything other than country until I was about 12 years old give or take. As an adult though I now listen to mostly everything. I love your description of Goldstream though I haven't lived there since I was a baby in the late 80's. We then moved to the trailer park right at the beginning of Chena hot springs road and stayed there until the summer of 99 when we moved to North Pole. I would say there's a wide variety of hippies and hicks all over Alaska though!

    Thanks for sharing. Good luck this semester!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kellen DavisFebruary 8, 2023 at 1:37 PM

    Hey Gus, I think it's really cool that you have such a wide taste and appreciation for different kinds of music. I am eager to hear your thoughts and opinions on topics this semester!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Toasting Lyrics: Explained in Musical Analysis #2

"Red Red Wine"  By UB40 (music attached in header) Overview      “Red Red Wine '' is a classic song. Originally written by Neil Diamond in 1967, but sort of unpopular until the reggae group UB40 made a cover of the song in 1983. UB40 didn’t realize the song was written by Diamond until it reached the UK's top 100 songs the year it was released. The song was revived in America in 1988 by a radio station in Phoenix that played it during a weekly special… basically on repeat. It hit #1 in the U.S. for one week that year and was the first reggae song to ever reach the Billboard Top 100 (not even Bob Marley accomplished this). Eddie Sayago of The Chirp Blog, claims “Red Red Wine” to be an excellent drinking song… I can’t say I’ve tested that theory, although the name is certainly provocative! Listening to the album it was released on (“Labour of Love”) I was transported to a place with an oceanic breeze and invisible stress. These were songs I had not heard before, and...
Post a Comment
Read more

Musical Analysis #1

The piece I chose for our first musical analysis exercise is "Lightbeamers" by FKA Twigs. FKA Twigs is a 34 year-old British singer and songwriter. She has worked with the Weeknd before, among other notable artists. "Lightbeamers" is apart of her album "CAPRISONGS", and is her most recent album released Jan 14th (my birthday) 2022. The song starts out with a simple melody with a slow beat. I like songs that kind of build steam, and this one certainly does. The music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtocy5NIJ6o&list=RDJtocy5NIJ6o&start_radio=1 Analyzing the music- The entire song is underpinned by a slow beat and tempo. The melody begins with percussion sounds, accompanied by a few simple piano keys, finally accompanied by a repeated cut of her lyrics from later in the song. 2 easy ways in which I know it is a melody is the repetition and pattern of the song. I like her use of electronic producing in her music, and Mike Dean mixed the track, one of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Role of the Performer: Miley Cyrus

The Music: Party in The U.S.A , By Miley Cyrus - Released August 4th 2009 - Written by Jessie J, Luke, and Claude Kelly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA Wrecking Ball , By Miley Cyrus - Released August 25th 2013 - Written by Mozella, Stephan Moccio, amd Sacha Skarbek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8 Miley Cyrus Overview: Miley is born into a line of performers, following in the footsteps of her father and country music star Billy Ray Cyrus. She started her career like many young celebrities did in the mid 2000s... did as a Disney brat. She starred as the main character in her show Hannah Montana. Later she segwayed into pop country music, before changing up her whole style in 2013 with the release of her album “Bangerz”. The purpose of this blog post was to outline an esteemed performer… not necessarily someone who writes their own songs. Miley’s songs are written by a variety of songwriters, ranging from artists like Jessie J to strict songwriters like Stephan M...
1 comment
Read more