Thursday 18 February 2016

The Lion's Tunes #10



Welcome to another edition of The Lion’s Tunes.

At the suggestion of a close friend, I decided to put my love of music to good use.

She pointed out to me that since I love music and listen to so much of it, I should share what songs I’m currently jamming to at the moment.

If you follow me on twitter then you’d know I usually tweet about what music has got me all caught up and catching feelings. 

It's been a while since I posted the last one, because being a working adult is hard, but regardless I have managed to finish another one.

I’m by no means a music expert and I won’t pretend to be. Most of what will be written here is information I’ve learned on the net and just my personal opinions on the songs. So have at it.
  • Song:  L.A Devotee
         Artist: Panic at the Disco

Panic at the Disco is always a band that I love whenever I hear a song of their but I unfortunately don’t get to spend as much time searching out their stuff. Interesting fact about their latest album is that most of the guys decided to leave but front man, Brendon Urie, wasn’t ready to give up on the PATD, so he didn’t.

While I am not one to give judgement on how good/bad the new album is versus that of their older material. I do love Brendon Urie because he just seems like such a cool and down to earth guy who loves getting shirtless.

“L.A Devotee” didn’t exactly register with me the first time I heard it...after numerous time of listening the song it has grown on me, I really love the upbeat vibe. Also no one can deny that Urie can sing. I thoroughly enjoy the song.

The key change gives me chills...because he is seducing you into it.

Just another L.A Devotee... 
just another, just another-ru-oh
Just another, just another-ru-oh
Just another, just another-ru-oh
Just another L.A Devotee...”


Bonus: Victorious

This song is actually the latest single from the latest PATD album, it has already been playlisted on a few radio stations in South Africa.

What I love about the song is how theatrically epic and how it has this dirty operatic feel to it...

My touch is black and poisonous,
And nothing like my punch drunk kiss
I know you need it, do you feel it
Drink the water and drink the wine


  • Song:  Coldplay ft Beyonce
Artist: Hymn for the Weekend

I was always obsessed with the song since the album came out, I haven’t even heard the rest of the album other than what was released, but I came across this song on tumblr. (Thank you Tumblr people for posting new music).

My love for it died down a bit because as much as I loved it, not enough people were talking about it so I just relaxed into enjoying the song on my own.
Thank heavens Coldplay released the song as a single with an amazing music video, because it is just a eye fest of colour and so stunning.

I love how Beyonce and Chris Martin’s voices complement each other. When I first heard the song I thought there was too little Beyonce but I have grown to realise that there is just the right amount of Queen B while still keeping it as a Coldplay song. This is a perfect Hymn for the Weekend...

“I am feeling drunk and high...”


BONUS: Formation  - Beyonce

Regardless of whether you like Beyonce or not, she has gotten everyone talking following the release of her new song (and world tour) by releasing a politically/culturally/historically charged video in Formation

  • Song:  Pillowtalk
Artist: Zayn

I feel like we can all agree that we were surprised when former One Direction member Zayn dropped his first ever solo single and it turned out to be as good as it was. He silenced the critics with his talent by producing such a good song, and earning new fans in the process. He might suffer from douche-bag personality syndrome, but that is nothing a good PR team can't fix.

  • Song:  Daddy Issues
Artist: The Neighbourhood

My love for The Neighbourhood still persists, I might not love all of their music, but they still keep me coming back for more. The song gives me goosebumps.

It is moody and mellow without being dead. I am grooving along and enjoying it.

I also adore the lyrics that this band writes, and Daddy Issues is no exception. My favourite lyric in the entire song is so dark and beautiful but it is easy to visualise: 

I tried to write your name in the rain, but the rain never came so I made with the sun...”

It is haunting and the lyrics just have such honesty to it. Also Jesse’s voice on it speaks volumes without him belting it. There is such an emotional depth to the song.


BONUS 

Please be advised that this song is dirty and nasty and wrong, but it is all of these things in the best way possible.

  • Song:  Hands to Myself
Artist: Selena Gomez

My love for Selena very song dependent, but damn she is just so sexy and sultry with “Hands to Myself”. I am not sure if my love comes from the music video itself or the song but it is still so much fun. Selena has it going on! 


Bonus: Charlie Puth ft Selena Gomez –

Charlie Puth is winning on his collaborations. What a really groovy and chill tune... 

  • Song:  Boys Like You
Artist: Who is Fancy ft Meghan Trainor & Ariana Grande

I love how catchy this song is. Also the great thing about this track is how we now live in a age where a boy singing about loving another boy is not the end of his career. The unashamed use of male pronoun makes me happy. Also it helps that he got two vocal talents to help him out on the song.

  • Song:  Heaven
Artist: Troye Sivan ft Betty Who

This song has caused quite a few feelings for me mainly because it tackles that whole "gays are going to hell" rhetoric that has been constantly passed on for generations and constantly comes up whenever anything related to homosexuality is discussed. Props to Troye Sivan for giving a different angle on the song, because he speaks about the thought that maybe I don't want a place who doesn't want me as I am.

  • Song:  Jet Black Heart
Artist: 5 Seconds of Summer

Credit has to go to 5 Seconds of Summer for putting this track together because this video is all about acceptance and that is something the world needs more of today. One of the reasons I love this song is because of the music video - which is how I discovered it. It rocks and it sends a pretty awesome message.

  • Song:  Wolfs Without Teeth
Artist: Of Monsters and Men

This one of my favourites from the album. I really can't believe that I get to see the band live in March!!!! ARGH! Of monsters and Men are a truly spectacular group whose lyrics make you think and who deliver truly idiosyncratic sounds.



Here is the official music video.


Bonus: Organs

The song is simplistic but still so damn complex and it highlights how lyrics can truly speak volumes. I am proud to say that I know this song off by heart. I almost cried the first time I heard it because I was coming off a break-up and this song spoke perfectly to how I was feeling about it.


Also her is the acoustic version which knocks my socks off. My friend, a fellow OMAM fan, showed me this lovely video:

  • Song:  Lightning
Artist: Little Mix

I went on a YouTube spree watching Little Mix perform live and damn! They can SING! Please do yourself a favour and go watch their Capitol FM performance of Black Magic...


Moving along, had to review the deluxe edition of their album for work, and damn! What a awesome pop album. I highly recommend getting it if you haven’t. One of my favourites from the album is “Lightning”. 

The power and the emotion in their voices astound me, what helps makes Little Mix all the more special is their talent for harmonising and how much love their care for each other. Sure it will be a matter of time until they split but hopefully that is still a bit off because they are getting better and better and gaining more acclaim – news which makes me happy.


  • Song:  Heading Home
Artist: Gryffin ft Joseph Salvat

Joseph Salvat is a artist that I can't seem to get enough of. There is some engaging about him and his music just really connects to me. Other songs I enjoy more than most, but his voice is interesting and his sound is different too. He sticks to what he likes while not being scared to mix it up, which is how I stumbled across this collaboration he did with a DJ.

  • Song:  Keep Your Head Up
Artist: Birdy

If I had not seen that this was Birdy with my own eyes, then I would not have believed someone if they told me this. This is a very unexpected song, but it works so damn well. I love the message behind the song too other than it's infectious beat and groovy sounds.

  • Song:  Blackout
Artist: TriTonal

This is one damn catchy song, I heard it first played on the radio I believe. It's completely bonkers, especially when the beat drops.

  • Song:  Beggin & Pleadin
Artist: Brandy

A colleague in the office was raving about this song, and I couldn't help but be interested. It comes from Brandy's newest TV show that she is working on, but that aside, this is such a different sound from her and it is something so very different. I was surprised but good on her for experimenting and doing something new.

  • Song:  Never Be Like You
Artist: Flume ft Kai

I discovered this on YouTube and it won me over. Damn. Talk about a hot tune! I have been murdering this song repeat for the past three days, and I can't even be bothered because it is just so damn good.

  • Song:  Hollow & Let It Go
Artist: Tori Kelly and James Bay (Grammy Performance)

Everyone was raving about their performance at the Grammy's and it is so completely understandable after hearing it. I do apologise because finding a good video for this has been hard as the Grammy's haven't posted the video to their performance so YouTube self-made ones will have to do. 




These are all the songs that I will give to you for now. There is no radio section only because I have been listening to the radio but some of the songs are already mentioned above.

If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to let me know in the comments section below or even post links to it so I can give it a listen! 

I do hope you enjoy even one of these.


Theo. Over and Out.

Monday 15 February 2016

My Brother’s Surprise...


We live in a very material world, and it’s a world where we sometimes calculate how much someone loves us by how much money they spend on us.

It’s a sad reality, but it is the truth.

Money makes the world go round.

There is someone really special to me, and he is my brother. Not in any biological connection but he is family and I would do anything for him.

I have been friends with Byron since about Grade 10, which makes it 9 years. We joke that it’s both of our longest relationships ever, but it’s true. (I can’t even get a relationship to 5 months, never mind a year... but I digress).

He has always been there for me no matter what, he was always just accepting of me regardless of whatever else was going on.

I was also so lucky that his parents were very accepting of our friendship and welcomed me into their home. I have been through a lot with his family and I am glad to have had them be there for me when things were rough.

Byron's Brother Caleb
It’s been 9 years of ups and downs, good times and bad, and stories that will last us a lifetime.

We don’t see each other often and we don’t spend as much time together when he is around, but we have a bond that will always connect us. It’s what makes him my brother.

Last year October time, I decided that I wanted to say thank you to him with a gift, but I wanted it to be something worth more than just something I bought. So I happened to receive a picture frame and suddenly I had the idea of having it filled with memories and giving it to him.

 It took a while for me to finalise the whole thing because it was just an idea and in between all that life was happening. He was living his life that side at his lodge being a game ranger, while I was living mine being a journalist.

I then roped in the help of our friend Chelsea who I am also pretty grateful for, and she was so awesome because without her help I would not have been able to making the picture frame as great as it turned out.

I had planned to have given the gift to him as a Christmas present but because his parents were travelling to Namibia, he decided he would not come down to Cape Town during his week off and so then it just gave me more time to get it sorted.

I contacted his girlfriend around Christmas asking for her help with a few pictures, which was interesting because I had never even met or spoken to the girl before sending that message, but I had heard about her often enough for her to not feel like a total stranger.

She had managed to get pictures of him, without him realising the greater purpose behind it, and sent them to me.

So all the pictures had been chosen and Chelsea was too awesome because she came through and had it finished in time for his next off week.

Then came the issue of finding the time to give it to him.

What usually happens when Byron is in Cape Town on his off week, is that he is busy because all his friends and family all want to see him in some way, but there's not enough time for him to see everyone.

I had thought it was going to happen over the weekend but he had other plans so it wasn’t going to happen then, I had message my friend Chelsea even saying that if he pops around, give it to him because he is so busy and I am barely seeing him, but please just record it and take pictures.

She was like, “No way am I giving him this thing without you being here, fool.”


So she messaged him, and said something along the lines of “there is no way we are hanging out without Theo”, or something a little more tactful, but in any case she got it done. Haha. If there is anything I learned from this, it was that don’t underestimate the power of Chelsea.

So then along came Monday, got home from work, he called, picked me up and off to Chelsea we went to hang out.

Chelsea got us in, and showed me where it was without Byron realising. I had brought along a bow and wanted to stick onto the frame. I had to fake going to the bathroom just so I could get into her room to attach the bow.

After that, I walked out of her room with the frame in my hand anxiously waiting to give it to him. Byron was playing a game on my phone, and when I was standing there awkwardly waiting for his attention, he was all “Wait, I am playing this game”.

I just rolled my eyes and started talking:



I must say that the reaction I got from him was more than what I had hoped. It made me sooo damn happy seeing how much the gift meant to him. As rewarding as it is giving someone something, that tight arm crushing hug, and the total surprise had told me that I had done the right thing.

He loved it.

What I love about our friendship is that we say “I love you” to each other... and we do. I love him because he is family to me. No matter what, he will always be family. He is my brother.

We have both changed so much over the years and become such different people, each living our own lives. He has a life of his own away from me, and as much as I miss him, it makes me happy knowing that he is doing his own thing and enjoying it.

All I want for him is to be happy, and he is.

Also, if I got started on how awesome our friend Chelsea is then I would not end but I just wanted to give her a shout-out for her helping me and being a radically cool person.

The night I gave him the gift, we had spent the rest of the time in Chelsea’s home just hanging out and spending time. It is such moments with friends I will always cherish.


Earlier last week, after him having been without wifi and signal, he finally got back in contact with us, and I got around to asking him if he had hung up the picture frame.

Of course, I received a snarky response from him, but he showed me that it did go up.

It is hung
To my brother Byron - I hope that if you are reading this (you better be), you realise that I do really love you. I am so lucky to have someone like you in my life...you fool.

Stay awesome.





Theo. Over and Out.

PS - Your squeamishness whenever I bring up something sexually gay will forever amuse me. *chuckles*

Monday 8 February 2016

Reaching The Ceiling

I’ve had a very busy week/end...

It was exciting and fun but exhausting.

I was so out of fumes that when I got invited to the Nicky Romero gig at Shimmy Beach on Saturday, I declined it, never mind that I also had plans to attend the Magents SA Menswear Week after party.

Again, crazy hey? How much fun would I have had just chilling, dancing and enjoying the cool exclusivity and access that my job affords me?

BUT, I was autopiloting because I hadn't been sleeping properly, I have been stressing about working on graphics for my work’s anti-racism campaign while still doing my usual day-to-day work routine, and covering SA Menswear Week
.
Granted the last bit, I brought on myself because I wanted to do the show again this year and also as a gay man, I love staring and talking to hot guys.

He was in the local production of Rocky Horror. His name is Shaun Chad Smit.

SA Menswear Week was a fish-out-of-water experience for me the last time, the second time around, it was the same except that I felt more comfortable in my odd-man-out role which made me enjoy the experience all the more.
I went to university with the lovely gentleman. Find him: @Brat_M_

It was a lot of fun just experiencing everything that goes into a fashion week and the crazy outfits you see, the amazing designers you witness, and the models you fall in lust with. 

Boy did I fall in lust. Haha.
Eden Classens
My only regret from the experience was that I wasn’t brave enough to ask the number of the guy I was attracted to, regardless of whether he was team homo or not, asking him would have hurt no one...but I didn’t because well duh, he was a model and I’m a awkward, guy who gets shy and flustered.



It was a miracle in and of itself that I was able to get selfies with the hot boys.


My job is fun, I get to meet cool people and do cool things that I typically wouldn’t like interview Jean de Villiers and Nicky Romero, meet F.W de Klerk, the J&B Met and the colour run. It is all experiences that I am grateful for but sometimes it can be exhausting.







I think the most important thing I learned this week was to know my limit.

I am glad that while I got to have invites and experience all these things, I know when I have reached my limit and that is a big thing for me. I would like to think that I work hard, sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, but I do try my best. 

Knowing when I have reached my ceiling is important thing for me to realise because everything I work on at that point is just without love and I am just running on autopilot – there is no desire to do my best, only to get it done.

Don’ run on autopilot, it’s important to take care of yourself. I don’t always take care of myself, but I am learning. 

You only have one you, so try not ruining yourself.

Theo. Over and Out.


What I love about this picture was that I started pulling some crazy eyes, and he played along....
PS – To the super hot Eden Classens, you are so sweet and seem like a cool guy, I know you’re probably like super busy, dating other models, but if you ever want to go for coffee  with a shy-ish awkward guy who will make you laugh (I at least have that going for me) and then hit me up.