...The reason for the season

As another Holiday Season commences, our attention is again drawn to the many interpretations surrounding the “freedom of religion” extended to all Americans in the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Each year, the many opinions surrounding the interpretation of this statement seem to multiply. I was specifically drawn to this topic because of an Associated Press article I stumbled across recently (http://www.mail.com/news/us/909150-atheist-messages-displace-park-nativity-scenes.html#.7518-stage-hero1-6). The article highlighted Santa Monica, California. Apparently in Santa Monica, there is a series of several areas designated for various Holiday displays designed to adequately showcase the displays while keeping them safe from vandalism and the elements. This year in particular, the city received so many bids for the areas that they decided to use a lottery system to assign the spaces. I agree with city halls decision to use this system to assign the plots. I feel that the lottery was a fair, and that the results were based fully on chance. The article states that 18 of the available 21 spaces went to members of various atheist groups, two spaces were allotted to a coalition of 13 churches in the Santa Monica Area, and one space went to a member of the group Chabad Channukah Menorah. Churches are “crying conspiracy”. As I stated earlier, I feel that the spaces were assigned in a just manner and I therefore disagree that this is a conspiracy. It is simply a matter of luck of the draw. I believe that these atheist groups, because of “freedom of religion” have the right and the privilege of publicly celebrating the winter solstice, or anything else they choose to celebrate during the Holiday Season. However, I am uneasy about some of the things that the atheist groups have chosen to display in their allotted areas. The article specifically mentions these: "Religions are all alike — founded upon fables and mythologies. — Thomas Jefferson." and “a display with photographs depicting King Neptune, Jesus Christ, Santa Claus and Satan reads, "Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them. What myths do you see? American Atheists. Since 1963. athiests.org."’ I feel that these displays, instead of promoting the feelings of cheer and love that seem to surround the Holiday season seek to criticize those who share views that differ from the opinions of the American Atheists and other atheist groups. In “The Articles of Faith”, written by Joseph Smith and canonized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it states “We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” I believe that this privilege is not limited to those who believe in a god or practice a religion, but extends to those who do not believe in God and do not practice a religion. The article also discusses activism surrounding religion and mentions a man who previously displayed signs with “selections on U.S. Supreme Court decisions about the importance of separating church and state.” I agree that it is important that we keep church and state separate in order to protect our right to believe what we want to believe. But, I also think that it is important to remember that we are given freedom OF religion, which takes account of those who do not desire to practice a religion, but it does not mean freedom FROM religion. If there were freedom from religion, I, and many others would be denied the privilege of worshipping “how, what, or where, or what [I] may.” So this Holiday season, whether you prefer to display “Jesus is the reason for the season”, “The Miracle of the Oil that lasted Eight Days is the reason for the season”, “the Season is the reason for the season”, or any other reason you have to celebrate this season, I ask that we remember that the Holidays are a time of love, kindness, and charity, when we should not view each other as Christian, or Atheist, or Muslim, or Jewish, or Hindu, or Buddhist, or the array of other belief systems around the world, but as brothers and sisters of the human race.


See the article at: http://www.mail.com/news/us/909150-atheist-messages-displace-park-nativity-scenes.html#.7518-stage-
hero1-6

View "The Articles of Faith" at: http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,106-1-2-1,FF.html

Call Me Ishmael... or something...

I have noticed that lately, every time I introduce myself to someone, they ask me if I go by Kenzie for short. I don't know what this new obsession with Kenzie is, but I am not a fan. It is not that there is anything wrong with Kenzie in general, it's just, if you know me, you know that the name Kenzie does not fit my personality whatsoever! You know, I think I would even rather that people called me just Z before they called me Kenzie. I guess some people are more into nick names than I am. Usually if someone introduces themselves to me by a certain name, I call them that name even if they tell me I can call them by a shorter version of that name. I think it is just because that is how I know them, and I put that name with their personality, so shortening it would be weird unless I had known them for a very long time. And when I say a very long time I mean like years and years. I don't know. It just seems like, well, my name has been Mackenzie my whole entire life, but it is just this school year that everyone has been asking me if I go by Kenzie. So, the answer is no. Unless you are my three year old cousin, no. You can call me Mackenzie, or Mackie, or Mack, or Z, or even Ishmael, but please do not call me Kenzie.

Hello Again

Okay so I most definitely do not write on this thing enough. My life has changed quite a bit since I was a freshman in college. I am now a Junior and, of course, I have changed my major from Communications with an emphasis in Journalism to Media Music. Although it may seem crazy to some, I love the spontaneity of it. I have not gotten in to the music program yet, so I am basically hanging out in Limbo with nothing to do with my life except sing and write music. So I decided to take up a few fun things in the meantime. I have been studying French! Talk about an awesome language! I have also been taking private piano and voice lessons. That is always fun. I have even taken up guitar! Basically, I think I am just taking this year to renew my love of music. It left for a while, but now it is back. All in all, though, I know for sure that I am where I need to be and I am doing what I am supposed to do. I better love music because I will be doing for the rest of my life. And, like a typical musician/writer... I have yet to find a job. I have had plenty of experience interviewing in the past few months, but I haven't found anything. I have a job interview tomorrow that I am looking forward to. I hope I get the job. I hope I get a job. Anyways. I will have to keep updating this thing to get it all up to speed. I think tonight, though, I will just start with updating my profile picture.

"My Favorite Song"

- Put your Itunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
- For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
- YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

1.) IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY?', YOU SAY?
"I'm Ok"--- MIndy Gledhill
2.) HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
"She Said, I Said (Time We Let Go)"---NLT
3.) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Color of Truth"--- Greg Simpson
4.) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"Clear"---Miley Cyrus
5.) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"I'll Take My Chances"--- The Click 5
6.) WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
"Crush"--- David Archuleta
7.) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Headphones On"--- Miranda Cosgrove
8.) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Like I Am"--- Rascal Flatts
9.) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"We Will Rock You"--- Queen
10.) WHAT IS 2+2?
"Time of Your Life"--- Green Day
11.) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Shadow of the Day"--- Linkin Park
12.) WHAT IS YOUR STORY?
"Take My Life"--- Scott McLean
13.) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"The Pretender"---Foo Fighters
14.) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Mad"---Ne-Yo
15.) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Wedding Dress"---Matt Nathanson
16.) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Dare You To Move"---Switchfoot
17.) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Baby, It's You"--- JoJo
18.) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
"Everything Changes"--- Stained
19.) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"I Don't Love You"---My Chemical Romance
20.) WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
"Pretend"--- Secondhand Serenade
21.) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Here Comes Trouble"---Honors Society
22.) WHAT WILL YOU NAME THIS NOTE?
"My Favorite Song"--- NIk Day

Starstruck

On Friday night, my friend Katherine and I went to a concert at the Velour Live Music Gallery. We went to see BENTON PAUL and TRUMAN in concert. It was an amazing concert.
Nik Day, from Idaho Falls, Idaho, opened for TRUMAN and BENTON PAUL. I loved his sound, so I bought his CD! He kind of reminds me of Regina Spector (Who I have decided that I like after much consideration... She is odd, but good).Nik is not as odd as Regina Spector though. He has kind of has a bluesy pop sound. I am listening to him as we speak, or more like as I write. You should totally check him out... you can find his stuff on YouTube and Facebook... He also has a CD in iTunes called My Favorite Song.
Truman performed next... they are amazing! Ben and Chad Truman are from Nashville, Tennessee, and are the sons of Dan Truman, a member of popular country music group Diamond Rio. They have a really nice, good feeling, bluesy-pop kind of sound. Check out their CD Hold On To Love on MySpace. They also have a few songs on iTunes. They wrote a new song called "You Write My Songs", and performed it last night. I think it is my new favorite song! It is amazing... the only video I have been able to find is on Facebook, but I have "shared" some videos on my Facebook profile. Truman is pretty amazing, and they sound really great live! They also performed a cover of Kings of Leon "Someone Like Me", and it was wonderful! I hope they release another CD soon!!
Benton Paul is a musician from Highland, Utah.He has really become a musical sensation, and has fans that come from near and far to hear him play. I'd never heard of him until he opened for David Archuleta in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is now one of my favorite artists. He was awesome! He sang some songs from his CD Grey and his EP Trois, including two of my favorites, "Paris" and "Look for the Light". He performed a Cold Play cover of "Yellow", and he totally rocked it. He also performed a new song that he had written recently, but sadly I cannot remember the name of it, nor can I find a video of it anywhere. He even received an encore, and played "I Only See You". It was great close to an awesome musical extravaganza! Check out Benton Paul at bentonpaul.com. You can also find him on Facebook and MySpace, as well as iTunes.
I almost forgot! Another awesome guy from Salt Lake that performed with Benton Paul is John Allred!! He was also very good! Check him out at allredmusic.com
Photo Attributions: bentonpaul.com, http://www.positivemusicanddownloads.com/store/257/257/Truman/Hold-On-To-Love/, Katherine Vellella photos

P.S. If anyone really reads my blog, please leave a comment!!

Where have you been all my life?

The theater roared with shouts and yells as the fans held up pens, pieces of paper, cardboard and whatever else they could find for the performers to autograph. The lights went down, the crowd quieted, and the extravaganza of music began.
The Brigham Young University Student Activities Board has featured student music artists in a series known as Acoustic Explosion for over five years, but it did not start out with a theater full of screaming fans. Just three years ago, Acoustic Explosion was a small show with a small venue held in the Traditions Lounge, according The BYU Student Activities Board. As the show gained popularity, the Student Activities Board had to move it to the Varsity Theatre.
“We started getting too many people, and it became a fire code hazard, so we moved it to the Varsity Theatre, which seats close to 400,” said Spencer Glenn, a member of the BYU Student Activities Board, and the head of the February 2010 Acoustic Explosion presentation. We’ve had it there for a couple of years, and it pretty much fills up every show.”
Each month, the Student Activities Board takes demo submissions, and then, using the BYU Honor Code as a guide, they select six artists to perform. Each artist is given a fifteen-minute block to perform three songs. The Board loves a variety of genres, and has had artist perform anything from Acoustic Celtic to Acoustic Rap.
“I love going to Acoustic Explosion because I can check out all the artist and find out who could potentially be up and coming in every type of music,” said Katherine Vellella, a BYU Freshman majoring in English.
Acoustic Explosion is a free show offered to BYU students, but it is definitely not free to put on. BYU Student Activities Board has to pay for the advertising and the special price give-aways during the show with a small budget (contrary to popular belief, BYU Student Activities Board is not in conjunction with BYUSA). The banners used to advertise for Acoustic Explosion cost $75 a piece to print. The Student Activities Board has had a problem with students stealing the banners to hang them up in their dorms. Glenn said that he has caught a few people in the act, and has had to stop them.
“I actually caught a girl with an Acoustic banner rolled up outside the show… and confronted her. She tried to make up some excuse that was so weak, I can’t even remember,” Glenn said. “I just guilted her and had her give it back. I suppose I could have pressed charges…but I am a pretty nice guy.”
This is an article I wrote for one of my classes. Besides being a great form of entertainment for BYU students, it is a great way to check out artists that have a lot of potential. The line up at February Acoustic Explosion was pretty awesome. It started out with a band called There She Goes, two freshman college guys with guitars. They performed three songs, "#1 Fan", "The Hard Way", and "Lush". Their songs were kind of interesting, and they even incorporated beat-boxing, but they were awesome on guitar. The next person that performed was Daniel Wilde. He sang "Life As a Freshman, "I Refuse", and "Your Eyes". He sounded awesome! He was genuine and classic, just a guy with a guitar. Emily Brown came next with "You'd Think", "Sweetheart", and "Happier". Her singing and her piano skills were both amazing. She has a really nice bluesy kind of voice, and I really liked her songs. Ned Meservy really got the crowd going when he performed some classic covers on guitar. Then Jonny Vance and the SGC rocked the place. This band was great, with a combo of piano, guitar, bongo, and cello. They played "The Puppeteer" and "Neptune". To seal the deal, Jeff Weeks performed "Take You There", "Awake", and "On My Mind". His mix of great guitar and a gorgeous voice was an awesome close for the night. To check out more artist and their cool songs visit http://stab.byu.edu/content/ae-comp-mix. Another awesome artist that you should check out on YouTube and MySpace is Sean O'Rourke. His music is a little funky, but he is really good.

Blogplosion

Ever since I started my blog, everyone I know has started a blog. What is going on? None of those people read my blog, though. Actually, I don't think anyone reads my blog. Life has gotten especially interesting this new semester. I am having new experiences and making new friends. I am really relieved that I finished my Sociology paper so now I can just write. It seems like someone creates a new blog about some other stupid thing every day. No wonder newspaper are going out. Every one is going to the internet for all their information. I think I want to start an online magazine. I don't know how I would make an income, but if I can find a way to connect music and writing and put them into something that people would actually read, I would so do it! This is totally unrelated, but my song for today is Breakthrough by Colbie Caillet