2023 Spring Staff Picks

BY ETHAN BUTT Staff Reporter

Surely you’ve come across one of your teachers in the hallway or in class, maybe it was Mr West in the physics classroom jamming out to Queen, and wondered what teachers actually listen to. Is it rap? Country? Kpop? Dubstep? Who knows, they could end up listening to the same thing as you.

“I would say right now at this moment, my two favorite songs are ‘Running on Empty’ by Jackson Browne and a song called ‘Brandy’ by the Looking Glass,” Corey Uhalde, leader of Associated Student Body (ASB), says.

“Running on Empty” is a one of Jackson Browne’s most treasured country rock songs, part of the “Running on Empty” album released in 1977. The lyrical features in the song definitely gives off a bittersweet tone and really makes you feel sentimental about life, as if you are on the highway going back to the times when you thought life was endless.

“Brandy” is another one of his favorite songs released in 1972 by the classic rock band Looking Glass. You’ll notice a combination of jazz instruments and the classic rock lyrics in the song, making it perfect for feeling energetic.

“I like songs that make you feel like you’re in a good mood like that. You can drive down the highway to roll the windows down in the sunshine. It just feels right to be listening to those,” Uhalde says.

Kathleen Banister also enjoys country songs, but not the kind from the 70s and 80s.

“I listen to all kinds of music. I really like hip hop, rap, country and a lot of pop. I really like Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ album [and] “Halo” is my favorite Beyonce song,” Banister says.

“Lemonade” is a studio album released in 2016, featuring hip hop, soul and pop songs such as “Don’t hurt yourself” and “Pray you’ll catch me”. However she also mentioned that she was a huge fan of Taylor swift.

“For Taylor Swift there’s so many that I can’t say which one was really my favorite, [but I] definitely like ‘Blank Space’. On her newest album, ‘Bejeweled’ is another good one. ‘Midnight Rain’. Love that as well,” Banister says.

Taylor Swift’s newest album,“Midnight”, contains a variety of pop and electronica songs that could be the right match for you if that’s the genre of music that interests you. Banister also states that she enjoys the representation of women and breaking stereotypes some of Swift’s songs offer, as well as being inspired by Taylor Swift and her continuous success.

“I feel like I really not only like the sound and the beat and all of that part, the music part, but I really like the lyrics and I think the lyrics speak to me and can reflect parts of my life as well,” Banister says.

On the other hand, Nicole Vaughan prefers rock, rap and hip hop music.

“My favorite hip hop artist is Kendrick Lamar and [my] favorite rock artist would be Tool. I really liked the album ‘Lateralus’ by Tool” Vaughan says.

The rock band Tool began in 1990, creating some of the biggest rock hits of the 90s including “Sober” and “Third Eye”. However their single most popular song “Schism” is also from the ‘Lateralus’ album Vaughan has mentioned about.

“I love Kendrick Lamar because I like the storytelling elements and I feel like my interest in music comes from studying piano,” Vaughan says.

When she learned piano in the past, it really allowed her to appreciate all the different parts of a composition. This is really where music became a huge part of her life, understanding the different components to her favorite genre of music.

“People don’t give it a lot of credit, but there’s so much layer and nuance to know when to slow things down or when to speed things up. So it just became something interesting to think about and study and then there’s just like an appreciation that comes from it too,” Vaughan says.