This week I am happy to introduce P j Haynie. She and I only became acquainted a short time ago when I joined a community of writer's marketing writers on Facebook. I'm always expressing how much I believe in the power of community, and I thought what better way to do so than to give exposure to someone who shares that belief. With passions in both music and writing, Haynie uses both together as she creates short stories with an accompanying soundtrack. How cool! I would like to welcome P j to the Whiskey Summer family.
Artist Bio
P j Haynie has been writing poetry, short stories, and music compositions for 20 years. Combining her passions of writing compelling, gritty novels, and writing and performing music is a lifelong dream that has begun with the publication of “Losing You," her first breakout short story in the Romance genre. P j lives with her husband, two children, and two dogs in Denver, CO.
Interview
Tell me a little about how/when you were drawn to your art.
I began writing songs at
age 10 during a road trip with my family. My brother got bored so I made up a
song to sing to him! Around 15 or 16 I really dove into songwriting and poetry.
I brainstormed a lot of really great stories and novels at the time too, but
didn't feel I'd be good enough to write any of them down. After a few years
studying Music Composition in college, I changed my major to Advertising (for
practical reasons), then started a family and set aside my creative endeavors
for many years. A couple of years ago, I started writing music again which
brought me to writing some of the novels I've been dreaming about for years.
It's been a lot of fun!
What are some of the things that inspire your art?
I think I'm mostly
inspired by pain, oddly. I'm a big believer in the idea that intense joy can
only be experienced after intense pain. I love digging really deep into the
darkness where things feel hopeless and evil and then watching my characters
either dig their way out, or embrace it. I'm a big fan of writers who can make
"bad" characters lovable and bring their audience to embrace them
even though their qualities are not endearing. I endeavor to do that in my
writing.
As a writer, I make it a priority to reflect on my craft to ensure that I am growing.Tell me one way in which you have seen yourself grow in your craft.
I've just matured. As a
teenager I was incredibly insecure and immature (like everyone) and didn't have
the life experience to build believable stories. I've been through a lot since
then and I feel equipped to tackle some really difficult problems.
Do you create other kinds of art as well as the craft you are featuring today?
I am also a songwriter,
as I mentioned before. My goal is to write novels that have an accompanying
sound track. My first short story, Losing You, has an Indie Pop track I wrote
and recorded for it. I love the idea of expressing the primary emotion of my stories
through music. I also paint abstract art on occasion.
What are your goals for your art?
I'd love to become a
best-selling novelist and usher in a new genre of novels with music. I also
hope to start a band and do more recording. If the two passions don't work
together, I hope one of them will take off.
~***~
A Glimpse at Jane's Craft From her story Muddy Heels
When I first had the vision for the Featured Artist Series, I knew I wanted an eclectic mix of mediums and styles. I have lots of friends and family who art artists, but not a whole lot of musicians in my life. Luckily, community is a wonderful thing, and Tyrone was introduced to me through a friend. His music is soulful and beautiful, and I'd like to welcome him to the Whiskey Summer family. Check him out!
Artist Bio
Tyrone Logan is a versatile musician and songwriter from
Dallas, TX. Like fellow Texas native Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tyrone has deep roots
in the southern blues/rock sound, but also draws influences from music greats
such as Jimi Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz, and Depeche Mode. Classic rock, blues, and
modern melodic rock are all at the forefront of his style, although Tyrone
often ventures out to areas such as country and jazz. While the guitar is his
prominent instrument, Tyrone also has a history in playing piano/keyboards,
bass, and drums. Tyrone is often hired out to play for conferences and studio
sessions, and is able to quickly pick up a new style. Currently the Music
Director at his home church in Texas, he has a knack for bringing musicians and
singers together. When not working with groups or in the studio, Tyrone is constantly writing and recording his own songs.
Interview
Tell me a little about how/when you were drawn to
your art.
From a young age, music was always prevalent in my life, starting with my mother teaching my older siblings and me to sing. Ever since then, creating music has come naturally for me, and it’s definitely when I feel the most comfortable. What really helped me find my voice as a songwriter was when I founded my own band and began writing lyrics and music for various instruments. I knew that I wanted to write and perform when I would come home from playing a show and I would still want to pick up an instrument immediately.
What are some of the things that inspire your art?
A lot of times, inspiration is a continuous thing. I always seem to have a song or melody in my head that I’m working on. Musically, an interesting sound will spark up a new melody, or even hearing a random piece of music will be enough to push the creative process forward. Lyrically, I like to paint a picture or tell a story by conveying what’s on my heart. Whether it’s a feeling, an emotion, or event that inspires me, I try to make sure that comes through in my music.
Tell me one way in which you have seen yourself grow
in your craft.
Perpetual learning - I know I can’t just remain stagnant and rest where I am. I am always looking to build upon my skills by studying the professionals that I aspire to be like. The best way to make sure I’m growing is to perform as much as I can, with as many other artists as possible. I see that my “musical vocabulary” has increased when something that was once more difficult gets easier with practice and performance.
Do you create other kinds of art as well as the
craft you are featuring today?
In addition to music, I also enjoy drawing, painting, photography, videography, and producing. I even enjoy making websites as a creative outlet every now and then, including my own, which I am in the process of remaking.
What are your goals for your art?
As far as goals for music, I would like to be successful enough for this to be my livelihood. I would also like to teach and help others develop their craft, as well as continue to get hired for studio sessions and live events.
~***~
A Sample of Tyrone's Tunes
rry folks, the silly video keeps disappearing. Here is the link:
Hollywood
Undead is one of my favorite bands. I started listening to them
from the first time that I heard "Undead" on the radio
nearly ten years ago.
CAUTION
- This post might not be work safe or for children. It contains
explicit content that may even offend some adults. You've been
warned!
They
caught my attention because they were this strange mixture of rap and
rock, but they were different than anything I'd ever heard before.
They bent the genre even more. They were funny, yet their
lyrics were dark, moody, offensive, and sometimes extremely scary and
depressing. They are a group of six dudes, (now five
it seems. Oh well, I didn't even realize Duece was gone. Guess he wasn't as important as he thought he was.), who rapped/sang about smoking weed, drinking whiskey,
bangin' sluts and toting guns. They have great singing voices but
they can also rap and scream pretty damn well too. They also wear
these crazy, creepy masks ala Slipknot.
I
know, you're saying “Holy shit, that's totally creepy.”
Yeah,
well not really. It's all fun and games. They're really just a group
of pretty normal looking guys. See?
I
think that's why I love them so much. You know all of their songs
about being hardcore, gun toting thugs are most likely bullshit. But, they do it so well, while listening to the songs, you totally don't
care.
Normally
I'd call this a form of selling out or straight up lying to fans. As
an audiophile I find honesty between bands and their fans to be
crucial. But right off the bat you know they're just guys having fun
who found an entertaining way to make great music and some money from
their talents. I can respect that shit, yo.
I
think they are most famous for their humorous songs about partying
and shootin' shit up, such as “Gangsta Sexy”, “Everywhere I
Go”, “Comin' in Hot” and “Dead In Ditches”. They're a band
that gets you in the mood to party and have some fun.
Some
of my favorite lyrics to “Everywhere I Go” are as follows. I
can't help but giggle every time I hear them.
“Let's
get this party jumping Let's
see some 40 chugging I
wanna see your booty rubbing Against
my dick when I start buzzing
Come
on, girls, I wanna see you drinking I
wanna see your brains start shrinking Make
a move, I saw you winking Drunken
pussy's what I'm thinking
I
don't give a fuck if you're drunk or not Turn
it up loud and feel the ambiance Grab
two hoes and do some body shots I
wanna party all night until they call the cops
Fuck
a wristband, let's all do a keg stand I'm
like Cheech without the Chong hitting up the beer bong When
the cops show up, they're gonna get the finger And
I don't give a fuck 'cause I'm the designated drinker!
“
-Hollywood
Undead “Everywhere I Go”
Now
let's all listen along together!
Another
favorite party song, well, my personal favorite party song from them.
It's just so fun to drink whiskey too & dance around with your
friends. "Comin In hot"
Aside
from great party songs the band has much more to offer than that.
Every time I get a craving for them it's because of these fun songs
and then I'm quickly reminded how all around bad ass they are. They
have some seriously powerful lyrics.
“Pour
me, pour me, pour me another, It
holds me, holds me, Like
no other, One
more drink, then I swear that I'm going home, Truth
is, I don't really have a place to go, So
pour me, pour me, pour me another.
I
wake up right about the mid-afternoon, With
the sun in the sky but night's coming soon, And
I walk to the mirror just to fix myself, Yeah
life gets harder when you love nothing else, So
I pick my pills from the counter drawer, Pick
my self-esteem up off the fucking floor, I
guess I'm a man of no recourse, As
I crack another bottle, got no remorse, And
I'll say a little prayer for the child in me, I
swear I used to be what I truly believe, That
I'm not just a man with these broken dreams, That
even I could go to heaven, If
I part the seas...”
-Hollywood
Undead “Pour Me”
Keep
those speakers cranked up ya'll...I've got a few more of my favorite
songs by them coming up back to back.
This
next one is my all time favorite Undead song. It's beautifully dark
and heartbreaking, laced with a little bit of hope.
(S.C.A.V.A
was created by combining the names of two of their daughters, Scarlet
(Danny's daughter) and Ava (J3T's daughter)
“When
the end is getting closer And the earth has burned the sky Now
repent 'cause it's all over Just let me die
Here's the
massacre A mausoleum fit for me Lived a hundred years A
hundred years I didn't see Gave all my hope away Is there any
left for me? Bombs are splitting atoms What can the future
bring? We can fill a million choirs And wait 'till children
sing We can walk a million miles And end up in the sea. And
our lungs just keep filling, And lying when we breathe. The
world's filled with liars, Liars like me! And I look at my
child It's finite – this feeling. Eyes blue like the sky I
see all of this meaning. I reach up to God And I ask if I'm
dreaming. So sorry I don't have Those things that you're
needing And darling a kiss Kiss me. I'm leaving!
When
the end is getting closer And the earth has burned the sky Now
repent 'cause it's all over Just let me die As my body lies
here broken And I'm carried to the light Now my heart is
finally open Just let me die!
Everybody says greetings and
goodbyes Everybody pays – no one knows the price We know the
price of sin The sin of sacrifice I know I'll sin again But
who can save me twice? How much can we ask? You'll get the
answer first How much can we kneel With the air that chills the
Earth? The air keeps getting colder. My knees keep hitting
dirt. The innocent can cry without the guilty getting hurt. You
ask who you love and you don't know, no, do you? The spirit of God
just passes right through you. You gave away heaven handed right
to you And I can see it all. Tell me, is it true? Kiss me, my
darling. Darling, I need you.
Where do we go? We go, oh,
Lord, I don't know Where we go? We don't know I don't, Where
do we go? We go, oh, Lord, I don't know Where we go? We
don't know
Lord, I don't know!
When the end is getting
closer And the earth has burned the sky Now repent 'cause it's
all over Just let me die As my body lies here broken And I'm
carried to the light Now my heart is finally open Just let me
die!”
Holywood
Unded “S.C.A.V.A”
So C'mon,
once again sing along with me kiddies! This is made using Anime. Beautiful.
Another
favorite is “Take Me home”. This video has an incorrect title
listed and it's made using cool video game cut scenes.
Lastly,
just to prove they are indeed different than any band out there right
now, let's listen to “Bullet”. It's a depressing song about
suicide set to the happiest tune you'll ever hear.
I
guess what I'm trying to say by this post is that you should never
judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge them by only hearing a darkly
depressing song, or by only having heard a crazy party song. Don't
brush off this band as some poser ass, white boys who've never gang
banged in their life. Don't hate on them for wearing weird masks. The
truth of it is that it doesn't fucking matter whether or not Charlie
Scene has ever had a six-some while poppin' caps in the PoPo's
ass... What matters is that they're capable of suspending our
disbelief. And that's why I love them. Musicians are writers too and
that's what we're all about. Suspending disbelief and sucking you
into the worlds we've created. Hollywood Undead has mastered this
skill and adding music to their stories only make it that more intense. Some are obviously fictional but I'd be willing to bet
there are also some autobiographical songs in there too. I can't stand "real" rap that talks about the same issues that these dudes talk about. Yet, when they do it I love it. It's not because they're white. It's because they do it in a humorous manner. It's fun. Don't be offended. They're also my go to music for when I'm being insanely destructive and crazy playing APB: Reloaded. They're music is literally perfect for that game. Next April I'll be attending my first ever music festival with some dear friends, Welcome To Rockville, and I'm praying that they'll be playing. I'd kill to see them live!
Watch
the music videos that I've posted above, all of them, don't just
stop after the first one. And then please leave a comment about what
you thought of them. Are they only posers using gimmicks to make
money or are they something deeper than that?
I recall the day I first heard this song. It wasn't on the radio, it was sent to me over Facebook from one of my best friends, my sister in Law. I broke down in tears and sobbed. I still cry evetytime I hear it. I can't help it.
The second time that I heard it was when a friend and I were helping my ex-husband move out. I burst into tears on the drive away from our home. My friend said he wanted to change it because he doesn't like rap. My ex, a notorious metal-head, quickly jumped to my defense and said it wasn't exactly rap or hip hop, but it was simply an important fucking song. I still love him so much for defending me in that momeent.
I love my ex, with my whole heart, he's still my best friend. It doesn't matter that we realized that we were better as just friends. What matters is that we realized we needed to change for our daughter and for each other, even if that meant being without each other in the romantic sense.
He's known for years that I've wanted to be with a female. Not that I didn't enjoy being with him, I absolutly did. It was just a little more complex than that. My family isn't exacltly accepting of...people like me, Goth/Freakiness aside. It's not something that they seem to tolerate that well.
Most of my closest friends know, and a few of my family members know, but I think they choose to try an deney it. Which is ok, that's their choice.
Anyway, I'm sort of just rambling, music makes me do that sometimes. I hear a song and pour my heart out over it. I can't help it.
In doing a little soul searching lastnight I came to realize that not only do I not want to be labeld in life (Goth, Punk, Hippy, etc...) I don't want to be labeled for my sexual preferences. More importantly, I don't want to be judged by them. If you want to date me then date me, don't worry about who I used to date or if I still like guys or girls.
That speaks more about your own insecurities if you're judging me based on the fact that I like people. Seriously, do you think it really matters if I still like guys (or girls) ? I could just as easily fall out of love with you and in love with a tree...
I mean, C'mon. It's like that saying "A mind that has expanded can never go back to it's old dimensions" I just can't and I don't want to. So, if people choose to judge me, or you, because you fall for hearts instead of parts then screw them.
So yes, this song hits me hard everytime. To me it's not just about liking the same sex, it's about the entire LGBT community as a whole. It doesn't matter who you love, as long as you love truly and with your whole heart.
I like strong women, I always
have. I think it's because I've never felt strong myself. So, when I
read about them, or watch them on TV or in a movie it provides me a
spark of joy and a bonfire of excitement deep down in my soul.
Strong women in all of their
glorious forms are great. However, pair a strong woman with the
ability to kick major ass and I'm in love!
One
of my all time favorite ass kicking women is Milla
Jovovich as "Alice" in the Resident Evil film series.
She's
my favorite actress and I've never seen a film of hers where she
didn't portray a strong woman, granted, most aren't filled with her
battling the wretched Umbrella Corp, but I can forgive that.
Most
of my writing involves strong women who are emotionally wreaked, and
deep down horrible people, but who are able to kick butt. That's the
way I like it for now. Perhaps someday I'll change that, we'll see.
For
now here's a poem inspired by Milla, the Resident Evil films and
video games.
Ode
To Evil By
whiskey black Creeping in the darkness beneath the Umbrella of corruption, chaos, insanity, global destruction Shotguns, big fun blood everywhere gun shots, head shots you'll find yourself there Cerberus, T-virus, Nemesis, Las Plagas violent tendencies, fantastic sleaze strain of decay and utter loss Delve into the darkness, don't be afraid psychotic, sick, slick, hypnotic painful, blistering, beautiful, demonic unleash your rage and revel in the crusade
Here's
a bonus for all of you lovely readers!...
Did
you know that Milla is also a singer? If not check out the awesome
collaboration between her and Maynard James Keenan!
