Flavor of The Week:Earl Greyhound

Not a metal band but good non the less. I was thoroughly surprised when my bf took me to see this band in January. They were amazing and really nice people. I had meant to blog about it but I had forgotten w/ my computer crashing and all. It's hard rock with a 70's influence that makes you want to head bang. Check em' out-(the other songs besides this one are a bit poppish but if you just want cruisin' music this is it)

Here's their single 'S.O.S'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4HEXWLZJ_U

And 'Monkey' (audio's sort of shitty)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQao6S5wjBM&feature=related

What say you?

Help: List of Bands w/ Blacks in Them.

I really wanted to formulate a list of bands that have black folk's in them and put it in a side bar or something just in case someone wanted to know. I wanted your help in finding some bands-this would include metal (of course), rock, indie, etc. Just any type of music that isn't what you'd expect w/ blacks. I first wanted to get some bands from you guys then add on the ones that I know of to make the list.

(BTW: I might make a list of female fronted metal bands too so if you know any really good ones add that below your bands w/ blacks listing)

So please post some bands!
Thanks!

What does it matter to you? (Off topic)

I guess I haven't really written about many aspects of my personal life so I'll just rant about something that happened yesterday night with my boyfriend and friends.

Many people-I'm guessing- have different friends for different reasons right? Maybe you feel more comfortable around one group of friends than the other or a certain group makes you feel a different way than the other. Well, I have my group of friends who are very socially conscience-meaning they are into socializing and have the 'who knows who' mentality that I thought at one time I liked and was accepted in but now I feel as though I'm kidding myself. I don't consider myself a fake person and a while ago I really cared about knowing as many people as I could, going to tons of parties, etc. Call it maturity or growing up but now I find those same 'friends' unbearable and have started to go back to the group of friends I had been neglecting for some time and realized for the first time last week that I've never been more myself around anyone before than around my boyfriend and the neglected friends.

Anyways-my boyfriend isn't necessarily socially awkward but it takes a long time for him to warm up to people so I hadn't introduced him to the snobby friends for obvious reasons. He loves hanging out with the other group though. I was invited to a party and decided to go with him so they all could finally meet him (actually they kept on nagging me to bring him a long just so that they could really judge him). We arrive and immediately we get smirks, whispers, etc. My friends meet him but I can tell their greedy buggy eyes are looking him up and down and are surprised. I could visibily see him freeze up and become uncomfortable. One of them pulls me aside and says, "Wow, I didn't know your boyfriend was..." She left the last bit hanging. Immediately I get defensive and say "Was what?" She sort of blushes and says, "You know...white. You never told us! So he's really your boyfriend or is he just your friend? I didn't know guys like him dated...girls like you."

I kid you not ladies and gentlemen. This is what she said. At that moment more than anything I wanted to be back with my other friends-away from Suburbia.

"Girls like me?" I asked? She scoffs and begins to say " I wasn't being...I just-" I then decided to cross the room and go to my bf saying 'Lets go' and left. I felt so bad bringing him but I thought they wouldn't be so blatantly shocked by it. Really? Is this the world we live in?

Friends my ass. I wipe my hands clean of them.

I hadn't told them his race because I honestly didn't think it was an important aspect of him. That's just not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him because there are sooo many other ways to describe him. And anyways-what does it matter? I've never declared to prefer any type of guy because I've dated different types of races-so why is it such a big freakin' deal in 2009? And it insulted me even more that she would still question if he is really my boyfriend.

We ended up going to my other friend's house and having good conversations with like minded cool people-the kind of conversation amongst good company that I'd been craving for so long I hadn't realized. I can't believe I'd been so conceited for so long and knew that I'd been missing out for a long while.

This post may lead to a separate one-maybe something to do with dating in the metal scene. It's not really important anyways but I felt like I should write about it and see what what you guys thought.

*sigh* I guess sometimes I'm really disappointed in humanity because we have the potential to be better. My bf jokes that I'm a misanthrope and I'm starting to think I am. Or maybe that night is why I hardly hang out with my girl friends anymore.

Turn that Devil Worshipping music down!

I want to delve into something completely different right now so-lets talk about Satan!

Well-more specifically black metal.

I had a friend that recently came up to me and said " You do know most metal is about Satanism. Your worshipping the Devil by listening to it". I thought this was a tad unfair to say number one because I don't really believe the devil exist. Two because there are soooo many different types of metal so its unfair to label all of it as devil worshipping. I mean-can you imagine the hair metal bands of the 80's spatting satanic rituals while wearing pink leopard print leotards? I didn't think so.

A lot of these same comments came from black folks and I think I said before that in terms of metal as a whole-many black people feel turned off from it just from the principal that they feel it to be sacrilegious of sorts.

I personally used to be absolutely terrified of metal in general-like I used to be scared to watch Marilyn Manson and NIN music videos on MTV late at night and I thought THAT was metal. It wasn't really up until my Freshman year that I finally formed my own opinion and really delved into different genres of music. Now I'm very comfortable watching music videos for bands like Gorgoroth or Carpathian Forest. Quite honestly-I think its amusing. But I can understand that for most black and white people-it looks and sounds disturbing.

MOST metal isn't even about religion/Satanism. I mean, people have to understand that there are sub genres such as power metal (the most fun kind to me), speed metal, NBSM (<-now that's National Socialist Black Metal which basically is metal that you don't want to listen to if your not racist-bands like Burzum, Infernum, or Graveland-this is only a very small percentage of the black metal community believe it or not), Hair metal, Death, Goth, Thrash, Symphonic, Progressive, Folk (another favorite of mine), Stoner, etc. And the only type that has themes of Satanism IS black metal. Now, I realize this is not everyones thing or type of music/metal they are interested in but I just wanted to get it out there that there are HUGE differences in all of the genres. I take most music with a grain of salt. Obviously, I won't support bands that are racist and crap but I like all kinds of different music and clean, pure, evil black metal is fine with me. I guess it doesn't really bother me or intimidate me.

...Yeah. I have alot of guy friends.

Now, I'm not saying black metal bands or music for that matter is for the faint of heart or the morally inclinded. Hell, some of these bands burned churches (luckily no one was inside I don't believe. Let me do a rain check on that) but I suppose this post was really about metal as a whole.


Anyways, this isn't all I wanted to cover on the subject but I hope that more and more people can explore metal as a whole genre rather than condemn it just as one stereotype. I may have to do another blog on the subject later. I guess the bottom line is you just gotta research and be smart about what your listening to and take it light heartily (clearly not if its NSBM or any other hate bands)-if not you might be missing out on music you'd never expect to fall in love with.

Black Metal sign by: Mefistoteles@deviantart.com

The Changing Face of Rock

I thought you all would find this article interesting. It's old but its about Ozzfest 2008 and how metal is beginning to become more multiracial/diverse. I think its a good thing that music like metal or even rap is becoming more and more submerged with new faces that bring different sounds to it.

http://www.blurdigital.com/read-and-engage/detail/the-changing-face-of-rock/

Back to Square One. (Not Important but If You Want to Read Anyway...)

WARNING: TEMPER TANTRUM/RANT

*sigh* I absolutely hate being childish and pointing a finger, but hey-I'm still a child anyway right? So I'm going on a mini-rant.

If you click on the post about Lord Toph (The post, in fact below this one) and read the comments you'll see what I'm talking about. First of all-this blog-the very one you are observing now is MINE. My own. My own to rant about race in the metal scene or my own to rant about non important junk that no one really cares about-its still mine.
I decided to post on the Internet to see if kindred souls would identify or not identify and give me their honest opinion on the subject and I had thought that I had gotten my reasoning behind the blog and its subject very clear in nearly all my posts. So a comment such as this:

"I guess this is what we can expect from a 17 yr old girl with no vision, somebody who only sees in black or white"

Or this:

"Agrees with Anonymous why does it have to do with race .. why does everything come down to the race card..."

This gets me thinking if people really even think about what they are reading in this blog at all and why I feel the need to identify the blog as 'The Black Girl Into Heavy Metal'. I feel like I'm being redundant but I'll rehash this again so the obvious newcomers to the blog don't get me misinterpreted. In my normal everyday life-I could care less about race-I have friends and family of other races. It's OTHER PEOPLE that seem to care so much for reasons beyond my knowledge. I wish I could say we live in a bubble gum world where we sing peace and love songs and don't notice race and stereotypes within the race but we do. I personally feel as though these comments are very naive and dangerous. I was going to do a different post about this but-what the hell- I'll just include it in the rant. In my opinion-bash me if you want, this is my blog and I can say whatever the hell I wish-I feel that humans aren't necessarily inherently racist but inherently prejudice. We are programmed from a young age to see in shades and are constantly barraged with false representations of a culture/race that we slowly are poisoned to believe. What do I mean? When people see black folks like Lord Toph, Grace Jones, Jada Pinkett, hell even Dennis Rodman they are either glorified for being 'different' and unique' aka 'not like the other ones' or are hated and are wretched for the very same reasons by somebody and usually it has to do with race. Example of this would be YouTube. Click on a video with a black person or an Asian, or a Latino doing something 'out of the ordinary' and read the comments. I also want to make it clear that its not white folks that are just doing it but EVERYONE is prejudging and berating each other.
And I'm being persecuted because I'm honest? Racism and prejudice exist-especially so with black artists in alternative forms of music. This blog is just me putting a light to it because we really don't have many voices in the community to attest to it.
It comes down to the race card because it usually does-if you don't believe me then look at the controversy surrounding the President.
I'm not saying black folks should receive a shiny medal or a pat on the back. I just want awareness-that's all and I enjoy the thoughts and opinions of others who think above a 5th grade level. So please, from now on lets all be a little more honest with ourselves when it comes to racial identity in music and within our own communities. I guess I just felt those post put me right back to square one and the point I was trying to make in the first place.

I realize this is the Internet and you as well can/will say anything you want in turn and I respect your opinion...just not your unfounded attacks.

That's all folks'!