I'm just a guy with a huge investment for music, the Total Drama Franchise, and a bunch of other things. Just getting started on updating my profile!

Music Section

I sing, play drums and sometimes also play keyboard. I love to expose myself to a bunch of new, fun, or else cool artists!

Favorite music genres: Pop punk, alternative rock, classic rock, 80's pop/synthpop, the melodic side of metal/metalcore, neon pop, easycore, etc.

Favorite bands/artists: WAY too many to list. I could make a list of favorite bands from each of my favorite genres and we'd still probably be here all day, LOL. BUT... if I had to list some of my favorite bands/artists I loved growing up, some of them include Foo Fighters, Green Day, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, HIM, Owl City, The Kooks, Depeche Mode, HIM, Blink-182, The Beatles, 2000's Fall Out Boy, Periphery, Led Zeppelin, Queen, etc.

Yeah, I have lots of variety in there, and I have tons of respect and enjoy a TON of other groups/artists that I didn't even list here!

Top 10 Biggest Guilty Pleasure Songs (in no particular order): These are the songs that I should probably feel the most guilty about enjoying to the level that I do. And could potentially destroy any credibility I might have had. But here goes nothing...

"Bad Girls Club"- Falling In Reverse: Yea. it's a guilty pleasure list and I'm already starting with this. Ronnie Radke is indeed one of the biggest douches in the modern rock scene, but he can occasionally throw together a hella catchy song amidst several other really crappy ones *COUGHaloneCOUGH*. Anyway, this Fashionably Late tune has pretty much everything I should hate in a song: an obnoxious vocal delivery, whiny and immature lyrics, a loud and blaring synth tone, and a cheerleader bridge?? How does ANYBODY like this?? The answer is quite simple... the melody and instrumentation. The vocal melody is really fun, ridiculously catchy and infectious, especially on the hook. In addition, the song goes for a very upbeat pop punk sound, which isn't something FIR are typically known for, but they can pull it off really well and create some fun-as-hell tunes in that style. In addition, it is in the key of D major, which is actually my favorite key in music. Their song "Just Like You" just barely missed this list for most of the same reasons, but "Bad Girls Club" is a far guiltier pleasure of mine to this day, which is why it lands here.

"Lips Are Movin'"- Meghan Trainor: I'll admit that she isn't an artist I am particularly fond of or have all that much respect for, but I'll be damned if I didn't admit to enjoying a few of her tunes. This one in particular was probably the biggest of them, and for good reason. Even though I'm not too fond of her rapping, the pre-chorus and chorus are what really save the song for me. The second verse also has a few cool harmonic moments as well (particularly on the line, "you're so two-faced, two-faced baby"). I do appreciate the retro, doo-wop style she was clearly influenced by on most of her debut album Title, but this in particular was probably the highlight for me. However, this isn't even my favorite tune from Miss Trainor when "Hurt Me" exists. That Songland track screams pop perfection to my eardrums, but I went with "Lips Are Movin'" since it actually left a much bigger impact on her career and 2010's pop as a whole.

"Dance Forever"- Allstar Weekend: I'm gonna be honest, I'm a total sucker for neon pop. For those who don't know, neon pop is a power pop/pop punk subgenre that incorporates heavier use of keyboards/synthesizers, electronic effects, and slick production, among other things. These guys objectively aren't the most groundbreaking or memorable when it comes to that particular subgenre, but their debut album Suddenly had some bangers, including this one. Another D major track, it has a very hard-hitting groove, catchy synth line, and just an overall upbeat and fun vibe. This is proof to me that we shouldn't dismiss an act just because they became popular from the Disney Channel.

"Cheeseburger In Paradise"- Jimmy Buffett: We're throwing it WAY back to the 70's with this next one. Jimmy Buffett is an artist that while I respect, I also have sort of mixed feelings on. Some of his writing could get quite ridiculous, and his sound isn't really one that leaves too long of a lasting impact. That being said, I do appreciate that he always sounds like he's having fun with what he does, and I think this song is one of the best examples of that. As cheesy as the song and lyrics may seem (no pun intended), it still features great yacht rock instrumentation and a chorus that will get stuck in your head once you hear it, whether you like it or not. The hand-clapping on the bridge is just an added bonus for me. However, my personal history with this song goes back to a time when we were at a School of Rock concert (the theme was Yacht Rock), and this song was played. The audience was super into it, they clapped along on the bridge, and it was a ridiculously fun experience overall. So yeah, call it ridiculous all you want, but I'll always have fond memories of this track!

"Rock Your Body"- The Black Eyed Peas: And now we're back to the modern stuff. The Black Eyed Peas have a very wild history when it comes to their music. They have had classic bops like "Where Is The Love?" and "Let's Get It Started", but then in 2009, they released The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies), which saw them transitioning from their earlier hip-hop infused pop sound to a more electro-pop and EDM-influenced sound. I'm gonna be honest, while I may have liked some of those songs as a kid, not a lot of them sit nearly as well with me today as they did then, and EDM is not a genre I'm particularly a fan of. However, this song is a very odd exception. I'm not even sure what it is about this tune that I dig. Could it be the vocal line sampled from the Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock classic "It Takes Two"? Or is it the main groove that gets me bopping my head each and every time I hear it? Whatever the reason may be, it is a track that I still for some reason still jam to, even with Fergie's chipmunk vocals and her and 's autotune. It's the song on this list that's toughest for me to explain why I like it, but regardless, for whatever reason, I still do. I'll easily take this over all of the reggaeton crap they're churning out nowadays.

"Porn Star Dancing"- My Darkest Days: Whew... how do I talk about this one? Well, these guys were a Canadian post-grunge/hard rock band fronted by Matt Walst (who is currently the frontman for Three Days Grace) who had a Mainstream Rock #1 hit with this song. I know the post-grunge genre gets a really bad reputation for a lot of the really crappy groups that got popular in the 2000's. But as generic and predictable as the genre may be, there are a few songs that have stuck with me over time, such as this one. Even though it's an obvious stripper anthem, I think Matt Walst's delivery compliments the production really well, and the drum groove has so much oomph behind it, that I can't help but bang my head to it. Some may argue that it's overproduced, but I think this song overall benefitted from it's production value. The song also features cool harmonic features on the chorus and a killer solo/performance courtesy of Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde. In other words, this is the type of song where I can put lyrics aside and enjoy it for it's fun and hard-hitting sound alone.

"She Keeps Me Up"- Nickelback: Speaking of Canadian post-grunge bands who get a bad rap... Anyway, this was a much later song from everyone's favorite Canadian rock band, coming off of their 2014 album, No Fixed Address. Unlike most of their songs, this track features a very disco-influenced dance rock sound and I think it actually, surprisingly worked for them. That being said, the fact that the song was co-written by the extraordinarily talented Marianas Trench frontman, Josh Ramsay, probably helped. Regardless, it features really cool funk guitars, a catchy chorus with an uncredited female vocal feature, and one of Chad Kroeger's better overall performances. I think this song is proof that Nickelback actually can stand out for the better when they try new things!

"Let's Dance"- 5ive: Five (also known as 5ive) were a group of British "bad boys" who notched several hits in the late '90's and early 2000's. They were pretty much as cheesy a boy band as you could get, with their music video settings, complimentary ensembles and random mid-song rap breakdowns, among other things. That being said, this track off of their last album before their breakup was the one I always enjoyed hearing the most. "Keep On Movin'" is also a pretty fun and enjoyable pop tune, but "Let's Dance" just edged it out for me. Most of their hits featured production that became dated rather quickly, but this song featured a sound that I think was definitely present in a lot of the club/dance hits from the late 2000's to early 2010's. My favorite parts of the song, though, are the autotuned vocal harmonies scattered throughout the song, on the pre-choruses and on the bridge. The hook also has a great buildup leading into it and is another song that I can jam too pretty much anytime I hear it.

"Sledgehammer"- Fifth Harmony: And now on the flipside, since we just talked about a boy band, I might as well feature a girl group as well to even things out. I dunno how people who see this will feel when I say this, but I've never been a Fifth Harmony fan. Their sound, performances and overall harmonies felt super underwhelming in comparison to other girl groups out there, and I just always thought of them to be really overrated. However, even with groups I don't like, there is always that one song that I can get behind, and in the case of Fifth Harmony, it's definitely this. And no, it's not a Peter Gabriel cover. Unlike most of their other singles, this one features a hard-hitting, mid-tempo dance groove and stronger vocal performances that showcases all of the members at their best. It baffles me how this didn't become nearly as big a hit as "Worth It" or "Work From Home", as those songs were way less fun and way too repetitive in my opinion. It really makes me wish they had other songs like this in their discography, or at least more of them. But now there's one more song left to talk about...

"Summer Paradise"- Simple Plan: I'm gonna be honest, I have a pretty complicated relationship with Simple Plan. Even though their first two albums are what they are primarily known for and a lot of people have nostalgic feelings for them, they're honestly my two least favorite albums from them as it featured the most dated production, and frontman Pierre Bouvier's whiniest lyrics and vocal performances ("HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MEEEE" anyone?). However, I do think they have made considerable improvements with their later albums, with the album that this song is featured on, Get Your Heart On!, being my personal favorite. Also, just to be clear, I am referring to the album version of this song featuring K'naan, not the single version featuring Sean Paul. This was around the time the group started writing songs in standard keys, rather than relying on sharp and flat keys like their previous albums. In addition, Pierre Bouvier definitely sounds better, vocally, and the lyrics feel pretty genuine too and far less whiny, which is a nice change of pace for these guys. It also features a more reggae-inspired pop rock sound, unlike the pop punk sound they're typically known for. This was just an overall fun song and I'm curious to find out when they'll ever release another album since it's been 5 years at this point, LOL.

Total Drama Section

These are my personal top 10 favorite characters per generation...

Top 10 Gen 1 Characters:

1. Gwen

2. Owen

3. Noah

4. Lindsay

5. Duncan

6. Leshawna

7. Izzy

8. DJ

9. Heather

10. Cody

Top 10 Gen 2 Characters:

1. Zoey

2. Dawn

3. Scott

4. Lightning

5. Brick

6. Mike

7. Cameron

8. Jo

9. Sam

10. Dakota

Top 10 Gen 3 Characters:

1. Shawn

2. Jasmine

3. Sammy

4. Sky

5. Ella

6. Scarlett

7. Beardo

8. Topher

9. Max

10. Dave

Of course, these are all subject to change at any time. A lot of the rankings are SUPER close, especially for the Gen 2 and Gen 3 lists! Explanations might be coming soon...

Feel free to leave me a PM if you're interested in chatting, whether that be about music, or Total Drama, or other stuff!