#radiatingmag

Abygael

Letting Go - Radiating Mag, May 2016

my math professor once told me,
“i don’t care what you think the answer is.
i want you to see how you’re getting there.”
that made sense when we were talking numbers
and it makes sense now. perhaps the question isn’t - Who Am I?
perhaps it is - how am i getting there?
yesterday i was me, but i was not.
tomorrow i will not be me, but i will. this is who i am today;
a girl who spent the entire day mastering the art of procrastination
who forgot to eat lunch & wondered why her stomach was growling at 3PM
who got some photos clicked even though she hated how her hair looked
who really wants to go for a gig but never alone
who is terrified about leaving for college
who is intimidated by people, by all the people ever
who reviewed a movie she only watched 38 minutes of
who got some film rolls and batteries for her old film camera
who took 6 pictures of which she wasted two
who wants to take more, so many more
who is incapable of taking good pictures
or writing good poetry
but is willing to give it a shot anyway.

Stop — Photography by Jade Courtenay, Writing by Cath Lei She used to walk down the hallway with her head down; a grim expression covered her face. She disappeared behind a curtain of gray. He used to trace his fingers across her skin and she let him do so, for hours and hours. They used to dance; the world would pause for a moment, and all the hearts in the world would seem to beat at the same time. In sync, forever. She used to smile at every person who walked past her in the halls. He used to wrap his arms around her waist; he used to be a beacon of comfort. She walked to school one day with a new face—"It Wasn’t My Fault.“ He came to school wearing a different face boldly and proudly—"I Succeeded.” She used to be a princess with a fairytale ending. He turned her into something so tangible, he turned her into his own. She used to walk with shame. One day she will tell him to “stop,” and this time, she won’t be asking.

self discovery is a process

Listen to our Self Discovery playlist: I’m Figuring Things Out — http://8tracks.com/radiatingmag/i-m-figuring-things-out

Run 2 Cover ( @run2cover ) Interview by Samantha Sullivan Get ready to meet your new favorite band. Between their sun drenched music videos and undeniably catchy tunes, you’ll be singing along in no time. Composed of Christian and Brandon Iverson, and their long time friend Collin Shaw, the trio are emerging as an extremely energetic, fresh faced band. Blazing their own path while rapidly gaining a massive following of ‘covergirls,’ I had a chance to speak with them about the release of their album titled “Lovesick,” and the how music has helped them discover who they are. Ever since the start, the boys were determined to stand out and do things their way. The involvement of their ‘personal touch’ includes the name of their band. ”We were like 12 years old at the time when we created the band, so I don’t know. We should have put more thought into it, but we liked the name. It’s not awesome obviously and it kind of doesn’t make sense, and our parents told us 'shouldn’t it be run for cover because that makes more sense’ but no, no we like Run 2 Cover.” Collin explained. This independent spirit propelled the boys to reach outside their comfort zone. Quickly, the cover band blossomed into much more as the boys started to find their voice and style. Heavily influenced by pop bands such as The Vamps, One Direction, and Taylor Swift, the boys were set on creating a sound all their own. Not only do they strive to be like their icons, but they also pull a lot of inspiration from them. “We cover a lot of popular artist, and just listening to them and how they write songs and what their writing about stuff like that. When you listen to enough of something you start adapting it into your own stuff in a way.” Christian said. Their music has not always been the polished pop-rock sound featured on their album “Lovesick.” The band confesses to originally having a more heavy metal sound along with a more intense rock influence. Only in the past year have they started cultivating their current sound. Their music is not deplete of rock elements, as high energy riffs and strong drums give it an edge. Songs like “It’s Okay” and “City Lights,” display their roots while not abandoning their trademark pop sound. Their newest venture was releasing their album “Lovesick.” Named for the track and the influence of relationships on the members, it showcases their skills both lyrically and musically. It still has that unrefined rock edge, while incorporating a bit of pop flare. The title track “Lovesick” really embodies their band as a whole, with it’s laid back beat and fun vibes. It captures the feeling of sunshine while expressing the ambivalence of a person you just can’t leave even if they’re bad news. Staying true to their independent spirit, the boys released a music video for “Lovesick,” straying from the usual performance videos. The video follows the trio accompanied by a girl as they get into all sorts of trouble, get beaten up, and hung out to dry both metaphorically and physically. They explain how they drew inspiration from their own personal experiences. “You know this girls trouble, but you still can’t get away from her and it was kind of like the girl was doing all of these bad things but we like couldn’t get away from her so thats what we were trying to represent in this video I suppose.” Christian said. For the most part the band draws inspiration from their own lives. This makes their writing even more authentic and relatable as themes like relationships and love take center stage. Not only is it easy for the audience to connect with the songs, but the boys as well. “It’s not my favorite but 'It’s Okay’ because of like the bad relationship I went through.” Brandon said. Paul listed his top three as he connected the most with “Back To Basics,” “Pretty Little Thing,” and “Like The Way It Hurts” due to the energy and the fun loving vibes they radiate. Not only has their style progressed, but they too have been deeply affected by the experiences and life style changes that come with it. They have not only learned how to perfect their instruments and improve stage presence, but more personal things as well. They admit to not being the same boys they were when they first began this journey. “We’ve just grown up and matured a lot, learned to take care of ourselves. A lot of it is just more maturity and personal development in the last couple of years kind of becoming an adult and stuff like leaning how to manage a band and a business as much fun as it is we do a lot behind the scenes like business and networking.” Christian said. Along with providing them with a career and a future, they have found music to be a way to better express themselves. A lot of the lyrics and songs are written about themselves and what is going in their lives, as well as communicating their inner emotions. A form of self expression that they find particularly appealing, they really channel themselves in their music. “I think you can really write about whatever you want. How you are feeling or how you think someone else is feeling and you can explore things like that, you can tell a story in just a few words. You can get things off your chest or you can you know help someone else.” Brandon said. Just by talking to them you can sense the dedication they have for their music. You can tell they truly adore what they do and behind every drum beat, every note, is a ton of passion. “Personally it’s my favorite thing in the world. Honestly it never gets old theres always a new style you can explore like I love guitar like sitting in my room playing guitar all day. I just really enjoy playing music all day in general and exploring different styles.” Brandon said.

“DEAR DIARY” by Paityn Mattson (insp by Tina Woods)