Getting to know your writers: Sara Garcia

I think I can fully thank this girl for kicking my butt back into shape with this thing, and she's already brought an awesome interview to this (Dirk Mai, thanks to that we got over 200 hits in one night). This is Sara Garcia, a recently graduated seventeen year old Illinois resident, and my new helper.

Courtney: What made you want to help out with The OddNotes?
Sara: I wanted to pick up a hobby that would make use of the journalism class that I took this year. That, and I wanted to jump start it back up again because I enjoyed reading it so much.

What kind of things do you think you can bring to the blog?
I think I can bring in a different music taste, new ideas, new readers, etc. But not in an overwhelming sense.

What would you describe your music taste as?
That's got to be one of the questions I can't answer with clarity. It's just.. a huge mixture of everything. However, I really like more post-hardcore stuff like Fear Before, Idiot Pilot and Circa Survive, but then I really like the ambient stuff like 65DaysofStatic. So I'm just kind of all over the place.

Do you go to a lot of shows?
yeah i do!

What's the best one you've been to?
Hands down, I'm gonna say the Fear Before, HeavyHeavyLowLow, Damiera show I went to back in January of '07, I don't think any show will top that.

What made it so amazing? Or what makes any concert amazing?
Just the stage presence, the personality of all of the bands and the interaction they have with the crowd. That, and the people in the crowd, the promoter(s) and the bands' managements. Like, if you have a douchebag promoter, then you're gonna have a bad show, likewise with bands. It's just this huge combination effort that makes it all go well. And you really have to like the band and get into it. Even if that means laying down on the stage and almost literally breaking a leg.

Who is someone that you would love to interview?
I can't pick favorites, but I'd love to interview Sonny Moore, the guys from heavyheavylowlow, fear before, chuck palahniuk, ray bradbury, salvador dali, andy warhol. Unfortunately, the latter two are dead. Well, three.

you also paint and are into photography. what inspires you?
society. all aspects of it. Whether it's music, politics, the environment, the human body even, I find that it's such a beautiful thing. I did a piece based on the NIU shooting because it's so close to home for me. I have another piece that's based on how our natural environment is slowly being taken away from us due to industrialization.

Would you consider yourself to be an environmentalist?
Not really, I try my best to not consume too much from what we hardly have. I drive a lot, but I drive as efficiently as possible. I eat organic fruits and vegetables and I'm totally against the use of hormones in the animals we eat.

how are YOU feeling about the presidential elections coming up?
obama 08! i can't stand hilary, however, if she wins the democratic nomination, i'm voting mccain because he's said that he'll lift the gas tax.

Do you think that music could cause another revolution like it did in the 60's, or do you think that kind of thing is washed out?
Definitely. Look at society today and how we all live. We have violence and gangs trying to live like T.I. and P. Diddy were in the late 90's. We have those people who are deciding they want to go vegan or vegetarian because their favorite musicians are. We have people wanting to dress like rockstars and Britney Spears.

What about with the war going on?
Oh god, don't even get me started on it. My neighbor is in the Navy, my friend's stepbrother died my freshman year, only 6 days after proposing to his fiancee. Unfortunately, we are at a time in the war where we cannot pull out because if we give them (the terrorists) a breath of air, they will take advantage of us, even more so than they already have. It's just one of those things you wish you didn't have to live through.

What upcoming OddNotes interview are you most excited for?
I'm really excited about Dr. Manhattan. They're all really great guys.

The last best movie you've seen?
Iron Man was pretty awesome, so was Cloverfield.

Album that you can't stop listening to?
Dr. Manhattan's self-titled album and M(Us)Ic by Damiera

anything you think people should know?
i love american apparel and i'll be attending Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY this fall!