Review: Surfer Girls, Ballyhoo and Hirie shake the crowds

House of Rock featured three bands that put on a good show

The House of Rock located in Corpus Christi is a hot spot for bands big and small to stop and perform for their fans. That is what bands Surfer Girl, Ballyhoo and Hirie did on Saturday night, Nov. 5. I was able to experience this show alongside my little brother and father and I can speak for them when I say the show was an amazing experience start to fnish.

The opening act was Los Angeles-based reggae band named Surf- er Girl, which blew my mind away. Though all three bands were the same genre each band brought their own styles and inspirations into their sounds. Surfer Girl was a mix of mellow and slow songs with a few fast-paced tracks to keep the crowd pumped up. I felt more classic reggae vibes from this group and they did not disappoint. The way the group performed on stage, not just with their instruments, but the way they moved along to their music and had huge smiles on their faces. These guys were a wonderful way to open the night and now I have some of their music in my playlists.

The next group was the oldest of the three bands, having been active since 1995, this Maryland-based band called Ballyhoo took the stage next. This band had a diferent vibe from the opener, being a lot more punk inspired when playing their reggae music. Some even bigger diferences are that the band did not have a bass player, only a backing track, and had a synth player instead.

It really did not make much of a diference but personally I really enjoy the bass when there is a player present, though that does not make them any less talented. They did a wonderful job keeping the crowd moving and played their hearts out from the moment they walked onto the stage to the moment they left.

Finally, the band I had been waiting for, Hirie. This group is an amazing mixture of reggae and ska music that flls my soul. The great part about ska music is that there are additional instruments that one might not consider when they think of popular music. Hirie has the standard bass and guitar, but alongside that they have a trumpet, trombone and didgeridoo sound. Of course, this was not my frst-time seeing Hirie live. I had seen them open for Sublime with Rome and the Dirty Heads. Seeing them tour and have bands open for them now makes me happy that more people are listening to their music. After the show I was even able to meet and hangout with the bass guitarist, Andy Flores. I was able to ask him about what he thought about the show and city. “Corpus Christi always brings the vibes. I’m a huge Selena fan so I feel the spirit; it’s special,” he said.

All three bands were incredible, and I was not let down one bit and I am glad I was able to experience it alongside my family as well.

Review: Zimmerman fans should leave the album on

Bailey Zimmerman’s new album breaks the hearts of many

Despite the misery and helpless feeling of heartbreak, Bailey Zimmerman found light in his experiences that walk us through a journey of heartfelt breakups and tough patches that lead to creating an album called “Leave The Light On.” It does not come as a surprise that the 22-year- old’s debut EP album seems to be sparking radio stations since its release on Oct. 14.

His viral hit, “Fall in Love,” turned heads and re-broke hearts all over again. People began flming TikTok videos to the heart break banger. “Fall in Love” then climbed to the Billboard Hot Country Songs’ Top 10 chart.

Zimmerman took nine songs to create a country album. Along with his distinctive soft raspy voice he stands out from other country singers.

His single “Fall in Love” describes the feeling of losing the one person you never thought you would lose. He says in the song, “You can act like you’re doin’ fne ‘cause love’s a smoke ring wrapped around your fnger one second, it’s a blessing and the next it’s already gone……You don’t wanna fall in love.”

The song has Zimmerman telling the girl that left him not to fall in love because it’s not really love. He then expresses how hurt and lost he is that she left him because the other guy has more money.

Comparing this song

How to Adult: Celebrating Thanksgiving on a budget

Helping yourself to family-sized savings

Thanksgiving can be a wonderful time of the year when many families come together after long periods apart in order to show their gratefulness for each other and for the opportunity to indulge in what’s likely to be the biggest meal of that year.

Taking all of that into consideration could make Thanksgiving one of the costliest holidays when it comes to getting food, but it doesn’t need to be a budget shredding experience.

There are plenty of options around to help you prepare for a cheaper-than-expected family dinner. It’s also a good idea to be open to the possibility of replacement dishes for what you had planned as well.

The frst and simplest things that’ll send you down the path to sav- ings are coupons and discounts. It’s likely that you pass by dozens of deals without realizing it. Whether they’re in the aisles you’re browsing or in advertisements that have been sent to you by mail, there could be a deal for almost anything you want if you keep your eyes open. Look out for digital deals as you browse a company’s app or site since there’s the chance that you’ll see similar bundled offerings to ones from the physical store. Some stores also ofer memberships and loyalty programs that sometimes let you join for free. This can give you the opportunity to see if there’s any exclusive ofers that you could be missing out on. There’s also paid memberships like with Sam’s Club where you’ll get access to a wide range of items including making purchases of items in bulk at a better price than if you bought them elsewhere. This can be useful for stocking up on favorites that quickly disappear during Thanksgiving.

If you can’t aford to stock up on the popular foods, then there’s no shame in using substitutions that can be equally as flling and delicious. to his most streamed lyrical masterpiece “Rock and a Hard Place” shows that it is just one of those songs that hits diferently.

Potato based dishes could be substitutes, since potatoes are a good and cheap base ingredient for many meals.

Baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato salad and more can make for nice replacements for anything you had forgotten to get or simply couldn’t set aside the money for.

If you’re willing to hold of on celebrating for a couple days, then you can get everything after Thanksgiving. There will likely be sales for products that are going out of season.

The meal may be delayed, but you make up for that time with the money you saved. Be sure to keep tabs on what coupons are eligible when doing this because there could be exceptions for the goods that you have your eye on.

These ideas may not save every penny you own but keeping them in the back of your mind may help you save a dollar here or there.

Whether you have personally experienced a painful relationship of either staying or leaving, you will most defnitely feel all the feelings while listening to this song.

While making the tough decision of picking my favorite song on the album, I chose “Rock and a Hard Place.” The heart wrenching emotion this song holds is immaculate. Zimmerman starts of the song strong by opening with the lines, “We’ve been swingin’ and missin’ It ain’t broke yet, but damn, it needs fxin’.” This is something we do not normally hear in a song.

The tough reality of knowing the relationship is ending but trying to pick up all the pieces or just letting it go. Zimmerman easily executed the exhausting sensation your heart feels of “Throwin’ in the towel” into this song.

This album is a perfect masterpiece for today’s world. Zimmerman expresses sorrow in heart- break.

He seems to be right on the trend by releasing this album during heartbreak season. Rest assured this album is everything a country music fan wants to hear. Songs about heartbreak and the working class always catches listeners’ ears. For the non-country music fans, no need to worry, you will fnd more than a few songs to blast during your next crying session. So go ahead and get out those tissues, trust me you will need them.