Creative Writing

Mad Sounds Magazine • 2nd July 2021

Sonder concert review

One evening I was taking an Uber back home, and the driver had music playing. The voice from the radio intrigued me to the point where I shazamed the song. Since that day, I became a fan of Brent Faiyaz. As I later learned, he is part of a group named Sonder.

2nd July 2021

90’s R&B music never died and these current R&B artist will give you nostalgia

90’s R&B music is forever golden and can’t be touched. Growing up a 90’s baby and now in my late 20’s, 90’s R&B is still my favorite type.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 2nd July 2021

DACA: Protect the Dream

America is known as the land of freedom. The place to pursue dreams and for a better future. Unfortunately, for 800, 000 undocumented immigrants, these hopes are broken. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced they were rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. They are also known as Dreamers.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 2nd July 2021

The style of Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper is making a name for himself in the music industry, but his style is something to keep an eye on.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 2nd July 2021

Love is Love: A letter to the LGBTQ community

Love is love, and that will never change for me. June is Pride month and the older I’ve gotten, the more compassion, understanding and acceptance I have become of the LGBTQ community.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 2nd July 2021

The independence of being single

At my age, my mother was married and had two children. When I was younger, I thought at the age of 25, I would be married and have a family. Oh, was I so wrong.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

Less phones and more living in the moment

If you're like me, you love concerts. Watching your favorite musicians perform is a euphoric experience. As technology has advanced, we can share our experiences with our friends through social media

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

25 years and 25 lessons

Waking up on February 20th and realizing that I'm 25 wasn't easy. Research suggests that at age 25, your brain is fully developed. So I believe my decision-making will improve. I hope.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

Empowering our women

I grew up with three brothers and my mother. As strong as my brothers are, my mother is the strongest woman I've ever met. She influenced me in ways that I will forever be grateful for. My mother's resilience and compassion taught me how to treat people.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

The broken hearted: This Is For You

You know Valentine’s Day is right around the corner when you walk into the store and the first thing you notice is a sea of red chocolate boxes, cards and teddy bears. Depending on your love life status, you either hate or love this day.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

The xx : I See You

I remember listening to their self-titled debut album in 2009 and getting hooked immediately. This was during the time Indie music started to get big around my generation. In 2012 the band came out with their second album, "Coexist." After four year hiatus, from Jamie Smith releasing his first solo album, 2015's "In Colour," and personal self-growth, "I See You" is out for the world to experience.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

A Tribe Called Quest _ Hip Hop legends

I remember being a teenager and getting into hip-hop music. VH1 had a show where they listed the most influential hip-hop songs, and of course, I paid attention. A 15-year-old craving all the knowledge possible when it came to hip-hop music.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

Ghosted : The unanswered questions

Ever dated someone and thought things were going in the right direction? Then one day, out of the blue, you stop getting phone calls or text messages from this person, and when you try to communicate with them, they stop responding.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

What I learned visiting my parents' homeland

I'm Mexican - American. My parents came to the United States in the 1980s with my two older siblings, which I will be forever grateful for.

Kooltura Marketing • 1st July 2021

Mad Sounds Issue 26 - Interviewed Riley Donahue

The name Riley Donahue might sound familiar, and it’s because he has showcased his photography in the Express Yourself, Modern Muse, and Don’t Play issues for Mad Sounds Magazine.

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

Interview with Natalie Dunn - Issuu

Her natural instinct of helping people out and seeing the reaction through her photography is how it all started for Natalie Dunn. Currently in Los Angeles, she is pursuing her dream of becoming a full- time photographer for a big agency. When is she is not working on a photoshoot you can catch her at one of her favorite coffee shops. Mad Sounds Magazine sat down with Natalie to discuss her current goals and her current state in the photography business.

Fortunately, being a freelance photograp

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

Andre Nguyen - Mad Sounds Issue 27 -

Photographer and Southern California native, Andre Nguyen, has amounted over 147 thousand followers on his Instagram, @yourfriendandre, through his captivating and colorful photography. Photography wasn’t always his dream, but the older he grew, the more he realized his passion for art and photography. Mad Sounds had the opportunity to talk to Andre about the pursuit of his creative dreams as a photographer and his journey in achieving them. Read our interview to learn more about our friend, An

Mad Sounds Magazine • 1st July 2021

Mad Sounds Issue 22 - Interviewed Olivia Avenue

Olivia Osborne, also known as Olivia Avenue, can be found on Youtube creating positive self-motivating videos to montages of her photography.

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

Healthy Eating in Silicon Valley

Eating healthy can be a challenge, but Silicon Valley offers a variety of restaurants from Asian, Mexican, American and Indian. These restaurants produce vegetarian, vegan and get their ingredients locally for that fresh taste.

Find more options with the SanJose.com Restaurants Directory.

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

Silicon Valley Super Bowl Parties

Super Bowl 50 is right around the corner, and Silicon Valley bars are ready for gridiron action. The 50th edition of that most hallowed of American institutions will be held at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. on Feb. 7th this year.

Whether you’re the kind of rabid football fanatic who obsesses over point spreads and player stats, or you’re just in it for the commercials and Coldplay’s halftime show, you’ll want to watch the Big Game with friends, family—or, at the very least, a gaggle of screa

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

Fat Tuesday & Mardi Gras in Silicon Valley

Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras is a huge event in New Orleans, but Silicon Valley also partakes in the celebrations from New Orleans themed foods and beads given out at bars to celebrate the night right. We did some investigation and found that even with Super Bowl 50 in town, some businesses are planning to have fun on Fat Tuesday. Here’s a list of Silicon Valley businesses to visit for some Mardi Gras fun.

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

Live Music & Dancing in Silicon Valley

San Jose and the Silicon Valley have plenty of night clubs and with DJ’s playing the top twenty songs on the weekend, but it also offers live music platforms to enjoy any genre from indie to rap music. Each venue having enough room to enjoy a drink after a long week, and show off your dance moves on the dance floor.

For more info on Bars and Clubs, visit SanJose.com’s Nightlife section.

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

SJ Q&A: Nate LeBlanc, SoFA Market

Downtown San Jose has a variety of places to wine and dine, and the SoFA Market is making its name heard thanks to the managing style of Nate LeBlanc. Coming over from San Pedro Square Market, where he was the manager, LeBlanc took a moment to talk about the success over on First Street with the SoFA Market.

Outside of SoFA Market, which two restaurants do you like most in Silicon Valley?

My wife and I are always on the lookout for new places to eat, but since this is a San Jose-centric piece

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

SJ Q&A: Maurice Carrubba, GrandView Restaurant

Maurice Carrubba has revived the beautiful Mount Hamilton’s GrandView Restaurant & Venue since taking over ownership and re-opening last year. Along with the success of the restaurant, a new venture has also came along—three months ago Carrubba bought a farm across the street. We sat down with him to talk about the restaurant and the importance of acquiring the farm.

What are your views on healthy food and healthy cooking?

We take it very seriously, and that’s why we are building the farm here

SanJose.com • 3rd July 2021

SJ Q&A: DJ Benofficial

Born and raised in San Jose, DJ Benofficial has been a mainstay on the local DJ scene for over a decade. These days he can be found keeping crowds energized at San Jose Bar and Grill.

How long have you lived/worked in San Jose?

I’ve been in San Jose pretty much all my life, and I’ve been working as a DJ since 2005. I grew up on the West Side of San Jose

At what point did you decide to stay in San Jose and pursue your career?

I stayed because of the people I felt I needed to work with, and ac