Saving Chronos

How do I even start? 

Alright, so the other day I was designing modern, yet gothic, princess dresses and listening to this man preach. 

Things got heated and debates were flying for almost three hours straight. 

As an Atheist who accepts the rules of Satanism, I joined conversation with other atheists once the speaker left. 

That's when I met Tyler and Nate.

After an odd amount of hugs... I ended up invited to see their band perform!

Alright so here we go...

 

A metalcore band with these guys, 

It was pretty wicked seeing these guys perform at BLUE MOOSE in Iowa City! 

I had wonderful conversations discussing touring, drumming, Green Day and a bunch of other topics.   

After their show, I helped move some instruments (the drums were solid and cymbals were beautiful) and after the always-entertaining game of flipping a water bottle... I was granted an interview! 

Aboard the "Swagon" (Swag Wagon,) the interview commenced: 

1. Band Name: Saving Chronos 

2. Members: Tyler : Vocals

                       Nate : Guitar 

                       Casper : Bass

                       Chris : Drums 

3. How long have you been together? 

                       Two years! 

4. Do you write your parts separately or together? 
                       Nate: I wrote most of the music.
                       Tyler: And then I write the lyrics.
                       Collectively: ...Then we sort of come together and throw shit at the wall.
                       Chris: I add the drum part to whatever riffs are made and the music changes a lot    
                                     before it's done.

                      

5. Weirdest band story:

                      These comments ranged from having to retune mid-song, during every song at a   

                      concert, to Tyler crowd surfing whilst singing, and ending with Nate being in a mosh
                      and still playing guitar. Which is quite impressive!

6. Craziest touring story:

                      Collectively: Well... there's the 13 hour drives, the sleeping in McDonald's parking lots,
                      the surprising lack of towels, someone almost setting the bus on fire... 

7. Best part of being in a band:

                      Tyler: Nothing. Just kidding! So many things!
                      Nate: We're four brothers but we hate each other
                      Casper: Where it's taken us. Never in a million years did we think we'd be in Iowa.

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 Years?
                      Casper: Dead. Or still in a career. A small label?
                      Nate: ... with a different singer
                      Tyler: Who knows?

9. Describe your music: 
                     Collectively: Loud. Stupid. Obnoxious. Ehhh.
                     Nate: Confusing to write.
                     Chris: Gets feelings out.
                     Casper: Pushes ourselves but still have fun.
                     Tyler: This'll never end and it's satisfying, but you're never really satisfied. 

10. What's next? 
                    Tyler: Walmart parking lot?
                    Casper: New record sometime next year! Maybe a full national tour next summer.
                    Chris: You have to just go with it.
                    Tyler: Yeah, you can't push it.
                    Nate: But you gotta push it! 

Words of wisdom.


Thank you, Saving Chronos! 

It was amazing meeting a band that started in a garage in the middle of nowhere (Atlanta, Georgia) and wound up on tour after just two years!



I had a lot of fun at their concert and I highly recommend checking them out if you get the chance!

Want to donate to their band? : https://www.gofundme.com/help-us-finish-our-tour

Follow them on Facebook! : https://www.facebook.com/SavingChronos/ 

Grab some merchandise : https://squareup.com/store/savingchronos 

Woodland Cemetery

You might find yourself wondering... "What does Caroline do in her spare time?"

She goes to cemeteries. 

I present to you:

WOODLAND CEMETERY

Des Moines, Iowa

69 Acres

Over 80,000 Graves

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"A walk through Woodland Cemetery is a step through the history of the city of Des Moines."

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This is Nugget. 

He's my road trip buddy. 

We're partners in Spanish class. 

I'm not very good at Spanish. 

In our class, we're required to take pictures of us doing stuff and submitting them to an Instagram account for our class along with captions, in Spanish, describing the scene. 

We decided to make these epic. 

We also discovered we both have a love for the creepy and spooky stuff that's out there. 

And soooooooo when I found this massive graveyard in Des Moines, we packed our backpacks and drove two hours from Iowa City to check it out! 

Before the cemetery, we checked into this wicked hotel and...

well...

the hallways were a little daunting. 

***Keeping in mind Caroline has a fear of long hallways***

TO THE CEMETERY!!!

Just entering through the gates, there were these beautiful angels on several of the graves. 

Bearing in mind this cemetery was 69 acres, Nugget and I took our time walking quickly through the area. Walking so quickly because there was a lot to see and because it was a little creepy. 

We did find this incredible statue of Jesus with open arms. He was stunning and one of the only figures in that general area. In complete honesty, I routinely turned to keep an eye on him because if any statue in that cemetery were to move... it'd be this one. 

There was this statue that served as a gravestone.

Took us a while but yes.

It's a headless child. 

We both took interest in this marker. 

I've been trying to research the "ODD FELLOWS" and why they had their own section, but I'm afraid I do not have a concrete answer. If anyone knows, please tell me!

A few other pictures I took...

And there was this marker...

Neither of these pictures are mine, as I couldn't find the stones but also... I was there at night. 

Here's the story:

"One of the unique resting places is that of Jefferson Scott Polk and his wife, Julia. On one side of their monuments is a stone with space for a candle; on the other side is the monument for three of their children who preceded them in death. Each child’s name was engraved above one of the pillows."

Another interesting story is as follows:

In 1886, 45 children lived and died in the orphanage called 

"Des Moines' Home for Friendless Children"

Each one of these orphans was buried in a mass grave, with most bodies folded into peach and apple crates that were stacked one on top of the other. 

Only a few of the orphans had names pinned to them, the rest were marked as "unknown."  

I was also unable to find the mass grave, but similarly to the area dedicated to children under the age of one, some graves should not be disturbed with cameras. 

My partner and I were very respectful of the cemetery. 

We stayed on the path, kept our voices low, I routinely thanked the lingering spirits for letting us pass through, we didn't touch anything, and we didn't loiter. 

As mentioned just before, we were also careful to not take too many pictures, but this experience, beauty, and history within this cemetery was overwhelming and I had to document the adventure. 

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If you find yourself in Des Moines, Iowa, and don't mind the feeling of ghost eyes on you, I recommend stopping by this historic landmark!