To my legions of adoring fans: I am, sadly, shutting down The Hidden Chord Blog. Don't cry, no, please...Now ain't the time for your tears. It was a good run. This is the 41st and final blog entry. Allow me to explain.
Music blogs are quite plentiful. It's hard to be a fresh voice on "the scene", whatever the scene may be. Popular music has changed so much since I first fell in love with it in the mid 1980's. It's so much easier to get your hands on and there's so much of it!!! And there are so many people constantly reviewing it, taking on "different" angles in regards to the old stuff. The advent of the Internet has made the music industry a tad overwhelming. Not that I don't still love it, it's just that, I think my aspirations to be a music journalist would have been more suited to the late '60s, early '70s, than the days of the sprawling fields of bloggers that inhabit our early 21st century times.
Man, oh man, I do love music, though! I thank/blame my dad for this, since it was his Beatles records that my brother and I listened to constantly and it was his voice over the radio that made it something special. Over the years I've had my obsessions: the aforementioned Beatles, Hendrix, The Who, The Doors. I had my Southern Rock phase with Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, .38 Special. I even caved into some hair metal in the mid to late '80s with Def Leppard and Tesla. Of course there was grunge: Pearl Jam was initially my favorite, but that naturally led to Soundgarden and Alice in Chains...and though I was late to them, you couldn't deny the genius of Kurt and Nirvana. '90s alt-rock was amazing to me. And as I got into college, I came to love jazz...Coltrane still puts me into a different state of mind that I can't fully express through words. And Charlie Parker? Possibly the greatest American musician of all time! I went through a folk phase where I discovered Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Odetta, John Prine, and one of my enduring favorites: Steve Goodman.
These days my tastes are a bit all over the place, I guess. Maybe slightly favoring "indie rock", but certainly not limited to it. Wilco, Spoon, Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, Grizzly Bear...These are just some favorites. It's always been hard for me to pin down my absolute favorites, though. I'm sure I'll be wishing I added a few more later.
Music brings out certain reactions that are more emotional than rational. Writing is primarily a function of rationality, I suppose, so maybe it makes sense that I have a hard time knowing what to write about. Yes, on the one hand there is SO MUCH, but on the other hand, writing about music is like listening to food. If you spend too much time doing it, you're really missing the point.
I've had some fabulous opportunities given to me as a music journalist. I've been lucky enough to interview artists and every so often get paid to write a few sentences about rock & roll. I fell in love with Austin, TX because of music. And it's always been my hope that I could share that passion and pure love and joy of music with others. But then again, it's extremely personal to me. I could tell you all about seeing Lou Reed and Moby duet on "Walk on the Wild Side", but there is a certain sadness I feel when I can't accurately CAPTURE that amazing moment! Even if I had a video camera that day, it still wouldn't have done justice to the actual moment Grumpy Old Lou took the stage!
Maybe I'll still have more to say about music. I'm sure I will, in fact. I just don't want to limit myself to just that. If you want excellent music writing all the time, I'm sure you know where to find it. It's everywhere.
So what now for me? I'm going to start a new blog. It very well may be just called andypulliam.blogspot.com, but don't quote me on that just yet because I haven't checked to see if that's available! Maybe I'll take some time to think of something more creative, but we'll see. Anyhow, the format is mostly going to be open-ended, with maybe a slight more emphasis on fiction writing. I write a lot of fiction for myself, but I think I'm at a point where I'm ready to take the leap and give it, for what it's worth, if anything, to the weird, vast universe that is the Internet. I plan on still writing about music when the mood strikes me. Maybe I'll write some non-fiction essays too. Jeebus knows, I know a lot of interesting people without having to make things up. Who knows? I just enjoy writing and I enjoy documenting the wonderful/bizarre/heartbreaking/troubling/fabulous/ridiculous thing that is life and the human mind/condition.
I hope you'll join me.
But as always, support your local music scene and never stop trying to discover that music that has that power to elevate us to that unexplainable "other" plane. Let me know when you find it!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Andrew Bird Whistles A Lot (this post is about Andre Williams, though)
Starting off tonight's late-ish post with the title's observation. I'm entering the Andrew Bird portion of the A-Z project. It will mark the first three plus album segment of the project. I'm interested to see how this plays out. I have a lot of admiration for Andrew Bird, if not for the only reason that he was a teacher at The Old Town School of Folk Music, which is one of my favorite places in my favorite city. I like his music, but have never listened to this much of it all at once, so the jury's still out on just how much I like it. I do look forward to the playing of "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left", though. Such a great song!
This post isn't about Andrew Bird, though, even though I put his name in the title. Let me fix that. Please pause for about 10 seconds so you can get the proper effect of me fixing that error. Okay, thanks for that. Resume reading.
Andre Williams. Probably a name, you, my vast audience isn't very familiar with. I've got to admit, it's a name that I only recently became familiar with. In fact, I saw him perform at SXSW 2008, and yet it was only after hearing a couple of iTunes songs today and doing some Wikipedia research, that I fully began to realize the importance and brilliance of this man's music.
So the song that kicked off the way too short Andre Williams segment, was called "Humpin', Bumpin', and Thumpin'". If that doesn't speak volumes alone about the nature of rock and roll, I don't know what does! This is classic '60s rock/soul. Think Booker T. and the MG's with an edge. Williams actually wrote one of Stevie Wonder's earliest hits and was one of the largely unsung pioneers of early rock and soul, both on the writing and performing front.
Nicknamed both "Mr. Rhythm" and "The Black Godfather", Williams at one time was homeless on the streets of Chicago, only to rebound with forrays into "Sleaze rock" (???) and country, eventually finding his way back to his roots. A documentary entiltled "Agile Mobile Hostile: A year with Andre Williams" documents the highs and lows of his life and musical career, from his early success with Fortune Records to his struggles with drug and alcohol in the 1980s. I haven't seen the doc, but believe me, I'll be making a point to remedy that soon.
I saw him perform on a hot Austin day at a Bloodshot Records party at SXSW, back in 2008. Here was this older African American man, unapologetically calling out the fact that there were more white people in attendence than he was used to at his shows. Yet regardless of the audience, he played one hell of a show. If you perform a song called "Bad Motherfucker", you better deliver the goods. And oh hell yes, did Mr. Williams ever deliver the goods. This was raw, brutal, life-affirming rock and roll/soul/R&B (whatever you may call it these days) at it's best! This was the year I saw Lou Reed perform, but along with The Ting Tings, Ezra Furman, and Justin Townes Earle, Andre Williams overshadowed the grumpy old punk himself, proving that the history and present state of music, is a tad more complex than perhaps we realize.
Andre Williams' music is music for late nights and places that you shouldn't be at when it's 3AM. But if you're gonna be there, you might as well get it right. It's dirty, it's honest, it's bare boned, get-your-pulse rockin' music! Isn't the subversiveness of it all what the music's all about anyway?
Click on the title of this post for the official trailer of "Agile, Mobile, Hostile"
This post isn't about Andrew Bird, though, even though I put his name in the title. Let me fix that. Please pause for about 10 seconds so you can get the proper effect of me fixing that error. Okay, thanks for that. Resume reading.
Andre Williams. Probably a name, you, my vast audience isn't very familiar with. I've got to admit, it's a name that I only recently became familiar with. In fact, I saw him perform at SXSW 2008, and yet it was only after hearing a couple of iTunes songs today and doing some Wikipedia research, that I fully began to realize the importance and brilliance of this man's music.
So the song that kicked off the way too short Andre Williams segment, was called "Humpin', Bumpin', and Thumpin'". If that doesn't speak volumes alone about the nature of rock and roll, I don't know what does! This is classic '60s rock/soul. Think Booker T. and the MG's with an edge. Williams actually wrote one of Stevie Wonder's earliest hits and was one of the largely unsung pioneers of early rock and soul, both on the writing and performing front.
Nicknamed both "Mr. Rhythm" and "The Black Godfather", Williams at one time was homeless on the streets of Chicago, only to rebound with forrays into "Sleaze rock" (???) and country, eventually finding his way back to his roots. A documentary entiltled "Agile Mobile Hostile: A year with Andre Williams" documents the highs and lows of his life and musical career, from his early success with Fortune Records to his struggles with drug and alcohol in the 1980s. I haven't seen the doc, but believe me, I'll be making a point to remedy that soon.
I saw him perform on a hot Austin day at a Bloodshot Records party at SXSW, back in 2008. Here was this older African American man, unapologetically calling out the fact that there were more white people in attendence than he was used to at his shows. Yet regardless of the audience, he played one hell of a show. If you perform a song called "Bad Motherfucker", you better deliver the goods. And oh hell yes, did Mr. Williams ever deliver the goods. This was raw, brutal, life-affirming rock and roll/soul/R&B (whatever you may call it these days) at it's best! This was the year I saw Lou Reed perform, but along with The Ting Tings, Ezra Furman, and Justin Townes Earle, Andre Williams overshadowed the grumpy old punk himself, proving that the history and present state of music, is a tad more complex than perhaps we realize.
Andre Williams' music is music for late nights and places that you shouldn't be at when it's 3AM. But if you're gonna be there, you might as well get it right. It's dirty, it's honest, it's bare boned, get-your-pulse rockin' music! Isn't the subversiveness of it all what the music's all about anyway?
Click on the title of this post for the official trailer of "Agile, Mobile, Hostile"
Thursday, April 29, 2010
"Sitting on an angry chair..."
Continuing A-Z, I'm currently on album #2 of the two Alice in Chains records I have on my iTunes collection. More on that in just a moment.
What has gone on since I lasted visited you with thoughts on Al Green? Well, more Al Green, as soothing and positive as ever. By the way, songs really don't sound that different when stuck between other songs. I shouldn't make that bold of a blanket statement, actually. In this case, they didn't. Some songs sound perfect within their original context, but though still good, kind of silly when placed haphazardly within a "Greatest Hits" setting. Take the song "Like A Rolling Stone" for example. Perfect opener to Dylan's epic, "Highway 61 Revisited". Within the "Greatest Hits" format, oh sure it sounds good, but it LIVES on side one of "Highway 61 Revisited". It belongs there. It speaks most powerfully from that original post. Yet I digress. The Al Green listening portion was rather enjoyable.
Albert Hammond, Jr. got on my nerves a little bit. Especially with the ridiculous seven minute instrumental, "Spooky Couch". I do like a few of his songs. "Cartoon Music for Superheroes" is a good song. His stuff is mostly forgettable to me, though.
Why don't I have more Alejandro Escovedo? I saw him live a couple years ago and it was amazing. Yet for some reason, I only have three of his songs in my collection. Most certainly, one of the best three song sequences I've listened to so far during this project.
Two albums worth of Ali Farka Toure, the king of the desert blues singers, one with the amazing Ry Cooder, were definitely interesting, and at times incredible. Yet I think I need to be in a certain mindset to listen to "World Music". Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his music, but two albums in a row of not understanding a single world is rough.
Speaking of rough, that brings me to Alice in Chains. I was wondering how I'd react to listening to this band again. Back in the mid '90s, "Dirt" was in constant rotation on my cheap little boombox CD player that I had for years. However, at the time, I was an angsty teenager, who soaked up all the screams, distorted guitars, adn anger that grunge had to offer. As a man in his early 30s, I'm slightly removed from all of that. I could venture a guess that the last time I listened to "Dirt" from start to finish was probably somewhere around '96 or '97.
What I really worried about was it being painful to get through, and thereby offending my younger self who probably swore that this was the be all end all of music and only old, out-of-touch losers wouldn't get it. Was I now one of those old out-of-touch losers? Partly yes, partly no.
I still appreciated it on a certain level. The songs brought back a lot of memories, but certainly didn't have the same raw, emotional power that they did when I first heard them. I mostly felt sad listening to Layne Staley's dark lyrics, knowing how it would all end up for him. It came as no surprise to anyone that he died a lonely drug addict's death early in 2002. The only surprise, maybe, is that he made it that long.
I will say this about Alice in Chains, though. They were the perfect representative for the heavier elements of grunge. Staley's jagged, rough and pained voice, were the perfect foil to Jerry Cantrell's metal sensibilities. They never had the pop thing going that Nirvana or Pearl Jam had, and they always seemed a tad heavier and darker than Soundgarden. Yet at times, they displayed elements of all three.
Honestly, I think of all the bands I mentioned, Alice in Chains music seems the most dated. I used to love the song "Rooster", but now kind of feel like, "What the hell's he talking about?" Man, I am getting old! I don't listen to music this heavy anymore, so getting through this, though fun in a nostalgia sort of way, has been a little difficult. This is not to say I haven't enjoyed hearing some of it again, it's just that for better or worse, we all seem to grow out of certain stages. I can officially say, right here in April of 2010, my grunge phase is over. Many apologies (or should I say All Apologies) to the sixteen year old version of myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs6RefV1td4
What has gone on since I lasted visited you with thoughts on Al Green? Well, more Al Green, as soothing and positive as ever. By the way, songs really don't sound that different when stuck between other songs. I shouldn't make that bold of a blanket statement, actually. In this case, they didn't. Some songs sound perfect within their original context, but though still good, kind of silly when placed haphazardly within a "Greatest Hits" setting. Take the song "Like A Rolling Stone" for example. Perfect opener to Dylan's epic, "Highway 61 Revisited". Within the "Greatest Hits" format, oh sure it sounds good, but it LIVES on side one of "Highway 61 Revisited". It belongs there. It speaks most powerfully from that original post. Yet I digress. The Al Green listening portion was rather enjoyable.
Albert Hammond, Jr. got on my nerves a little bit. Especially with the ridiculous seven minute instrumental, "Spooky Couch". I do like a few of his songs. "Cartoon Music for Superheroes" is a good song. His stuff is mostly forgettable to me, though.
Why don't I have more Alejandro Escovedo? I saw him live a couple years ago and it was amazing. Yet for some reason, I only have three of his songs in my collection. Most certainly, one of the best three song sequences I've listened to so far during this project.
Two albums worth of Ali Farka Toure, the king of the desert blues singers, one with the amazing Ry Cooder, were definitely interesting, and at times incredible. Yet I think I need to be in a certain mindset to listen to "World Music". Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his music, but two albums in a row of not understanding a single world is rough.
Speaking of rough, that brings me to Alice in Chains. I was wondering how I'd react to listening to this band again. Back in the mid '90s, "Dirt" was in constant rotation on my cheap little boombox CD player that I had for years. However, at the time, I was an angsty teenager, who soaked up all the screams, distorted guitars, adn anger that grunge had to offer. As a man in his early 30s, I'm slightly removed from all of that. I could venture a guess that the last time I listened to "Dirt" from start to finish was probably somewhere around '96 or '97.
What I really worried about was it being painful to get through, and thereby offending my younger self who probably swore that this was the be all end all of music and only old, out-of-touch losers wouldn't get it. Was I now one of those old out-of-touch losers? Partly yes, partly no.
I still appreciated it on a certain level. The songs brought back a lot of memories, but certainly didn't have the same raw, emotional power that they did when I first heard them. I mostly felt sad listening to Layne Staley's dark lyrics, knowing how it would all end up for him. It came as no surprise to anyone that he died a lonely drug addict's death early in 2002. The only surprise, maybe, is that he made it that long.
I will say this about Alice in Chains, though. They were the perfect representative for the heavier elements of grunge. Staley's jagged, rough and pained voice, were the perfect foil to Jerry Cantrell's metal sensibilities. They never had the pop thing going that Nirvana or Pearl Jam had, and they always seemed a tad heavier and darker than Soundgarden. Yet at times, they displayed elements of all three.
Honestly, I think of all the bands I mentioned, Alice in Chains music seems the most dated. I used to love the song "Rooster", but now kind of feel like, "What the hell's he talking about?" Man, I am getting old! I don't listen to music this heavy anymore, so getting through this, though fun in a nostalgia sort of way, has been a little difficult. This is not to say I haven't enjoyed hearing some of it again, it's just that for better or worse, we all seem to grow out of certain stages. I can officially say, right here in April of 2010, my grunge phase is over. Many apologies (or should I say All Apologies) to the sixteen year old version of myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs6RefV1td4
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Why I'm An Unashamed Fan of Folk Music
Not every blog post is going to involve my A-Z project. Although, right now I'm continuing on and may break in with an observation or two if the spirit moves me. But this Sunday morning, I've decided to take on an altogether different topic.
This morning I've been thinking a lot about kindness and compassion, or the lack thereof that exists in American culture today. Part of this has to do with a series of responses I've read concerning Alex Chilton's death, that have to do with his lack of health care. Many call out Chilton's "laziness" or "poor decisioin-making skills", saying that if he really wanted health care, he should have just bought it. Others point out that, as a man in his late fifities with pre-existing conditions, that health care costs would have been exorbenant, especially for a gigging musician. Chilton was by no means a filthy rich man.
Anyhow, I'm not going to get into the health care debate here. The part that was shocking was the lack of compassion or simple kindness when speaking about this great artist who recently passed away. Meanness. I'd call it that. It's appalling to read people writing things like, "Nobody owes me anything, so why should I care about anyone else?" What?! Is this the type of society we want to live in? Do we really just want to be a bunch of self-important, money-grubbing assholes who think of no one but ourselves? I sure hope not, but judging by the tone of things in our country these days, maybe that's exactly where we are.
From a personal standpoint, I was just let go of a job that was filled with management who had this exact personal "character", if you want to call it that. It was people who felt no need to say "hi" to their employees. I once even actually said hi to one of these guys, and was met with a brief stare, followed by the turning of a back. Who does this? Why is this ever acceptable? They knew nothing of my character, my family, my work ethic. Why? Because they never bothered to pay attention, to ask, to care. They let me go because I "wasn't a good fit". It's an extremely vague and unsatisfying answer, but they're right. I have no desire to fit in with supreme arrogance, heartlessness, ego, superiority, or any of the traits I saw on display every excrutiating day I spent there.
Why do I bring all of this up? How does it relate to anything musical? All of this is directly related to why I'm not afraid to admit, that I'm a fan of folk music. Let's face it, folk music is uncool. Hipsters are far too serious and ironic for it. It's often seen as music for graying hippies and old-time idealists. But let me tell you this: some of the most enjoyable live music experiences I've ever had have come from folk shows. Why? For exactly the reasons it's uncool. It's genuine. It's unpretentious. It's kinder and gentler than the world around us. I've been to folk music festivals on several occasions and it's like stepping into an alternate utopian universe. Are there egos in folk music? Oh I'm sure. But I can tell you of two examples of contemporary folk artists who I love for their profound lack of ego and so-uncool-it's-actually-cool genuineness. I came across these artists at just the right time in my life.
It was during another time of being in a job surrounded by horrible stress, meanness, arrogance, and a startling lack of humanity. A co-worker of mine, a kind guy in his mid-40s, who I got along with very well, invited me to folk shows all of the time. Being a lover of live music, I'd go, just for the experience, but never expected to really fall in love with the music. But the music of Sons of the Never Wrong and Carrie Newcomer stuck with the part of me that craved and still craves a world stripped of ego...A world with more kindness and community.
These were fun shows. And yeah, I usually ended up being surrounded by people who were a lot older than me, but after a minute or two, it really didn't matter. Whenever I went to one of these artist's shows, I just enjoyed myself. You laugh and smile more than at a serious indie rock show. There's a lot more cheesiness and sing-a-long opportunities. In fact, a full-on hipster might just spontaneously combust at one of these shows. But I don't care if anyone knows it: I treasure those experiences and feel a need now more than ever to reconnect with some good ol', fun, silly, heartfelt folk music. The audience members are so nice! The artists are so nice! What's wrong with niceness?
In fact, I fell in love with the vibe so much, that I decided that that was what I was going to do. I approached Carrie Newcomer and members of Sons of the Never Wrong with my enthusiasm, and not surprisingly, they were all nothing but supportive and kind toward me. I left my stable career and began writing songs and playing open mics. I plunged in without much direction and without as much dedication as I should have had to actually make it work, but despite the misgivings I may have toward the decisions I made, I can see why I made them. The kindness and joy was like a drug, after being surrounded by so much of the ugliness on the opposite end of the spectrum.
And here I am, back where I was those years ago. I'm a junkie for the basic, beautiful happiness and kindness inherent in the music of Carrie Newcomer and Sons of the Never Wrong. And maybe you don't understand or don't want to understand. Maybe it's a little too cornballish for your tastes, but I really wish we could all take a deep breath and allow a little cornballishness into our harsh society, if for the only reason, that maybe in doing so, we could actually be better people for it. What can I say? I guess I'm just an idealistic folkie deep down inside.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2lSYPAqF5k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVha3krnDG8
This morning I've been thinking a lot about kindness and compassion, or the lack thereof that exists in American culture today. Part of this has to do with a series of responses I've read concerning Alex Chilton's death, that have to do with his lack of health care. Many call out Chilton's "laziness" or "poor decisioin-making skills", saying that if he really wanted health care, he should have just bought it. Others point out that, as a man in his late fifities with pre-existing conditions, that health care costs would have been exorbenant, especially for a gigging musician. Chilton was by no means a filthy rich man.
Anyhow, I'm not going to get into the health care debate here. The part that was shocking was the lack of compassion or simple kindness when speaking about this great artist who recently passed away. Meanness. I'd call it that. It's appalling to read people writing things like, "Nobody owes me anything, so why should I care about anyone else?" What?! Is this the type of society we want to live in? Do we really just want to be a bunch of self-important, money-grubbing assholes who think of no one but ourselves? I sure hope not, but judging by the tone of things in our country these days, maybe that's exactly where we are.
From a personal standpoint, I was just let go of a job that was filled with management who had this exact personal "character", if you want to call it that. It was people who felt no need to say "hi" to their employees. I once even actually said hi to one of these guys, and was met with a brief stare, followed by the turning of a back. Who does this? Why is this ever acceptable? They knew nothing of my character, my family, my work ethic. Why? Because they never bothered to pay attention, to ask, to care. They let me go because I "wasn't a good fit". It's an extremely vague and unsatisfying answer, but they're right. I have no desire to fit in with supreme arrogance, heartlessness, ego, superiority, or any of the traits I saw on display every excrutiating day I spent there.
Why do I bring all of this up? How does it relate to anything musical? All of this is directly related to why I'm not afraid to admit, that I'm a fan of folk music. Let's face it, folk music is uncool. Hipsters are far too serious and ironic for it. It's often seen as music for graying hippies and old-time idealists. But let me tell you this: some of the most enjoyable live music experiences I've ever had have come from folk shows. Why? For exactly the reasons it's uncool. It's genuine. It's unpretentious. It's kinder and gentler than the world around us. I've been to folk music festivals on several occasions and it's like stepping into an alternate utopian universe. Are there egos in folk music? Oh I'm sure. But I can tell you of two examples of contemporary folk artists who I love for their profound lack of ego and so-uncool-it's-actually-cool genuineness. I came across these artists at just the right time in my life.
It was during another time of being in a job surrounded by horrible stress, meanness, arrogance, and a startling lack of humanity. A co-worker of mine, a kind guy in his mid-40s, who I got along with very well, invited me to folk shows all of the time. Being a lover of live music, I'd go, just for the experience, but never expected to really fall in love with the music. But the music of Sons of the Never Wrong and Carrie Newcomer stuck with the part of me that craved and still craves a world stripped of ego...A world with more kindness and community.
These were fun shows. And yeah, I usually ended up being surrounded by people who were a lot older than me, but after a minute or two, it really didn't matter. Whenever I went to one of these artist's shows, I just enjoyed myself. You laugh and smile more than at a serious indie rock show. There's a lot more cheesiness and sing-a-long opportunities. In fact, a full-on hipster might just spontaneously combust at one of these shows. But I don't care if anyone knows it: I treasure those experiences and feel a need now more than ever to reconnect with some good ol', fun, silly, heartfelt folk music. The audience members are so nice! The artists are so nice! What's wrong with niceness?
In fact, I fell in love with the vibe so much, that I decided that that was what I was going to do. I approached Carrie Newcomer and members of Sons of the Never Wrong with my enthusiasm, and not surprisingly, they were all nothing but supportive and kind toward me. I left my stable career and began writing songs and playing open mics. I plunged in without much direction and without as much dedication as I should have had to actually make it work, but despite the misgivings I may have toward the decisions I made, I can see why I made them. The kindness and joy was like a drug, after being surrounded by so much of the ugliness on the opposite end of the spectrum.
And here I am, back where I was those years ago. I'm a junkie for the basic, beautiful happiness and kindness inherent in the music of Carrie Newcomer and Sons of the Never Wrong. And maybe you don't understand or don't want to understand. Maybe it's a little too cornballish for your tastes, but I really wish we could all take a deep breath and allow a little cornballishness into our harsh society, if for the only reason, that maybe in doing so, we could actually be better people for it. What can I say? I guess I'm just an idealistic folkie deep down inside.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2lSYPAqF5k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVha3krnDG8
Saturday, April 24, 2010
iTunes A-Z: In the beginning...
So I'm about 40 songs into my overly, pointlessly ambitious project. I suppose I could be doing something more productive with my time...maybe I should be investigating ways to save the environment, or researching cures for cancer, or looking for ways to make money in a time of economic ruin. But instead, I've chosen music, and I guess it's a decision I've been making, for better or worse, for many years now, so why stop now?
Observations? I like A. A. Bondy's songs, but he gets way too chill at times.
A. C. Newman is really great. I knew I had songs by The New Pornographers front man, but I didn't realize I liked them that much. It's definitely what you'd call, stereotypical "indie rock", but it's fun, melodic, in the same vein as the N.P's themselves.
I've already gone through three Daytrotter sessions (A.A. Bondy, Aesop Rock, and Aimee Mann) and have a great deal to come. With Daytrotter, it gives one a chance to hear an artist at a bare-bones, basic, hopefully honest, level. Some sessions are good, some are pretty disappointing, some are just there and nothing more. So far, the Aesop Rock session, of the three, tops the list. Great DJ feature with "DJ Big Wiz Jam".
Adam Sandler's "Werewolves of London" is good. I mean, really good. I knew this already, but upon listening to it during this A-Z project, this fact has been re-affirmed. He does Warren Zevon's memory proud.
Weird neo-hippie, dance around a fire with paint on your face award goes to the two songs I have by Akron/Family: "Ed is a Portal" and "There's So Many Colors". I think I may have gotten high just listening to the songs. I suddenly smell patchoulli too. Why do I have an urge to play hacky sack? I kinda like the songs too, actually. Shhh...don't tell anyone.
The unexpected connection that I made was with an Aimee Mann song called "31 Today" that expresses the sentiment of "I thought I'd have my shit together by now, but I really don't". Maybe not the type of sentiment you really strive to connect with, but hey, that's life. It certainly made me pause and listen to the song, especially since 31 was two years ago for me and strangely, I can still relate. Thanks for bringin' me down Aimee!!!
Ahhhh, but I'm to classic artist #1, of MANY...Al Green. And suddenly that worry and anxiety is melting right away. The good Reverend just soothes you right into a happier, more soulful place. That said, though, I am presented with dilemma #1--repetition. I have Al Green's Greatest hits, and his album I'm Still In Love With You. There's going to be repeats. Do I listen to the same song twice? On the one hand, I say, no. This asinine project is long enough already! Why put myself through needlessness!? On the other hand, though, I wonder how a song sounds in relation to the context it lies in. Does the song, "Love and Happiness" sound different when bookended by "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" and "Lets Stay Together" as opposed to "I'm Glad You're Mine" and "What A Wonderful Thing Love Is"? I mean, probably not, but what if it does and I skip the experience? Man! I'm going to have to listen to repeats and report back!!!
So that's the state of things here in the early A's. I'm about to hit "Love and Happiness" for the first time, so I better pay attention!
Observations? I like A. A. Bondy's songs, but he gets way too chill at times.
A. C. Newman is really great. I knew I had songs by The New Pornographers front man, but I didn't realize I liked them that much. It's definitely what you'd call, stereotypical "indie rock", but it's fun, melodic, in the same vein as the N.P's themselves.
I've already gone through three Daytrotter sessions (A.A. Bondy, Aesop Rock, and Aimee Mann) and have a great deal to come. With Daytrotter, it gives one a chance to hear an artist at a bare-bones, basic, hopefully honest, level. Some sessions are good, some are pretty disappointing, some are just there and nothing more. So far, the Aesop Rock session, of the three, tops the list. Great DJ feature with "DJ Big Wiz Jam".
Adam Sandler's "Werewolves of London" is good. I mean, really good. I knew this already, but upon listening to it during this A-Z project, this fact has been re-affirmed. He does Warren Zevon's memory proud.
Weird neo-hippie, dance around a fire with paint on your face award goes to the two songs I have by Akron/Family: "Ed is a Portal" and "There's So Many Colors". I think I may have gotten high just listening to the songs. I suddenly smell patchoulli too. Why do I have an urge to play hacky sack? I kinda like the songs too, actually. Shhh...don't tell anyone.
The unexpected connection that I made was with an Aimee Mann song called "31 Today" that expresses the sentiment of "I thought I'd have my shit together by now, but I really don't". Maybe not the type of sentiment you really strive to connect with, but hey, that's life. It certainly made me pause and listen to the song, especially since 31 was two years ago for me and strangely, I can still relate. Thanks for bringin' me down Aimee!!!
Ahhhh, but I'm to classic artist #1, of MANY...Al Green. And suddenly that worry and anxiety is melting right away. The good Reverend just soothes you right into a happier, more soulful place. That said, though, I am presented with dilemma #1--repetition. I have Al Green's Greatest hits, and his album I'm Still In Love With You. There's going to be repeats. Do I listen to the same song twice? On the one hand, I say, no. This asinine project is long enough already! Why put myself through needlessness!? On the other hand, though, I wonder how a song sounds in relation to the context it lies in. Does the song, "Love and Happiness" sound different when bookended by "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" and "Lets Stay Together" as opposed to "I'm Glad You're Mine" and "What A Wonderful Thing Love Is"? I mean, probably not, but what if it does and I skip the experience? Man! I'm going to have to listen to repeats and report back!!!
So that's the state of things here in the early A's. I'm about to hit "Love and Happiness" for the first time, so I better pay attention!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Back to Blogging...The Music Calls
I'm going to start this first blog in over two months with the following statement that I will gladly stand by any day:
I love the band Dr. Dog.
Right now I'm listening to their latest album, "Shame, Shame" and am in love with it! Their last album "Fate" made my "Best of 2008" list, and I'm guessing when I roll out my "Best of 2010" list, this one will be on it. Throwback? Oh yeah, no doubt. But damn! If you're gonna be a throwback sort of band, I don't think you can do it much better than these guys. I was fortunate enough to meet one of the members of the band a few years back at SXSW. He was a really gracious guy wearing a hat, but I don't remember his name. We were waiting in line for the bathroom I do believe (you meet quite a few interesting people waiting in line for coffee and/or bathrooms...just a side observation). I like when the members of a band are as cool as you hope them to be. But even if the dude would have been a total douchebag, I just may have forgiven him for the simple fact that I dig the music so much! I'm rambling, but hey, cut me some slack, I'm slightly out of practice here!
My point? Well, my point is that I really want to be inspired by music. I feel like it's happening less and less these days. And maybe that's partly due to the inevitability that is the aging process. Maybe it's because I have less and less time to listen to music. Maybe it's because there's too much to choose from. Maybe music is just worse than it used to be.
I still believe in it, though. Case in poing: Dr. Dog. Or the new Joanna Newsom. Or Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Wilco, Spoon, Vampire Weekend, or the odds and ends that still reach me on a level that The Beatles did when I was first discovering rock and roll music back in the '80s when actual '80s music wasn't reaching me.
And I'm rediscoving jazz. I used to be a jazz afficianado back when I actually played trombone in a college jazz group. Once I stopped playing, I kind of drifted away from Bird, Trane, Miles, and Mingus, but of late, I've slowly, but surely started rekindling that old flame. Sometimes music maybe temporarily dormant within us, but I'm convinced that the good stuff never really goes away.
So where does this leave me? What do I do with these observations? I'm hungry for discovery/re-discovery. I have over 10,000 songs in my iTunes collection, many of which I've never heard. Many of the songs I've probably just glossed over or forgotten or taken for granted. Maybe it's time to give each artist and each artist's individual works their proper due. Maybe it's time to listen to every single of the 10210 songs in the collection from A. A. Bondy to Zooey Deschanel. My iTunes library says that it would only take 28.6 days to do this...well of course that is if listening to music was the only thing I did during every waking second of those 28.6 days. So obviously, it's gonna take slightly longer.
The idea's probably not an original one. I'm sure some blogger/writer has done it and written about it, but really, I'm kind of doing it for myself. I really 1.) want to hear what I really have, 2.) want to be inspired by something I haven't noticed, 3.) want to maybe free up some space on my hard drive by deleting the crap...streamlining and simplifying life...never a bad thing. I'm partly inspired by the author, A. J. Jacobs, as well, who read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A-Z and wrote about it (and lived to tell about it...an accomplishment in itself). Maybe I can come up with my own insights/observations on a much smaller scale about something a lot more interesting than encyclopedic knowledge.
Partly I want to do it too so I can give my writing a little direction as well. There's often simultaneously, and paradoxically, both too much and too little to write about. There's often just nothing that grabs me either on the micro or macro scale, at least enough so for me to actually sit down and write about it. But the thing is, I really, really, really do love music and I really do love writing too...so it seems the best way to consolidate the two loves is to undertake this silly, somewhat pointless exercise. As John Lennon once said, "Whatever gets you through the night..." I think most of life really is a silly, somewhat pointless exercise anyway, so I'm just doing what comes natural.
So the next entry will start off with A. A. Bondy's "Among the Pines" and we'll see what transpires as the songs slip by. There'll be a lot of Dylan to listen to, that's for damned sure. I'm sure there will be a lot of crap to sift through, as well. But I'm looking forward to those moments that light up the synapses in my brain that go crazy when good music finds its way from speaker to ear. May those moments be in abundance...for you as well.
I love the band Dr. Dog.
Right now I'm listening to their latest album, "Shame, Shame" and am in love with it! Their last album "Fate" made my "Best of 2008" list, and I'm guessing when I roll out my "Best of 2010" list, this one will be on it. Throwback? Oh yeah, no doubt. But damn! If you're gonna be a throwback sort of band, I don't think you can do it much better than these guys. I was fortunate enough to meet one of the members of the band a few years back at SXSW. He was a really gracious guy wearing a hat, but I don't remember his name. We were waiting in line for the bathroom I do believe (you meet quite a few interesting people waiting in line for coffee and/or bathrooms...just a side observation). I like when the members of a band are as cool as you hope them to be. But even if the dude would have been a total douchebag, I just may have forgiven him for the simple fact that I dig the music so much! I'm rambling, but hey, cut me some slack, I'm slightly out of practice here!
My point? Well, my point is that I really want to be inspired by music. I feel like it's happening less and less these days. And maybe that's partly due to the inevitability that is the aging process. Maybe it's because I have less and less time to listen to music. Maybe it's because there's too much to choose from. Maybe music is just worse than it used to be.
I still believe in it, though. Case in poing: Dr. Dog. Or the new Joanna Newsom. Or Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Wilco, Spoon, Vampire Weekend, or the odds and ends that still reach me on a level that The Beatles did when I was first discovering rock and roll music back in the '80s when actual '80s music wasn't reaching me.
And I'm rediscoving jazz. I used to be a jazz afficianado back when I actually played trombone in a college jazz group. Once I stopped playing, I kind of drifted away from Bird, Trane, Miles, and Mingus, but of late, I've slowly, but surely started rekindling that old flame. Sometimes music maybe temporarily dormant within us, but I'm convinced that the good stuff never really goes away.
So where does this leave me? What do I do with these observations? I'm hungry for discovery/re-discovery. I have over 10,000 songs in my iTunes collection, many of which I've never heard. Many of the songs I've probably just glossed over or forgotten or taken for granted. Maybe it's time to give each artist and each artist's individual works their proper due. Maybe it's time to listen to every single of the 10210 songs in the collection from A. A. Bondy to Zooey Deschanel. My iTunes library says that it would only take 28.6 days to do this...well of course that is if listening to music was the only thing I did during every waking second of those 28.6 days. So obviously, it's gonna take slightly longer.
The idea's probably not an original one. I'm sure some blogger/writer has done it and written about it, but really, I'm kind of doing it for myself. I really 1.) want to hear what I really have, 2.) want to be inspired by something I haven't noticed, 3.) want to maybe free up some space on my hard drive by deleting the crap...streamlining and simplifying life...never a bad thing. I'm partly inspired by the author, A. J. Jacobs, as well, who read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A-Z and wrote about it (and lived to tell about it...an accomplishment in itself). Maybe I can come up with my own insights/observations on a much smaller scale about something a lot more interesting than encyclopedic knowledge.
Partly I want to do it too so I can give my writing a little direction as well. There's often simultaneously, and paradoxically, both too much and too little to write about. There's often just nothing that grabs me either on the micro or macro scale, at least enough so for me to actually sit down and write about it. But the thing is, I really, really, really do love music and I really do love writing too...so it seems the best way to consolidate the two loves is to undertake this silly, somewhat pointless exercise. As John Lennon once said, "Whatever gets you through the night..." I think most of life really is a silly, somewhat pointless exercise anyway, so I'm just doing what comes natural.
So the next entry will start off with A. A. Bondy's "Among the Pines" and we'll see what transpires as the songs slip by. There'll be a lot of Dylan to listen to, that's for damned sure. I'm sure there will be a lot of crap to sift through, as well. But I'm looking forward to those moments that light up the synapses in my brain that go crazy when good music finds its way from speaker to ear. May those moments be in abundance...for you as well.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Grammy Awards Review (well sort of)
I'll come clean right away and let you know that I missed the first hour of the Grammy Awards last night. Didn't see Elton/Lady GaGa, Beyonce, The Black Eyed Peas, or Pink's performance. Missed a few of the early awards. I turned it on right around the time that Stephen Colbert won his Grammy, thanking Jesus since it was for a Christmas album and getting approval from his daughter that he's finally cool. Good acceptance speeches are hard to come by, and this one was about the only worthwhile one I saw. Let me just give you a couple of thoughts on some of the things about the expectedly too long, over-blown, largely dull awards ceremony.
1. Taylor Swift Can't Hit the High Notes.
A big "Yikes" goes out to the weird pairing of Stevie Nicks and Ms. Swift. Stevie Nicks was okay. You kind of know what to expect with her. Her voice has always been slightly gravelly, yet with time, it's gotten considerably more jagged. Fine, that's aging for you. She can still pull off being Stevie Nicks pretty well. But Taylor Swift...well, maybe she should have lip-synched. Or at the very least should have stayed away from the high notes on "Rhiannon". I respect her for writing her own material and for writing honestly, but she's way too inconsistent in every live performance I've seen of her.
2. The MJ Tribute--Mixed Bag.
I do like "Earth Song". It's a tad preachy, but Michael's "message" songs tended to be on the rather blatent end of things. No veils or metaphors with "We Are The World" or "Man In The Mirror". And the artists who performed it did a relatively good job with it. I didn't have the 3D glasses, so I can't speak on that, although I hear the effects were kind of disappointing. It just got plain weird at the end, though (kind of ironic, don't you think, since the same can be said about Michael Jackson's life...so maybe it's fitting). The turning around of the four artists to the pictures of Michael on the screens seemed a bit cheesy. And Lionel Ritchie: Did you really have to do the whole, "Wow, wow!" Maybe that was a genuine reaction, but it seemed odd. And then the parading out of Michael's kids--bizarre. Maybe they wanted to say something. There was something a little creepy and uncomfortable about it, though. In my opinion, they should have had the song and left it at that.
3. Dave Matthews Band--Really good performance, actually.
I say, "actually" because I've been pretty underwhelmed by Dave and/or the band for quite a few years now. And I'm not crazy about their latest album by any means, but they were really locked in last night. Yeah, there was plenty of overdone Grammy production, with the addition of choirs, strings, bands, to the point of having a ridiculously crowded stage, but at the same time, it worked. Maybe it was being up there without there fallen bandmate LeRoi Moore and just the emotional energy of that, or maybe they just happened to be locked in. Whatever the case, I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much.
4. Why Bon Jovi? Why?!
I'll leave it at that.
5. The Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake performance was unwatchable with constant censor interruption.
I know there's a history between CBS and the Grammys, but really, they might want to consider showing the ceremony on a network that doesn't have to be "bleep ready". It kind of messes up the continuity of a performance when it's constantly silenced.
So there are five thoughts I had on the whole Grammy deal. I honestly don't have a lot to say about it. The Grammys are what The Grammys are--something largely to get riled up about if you're a music fan. You know what I mean. Everyone has their, "Wow, what were they thinking" moment(s). Mostly, by now, all of us know, they aren't to be taken too seriously. Historically speaking, they've been horribly out of touch and/or behind the times, yet every so often, you get a decent performance or crazy enough paring, that it actually works. It was nice to see Leon Russell, yet I could care less about the Zac Brown Band, who he performed with (best new artist over Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings AND MGMT? Methinks, no), but a legend sighting is cool. Speaking of legends, it was nice that Neil Young finally won a Grammy and was given some serious props at the MusiCares ceremony to kick off "Grammy Weekend". Also, I was very happy that two other of my favorites, Levon Helm and Steve Earle, were winners. So, eh...Thinking back on it, much like I think every other year I've watched The Grammys, I get kind of a bland feeling--like eating an okay burger after it was just hyped as supposedly being one of the best around (an actual experience I had this past weekend, I might add).
The music landscape is about to get a lot more exciting, though, because before you know it, some of the early festivals will be kicking off (i.e. SXSW), which will lead straight into summer festival season. The real pulse of music lies in these things and of course local music scenes and the unexpected surprise places as well.
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