bird bird water foot sun waterpot lasso (egyptian for: "welcome to my blog")
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Who sings to you?
Have you ever thought about who sings to you every day? When you put in your headphones, or go to a concert, who are you listening to? The person who's singing their heart out on stage...what's in their heart to begin with?
Heather and I went to see Tyrone Wells (pictured in 2007) play last night at La Zona Rosa. I've written about Tyrone before: he's a kind, talented man who is pursuing his artistic dreams without appearing to compromisw personal and spiritual relationships. In the few interactions I have had with Tyrone, including when he spent the day at my parent's house, he has been gracious, warm, and grounded to the point where you forget that this is someone who performs in front of crowds for a living (you would think that would create a complex of sorts) and whose popularity is growing every day (his music was on Grey's Anatomy and in the latest Sandra Bullock movie). It seems to me that he hasn't let a single drop of success go to his head. His shiny, shaved head.
With so much of our media consumption, we absorb what we like without considering who our consumption benefits or if the message sender is someone we should be listening to. I have no idea if Jon Stewart is a good guy who deserves my support, but I watch The Daily Show and get a percentage of my news and opinions from him. Actually, a friend who worked with Stewart said he was as kind as could be, so I feel okay, but let's say he's jerk. Would I stop watching?
The best case is that you like an artist and also know that they deserve any success that comes their way. That's Tyrone Wells. This isn't about wholesome lyrics, or touring with the Humane Society, or anything like that. It's the pleasure of knowing who he is and what he stands for that makes his music comforting to me. It's interesting how much of who we listen to is an unknown quantity.
There has to be a balance between artistic value and personal value. Support the artists that you know are good musicians as well as good people.
(If you don't read the entire thing, here's my question to you: what songs are on your list for a 2009 mixtape? Please leave your answers in the comments.)
Way back in the stone age (1995), my brother used to make me sit next to the stereo with the tape deck on record/pause, just waiting for a particular song to come on the radio so he could have it on tape. I don't want to tell you what the songs were, since they might embarrass him a little, so...wait, didn't he make me sit next to a boombox for hours?
"Carnival" by Natalie Merchant "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal "I'll be There for You" by The Rembrandts
We might use CDs for our mixes now, but no matter what media you use, mixtapes get outdated VERY quickly. They are dominated by songs we like right now, and because of that we tend to listen to them over and over and over again. But the fun part, to me, is coming back to the mix a year later and immersing yourself in that old season.
That feeling was the impetus for a project I started with my circle of friends from college. We make mixes in December composed of songs that sum up the year for us. Some chosen songs remind people of important events (moving, a wedding, kickboxing championship), others represent a period in their year. Then, at our annual weekend trip, we talk about the songs we chose. It's a good way to share stories, keep up to date with friends, and hear new music.
Before I tell you what we compiled in 2008, I'll list my completely arbitrary process and rules:
Each person ranks up to five songs
Songs will only be used if they were released or peaked in the last 18 months
All first choices are used
All duplicates are used
Any person who gets married or has a child is allowed to choose any song, regardless of year (the Evie Rule)
2nd through 5th choices are added based on space
Up to 2 Editor's picks (special events)
Last year's list was a fun one. Brett (bld) shied away from his normal routine of listening to songs that just got old to the rest of us, picking some current charttoppers. Criss introduced us to Duffy's B sides, all the way from Kazakhstan. Coldplay and Sara Bareilles got their share of nominations. And everyone got rickrolled one last time:
(initials listed, * denotes top choice)
Coldplay - Life in Technicolor - ai*, hi* Sara Bareilles - Love Song - hi, dp, bm Yael Naim - New Soul - bm Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler - dp* Duffy - Warwick Avenue - cn* Jason Mraz - I'm Yours - bm, hi, bhd Kate Perry - Hot N Cold - bld Brandon Heath - Give me Your Eyes - ai Los Lobos - Evangeline (1987) - hi mommy pick Ray LaMontagne - Winter Birds - dp Duffy - Delayed Devotions - cn Sara Bareilles - Bottle it Up - dp, hi Jason Castro - Hallelujah - bm* Taylor Swift - Love Story - bhd, kc* Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry on Their Own - bld Coldplay - Viva la Vida - bhd*, bld* Brandi Carlile - The Story - sm* Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy (1983) - ai daddy pick Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give you Up - editor's pick rickrolled Sara Bareilles - Many the Miles - ai, bm Brett Dennen - San Francisco - editor's pick location
(Most of the songs are in the playlist below. Some that aren't are linked from youtube videos. But go buy the songs!)
I'll be sending out the requests in December, but in the meantime, here's my question to you: what songs are on your list for 2009? Comment, please!
Everyone listens to different types of music but that's only half the story of this post. Tyrone Well's new single, "Patience", is available on iTunes today, and the real reason I'm mentioning this to you is not solely because of the music itself.
I really do like the new song (just as much as some of my other favorites of his: Dream Like New York, Seabreeze), but the real reason is that he is trule one of the most genuine, caring guys I've ever met and in my opinion he deserves as much support and success as he can get. Trust me, if you met him you would feel the same way.
He was at my parent's house last year before a show and I remember talking with him about the fact that he was married. I asked him how his handlers felt about that, and he said the only resistance he got to that was from a DJ at a radio station. The DJ said that he shouldn't mention the fact that he was married, or say hi to his wife on air, for reasons we can all guess about the way that celebrity goes in this world.
And my guess is that this is not an uncommon request from people whose success depends on the marketability of their clients. Tyrone being who he is, his response was something like "Absolutely not." That story has stuck with me since. I'll never hide my marital status for any reason because I want to show off that I bagged me a good one, but there have been a lot of times in my life where I have hid certain aspects of my life to make my persona more "acceptable" to those who I was talking to. It's not right, and I look at Tyrone as the kind of guy who has the strength to always be exactly who he is no matter what the situation. Given his credentials, I never would have expected him to be so nice.
Even when we met him 5 months later in Austin, he took time out of his day to talk to Heather and I in the back of the club he was playing at. And that goes for some of the other guys in his band, too: Jason, Mark, and Aaron.
So anyway, go to iTunes, or at least go to his MySpace page and check out some of his stuff there. Some qualities transcend musical preference.
I don't want to scare anyone, but computers are taking over the world. It frightens me to say this, but pretty soon all music will be written by computers. Yes, even something so sonically beautiful as the natural human interpretations of love, sorrow, joy, and mating preferences are now entering the realm of machines.
The fact is that if you listen to rap music (which I generally don't), you'll notice that the songs seem as if they are written for robots, complete with monotone voices, synthsizers, and beeps and boops all over the background. Yes, I know electronica was big in the 80s (I mean who hasn't listened to this wonderful fountain of lyrical brilliance?). But the machines are just starting to take over. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at the Top 10 hip hop songs on iTunes as of 9/5/08.
1. T.I. - Whatever You Like (youtube, fast forward to about 1 minute in) - Lots of background beeps and boops, but there is some melody as opposed to just singning one note the entire time. Not so great, T.I., a robot wouldn't buy this song on iTunes. 45% robot
2. Flo Rida - In the Ayer (youtube) - Okay now this song was written by R2D2. Beep beep boop boop. 90% robot
3. T-Pain - Can't Believe It (youtube) - T-Pain's using the synth, so major points there. But it's like this song was written for humans for the most part. 30% robot
9. Three 6 Mafia - Lolli Lolli (youtube) - YES. Our toaster oven just turned on in excitement and is winking at the espresso machine. Listen to the first 40 seconds and tell me this song was not written to appease our future robot overlords. BEEP BEEP BEEP BOOP. 10010100101010111 (Binary for "we have a winner") 95% robot
It took me this long to mention Three 6 Mafia on this site. My apologies.
The Ten Best John Mayer Songs Ever Written Ever of All Time
(If you're reading this on facebook, please read this same article on Andrew's page so you can enjoy the embedded YouTube clips. Thanks!)
The last time I went to a concert in downtown San Jose was 12 years ago. I saw Yanni perform his fantastically over-the-top brand of new age music at the San Jose Arena, and frankly it was wonderful.I was 12 years old, I wore the only button-up shirt I owned at the time, and my church group and I enjoyed some of the Greek Dennis Eckersley’s greatest compositions. I especially enjoyed his entrance, when he came out from behind a cloud of fog, arms outstretched, dressed in all white, taking in all the adoration usually reserved for real heroes, like Celine Dion. Anyway, then he beat his wife.Terrible.
After 12 years, I’m going back to HP Pavilion (that’s what they call the Arena now) to see and hear John Mayer.If I was excited as a little schoolgirl for Yanni, it’s safe to say that I am as excited as a very large, heavyset, obese schoolgirl for this concert.What I mean is: John Mayer>Yanni (that’s math, by the way).
So to mark this great occasion, I present the 10 best John Mayer songs ever.The only criteria are that each song must have a high VORS ("value over replacement song", meaning that no other song could take its place) and the music and lyrics must both be strong.
#. Song, Album
10. Who Did You Think I Was, Try! This is one of the few John Mayer songs that can fight its way into my Workout playlist.It’s kind of a throwback to me musically, which is the case with a lot of the John Mayer Trio stuff, and it’s about being a “New You” of sorts, so it’s motivating that way.
9. Bigger Than My Body, Heavier Things If I remember correctly, this was Mayer’s first single on electric guitar, and when I first heard it I thought—as I do now—that it was pretty exciting.The song’s a little arrogant, sure, but a lot of us can relate to the main idea of the song.
8. Waiting on the World to Change, Continuum Despite what I said about “Bigger Than My Body,” I don’t immediately like most John Mayer songs the first time I listen to them (including 3 of the top 4songs on this list). The first time I heard “Waiting on the World to Change” I felt like I already knew where it fit into the rotation of my life, like when you get a new pair of pants and you think: “Yes, I will wear these pants now and I will wear them often.”But then you turn 13 and realize it’s not cool for guys to wear white sweatpants.Wait, what?The point is that every version I’ve heard of this song—the album version, the Village Sessions version with Ben Harper, and the Tribute to John Mayer instrumental version—all make me think happy thoughts.
7. Stitched Up w/Herbie Hancock, Possibilities If I have one issue with Mayer’s sound, it’s that his voice is not particularly enjoyable all the time.He’s in tune, but sometimes you are reminded that he is what he is because of his songwriting and guitar. If you’ve ever felt that way, give the studio version of “Stitched Up” a listen.It’s a groovy song that builds and builds to the end, and Mayer’s voice is as clear as Crystal Pepsi.How DID they make that cola beverage clear anyway? (My guess? Science.)
6a. Stop This Train, Continuum 6b. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Continuum I know it’s cheating to put two songs in one slot.I don’t really care, I'll give you your money back.Remember earlier when I gave you a math lesson, the one in which Mayer>Yanni?Here’s another one.Slow Dancing x Stop This Train = #6 (I AM SO CLEVER.) I really do like both songs individually, but I’m not sure if I would have put either song at number 6 by itself.They are back to back on Continuum and the moods of both songs are unique but they also do the same general thing, which is “punch me in the chest,” so listening to them together really heightens the feeling of both songs.There’s more sympathetic emotion in those 8 minutes than in my entire Gilmore Girls DVD Box Set.
5. 83, Room for Squares The answer to “Stop This Train” even though it came out 5 years earlier: life is not going to slow down, but it’s been fun so stop complaining.At least that’s what I’m taking from it.
4. In Repair, Continuum Mayer describes some of the lyrics of "In Repair" as expressing the idea of "sad hope" and that sounds about right to me. I saw a video about how this song was completely written in a day, which I think is pretty neat, but that is not--in itself--the reason why you should listen to this song. I think this is one of the few songs in which I liked it BEFORE I even heard it because of the lyrics.
3. Neon, Room for Squares I drove up to Davis in early January 2002 and crawled straight into my bed, still feeling like a sack of potatoes because of some virus I contracted in Egypt a few days earlier. Dan came over to have us listen to some new guy named "John Myer" and I stayed in bed while he went up to Brian's room to play the album. All I could hear was the bass through Brian's floor/my ceiling, and it sounded good. I went upstairs to say hi and get the name of this song, but had to go back to bed because I was about to barf. I was spoiled and didn't even know it; just a few years later, when Brett and Criss moved into Brian's room, I had to listen to the bass line of Clay Aiken's "Invisible" about 40 times a day, and I think I have PTSD now.
2. Vultures, Continuum When I was first heard Continuum (and Heavier Things, too), I was so disappointed. "Vultures" was one of the first songs I listened to, and I remember thinking: "Why would someone with so much talent play such a simple song?" The problem here was that I was expecting something. When I learned to just listen, "Vultures" became one of those songs that I can listen to at any time, one of those songs that you can turn way up or way down; something you can blast on the freeway because you want to sing falsetto (and it's dark outside so no one will see you), a song you can relax to at home, or the music you can play at some dinner party if you are so inclined. It's the Swiss Army Knife of songs.
1. Clarity, Heavier Things Again, when I first put in this album the day it came out, I was...whatever the opposite of "blown away" is. Vacuumed? The second time I listened to it, though...it was like someone put eyeglasses on my ears so I could hear correctly (I could have used a hearing aid analogy there but all I thought of was "eyeglasses on my ears"). That's a weird phenomenon, right? When you hear a song or watch a movie or eat at a restaurant the second time, and it's just a kajillion times better then the first experience. So much for first impressions. Like with "Vultures," I feel that the second time is often way better than the first with something that you really like, but just don't know it yet, so you don't enjoy on first glance, but you revise your thoughts the second time because of you are familiar and ready now. That's my Second Encounter Revision Theory.
As for "Clarity", I still had to wait about a quarter of the way into the song on second listen when it all comes together before I said: "oh, I get it."
I hope John Mayer comes out in all white from behind some fog tonight!
You Can Only Harmonize About Loneliness So Many Times
Rascal Flatts' video for their new single, "Stand", is...well, the best way I can describe it is that it looks exactly like every other Rascal Flatts video ever. They are singing in a warehouse and there is rain falling on people.
Hey guys, let's try branching out on the next video and--while we're at it--the next album, too. You long time Rascal fans know what I'm talking about.
Have you ever thought about who sings to you every day? When you put in your headphones, or go to a concert, who are you listening to? The person who's singing their heart out on stage...what's in their heart to begin with?
