Whole worlds gone mad

Today I just have a quick thought on reluctance and its negative effect on music. More specifically, two of my friends and I have discussed being a three person for literally years. We’ve tried different to name the band before starting the band, we’ve had websites for bands for the three of us that never occurred, and so on. The one issue that has held us back the most is organization of instrumentation. We’ve been an electric guitar, bass and drumkit blues trio, we’ve been a five piece where I played a uke and a drummer and keyboardist joined us…. More or less we’ve tried way too hard for way too long to figure our band out before we were a band.

Amidst our busy weeks and hectic lives, the three of us always just end up jamming acoustically (Alex and Ben are both great guitar players, and I switch between hand drums and uke), and up until recently, we looked at raw, honest acoustic jamming simply as a palet upon which we could build songs for another format. However, Ben recently came to Alex and I and posed a great point. All he basically had to say was “why don’t we just be exactly what we are, and just play already?!”

With that in mind, the three of us played open mic night at Founder’s brewing Co last night with no setlist, no predetermined setup, not even an idea of what it might sound like. The result was actually a ridiculous amount of fun on our end, and a shockingly large applause on the end of the beer swelling patrons.

I guess the point of this isn’t to glorify an experience of mine or even to say “look out for my new band!” It’s more along the lines of this: Worrying about what art will be, before the art actually IS, can only hurt art. This goes for all modes and genres, and other areas of life as well. Just get it all out there, put all of your heart into something and if it sounds/looks/tastes/feels like mush, then its mush. However, the more we do it, the better it becomes. So, long story short, just jam!

Here’s a real fortune I got out of a fortune cookie my sophmore year of college: “Stop wasting time stringing and tuning your instruments… start making music now!” My response was “Touche, universe. Touche.”

Now my heart stumbles on things I don\’t know.

The theme here in the butter-pear wilderness this week is success. I’ve discovered, through the combination of deep ponderings and being a recent college graduate, that success is one of the strangest concepts to ever come 0ut of a human mind. I’m sure others have had the same uncertain relationship with this slippery expectation. In terms of music, success typically means that someone is paying you big bucks to make your music, and you can buy your record at Best Buy. However, being the emotional-honesty-purist and societal skeptic that I am, I would beg to differ.

I’m of the mind that musicians should seek only personal creative success, which can be defined through experiences. These can be as simple as hearing back something you’ve done and truly realizing that you would buy your record if you were not you. Is that simple? I don’t know, I’m too simple-minded to figure… or maybe that is generally complicated. Can you actually endure an out of body experience and listen to your own work without a tainted ear? I guess the problem there is that you will always know that it’s you you’re listening to. Regardless, I digress… the feeling of true personal creative success is a step above satisfaction. You can be satisfied, but not happy. You can also be happy but not satisfied.

I recently had a conversation with my father while home for the fourth about this very thing. While he was working hard and pushing on more than needed, someone had said to him, “you’re never happy with your work, are you?” My dad replied “I’m happy, I’m just not satisfied.” At the end of our conversation, though, Dad and I decided that the proper way to phrase his thinking was “I’m usually happy with my work, and I’m often satisfied with my work, I’m just not done working.”

There is a strange assumption that comes along with “success” that you’re done. For example, in music, you have a long career of riches and romping, and then your record label asks you to make a “greatest hits” record. I’m sure many famous musicians have met that request with a big “Woah! Woah! Hold on! I’m not that old!” The thing is though, I don’t think success as an outside standard for an artist can really be achieved… only personal creative success can be achieved: you can be happy and satisfied with your own music, and damn does that feel great. However, if you’re done, then why did you start in the first place? Art is not a means to an end, it’s art. I just recently read a great quote from an author that Incubus’ Brandon Boyd utilized in a letter to fans about his new unexpected solo album, it says:

“Art, like love, is what makes the world fresh and new. However, this revitalization cannot be said to be art’s purpose. Art revitalizes precisely because it has no purpose except to engage our senses. The emancipating jounce of inspired uselessness.”

To top this article off, I will turn to the genius of Alan Watts. In one of my favorite speeches of Alan’s he first makes the statement that the best composers in music are the ones who create the most beauty, not the ones who conduct the fastest and are the first to reach the end of their piece. He then describes the system of success that Western culture has created: You’re in middle school with the intention of making it to high school, high school with the intention of going to college, college with the intention to get a better job and make more money for stuff, etc. He discusses how this process is seemingly a race to an end, when that’s not what life is. In fact, racing through life, moving up and up in “status” until you retire is precisely the opposite of what we should be worrying about in life. Talking of reaching the end of this race (retirement) he says, “but then you realize that it was all a musical thing… and you should have been singing and dancing along the whole time.”

My Girls

Hola Jungle dwellers! The theme on the site this week is why now isn’t so bad. The answer for this with music is actually pretty simple – and it comes in two halves. The first half is actually right above the text you’re reading now, in fact it’s right in everything you’re looking at – the internet! I wanted you to hear “My Girls” by Animal Collective, so all I had to do was post a link to the YouTube video above. What an amazing tool for spreading music! How would you have gotten into some of your favorite new artists without them having a MySpace? You don’t even have to go to the record store anymore to buy an album! The internet has revolutionized music itself in a great way. We all know that it’s not doing good for the actual music industry, (we know, Lars Ulrich, we know) but it’s doing and has done incredible things for music itself. So the power of the internet is the first half of why now isn’t so bad in the world of music.

The second half has been made possible by the internet. It’s the freedom of our current musical climate, and how it has given such wonderful support to innovation. The condition of the general American public has been subject to a lot of unrest. However, the unrest is actually a good thing when it comes to the world of music, because it causes many to express themselves through instruments and melodies. The current musical climate is so insanely diverse that my excitement for it can’t be contained.  The great thing about all of this is that listeners are hungry for what’s different and unique instead of what they’re used to. Seems like an awesome base for what might happen in the future of music. Here’s an example of the crazy diversity we’ve come to look for in modern music:

www.iamdof.com

Attempts at comedy aside, I’ve prepared a list of my favorite albums. However, I find it 100% impossible to actually rate these on a numbered scale or anything similar. I can force myself to give numbers to favorite album of the year lists, but without the year restriction, I would just toil endlessly over the numbers and waste my life away. However, I did limit myself to one album per artist, which was tough. So in no particular order, here are some of my favorite records!

- “Abbey Road” by the Beatles (1969)

- “OK Computer” by Radiohead (1997)

- “The Central Park Concert” by Dave Matthews Band (2003)

- “The Shepherd’s Dog” by Iron & Wine (2007)

- “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd (1973)

- “Fleet Foxes” by Fleet Foxes (2008)

- “Morning View” by Incubus (2001)

- “Music from the motion picture Road to Perdition” by Thomas Newman (2002)

- “The Moon and Antarctica”  by Modest Mouse (2000)

- “Till the Sun Turns Black” by Ray LaMontagne (2006)

- “Game Theory” by The Roots (2006)

- “Cruel Sun” by Rusted Root (1992)

- “Veckatimest” by Grizzly Bear (2009)

- “Modern Mistakes” by Almost Free (2009)

- “Are You Experienced?” by Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

- “Weezer (the Blue Album)” by Weezer (1994)

- “Z” by My Morning Jacket (2005)

- “Whatever & Ever Amen” by Ben Folds Five (1997)

- “Watch the Rain EP” by Changes (self-produced, 2005)

- “Thickfreakness” by the Black Keys (2003)

- “Music from the motion picture Signs” by James Newton Howard (2002)

- “Merriweather Post Pavilion” by Animal Collective (2009)

- “The Flying Club Cup” by Beirut (2007)

- “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” by the Flaming Lips (2002)

PS: this would be a fun post to have lots of comments/discussion on! What do you agree with, and/or what do you think I’m way off on? Don’t be shy, Jungle people.

You Ain’t Never Had My Cornbread…

Before I get into the meat of this week’s food-related post (I can’t decide if the pun was intended or not), I’d just like to pose a simple challenge. Try to think of the number of people in your life who straight-up don’t enjoy eating. Can’t think of any? Now try to count the number of people in your life who straight-up don’t enjoy music. Coming up short? I thought so. Coincidence? I think not! Anyway, onto the main course…

Two of my best friends, who I might as well call my brothers, serve insanely well as the inspiration to this post. Alex Atkin and Ben Darcie can both play a mean guitar, and the number of total hours we’ve jammed together probably runs somewhere into the thousands. We connect on some kind of cosmic level when we play together — the kind of connection that jazz players develop with one another, only not nearly to that extent. One of the best things about playing with them is our collective awe toward other musicians and our resulting dumbfoundedness at how relatively un-talented we feel. With that kind of mentality, we’re constantly teaching one another and constantly learning.

Through my relationship with these two gents and a handful of my other friends I’ve also learned that when passion and meaning are applied to human expression and creation, the lines between the arts start to blur. Alex, along with 3 or 4 of my other long time buddies, is an inventive brewer of delicious beer. In fact, he was recently hired by Founder’s Brewing Co in Grand Rapids, where his passion is sure to send him skyrocketing up the ladder of employees. Ben, on the other hand, is quite the phenomenal cook. He’s worked his food-crafting magic at various restaurants, and the way he talks about food is astounding. The man could sell Ghandi a McDonald’s double cheeseburger. They both have occupational roots in the creation of food and beverage, and the three of us create music together. Over time, we’ve slowly started to realize how cooking food, brewing and music are essentially the same both in creative process and in enjoyment.

There are, of course, the obvious links, such as word usage like “man that was a tasty lick!” “ooh, what a crunchy guitar tone” or “what a beefy rhythm.” However, we seem to go far beyond these simple comparisons and just drop subtlety altogether. Alex once actually challenged me to describe one of his beers in musical terms. Somewhere in the process I remember talking about how the lemon flavor he added was a smooth violin crescendo of flavor as opposed to a snare drum hit. I’m not sure how much sense my response actually made, but at least it gave us some laughs.

The point is, I feel like I could’ve written a post this week about what food keeps musicians going, or what famous rock stars eat before they play… but I love thinking about the connection between the arts. Whatever your personal art is, whether it be food, music, beer, painting, dance, or even math, if you’re passionate enough about it, you’ll never be alone. You’ll always have someone to talk to who’s sitting on the other side scratching their head about where to go with their latest project, musing about some new development, or just generally geeking out about something they’ve made. We’re all artists if we care enough about something, and that seems to be a message that this whole site promotes and loves to see flourish. So, for example, if you’re a music lover, try eating your food like you listen to a new album of your favorite band. Man will that meal be delicious!

Two of Us

“Friendship,” is the theme of the week here in the Jungle, and it is one that is of vital importance to music. Now I’m not an artistic expert, a savant, or a seasoned genius, but I’m of the mind that one should never do something creative entirely alone. Art is the rawest form of communication, and truly the most human form of expression. In fact, I’d say it is human nature to gravitate toward creating art. That being said, the desire to be loved or to be surrounded by those who love you is also human nature. If we’re breaking this down like a logical argument, then it seems you should definitely have a trusted pack of buddies by your side while crafting some tunes.

Music is, after all, a medium made to be experienced by many people simultaneously. Speakers pump waves through the air that are seldom only heard by one person. As a collective experience, music connects us in a way that not many things can, because for that brief period of time in the duration of a song, every listener is equal and unified as they are all instantaneous interpreters of those sounds. Naturally then, more than one person should be responsible for the birth of this experience, in order to properly convey a message.

This seems to be universally understood in today’s music world. However, there are varying extremes of how many friends it takes to piece together a song. Some choose to be solo artists who merely consult a handful of others to make sure their latest “hit” isn’t only a “hit” in their eyes. Others like to work in teams, but keep it to a bare minimum. Take Akron, Ohio’s phenomenal raw-nasty blues duo the Black Keys for example:

The Black Keys in Abbey Road Studios

There’s some great insights into both their creative process and their friendship in that video. I had the privilege of catching the Keys live at Lollapalooza 2007, and they were virtually the loudest act there. The loudest act and the smallest act? Wild, I know. Anyway, there’s also a trend—in indie music especially, having adopted mentalities from the 60′s and 70′s—of having more people than ever lending their artistic interpretations to the creation of a song. Bands such as the Polyphonic Spree and I’m From Barcelona have upwards of twenty members. Is this a fantastic way to make sure you’ll never make bad music because at least one of those twenty would catch it? Or is it just plain nuts? This unusually crowded stage approach seems to be the former for the critically acclaimed Broken Social Scene:

Broken Social Scene live

Regardless of how many “friends” a musician or group of musicians utilize, it seems that the true deciding factor of how the well music progresses as it passes through each person’s artistic filter is the honest strength of those friendships. Though some have found they can hold their own by themselves, alone in a room making great music, truly great art can be achieved wonderfully through collaboration of true friends, and I believe it shows in a group/artist’s sound when this relationship is present.

Also: I’ve decided not to post just a brief clip on this post for fear of not doing it justice, but if you want to see an incredible instance of the kind of power a friendship can have on music, pop in the DVD Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City, turn to the special features and watch the “So Damn Lucky” documentary.

Soundtrack to this post: “Dollars & Cents” by Radiohead, from Amnesiac. (I’ll be doing this for every post I make. It will always be a song that relates directly to what the content of the post, and you can listen to it while reading, after reading, or not at all! Just a suggestion, and honestly, another excuse to share music!)

Radiohead performs “Dollars & Cents” on BBC Sessions.

“Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today. But if you ask for a rise, it’s no surprise that they’re giving none away.” Too right you were, Roger Waters.

Making true art in our mile-a-minute capitalist society has always been a tricky process. So much so, that one would instantly assume and anticipate a struggle after making the decision to pursue music as a career. That is, unless you have the unhindered backing of a big-time record label like in your dreams. However, all too often the concept of profit is held in higher regard than the concept of true musicianship. Pressure to sell and mold your sound accordingly definitely wasn’t in your dream, but it is without a doubt in the reality of major labels. As a result, there is an intense increase in the number of bands who have dropped from the big-label scene to lesser indie supporters, allowing them to do what they want. After the monumental success of their 2008 self titled debut, Seattle’s Fleet Foxes were met by five offers from the big dogs, and they turned every single one down. Their lead songwriter, Robin Pecknold was quoted as saying that major labels were “anti-music.” Quite a bold statement, but a justified one. When profit enters into the artistic process, it begins to feel like attempting to fit a circle into a square. This odd couple of the rigid, money-based world and the fluid universe of music is the foundation for the “music industry,” and I think we can all agree it’s a shaky one.

To utilize a metaphor that will solidify my nerd-dom, profit seems to be to music as The Force is to Jedi knights. The right amount of money used in the right way can be the light from heaven for a band or musician. It can provide new equipment for experimentation of tones and sounds. It can increase the overall well being and comfort of the musicians, allowing them to forget about monetary stresses and focus on true expression. For example, imagine if a musician like Andrew Bird, whose multi-instrumentalist and arranger characteristics impress the buh-Jesus out of every listener, never had the money to buy a loop-pedal?

Andrew Bird performs the mind-blowing “Anonanimal”

However, money can be a true poison to good music. Success, if large enough, can induce a kind of artistic apathy in later work. We’ve all heard the term “sell-out” that is all-too-often thrown around by angsty punkers and hipsters showcasing their disgust for anything the general public enjoys. However, the term does hold some kind of meaning at it’s core. Enough profit can promote changes in music to steer it more toward the direction of mass popularity. It can also promote a static nature to a band that has achieved recognition for their single, and chooses then to simply replicate that formula to keep the bankroll bulky. Take Nickelback for example: A band that gets debris thrown at their foreheads at their own concerts for their general artistic dishonesty.

Nickelback’s Narrow Escape

The bottom line is, music is an everchanging, plasmatic entity. It’s already extremely risky to box it and tranform it into a product. The purity of this audible artform can be nearly destroyed by attempting to squeeze it into a monetary system. However, everybody’s gotta eat, right? And musicians definitely aren’t nobody. What determines the distinction between profit being a blessing or a curse to music is the honesty and strength of the artists themselves. Fortunately for us, there are enough genuine artistic geniuses in today’s world to provide us with one of the most unique and groundbreaking musical climates the world has ever seen.