Saturday, May 28, 2011
I'm Stuck In Blogging On Music Topics
Everyone, comment here on what I should write about music related. Topics, bands, albums, radio, ideas, theories, whatever.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Artist Vs. Song
I recently asked for blog post suggestions on Facebook, and Kyle Gardner suggested a very interesting topic. Here is what he said:
"My Dad always said in his day songs were popular not artists. Artists would remake the same song. I always thought it would be interesting to research this. I like the idea that the music is the star not simply the musician."
I like this. This has always been an interesting concept to me. Why is it that these days everyone knows about Britney Spears, but only a handful of people know more than 10 songs she has released? On the flip side, why does everyone know the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" but few people know who wrote it?
Obviously those are just general examples, but there is a point behind it.
These days, money is poured into people or acts with the proper image, top notch performance ability, and talent. Many writers may go into composing one Justin Bieber song.
Back in the day, things were different. One person would write great music, and perform it brilliantly. These people caught the attention of record labels, who might offer some extra income by selling recorded music.
Written music was extremely flexible. Take, for example, "Ain't No Grave" If you're thinking Johnny Cash, then yeah, that song. But that's a pretty modern way of thinking.
You see, "Ain't No Grave" was written by a 12 year old boy named Claude Ely in 1934. He was sick and bedridden, so he taught himself how to play the guitar. When he was told that he would be dying soon, he said "No I most certainly am not" and played what would become known as "Ain't No Grave." He got better, attributed his health to an act of God, and went on to become a travelling preacher playing that song frequently.
This song has been released dozens of times by dozens of chart-topping bands and artists from a wide array of genres.
So why is it that once a song is released these days, no one is allowed to touch it? Why should that be ruled off limits for promotional purposes? Why do we let the artists become the stars rather than the music?
"My Dad always said in his day songs were popular not artists. Artists would remake the same song. I always thought it would be interesting to research this. I like the idea that the music is the star not simply the musician."
I like this. This has always been an interesting concept to me. Why is it that these days everyone knows about Britney Spears, but only a handful of people know more than 10 songs she has released? On the flip side, why does everyone know the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" but few people know who wrote it?
Obviously those are just general examples, but there is a point behind it.
These days, money is poured into people or acts with the proper image, top notch performance ability, and talent. Many writers may go into composing one Justin Bieber song.
Back in the day, things were different. One person would write great music, and perform it brilliantly. These people caught the attention of record labels, who might offer some extra income by selling recorded music.
Written music was extremely flexible. Take, for example, "Ain't No Grave" If you're thinking Johnny Cash, then yeah, that song. But that's a pretty modern way of thinking.
You see, "Ain't No Grave" was written by a 12 year old boy named Claude Ely in 1934. He was sick and bedridden, so he taught himself how to play the guitar. When he was told that he would be dying soon, he said "No I most certainly am not" and played what would become known as "Ain't No Grave." He got better, attributed his health to an act of God, and went on to become a travelling preacher playing that song frequently.
This song has been released dozens of times by dozens of chart-topping bands and artists from a wide array of genres.
So why is it that once a song is released these days, no one is allowed to touch it? Why should that be ruled off limits for promotional purposes? Why do we let the artists become the stars rather than the music?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Ark Music Factory: The Demise of Music
I'm not even going to ask, I already know the answer. You've heard "Friday" by Rebecca Black. With that, there is a 99% chance that you also agree it is probably one of the worst songs ever made. But if you're like me, you also noticed that the production of the song is really good, the video is pretty legit, and it is undeniable that it is way too catchy. These signs led me to one question; "Who is behind this catastrophe?"
Ark Music Factory. Thank you Google. Ark Music Factory is basically a team that finds kids with rich parents that want to be famous, get a check from those parents for a few grand, and then go make a song. As you can tell from "Friday", the songs are generally catchy, marketable to teeny-boppers, and suck.
Here's my thoughts: If they can do all this marketing and production for a horrible artist with a horrible song for a $4,000 check, why doesn't someone invest in the good artists with a catalogue of good music and make more money off the royalties? The risk and math lean toward the good music.
Ark Music Factory. Thank you Google. Ark Music Factory is basically a team that finds kids with rich parents that want to be famous, get a check from those parents for a few grand, and then go make a song. As you can tell from "Friday", the songs are generally catchy, marketable to teeny-boppers, and suck.
Here's my thoughts: If they can do all this marketing and production for a horrible artist with a horrible song for a $4,000 check, why doesn't someone invest in the good artists with a catalogue of good music and make more money off the royalties? The risk and math lean toward the good music.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Lady Gaga "Judas" - Song Meaning?
It kind of says something about Lady Gaga when I write two blogs about her. She's cool and all, but after the last one I thought that would be the last you heard of Lady Gaga from me. Then, on April 15th, 2011, she released the song "Judas".
The single is off of her upcoming album Born This Way. If you haven't been keeping track of the pre-production, production, and promotion, here's all you need to know:
The first single released was the title track, "Born This Way"
The second single is this song, "Judas"
She has described it as, (parental advisory) "something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress"
A little crucial background info on Lady Gaga: She is absolutely a performance artist, 110% of her body is composed of creativity, she is unafraid of criticism, she loves her fans, and even her most mainstream, pop-ish songs have an often startling underlying layer of raw realness. So raw and real in fact, that the Catholic church has condemned her.
Okay so here's the classic Sam DeCross, Mixed In The Music artist/music breakdown. Ready? Go.
Lady Gaga, after repeatedly causing controversy and shocking the press by her repeated wild costumes, rumors, truths, etc; announces an album called Born This Way.
Lady Gaga releases the single conveniently named "Born This Way." Here it is below.
Now, the thing about Lady Gaga's lyrical content and presentation through her music usually seems like she's throwing it in your face as if she's saying "THIS IS ME, DEAL WITH IT." I've always perceived it as if she was just in that awkward situation where someone puts you on the spot and you freeze, but as soon as you walk away your head starts whirling in that "I'll tell you what I think, I'm on top of the world and I'm not afraid to tell anyone what's what in my book" kind of thing. I think this is why her followers find something to relate to in the meat-dress wearing pop star. For the 3 minutes of a Lady Gaga song, you don't even have to vent. She'll do it for you. I think the song "Born This Way" was the peak of that mindset. Let out everything that you are too afraid to show publicly because of what others might think.
In a more literal sense as I interpreted from the lyrics, she's saying "There is nothing wrong with who I am. I am what I am, God made me this way. If God decided I was the kind of person he would allow on Earth then who are you to challenge that?"
This obviously hit a nerve with a lot of people. Once that happened, all it did was prove the point that just because you make a point doesn't mean that you are forgiven. Even after she pointed out that, "Hey, I was born this way" she was still attacked and criticized for the same old things and more.
Cue the song "Judas". Here it is below.
The first time I heard it, I was like "Wow." I immediately thought of the scenes in Get Him To The Greek where Jackie O is singing those raunchy songs full of sexual innuendos that were so offensive it came out comical. So, I listened again and payed closer attention to the lyrics. It was then that I realized, "Wait... I know who Judas is!" Obviously she can't LITERALLY be saying she's in love with the biblical figure Judas, the man who turned Jesus over to be crucified.
Her "Judas" ties right into "Born This Way." Now this isn't going to keep the Catholic church away, but if God created her the way she is, why is it the people that criticize her the most are those who claim to represent God? Her Judas is the very way that God made her. Her Judas is her passion, her free spirit, her open support for the LGBT community, her standing up for the outcasts, her open raw reality that she shares with whoever listens.
I wonder what the next chapter in the Lady Gaga Born This Way tell-all will be...
Special thanks to Melissa for suggesting this topic. Good call.
The single is off of her upcoming album Born This Way. If you haven't been keeping track of the pre-production, production, and promotion, here's all you need to know:
The first single released was the title track, "Born This Way"
The second single is this song, "Judas"
She has described it as, (parental advisory) "something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress"
A little crucial background info on Lady Gaga: She is absolutely a performance artist, 110% of her body is composed of creativity, she is unafraid of criticism, she loves her fans, and even her most mainstream, pop-ish songs have an often startling underlying layer of raw realness. So raw and real in fact, that the Catholic church has condemned her.
Okay so here's the classic Sam DeCross, Mixed In The Music artist/music breakdown. Ready? Go.
Lady Gaga, after repeatedly causing controversy and shocking the press by her repeated wild costumes, rumors, truths, etc; announces an album called Born This Way.
Lady Gaga releases the single conveniently named "Born This Way." Here it is below.
Now, the thing about Lady Gaga's lyrical content and presentation through her music usually seems like she's throwing it in your face as if she's saying "THIS IS ME, DEAL WITH IT." I've always perceived it as if she was just in that awkward situation where someone puts you on the spot and you freeze, but as soon as you walk away your head starts whirling in that "I'll tell you what I think, I'm on top of the world and I'm not afraid to tell anyone what's what in my book" kind of thing. I think this is why her followers find something to relate to in the meat-dress wearing pop star. For the 3 minutes of a Lady Gaga song, you don't even have to vent. She'll do it for you. I think the song "Born This Way" was the peak of that mindset. Let out everything that you are too afraid to show publicly because of what others might think.
In a more literal sense as I interpreted from the lyrics, she's saying "There is nothing wrong with who I am. I am what I am, God made me this way. If God decided I was the kind of person he would allow on Earth then who are you to challenge that?"
This obviously hit a nerve with a lot of people. Once that happened, all it did was prove the point that just because you make a point doesn't mean that you are forgiven. Even after she pointed out that, "Hey, I was born this way" she was still attacked and criticized for the same old things and more.
Cue the song "Judas". Here it is below.
The first time I heard it, I was like "Wow." I immediately thought of the scenes in Get Him To The Greek where Jackie O is singing those raunchy songs full of sexual innuendos that were so offensive it came out comical. So, I listened again and payed closer attention to the lyrics. It was then that I realized, "Wait... I know who Judas is!" Obviously she can't LITERALLY be saying she's in love with the biblical figure Judas, the man who turned Jesus over to be crucified.
Her "Judas" ties right into "Born This Way." Now this isn't going to keep the Catholic church away, but if God created her the way she is, why is it the people that criticize her the most are those who claim to represent God? Her Judas is the very way that God made her. Her Judas is her passion, her free spirit, her open support for the LGBT community, her standing up for the outcasts, her open raw reality that she shares with whoever listens.
I wonder what the next chapter in the Lady Gaga Born This Way tell-all will be...
Special thanks to Melissa for suggesting this topic. Good call.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Spread The Word!
If you like any of these posts or the whole blog in general, PLEASE spread the word! There is a row of Share buttons below each post including a Facebook one. Share posts, strum up conversations, etc! And by all means, GET INVOLVED! If you want to see a post written about something, or even if you want to write a post, let me know and we'll talk!
Pace and Constant - Conscious Rap At Its Finest
I'll kick this post off by stating that yeah, I know these kids. Not only that, I manage Pace. I just want to put that out there right now so I'll be the first to say I have a bias on this post. But dang, it's a blog not a Time Magazine article.
So a few months back I'm putting on a Hip-Hop show in Phoenix, AZ. On the bill are local artists like New Breedz, 4XL Ent, Stunna Mike, good ol' bumpin Hip-Hop. As I'm posting on Facebook at LEAST once a day about the show, this kid Constant says "Hey man, you got any open slots on that show?"
Since I've heard his music (also amazing artist btw) I say "Sure, come on down."
Sure enough that night he's there, and he brings a buddy along, Pace. The night is absolutely horrible, there's maybe 15 people in the "crowd", the sound was absolutely bad, and the schedule was being thrown off every five minutes. Every single artist there was just throwing it down and taking advantage of an open stage and a microphone. From a promoter's standpoint the night was a wreck; from an artists standpoint, why not have fun. As each rapper performs the girls are dancing and the guys are giving that repetitive nod like, "Yeah, you're good."
Everyone has done their set, and it's time for Constant and Pace to go on. As soon as they get on stage, they don't look like they belong. One's a white kid you would expect to see shopping for 2XL Hollister tees, the other a slim asian-ish kid that always looks like his brain is going a million miles an hour; definitely stops to smell the roses. Obviously the room is kind of quiet, just wondering what is going to happen. Constant starts. His song "Night" begins, the instrumental playing while he holds the mic in both hands in front of him, his eyes down as if in prayer. As a recorded narrator reads a small excerpt from Elie Wiesel's book Night, written about the Holocaust. He looks up slowly... with the mic snatched up to his lips and a hand thrown out toward the 15 person crowd, he slams into the song.
Here's the song:
Night by Constant by sdec
Here's a video of Constant performing the song Night at his High School talent show.
Wow. The crowd didn't dance. They didn't nod their heads. They just stood completely still. Some stared at him, some stared at the ground. Maybe a wall. Who knows what they were looking at. It's funny to say, but for the first time that night at a concert, people were actually listening.
Next up is Pace. He does his song Forrest, a play off of the movie Forrest Gump.
I'm not going to say much about Pace. I want you to find out yourself. If you live in Phoenix, he has a show May 13, 2011 at Club Red. You can hear his music below, or at www.reverbnation.com/paceaz
Also check out his Facebook at www.facebook.com/paceofficial
If I could manage both artists I would. Constant lives in Flagstaff, AZ right now, attending NAU. He is releasing an album soon, and as soon as I have details on it you will too. The last thing I'm linking into here is one of my favorite songs that was done as a group called 3PM, which consisted of Constant, Vice Versa, and Pace. The song is called "Top Of The World".
Top of the World by 3PM by sdec
So a few months back I'm putting on a Hip-Hop show in Phoenix, AZ. On the bill are local artists like New Breedz, 4XL Ent, Stunna Mike, good ol' bumpin Hip-Hop. As I'm posting on Facebook at LEAST once a day about the show, this kid Constant says "Hey man, you got any open slots on that show?"
Since I've heard his music (also amazing artist btw) I say "Sure, come on down."
Sure enough that night he's there, and he brings a buddy along, Pace. The night is absolutely horrible, there's maybe 15 people in the "crowd", the sound was absolutely bad, and the schedule was being thrown off every five minutes. Every single artist there was just throwing it down and taking advantage of an open stage and a microphone. From a promoter's standpoint the night was a wreck; from an artists standpoint, why not have fun. As each rapper performs the girls are dancing and the guys are giving that repetitive nod like, "Yeah, you're good."
Everyone has done their set, and it's time for Constant and Pace to go on. As soon as they get on stage, they don't look like they belong. One's a white kid you would expect to see shopping for 2XL Hollister tees, the other a slim asian-ish kid that always looks like his brain is going a million miles an hour; definitely stops to smell the roses. Obviously the room is kind of quiet, just wondering what is going to happen. Constant starts. His song "Night" begins, the instrumental playing while he holds the mic in both hands in front of him, his eyes down as if in prayer. As a recorded narrator reads a small excerpt from Elie Wiesel's book Night, written about the Holocaust. He looks up slowly... with the mic snatched up to his lips and a hand thrown out toward the 15 person crowd, he slams into the song.
Here's the song:
Night by Constant by sdec
Here's a video of Constant performing the song Night at his High School talent show.
Wow. The crowd didn't dance. They didn't nod their heads. They just stood completely still. Some stared at him, some stared at the ground. Maybe a wall. Who knows what they were looking at. It's funny to say, but for the first time that night at a concert, people were actually listening.
Next up is Pace. He does his song Forrest, a play off of the movie Forrest Gump.
I'm not going to say much about Pace. I want you to find out yourself. If you live in Phoenix, he has a show May 13, 2011 at Club Red. You can hear his music below, or at www.reverbnation.com/paceaz
Also check out his Facebook at www.facebook.com/paceofficial
If I could manage both artists I would. Constant lives in Flagstaff, AZ right now, attending NAU. He is releasing an album soon, and as soon as I have details on it you will too. The last thing I'm linking into here is one of my favorite songs that was done as a group called 3PM, which consisted of Constant, Vice Versa, and Pace. The song is called "Top Of The World".
Top of the World by 3PM by sdec
Sound Strike - The Day The Music Died In Arizona
THIS POST IS EXTREMELY OPINIONATED AND OUT OF CHARACTER FROM WHAT I NORMALLY WRITE. PLEASE KNOW THIS AND CONSIDER WHEN JUDGING MIXED IN THE MUSIC
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You know how there's that whole thing going on in Arizona where everyone is racist and every single person is attacking Mexicans just because they are brown? How there is this crazy governor, and that insane sheriff that all the white people love because they hate Mexicans too? Have you realized I'm being completely sarcastic?
Yes, there is a senate bill floating around, SB-1070, that is causing a massive hooplah. It has been pegged as racist, hateful, and unconstitutional. This bill has somehow made ALL Arizonans racist Joe Arpaio supporters who like to raid businesses for illegals. To be honest, I think that is a bigger issue than SB-1070 itself. Let's be honest, we all know that bill isn't going anywhere. Even if it did it wouldn't do anything. All the horrible parts in it that were there in the beginning are gone, all that's left is this empty shell of a proposal that was so lame to begin with that Arizonans have kind of forgotten about it.
I live in Arizona. Phoenix actually. I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood. If someone were to specifically ask me how illegal immigrants have directly affected me, I would be stumped. The majority of Arizonans that support SB-1070 would be too. You know who REALLY has NOT suffered ANY impact from illegal immigration? Arizonan Musicians. Arizonan Music Industry professionals. Promoters, managers, merch printers, sound techs, A&R reps, marketing execs, label owners, graphic designers, web developers, audio engineers, studio owners, photographers, writers and journalists, distributors, printers, keep the list going. You know what kind of people are most publicly against SB-1070? Arizonans involved in the music industry. You know who is now being boycotted? Arizonans involved in the music industry.
The Sound Strike is an organization that has decided it would be appropriate to teach Arizonans a lesson and not play any shows here. Yes, that is correct; a community has decided that the best way to act on an issue is to NOT join forces with the local like-minded folks and spread awareness. Umm... Good plan? They say the reason the Arizona music scene is being punished is because the state governement only cares about the bottom line: money. They say that as if the state government actually notices that money comes in from concerts. It's time to run some numbers.
Let's say that Kanye West (one of the artists participating in The Sound Strike) actually did decide to play in Arizona and risk funding a government deportation palooza. His highest grossing tour ever was his 2008 Glow In The Dark tour, which grossed $30.8 million and included 49 concerts. Take that and average out the gross income per each concert, and it's generous to assume that a single Kanye West concert would gross $614,000. Now take that gross income, and assume 6% gets handed over as taxes. $40,000 just got passed to the government. Multiply that by 15, as that would be about as much money as all those artists combined would make in Arizona within a year, and the government has saved up $600,000 from your concerts. NOW lets take that total of $600k and figure out what percentage goes to law enforcement; about $48,000. Now to the law enforcement who would actually be tracking down illegal immigrants, should this bill somehow come to life and pass? Not quite $1,500. Congrats Sound Strike. Throughout a whole year of your boycotting, losing money for yourself, putting our local professionals out of work, burning bridges between you and the Arizonans who had wanted to work with you, you prevented one officer from getting hired on. Or one truck from getting gas for a month. You may have prevented them from buying a three month supply of zip-tie handcuffs. Who knows, maybe you just cut funding for first aid kits in border patrol vehicles. Maybe you pissed off a cop so bad he actually wanted to ask a random hispanic person for their birth certificate, just to make you feel like you were fighting for something.
Let me put this simply. There is a community (hispanics) that are being targeted by a smaller community with more power (couple whackos in government). To counter this, a small community with power (The Sound Strike) is targeting a larger community (Arizonans). Again, ignore the irony.
All we want is our national community to help us fight SB-1070. Not whatever The Sound Strike is doing. Someone from somewhere other than Arizona form an organization that will actually do something to help keep families together, keep food on families tables, etc. I'm surprised that My Chemical Romance couldn't come up with a better publicity strategy than pretending to care about a poorly-planned humanitarian cause. Do a cover or something.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS POST IS EXTREMELY OPINIONATED AND OUT OF CHARACTER FROM WHAT I NORMALLY WRITE. PLEASE KNOW THIS AND CONSIDER WHEN JUDGING MIXED IN THE MUSIC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know how there's that whole thing going on in Arizona where everyone is racist and every single person is attacking Mexicans just because they are brown? How there is this crazy governor, and that insane sheriff that all the white people love because they hate Mexicans too? Have you realized I'm being completely sarcastic?
Yes, there is a senate bill floating around, SB-1070, that is causing a massive hooplah. It has been pegged as racist, hateful, and unconstitutional. This bill has somehow made ALL Arizonans racist Joe Arpaio supporters who like to raid businesses for illegals. To be honest, I think that is a bigger issue than SB-1070 itself. Let's be honest, we all know that bill isn't going anywhere. Even if it did it wouldn't do anything. All the horrible parts in it that were there in the beginning are gone, all that's left is this empty shell of a proposal that was so lame to begin with that Arizonans have kind of forgotten about it.
I live in Arizona. Phoenix actually. I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood. If someone were to specifically ask me how illegal immigrants have directly affected me, I would be stumped. The majority of Arizonans that support SB-1070 would be too. You know who REALLY has NOT suffered ANY impact from illegal immigration? Arizonan Musicians. Arizonan Music Industry professionals. Promoters, managers, merch printers, sound techs, A&R reps, marketing execs, label owners, graphic designers, web developers, audio engineers, studio owners, photographers, writers and journalists, distributors, printers, keep the list going. You know what kind of people are most publicly against SB-1070? Arizonans involved in the music industry. You know who is now being boycotted? Arizonans involved in the music industry.
The Sound Strike is an organization that has decided it would be appropriate to teach Arizonans a lesson and not play any shows here. Yes, that is correct; a community has decided that the best way to act on an issue is to NOT join forces with the local like-minded folks and spread awareness. Umm... Good plan? They say the reason the Arizona music scene is being punished is because the state governement only cares about the bottom line: money. They say that as if the state government actually notices that money comes in from concerts. It's time to run some numbers.
Let's say that Kanye West (one of the artists participating in The Sound Strike) actually did decide to play in Arizona and risk funding a government deportation palooza. His highest grossing tour ever was his 2008 Glow In The Dark tour, which grossed $30.8 million and included 49 concerts. Take that and average out the gross income per each concert, and it's generous to assume that a single Kanye West concert would gross $614,000. Now take that gross income, and assume 6% gets handed over as taxes. $40,000 just got passed to the government. Multiply that by 15, as that would be about as much money as all those artists combined would make in Arizona within a year, and the government has saved up $600,000 from your concerts. NOW lets take that total of $600k and figure out what percentage goes to law enforcement; about $48,000. Now to the law enforcement who would actually be tracking down illegal immigrants, should this bill somehow come to life and pass? Not quite $1,500. Congrats Sound Strike. Throughout a whole year of your boycotting, losing money for yourself, putting our local professionals out of work, burning bridges between you and the Arizonans who had wanted to work with you, you prevented one officer from getting hired on. Or one truck from getting gas for a month. You may have prevented them from buying a three month supply of zip-tie handcuffs. Who knows, maybe you just cut funding for first aid kits in border patrol vehicles. Maybe you pissed off a cop so bad he actually wanted to ask a random hispanic person for their birth certificate, just to make you feel like you were fighting for something.
Let me put this simply. There is a community (hispanics) that are being targeted by a smaller community with more power (couple whackos in government). To counter this, a small community with power (The Sound Strike) is targeting a larger community (Arizonans). Again, ignore the irony.
All we want is our national community to help us fight SB-1070. Not whatever The Sound Strike is doing. Someone from somewhere other than Arizona form an organization that will actually do something to help keep families together, keep food on families tables, etc. I'm surprised that My Chemical Romance couldn't come up with a better publicity strategy than pretending to care about a poorly-planned humanitarian cause. Do a cover or something.
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THIS POST IS EXTREMELY OPINIONATED AND OUT OF CHARACTER FROM WHAT I NORMALLY WRITE. PLEASE KNOW THIS AND CONSIDER WHEN JUDGING MIXED IN THE MUSIC
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