Sordo Music and its Legacy

We didn’t always stream music. Spotify and Pandora type services didn’t always exist. Yes, at one point the only way to hear music was to buy it in physical form. And perhaps I’m now old-school for continuing with that paradigm, but that’s aside from the point. At one point people only bought physical and where we’re at right now has people “owning” very little. But the transition wasn’t smooth or cut and dry.

There was this big transitional period. It started with stuff like Napster, torrent services where you could download your favorite music directly from someone else, digitally. It spawned the digital music era, really. Services like Napster flourished from Napster’s conception in 1999, through the early 2000’s. However, a few lawsuits soon put an end to the illegal torrenting. Sort of.

As the P2P networks began to fade, other options, such as file sharing servers, began to emerge. These were different in that it was much more shielded from legal prosecution. There weren’t seeds and leeches; instead, there was a place online where arbitrary files were uploaded and then were downloaded directly from the 3rd party server. Rapidshare, Megashare, and a host of others ruled those times. They’re similar to today’s DropBox, except all files were available to everyone. And up until the fall of Kim Dot Com a few years ago, these services flourished.

But what so many of these services lacked was an interface for discovery. You could search for your favorite bands and download entire discographies, but these rarely helped you to discover something new. Most of us relied on friends for direction in that area.

But the thing with friends is that they’re so often too similar to you. And they think they know you. So you get a list of recommendations that are probably all bands that have been floating around your friend circles for quite some time. And the second a friend recommends something you don’t like, you discount their future recommendations. They know that risk, so they play it safe. We have too many sources of influence to pursue something that’s not sure to wow us. And it only takes a few songs of wasted time to set us off. Today, now that YouTube has grown, it’s relatively easy to pull up a new artist’s video, but it only takes a few minutes of disappointment for us to start ignoring a once trusted source.

And there are a number of services that currently allow you to discover. But this is all based on “similar artists.” You rarely discover genres by similar-to-what-you-already-listen-to. If you’re truly looking for something revolutionary, you don’t have great outlets.

But once upon a time, there was something that seemingly trumped all other sources. There was this label, Sordo Music, that, in addition to having their own releases, also had a database that allowed users to post links and short descriptions to hosted music. There were pages upon pages of links and descriptions, covering genres from the most common to the most obscure. On a single page, you could find anything from Australian pop to Sweedish death metal to British math rock to Japanese acid rock and every weird niche in between.

And you could download as many or as few as you wanted. It was still not the most legal of ways, but it was about discovery. You didn’t go there to find something you had heard about; you didn’t go to find that one song from the radio. You went there to find something you’ve never heard of or could even conceptualize. These were bands and artists that you would, otherwise, have never come into contact with. And with no expectations and only a sentence of description, you had little to compare it to, aside from whatever you thought music to be.

Sordo was a reliable source. Sure, it let me down a few times, but the sheer volume of gold that was found far outnumbered the duds. It was all low-risk, relying on the desire to discover.

Unfortunately, as file hosting sites started to get governmental pressure, Sordo closed its doors to this tool. And I haven’t seen anything like it since.
Thought of all of this while listening to some of my favorites throughout the day.


Here are just a few of my Sordo finds from years past, with my best attempt at a Sordo-esque description. Check them all out, or only those that sound enticing, just like the original Sordo:


65daysofstatic – Electronic post rock with elements of glitch; heavy, fast, and energetic.
This Town Needs Guns – British soft spoken, guitar-driven math pop.
Foals – British vocals with heavily rhythmic dancey pop melodies and rock vibes.
When Icarus Falls – Epic, slow-building, orchestrally big metal with big, textural vocals.
There Will Be Fireworks – Scottish dynamic, story-telling rock.
So Many Dynamos – Dancey, energetic math pop-rock.
Phantods – Rock with amazingly haunting female vocals.


And if anyone knows of any modern version of Sordo, let me know!

Review - Lou Reed: Metal Machine Music

It’s confusing. You don’t hear stuff like this …ever. Not on purpose; not accidentally. I’ve heard the album questioned a number of times. I’ve had lengthy discussions on the album. I’ve heard rumors, but I also have my own theories. And I’m not really sure that the truth matters. Not for this one. Maybe it’s out there, but I’d rather speak on conjecture to what it could be and might mean.

This is Metal Machine Music. Best listened to at excessive volumes in a small, dark room, this is Lou Reed’s brainchild, consisting of an hour of nothing but modulated guitar feedback. My understanding is that this was recorded by taking two guitars and amps in a room, cranking them, and letting resonant harmonics do the rest. And that doesn’t seem too far from whatever the truth happens to be.

Essentially, it is one of the earliest and most well-known experiments delving into noise music. And this may be one of the rawest examples of noise music. After all, what else would you call an hour of guitar feedback?

But just as importantly as it is noise, I think there is music in there. Throughout the hour you hear oscillations, harmonic resonance, and amplitude swells. Those types of properties are what shape sound and what shape music. Those are some of the key building blocks of what the general public will call “music.” And, for the most part, this is being achieved naturally. Yes, it has a start and an end (sort of; the original record has track 4 drop into an infinite loop), but between those fixed points is nature. It’s the resonance of the room, coupled with the perpetual motion of the amplified string vibrations playing the very strings which are being vibrated.

The whole piece could be summed up by saying that it is energy, in the form of sound, searching for stability. And, in a sense, with the last 1.8 seconds originally falling into an infinite loop, that is how the piece resolves.

When you think about it, mathematically, it makes sense that a) you would eventually reach some infinite loop and b) it would take a long time. Granted, the infinite loop at the end was fabricated, but the concepts still remain. Given two guitars and two amps, you have two systems, each being comprised of 2 (or 3) pickup inputs, which each have a minimum of 6 string (I would assume that 6-string guitars were used) inputs. Those different strings are different gages, are tuned uniquely, and may even have the ability to fall out of tune with the intense resonant forces being placed on them. That resonance comes from the output from the speakers and the geometry of the room, but is dictated by everything down to the outlet voltage and how that fluctuates. Perhaps it could be phrased as "the music of science" ...or physics, or nature, etc.

When you’re talking about music, you’re usually thinking of this pretty sounding stuff. You’re looking for all of the right tonal properties and everything to be acting in harmony with one another. You’re looking for order that is dictated by that harmony of notes and tonal textures meshing together.

And that’s what throws people with this piece. It isn’t that glorious harmony or man and machine. Instead, it’s the process by which natural laws governing machines are able to form that harmony; it’s so much deeper than the crap playing over the speakers today at work.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a fun listen. The first time I listened to this album, I was alone, in the dark, playing it as loudly as I could. It was an experiment. It started out confusing, but ended incredibly disorienting. See, there are methods of torture/interrogation involving sensory depravation involving excessively loud music, darkness, and probably some other weird, messed up crap, designed to make you lose every frame of reference you have. And that first hour was what I would imagine that to be like. I could see where that sort of thing could mess people up.

But I think the strangest part is the silence when it is over. When you're searching for resolution for so long, you lose sight of what resolution is. Silence doesn’t make sense. Lost within the hour of trying to see construct within a wall of noise, the silence ends up as unsettling as the noise. It’s an interesting place to be.

And unless you live under a rock, you probably know that Lou died the other day, October 27. Otherwise, I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t have subjected myself to this in the middle of my work day. Not that the album isn’t intriguing; it’s just not the easiest listening. At all. After silence stops being so unsettling, I’m gonna stick with that for the rest of the day. But if you haven't had your fill of Lou for the day, check out the album:

New Music Review - the autumn

I live in a small town. Adamstown, PA is the antique capitol of the country, apparently. Within a few miles, there are dozens of little antique shops and a few monolithic warehouses that hold relics from the past. Aside from those, there are a few gas stations, a Dunkin Donuts, and a bunch of fields.

The closest “cities” are Reading and Lancaster. Reading, as in Reading Railroad (pronounced red-ing) from Monopoly, is mostly an artistic vacuum; it has little to offer. I’ve met some good people there , but the music isn’t innovative - it's mostly one-dimensional. Lancaster, on the other hand, has a growing arts scene. It’s seen some national acts form within its bounds and they’ve definitely helped the area to grow. Beyond those, we’re not terribly far from Philly; which, like most major cities, boasts its fair share of competent musicians

But in between cities, in rural Pennsylvania, art is somewhat of an anomaly. Art is something you read about from afar. You hear music on the radio there, but it isn’t art …right? As much as I loathe cities, they do art pretty well. Rural Pennsylvania, though much more livable, can be a dreary vacuum of musical irrelevancy at times ...most of the time.

So I try to be musically relevant; I try to make people think and feel in ways that are far more complex than rural PA demands. And sometimes it seems like I’m the only one. The cultural monotony in some areas holds artistic progress in bondage. And it’s dark. The prospects of playing with another Mark Hunsberger seem increasingly unfavorable. Those people don’t exist here to talk to, let alone collab with.

But I recently found a light. Maybe not for collaboration or even to see live. But someone is out there making great music. In Ephrata; a short hop, skip, and jump down the road from Adamstown.

It happened last week. I got my weekly Reverbnation email and saw that my local ranking in the instrumental category had dropped to 7. Not long ago, there weren’t even 7 instrumental acts claiming to be from Denver, PA, so I was intrigued. Having come from Reading, I was expecting a bunch of “beat producers” or something hip-hoppy like that. Occasionally, they'll pop up on the charts, but only fall back to irrevalancy. Yes, there were a few of them on there; however, one of the artists caught my eye, the autumn.

Clearly with a name like the autumn, the act couldn’t be a tasteless wannabe rap producer, could they? The singer-songwriter styled photo further distanced the autumn from what I was expecting. After clicking on their profile, I then saw bands cited in their “sounds like” section the likes of Explosions in the Sky and This Will Destroy You; two of my favorite post-rock bands of all time!

Hitting play on the first track, Migration Patterns, I expected to be disappointed. I expected a poor recording with stagnant writing. Yes, I’m cynical; I’ve held my hopes too high, too often. At best, I was hoping for a cheap knock off of This Will Destroy You. At best.

And then it happened. The first note resounded, masterfully catching every nuance in its droning reverberation, echoing through the space so perfectly laid out for it. And then another, powerfully building sustain. Nearly 30 seconds of single note sonic perfection passed, leading into a textural sea of spacey overdriven guitars, drums, and bass.

These are stories. They’re emotive of their respective titles, aptly named, but in no need of explanation. Each piece flows from note to note with such fluidity as to read as words read within a single breath. There is nothing lost to poor attack or poorly intonated instrument. And tonally, it’s all there.

Later, after further investigation, I discover that it’s just this one guy, Chris; he’s a local worship leader and wanted to do something different, expressing his testimony in music, but not burning out on vocals. Post-rock is the perfect canvas for such expression. And this guy, Chris, nails it. I'm intrigued to hear more about each piece and how it fits into his testimony and why each piece came into existence. There is more meaning interjected into an individual song than in other artists' entire albums.

And I really want to know what kind of mind did all of this. ONE person did this?! Not many people are gifted enough to be able to piece together such intricate, cohesive work.

And, again, this is a single guy. In small-town Lancaster county, nonetheless. There is hope.

 

 

Again, check this out: http://www.reverbnation.com/theautumnmusic

Perception: The Color IQ Test

Perception. It’s how we relate to the world. What we sense is how we understand our environment. Ultimately, our memories are shaped by what we perceive. One could argue that our entire being is just an I/O device of perception. I’d argue that we all have souls and are more than that, but that strays from the direction I’d like to take this.

So we all have these inputs: ears, eyes, tongues, and all the other stuff like that. But we only know what we perceive. Something that looks bright, sounds loud, or smells sweet to me is a perception that I can use to relate with others, but can never use to understand from another perspective. And we often times don’t think of things like this unless there is a known “disability” that we are trying to understand or overcome. For instance, I have friends who are partially color blind. I can comprehend that they see blue and green as the same color, but even still, that doesn’t change my perspective of what blue and green are.

There’s this test that I took the other day that got me thinking about this. It’s a color IQ test. Basically, there are four color continuums with starting and ending color tiles and you have to put other color tiles in order between the two. With a score of 0 being “perfect” and 99 being bad, I scored a 4, considerably lower than I anticipated. My issues were all in the blue region. While this doesn’t help us to be able to perceive what others do, it attempts to quantifiably relate my perception of color to another’s. And for the engineer in me, that’s an important first step; being able to quantify a deviation in perception, at the very least, acknowledges the differences, and at best, can give you an idea of how what you perceive relates to that of others.

We have vision tests and corrective procedures that also relate to eye sight. There, however, it is much easier to get everyone to a baseline of 20/20. It may be a bit easier to understand someone’s blurry vision than their colorblindness as simulating this is easier and makes more sense.

But what of our other senses? And mainly, I’m talking about sound and our ability to understand and decode waves of pressurized air.

We can test frequency ranges. They test both frequency and volume with most standard hearing tests. It’s known that, as you age, you lose higher frequencies. Have you ever heard a high-pitch sound (maybe a tv on in a room) that drove you crazy, but no one else could hear it and you couldn’t understand why? It doesn’t initially make sense to us as to how something so obnoxious could go unnoticed, yet clearly the others in the room lack your perception and can, therefore, not relate.

And then some people start to have all frequencies go, which, to my understanding, is more like truncating the amplitude than using a rolling filter; it’s more about volume than frequency. It’s easier to understand volume than pitch, in the same way that it is easier to understand poor eyesight than colorblindness, so I think, in general, this is a pretty easy concept to pick up on.

So, just like the color IQ test, we can have similar aural IQ test.

But the problem is that the connection to actual art is nearly non-existent. Because art is subjective. There is no IQ test for it. Dissonance and disorder can be beautiful and interesting, while melody can be stagnant and boring. In the same way, modern art can be intriguing while still life can be ordinary. There are no rules. Even guidelines are useless.

And this sort of thing drives someone like me crazy. The objectivity of opinion will always fall inferior to fact, and the fact is that there aren’t constants or magical formulas that make one piece of art good, while another bad.

So even if you can’t see the color blue or purple, or even if you can’t hear the frequency of the cymbals or of the bass, your ability to perceive art as good or bad doesn’t ever change. Because art is subjective. That’s how people can make “art” out of dead animals or Lou Reed can make an album of guitar feedback and still have the piece adorned with the label: “art.”

And we can argue properties. We can argue complexity and depth. We can argue tone. And these are all things we can try to put quantitative values to. That are ultimately meaningless… Because you can’t ever say x + y + z = art. It’s about perception. Except, unlike colorblindness or frequency hearing loss, you can’t ever quantify enough in order to adequately perceive as another perceives.

And I'll leave you with some Lou Reed.

Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI - Background

If you missed the Muddy River Jam Fest show I played back in 2010, you missed one of the most unique shows I have ever been a part of. This is years later, but in light of the release of my live album from that very show, I thought it might be good to give some background on the performance, the song selection, and anything else that is unique to that show.

It all started after the release of my first album, Deconstructing the Temporal Lobe. With my release through cdbaby, I got a 6 month free subscription to Sonicbids, a pay-to-play gig finder. I was young and naïve and thought this was a great idea (I have since grown to oppose the pay-to-play model) and a great chance to get in front of some audiences that I had never played in front of before. One of the big problems I had was that no one is looking for percussive fingerstyle guitarists; mainly because no one knows what we are or why someone would want to listen to instrumental music (“wait, so you don’t sing?”). So I stumbled upon this festival, Muddy River Jam Fest; they sounded pretty diverse, ranging from jam bands to DJs, and it looked like a place where artistic, instrumental music could fit in.

I submitted my press kit to them and heard back shortly thereafter. A few negotiations went down and eventually the details were ironed out. Basically, it ended up being for “exposure” (also, pointing to my naïveté) and gas money (which I never got) (Later on, the live recording got thrown into the mix, ultimately making it really worthwhile). It was exciting; one of my first festivals to be playing an actual stage. Accordingly, I prepared like crazy as the date approached. I was a bit nervous. I mean, a festival means lots of people and lots of other music to compete with, right?

Well, not at 10am. So I show up at this festival around 8:30-9am, with Kelly and Brad. Tents are everywhere, littering the fields, but not a single person is awake; no one is at the gate, which is locked. So I call all the contacts I have. No answer. Everyone is asleep. I keep trying to call and, finally, by 9 I get a hold of the organizer. By this time a line has formed behind me; mostly other artists, I presume. We finally get in at 9:30, giving me half an hour to find the stage, unload, park, set up, and do everything else associated with playing somewhere you’ve never played before. I’m a little frazzled at this point, but just trying my best to help things run smoothly.

Half an hour later, I was all set, save a quick sound check. However, the sound guy had only just arrived from his late night of partying, drinking, and drugs. He actually hadn’t gone to bed yet; cocaine and ecstasy apparently were the drugs of choice for festival goers… Not exactly my normal associates. Needless to say, it took him some time to get around to the sound check.

So the sound checked out alright and I began to play. To no one. You’ve got to come down, I suppose, and if you’re up until the sun rises, in some drug induced stooper, you don’t come back until the sun is at its peak. It was 10am; of course no one was out.

But shortly, a boy emerged. Wearing boxers, an open-faced Hawaiian shirt, and sunglasses, he wielded his red solo cup, dancing and cheering all on his own. Another couple passed by, but the crazy kid, drinking at 10am in the morning, was the only one to stay for the duration of the set. From the stage I could see the sea of tents packed into the adjacent field. This kid and the couple were literally the only festival-goers who were even awake. At that point, I didn’t feel bad about playing to a small crowd. I like to think that the rest of them were enjoying the tunes from within their tents, too hung over to will themselves out of bed.

So I played my set for Kelly, Brad, the sound guy, and the hippy kid. With probably over 50% of the coherent festival-goers in attendance, that’s not bad. The hippy kid, especially, was into it. I’ll post separately on the songs themselves and why I chose them for the set. This is just the story behind the show, for now.

So I played my set. I was told that I had a 45 minute set. The recording ended up at 44 minutes and change (the CD had some stuff cut out), so I think I planned pretty well. Regardless of how perfectly timed things were, when I got done with my set, I got blank stares from the sound guy. When I informed him that I stopped because another act was up at noon, he looked baffled. I think they either must have changed things (like my set time??) without telling me, or had a no-show; there didn’t end up being anyone back at that stage until after lunch.

After my set, I packed up and we wondered around the festival a bit. It was still rather quiet at that point, but you could tell that people were beginning to emerge from their tents to start their day. As we wondered around, we stopped by boutiques selling everything from tye-dye blankets to drug paraphernalia to hippie instrument shops; there was even a glass blower there, sculpting glass …items, right there in front of you. It was definitely a neat little artisan area they had set up; completely different from the art galleries and festivals I’d ever played before.

Eventually, we made our way to the recording trailer, tucked away at the far end of the fairgrounds. I picked up my recording, thanked them, and went to listen to it in my car, baking in the mid-summer’s heat. I don’t recall if I listened to everything at that point or not, but I was pleased with how it turned out. In spite of most everyone being stoned and/or hung over, the recording came out quite well.

The rest of the day we spent listening to jam bands and DJs. I’ve always been fond of jam bands, though only getting to see DMB and Robert Randolph and the Family Band, but I had never really gone to “see” a DJ; it was a new experience. Some were definitely better than others. My opinion is that if you’re going to be a DJ, you should be manipulating the tracks live, not just hitting “Play” and pumping your fist.

The highlight of the bands we saw was definitely this band, Fikus. They’re definitely worth checking out. The hippies were real into them. Notably, there was some sun child hippie girl, dreaded hair, body paint, and with more body hair than me, who was laying down some of the most bizarre dance moves I’ve ever seen. There were also several people with hula hoops, streamers, and all sorts of other strange garb. They were quite the sight, but it was really great to see people so into the music. And they were all really nice; lots of other people are not nice.

We ended up leaving the festival before it got dark. That is, before it went too crazy. After hearing about the previous night, it was probably in our best interest. It was already getting a little crazy and people had barely been awake 5 hours, so I’m sure as the night drew on, we would’ve been in for quite the treat.

Considering most shows I go to are metal shows, singer/songwriters, or experimental guitarists, the whole atmosphere was drastically different from anything I’ve ever experienced. Fun, but really bizarre from an outsider’s prospective. I haven’t gotten to play many festivals in a while and I miss the unique blend of people they bring out. Definitely the highlight of the experience was getting the live recording, but after that it’d be the atmosphere and the unique perspective it provided on the jam band and DJ subcultures.

The album is giving me some more time to sort out the second studio album and will help to keep fans held over until then. Up in the near future will be a breakdown of the songs on the album!

Square

I jumped on the smartphone bandwagon a few months ago; it was either June or July. I know, I’m a few years late to the race, but I don’t feel like I missed too much. I held onto the old resistive type touchscreen and the physical keyboard buttons; they worked much better with guitar nails. And, of the new phone options, very few had those nail-friendly screens or buttons… Eventually, though, I was several years overdue for a new phone and the old phones I was using were dying on me left and right (mostly due to old age, not misuse or neglect).

But I wasn’t about to pay for a phone with comparable functionality to its predecessors, roping me into a 2 year contract. It was time to enter the smartphone era.

So I tried a few out and opted for the HTC One. I thought about jumping in with Apple, but the screen wasn’t big enough for me to text with the guitar nails. Seriously, if you’ve got ‘em grown out, you need more room. And several of the phones I burned through prior to this were Samsung, housed in a cheap plastic case, so I was turned off to that (If you make a high-end phone, don’t house it in cheap plastic!). The HTC it was.

But I’m not here to pitch you a phone. It’s a phone; I’m happy that I can talk, text, and get on facebook and craigslist. I’d be just as happy with an iphone or the latest Galaxy or even a Nokia. It’s a phone.

And mostly, I’d be happy with a phone that didn’t do the internet, too. That is still not synonymous with phone, for me at least.

But… what I would miss, and what pushed me towards the smartphone, is the era of the smartphone credit card swiper.

I first heard of these probably about 2 years ago, in a Lefsetz post. It was back when the Square Card was pretty much the only option. Before it was in stores, you could email them and they would send you a Square Card reader for FREE! I almost emailed them just so I would have it for whenever I would make the smartphone jump.

Instead, I waited. For both; the smartphone came a few years later, followed shortly thereafter by the Square Card. And I had to pay $10 at Target, but Square Card credits you $10 with a card you get. And you can still just email them through their app in order to get a free one, but I didn’t know that until after I made the purchase.

And at this point in the game, it’s not just Square Card. There are 3 or 4 other options: intuit, paypal, payanywhere, and probably a few others I’m forgetting. Portable credit card readers are now accessible. And they’re affordable; Square Card, at least, will pay you back for your purchase, has no annual fee, and charges 2.75% on CC purchases, without any hidden fees.

Over the past several months, I’ve started to see more and more of them in public; everywhere from mini golf to cafes to musicians. They’ve become the quintessential tool of the mobile small business. I’ve even seen some craigslist ads saying that they take credit card via smartphone card reader!

Because who carries cash? Cash is bulky, has more liability, and is dirty. A card has insurance, rewards points, and isn’t bulky. I saw someone pull out a checkbook at the grocery store the other day. What the heck??

In this day and age, most people just expect to pay with a card. Sure, it’s led countless Americans into staggering debt, but if you’re not spending beyond your means, it's the preferred convenience.

Historically, this has been a downfall of the small business owner, the mobile business owner, and the musician. Unless people plan on being somewhere where they’ll need cash, a lot of times they’ll only keep a limited amount on them. And if someone like that stumbled into your small business or happened to see your show, you were out of luck. Maybe it doesn’t happen often, but the number of times I’ve heard “sorry, I don’t have cash,” have certainly added up through the years.

Since I’ve gotten my own card reader, that issue is a thing of the past. And the few CD sales and tips I get from cards actually ads up to be able to pay for my data plan most of the time. That is income I would otherwise have not gotten.

But here’s the thing: I only do this part time. Part time as in, with my next few shows, my show count will be 11 for the year.

It got to the point to where it didn’t make sense for me to not have a smartphone anymore. And it was primarily because of this capability. I couldn’t afford to lose potential fans because I didn’t have a way to accept money from them. If I see someone, regardless of how great they are, I’m much more likely to follow up with the artist if I have something tangible in my hands leaving the show.

You may never have a second chance to make a fan or make a customer. Every additional way you can accommodate others will make them more likely to repeat your story.

And as a small business owner or musician, you can finally do that in a way that monetarily benefits you! At the price of a handful of small fees.

It makes sense. The entry level for old credit card readers was something like $250; that’s a lot of sunk cost for a small business. And on top of that, you still had the card fees. Now, for the cost of a phone data plan, which you probably already have, you can have the same thing.

But some people don’t get that. Businesses, especially around where I live (Central Pennsylvania), can’t see past the fees. Kelly and I had to turn around when we got to the front of the line in a very well established ice cream parlor down the road from us because they didn’t take cards. The soft pretzel lady at the grocery store was lucky I had cash after taking my pretzels and finding out that they didn’t take cards. And there’s a sandwich shop in my hometown that directs you down the street to an atm…

It’s a disservice to customers and a disservice to yourself to not utilize technology so readily available.

Plus, the smartphone swipers act as a sign that you actually know what you’re doing trying to run a small business or make a career out of music. I’d much rather my business go with the well-informed entrepreneur with an up-to-date business model than to the one stuck in the past.

New Headphones

Switching headphones. Not a big deal, right? I mean, it’s more a thing of comfort and style, right?

False. In this day and age, yes, comfort and style tend to take precedence over functionality, but what a shame it is that the main focus has fallen from the music. What a wonderful society we live in…

In reality, for those who care about music, the audiophiles to whatever degree you can afford, it’s about the sound quality. Always. Comfort is a thing of functionality, not to be wrapped up in the guise of style.

So you have headphones covering a vast gamut of the function/comfort/style continuum. I’d take studio monitors any day of the week, in an isolated room, but that’s not practical in all cases, unfortunately. So I’ve been stuck with a pair of original Apple earbuds for quite some time. You know, the ones that came out with ipods back in the day.

I’ve wanted a nice pair, maybe Sennheiser HD600s or 700s, for a while now. I heard some rave reviews from some audiophile icons, but I shouldn’t afford stuff like that. $400-$1000 for headphones? One of those things that you could do, but really, really shouldn’t. So I’ve resisted. But if you’re not going for gold, then what’s the point? I don’t like to upgrade in multiple iterations; I prefer to go for the best and then wait a long time until whatever gadget is more or less obsolete. I was the one who waited until a few months ago to hop on the smartphone bus, remember? I’m slow to change, but go all in when I do. So, while I’ve thought about an incremental step, something like Beats (of which I've heard mixed reviews for the price point), it just doesn’t make sense. And in that time, I’ve been stuck with earbuds.

When Apple came out with the ipod/earbud package, it was all about delivery. The sound quality wasn’t quite there and the earbud quality wasn’t quite there, but the package deal offered accessibility that was contagious. I waited a bit on the ipod, until I could buy a used 5th gen (better sound than those that followed) for $50 from a friend. And I got the earbuds to match. And, while I’ve upgraded the ipod to a bigger one (60GB up from 30GB, which still isn’t enough!), the earbuds have remained. Seriously, these things are like 8 years old!

But I recently got a smartphone. The HTC One, to be exact. And they came with headphones/earbuds; the nice kind with the silicone pieces that conform to your ears and act as passive noise-cancellers. Allegedly, these are, more or less, Beats, resembling them in nearly every way. However, they stayed in their package until last week …because I had my earbuds.

Then last week I opened them up to give them a try. I listened for an album or two and was impressed, but they didn’t fit right, so I left them sit. Well, today I just got out the other silicone ear pieces and found some that fit.

And the sound?! Oh my! I knew the earbuds were bad. I knew that I had been doing a disservice to good music. Maybe I was in denial? Maybe I was numb after seeing the $1000 price tag of the HD700s? Actually, that’s probably pretty close to it.

The difference is similar to the background noise I spoke of only days ago. I didn’t realize the richness I was missing. I mean, I knew, but I didn’t understand. It’s like a veil has been lifted.

The bass response is so much more defined. The thump of the bass drum and the low roar of the bass are resonant as never before. The highs are crisp without being tinny. They didn’t even sound tinny before, actually; now, in comparison, they do. And the mids are balanced. You can hear everything nearly as intended.

Which got me thinking… I mean, I did just release a new album. And, to be honest, I reviewed most everything on either my old earbuds or in my car. Rookie mistake, but, again, I didn’t want to pitch for the $1000 headphones to do the job “right.” But now I’m listening to the album. And …dang. The intricacies coming out are unbelievable. The fact that it’s a live recording is so much more apparent with the little artifacts founds throughout the background. This is nuts!

So I've followed with some of my other favorite albums/bands: Portishead's self titled, Between the Buried and Me's latest, This Will Destory You, Trevor Gordon Hall, and the list will go on. It's almost like rediscovering this music.

Yes, I could still pick these apart. They're still not quite the same as live, but that's not the point. The point is that these were so accessible and right under my nose! And these came with my phone, at no additional cost!

Which is making me think… how much better is the real deal? Yes, I’ll probably stick with these for the foreseeable future. And it will be without looking back. Seriously, it’s only been a few albums worth of listening so far, but I can’t see myself going back. And I’m more anxious than ever to move forward.

Background Noise

We are bombarded by sound. Whether it’s blatantly in the foreground, or passively in the background, there is almost always something, however passive it may be, that is interrupting the intended signal that is reaching our ears.

In most cases, these go unquestioned and we continue on our lives. We become immune to things like the hum of the air conditioner or the rushing of the wind as we drive with our windows down. We’re aware that these sources of noise are present, but we just compensate for them and assume all is well. After all, if you can increase your signal to noise ratio, you should be able to understand more of the signal.

But what I’ve been noticing, and note that this is something I’ve known all along, is that, with music, the noise still has a significant impact on our perception. Depending on what the source of the noise is, it can represent very complex aural interference. All of the sudden, you have areas of frequency response that are muddied and cluttered to the point that everything within those specific ranges seems like it is part of the noise. Accordingly, we filter them out.

That’s the idea behind noise-cancelling headphones; we want to get rid of those sources of audible sludge. We want to cancel out the AC or the roar of a plane on a long flight. In general, headphones help with these sorts of noise sources, but sometimes they’re not an option and sometimes they still don’t do the music justice.

At that point, all the more you can do is try to eliminate the sources of noise. The difference will be surprising.

I’ve had the latest August Burns Red album playing in my car lately. I wanted a place to listen to it the whole way through and unfortunately I can’t just sit down at home with that sort of time; driving is often times the best opportunity. So I’m listening to it in my car. It’s got a good sound system, but nothing too great. I can deal with that. The big thing, though, was that I started to listen to it on a nice day, with my windows down.

Wind blowing in your ear, cascading between panes of glass, especially when coupled with the purr of the engine, destroys your mid range frequencies. I could crank the volume up as loud as possible, but vocals, chuggier guitar riffs, and a lot of tom work was just non-existent. Eventually, I rolled up the windows. Granted, there was still some car and road noise, but it cleaned things up that it was like listening to a whole new album; the difference was staggering. There was newfound clarity that so many others would have probably never even thought about.

And we don’t think about stuff like that. Music is considered background so often and is treated as such. Just this morning (Tuesday, i.e., country day at work) I was trying to block out the music in the office. It was working pretty well, sinking softly behind the hum of the AC. Then, for the first time in months, the fans shut off. The deafening silence pushed the music to foreground to an inescapable level; I had to reach out to my ipod.

But again, this idea that noise is dictating how we perceive music was thrown in my face. You probably have no idea how much richness is being choked out by a low signal to noise ratio. Not everyone has the resources to make an acoustically sound listening room to listen to music in perfect isolation. Not everyone can afford a $600 pair of really good headphones. But there are little things that make a huge difference, if you're willing to seek out change.

But if it’s an anomaly that even the bad music is void of such frequency convolution, how do we get good music to cut through?

Getting Away from Stagnation

So you’ve got a hit. It’s like finding that one venue you love; maybe they buy the most merch, or perhaps they just show up in droves with staggering attendance. Regardless, you’ve got something good and it’s attracting the droves. You want to do it over and over again, right? You want to play that same show over and over again and write songs that sound like the hit you’ve created.

But what’s that worth? Is it music or a hit generator? Maybe your music is contagious and you can sell anything, but if you’re just doing more of the same, there’s no progress. And that’s not music. It’s supposed to be this life-long endeavor that revolves around sound and expression. And those are ever-changing. Music evolves along with the rest of society. You have to keep up creatively in order to be relevant. A hit that sounds like another hit – or even two shows that are indistinguishable – that’s not music.

With whatever you’ve got that’s good, you’ve got two choices. Either you can cash out on it, or you can use it for progress. If you want to sound the same and continue to polish whatever dying paradigm you’ve discovered, go ahead, be the next 90’s boy band or the next Nickelback. But if you want sustainability, don’t slow down; keep evolving. Take your hit and learn from it; take your favorite venue and learn from it. Polish the musical experience; the expression and emotion of sound. Don’t polish a formula. If you’re stuck polishing that formula, eventually you’ll be passed by.

That means that your next song can’t be like the last; the next time you play that venue can’t mimic the last. And it’ll be a struggle, but it’ll push you out of what is comfortable. The more comfortable music you make, the more you’ll fall into a box.

This has been on my mind a lot lately. As I’m continually looking for new and exciting ways to exploit my guitars and the signal that passes from them to my amps, I look to see what boxes I have placed myself in. This is especially important because I frequent the same venues. I’m not doing huge tours; I’m playing the same venue 2 or 3 times a year. Which is nice for consistency, and it’s nice because I don’t have time to travel all over the world. But it gets you comfortable. I shouldn’t be giving people the same show they saw 4 months ago. That’s what Netflix is for, and the internet.

Comfortable, to me, is playing the same songs in the same order; it’s using the same stories and illustrations. Comfortable to me is the same tuning, or the same tempo, or the same key. I’m quick to point out comfortable, but like so many others, slow to implement change. But that is how you progress.

Some of the best gigs I’ve played lately have been me forcing myself from stagnating. I’ve intentionally omitted stories and have added details to others. I’ve intentionally mixed up my set list. I’ve gone so far as to intentionally change parts of songs mid-song. Yes, sometimes it’s because I forget parts; however, lately it’s been because I want every single show to be unique and I want to be able to express myself in real-time, rather than express myself from when I first wrote the song. IT’S MUSIC; YOU HAVE THAT FREEDOM.

You don’t want people to think that they can just catch you next time or that you’re the guy with that one song. Those are evidence that you’re going nowhere. Maybe it sells, but you’re musically bankrupt. And it won’t take long before people start to recognize that. Then you’ll be left with no hits and no venues you want to return to.

It’s a conscious decision. And it’s a tough one. Depending on your genre and your audience, people may not like something that’s new; it may only be acceptable to play hits. I’ll admit it; every time I go to see August Burns Red, I want to hear The Seventh Trumpet. That’s how lots of fans are. But don’t let it become where you’re a cover band of yourself. Because that’s one step closer to being a cover band. And they make me throw up in my mouth. That’s not music; it’s regurgitation.

But the anti-cover band is another discussion… My point is that you can’t get into that stagnation; it will suffocate your music. Intentionally pick a new key or a new tuning. Study a genre outside of what you play; then implement the techniques! Stop resolving notes at the end of a song. Play out of tune and make it sound good. The possibilities are endless! Just be sure you’re taking your music somewhere.

MusicWithoutLimits Review of Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI

http://musicwithoutlabels.com/2013/08/08/alex-brubaker-live-at-muddy-river-jam-fest-vi-new-musicalbum-review/


Big thanks to my good friend, Dave Fox, for the review up on musicwithoutlabels!

If you're not familiar with Dave, he's a DJ out of the Philly area. If you google his name, apparently there was a DJ in Michigan named David Fox who was fired from the radio station he worked at. This isn't him.
I have yet to see one of his shows post-graduation (he's a fellow Messiah alum), but he knows good music. I could be completely wrong on this, but I believe he spins at the Liberty Bar on Thursday nights. Check him out!

@philosofoxthedj

Guest Album Review: Alex Brubaker: Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI (review by David Ryan)

I meant to post this review for the CD release. Considering that that was over a month ago, I guess I dropped the ball. In any event, here is the first review that I got from my second album, Alex Brubaker Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI. It's from a good friend, Pastor David Ryan of Hopeland United Methodist Church. As a sidenote, if you've seen me play recently, I have added a song, Psalms, to my set, which was a song written for a performance at that church.

If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you can get yours at:
cdbaby
itunes
amazon

If you'd like a physical copy and don't feel like ordering online (and I have no idea why amazon has them for $15?!), let me know!



To the review:

"

I became a fan of Alex Brubaker a few years ago when I heard him play at Ten Thousand Villages Cafe. What a delight his music was then...and now! After having almost worn out his previous CD, it was with great anticipation that I slipped his new release, "Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI" into my player. Once again, Alex does not disappoint! His music is thought provoking and easy to get lost in! While the Album may appear at first glance to be short at 6 songs, each song plays for a significant period. Don't worry - you get more than your money's worth!

The song Muddy jam has a great tempo beat to it - a constant underlying rhythm. I find this tune particularly great to have playing in my headphones for a long walk.

Ice Mountain, a repeat from his first CD receives a fresh treatment here. It's haunting melody takes you for a great hike in the mountains.

One of my personal favorites is track 3 - Revival. I'm not sure just what Alex had in mind here, but as a pastor, this tune puts me in mind of a spiritual revival. Its bright, happy and sassy.

Doppelganger is the next tune. When I listen to this i think about the times I have heard Alex play it live - and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Knowing Alex's love for *skiing and being in the snow, track 5, Snow Angel conjures up images of looking out the window as the first snow flakes start to fall in a night sky, getting into your winter wear and dashing out into the drifts to create your own snow angels just like when you were a kid. It's playful, romantic and fun.

I confess that I am not so much a fan of the harsher electric guitar sounds found in the last track, Phoenix, but if piercing electric guitar rifts are your thing - you will love this last song. Over all, "live at Muddy river" is a great addition to your listening library. It's great for making the miles go by on a long drive. It leaves you free to think or, at other times, takes your mind away from thinking and into a great guitar zone. Of course, seeing him perform live is even better! Alex is amazing to watch as he makes the music magic happen before your eyes! Listening to his CDs after you have seen him helps you appreciate the tunes even more!....David Ryan, pastor, Hopeland UMC.

"

*snowboarding

Objective Reasons Why Country Music Sucks (pt. 2)

Ah, another Tuesday. Another day jam packed with music’s distant cousin, country. It always has me thinking; I just don’t get this stuff. And if you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know this. For it’s a well-known fact that I abhor country music. I’ve mentioned it several times and even once wrote just about objective reasons why country music sucks (this is the sequel).

The response to that blog is interesting. It’s an anomaly of sorts. I’ve had friends tell me they liked it and agree, but that’s not out of the norm. The part that’s out of the norm is that out of roughly 7000 views on over 100 blog posts, as of today, it has over a thousand views. Over the past several months, it has consistently gotten well over a hundred views a month.

And I know those aren’t big numbers. I do this for fun. I enjoy writing and if others enjoy reading my writing, then great! But, I mean, I’ll only publish a few things a month; I just don’t have the time. There’s plenty to write about, but there are rocks to climb and snow-capped mountains and, well, writing just doesn’t motivate me the same way.

But out of only a handful of posts and a few thousand views, here’s what’s interesting:












This is a screenshot of some of the search criteria that has led people to view my blog. Again, the numbers are small, but statistically, they are significant. There’s an overwhelming response has come from others who have a similar distaste for the genre. It’s unfortunate, on one hand, that they’re not all searches for me; I guess I’m just not that popular! But a disdain for country music? That seems to get the fish biting!

So I thought I’d come up with some other rather objective reasons as to why country music sucks. As much as I’d love more views and higher viewership, mainly I just need to get this frustration out ..and I am really interested in seeing the metrics of this particular post compared to non-country bashing posts.

We’ll pick up from where the last blog left off:


4. Emotionless. Isn’t music about expression? That gives music dimension; it brings depth. If you’re trying to tell a story, tell it like you have a vested interest in it. If you’re angry, show it; if you’re upset, sound like you care; if you’re in love, sound like it. I’m listening to this stuff right now and, unless I focus on the words, the music, song to song, is all the same. I can’t derive any meaning from the inflection. There is no soul. These are just notes. And twangy notes at that; the worst kind.

Alternatives? Something folksy (isn’t that where country has its roots?), like Iron and Wine, where there’s dialogue and inflection and so much more organic emotion. Plus, Sam Beam's story telling is pretty great. Something folksy/rocky/experimental-ly like mewithoutYou, where there is real story-telling and the music is driven by emotion wrapped in metaphor. Or, for something completely different, Listener, for more of an emotive spoken word. You can feel the music with these. They don’t sound like some bloviating Texan corporate monolith. Feel!

5. It keeps trying to be mainstream Rock or Pop. Why?! At this point, it’s hard to tell that the genre is rooted in folk rather than rock or pop, based on much of what is mainstream. That leads to more emphasis on the hook, more emphasis on song structure, and more repetition. It’s a pretty universal idea that those formulas are what sell; that’s what’s done it for rock, pop, and everything else that has made it into the public conscience. Country is just exploiting these songwriting elements and making them more formulaic than they ever have been.

Alternatives? Real rock and real pop.

6. It pushes no boundaries. Music used to be about pushing boundaries; that’s what made it exciting. The stuff they play every Tuesday here at work is positively dull. There are different tempos and different keys, but nothing that makes you go Wow. The only thing new in country is that it can no longer survive as its own genre. Music isn’t about hiding behind the guise of another.

Alternatives? Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Not a personal favorite, but everything I’ve heard of theirs has been pushing boundaries. There’s innovation, texture, and depth. Plus, they’ve got a banjo; that should appeal to the country folk…



And I’ll stop with those three. Perhaps I’ll continue with more at another time. Again, these are generalizations, but I am trying desperately to be unbiased and objective.

Any other thoughts? I’d love to hear other arguments against …or even for country. It would be interesting to know what it is that doesn’t drive others away.

Music and Money

mu·sic [myoo-zik]: noun
1. the art of making money and being famous.

So I keep reading these Lefsetz posts on this deal that Jay-Z has going with Samsung. The gist of it is that Samsung is buying a million copies of Jay-Z’s new album at $5/ea and is giving them out with free via android apps to Galaxy users.

It’s an innovative idea. It’s a good idea; it hasn’t been done before. I’d go as far as to say that I almost like the idea. But here’s the kicker… SoundScan, this company that tracks music sales won’t recognize those sales (i.e., the album won’t default to debut at #1), and Jay-Z is in a huff. As if $5 million up front isn't enough?

At what point did our musicians become business moguls? When did numbers and fame replace substance and soul within art? Sure, you can brand yourself by throwing your face on a t-shirt or a poster, but there’s a line that’s crossed when you use your brand influence in buying companies, investing in tech, or engaging in any type of corporate warfare.

These big name artists are starting to see themselves as bigger than the music. Yes, it is true that most music these days, especially in top 40, music has less and less substance, but the nature of art should always be bigger than the artist. Does it really matter that Picasso painted it, or that Beethoven composed it? The individual can be a great artist, but the art isn’t great because of the artist. Good art should sell itself. If it’s not selling without millions in endorsements, a brand, and an artist figurehead, at what point can it just be considered part of the investment portfolio?

We’re evolving into a society where this corporate artist is romanticized, but the art is forgotten. That’s a great way to completely lose sight of the music. See, art is something that pushes boundaries; it evokes emotion; it challenges us. That’s not what this music is doing.

Review: Trevor Gordon Hall at Host Church 05/11/13

Kaki King was hard to follow. But Trace Bundy is just that good. I’d put the shows about on the same level, but from very different perspectives. But how do you top Kaki King, followed by Trace Bundy? Isn’t that today’s challenges? We can see anything we want on youtube, so what sets your live show apart enough to justify getting out of the house?

The answer? One of two things – either something completely unrelated, but equally great, like following Kaki and Trace with Between the Buried and Me… Either that, or another of the same general genre, but different enough and better enough to be viewed in a completely different light. Standing with the indie rock percussive fingerstyle goddess, Kaki King, and the acoustic ninja, himself, Trace Bundy?? Yes, you get someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of the best.

Enter, Trevor Gordon Hall. Remember, the guy with the kalimba on his guitar?

So I went up to see Trevor at this little church in the middle of nowhere, with Kelly and Andrew; Brad met up with us later. We get to this place and there are like 10 cars and not another man-made structure in sight. There are fields in every direction. Also, a massive cemetery. Like, probably enough graves for each person in the town… I'm expecting a pretty bum crowd.

But pretty much, in spite of the few cars we saw, the whole town was there; 180 pre-sales and a super packed sanctuary. Since no one ever sits in the front pew of a church, we grabbed those seats to get a close up view.

Once we get to the actual show, we get to how Trevor can stand up next to Kaki and Trace.

First, there is a huge difference in stage presence. Kaki King has a bit of an edge; she’s got that lesbian cult following thing going on and she’ll curse on stage. She’s not a full-blown story-teller, but she can hold a conversation with the audience. It’s unfiltered and personal. Trace Bundy, on the other hand, is a story-teller. He’s animated and his stories are entertaining and fun; he’ll keep you laughing. He’s still personable, but the stories start to be as much of a performance as the music itself.

Trevor Gordon Hall, on the other hand, is a bit more serious; he's very collected and intentional. When he plays, he’s playing for the intellectual, musical side of things; not focusing on entertainment. Even his innovation of the Kalimbatar is completely void of gimmick, solely focusing on blending two logically complimenting instruments. He wants you to think and to analyze what the music, itself, is. He does throw some humor in here and there, but it’s not quite as intentional as the others.

These characteristics are all reflections of the individual’s personality, though it’s also a reflection of the actual music. See, Kaki King has all of these playful tunes, mixed with some spiteful ones, and a bunch of lost-love songs. It’s very emotionally driven and has a lot of attitude behind it. And you see that. Trace Bundy, like I said, is a story-teller; his songs tell stories; they take you on an adventure. What you get from these two is that the music is the way it is …because it is the way it is.

Trevor doesn’t have too much adventure behind his songs, nor does he have a lot of pent up emotion being released. But his music has a certain depth to it that you don’t see too often. As he introduces each song, you hear references to philosophers, literature, and classic film. His latest album, after all, is titled, Entelechy, which is “… the philosophy of Aristotle, the condition of a thing whose essence is fully realized.” His works are striving towards the fully realized potential of himself, of music, and of the guitar.

Each of these performers have their pros and their own style of performing that make their shows unique. Trace has performance and entertainment nailed. Kaki King has variety and flare. And Trevor has depth and, arguably, some of the best guitar chops you will ever get to see/hear.

Though I would/will see them all again, I’m gonna have to give the top spot to Trevor. Perhaps I have a bias? A) I played a gig with the guy B) I take lessons from him when we’re both around C) he played at my wedding… But when it comes down to music, and strictly music, Trevor takes the cake.

Here are a few videos…

...an intro to the Kalimbatar

And this one just blows my mind...

Review: Trace Bundy at World Cafe Live 05/05/13

I’ve seen Trace Bundy before. He puts on a good show, but I almost didn’t go this time. Some people like to relax on their weekends. My weekend consisted of going to see presentations at Messiah, going to VT to snowboard (yes, in 70° weather), a cookout, and a few miscellaneous extra pit stops; about 1000 miles on the road, plus several hours more in the car to camp out and sleep. However, Kelly convinced me to go to the show, got the tickets, and made dinner reservations.

Now the first time I had seen Trace Bundy, in Vienna, VA, he had young prodigy, Sungha Jung. The kid could play, but was so emotionless and mechanical. Sure, he was a kid (12 or 13 at the time?), but it was just such a stark contrast to Trace’s playing and persona.

Last year at WCL, I saw Trace again, but this time as a solo act. That gave him a little bit more time to play and to tell stories. He can hold your attention well enough to be a solo act, so that worked.

This time, Trace brought youtube sensation, Sandra Bae. She’s this 18 year old fingerstyle guitarist whose youtube videos garnish views numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Conveniently, she’s from Philly (Korea, but is with a host family near Philly).

As it may be apparent, my life is fairly busy. I don’t get time to check up on youtube or anything like that; the latest internet sensations to reach me. So I went into this without seeing any of Sandra’s videos. Admittedly, I went in with low expectations. I expected something mechanized and dry; note-for-note perfect with no life.

But that’s not Sandra. She’s transparent; you know what she is thinking because she’ll say it. If she’s nervous or thinks she’s going to mess up, she’ll tell you, make an awkward joke about it, and then …just rip. There’s something that being on stage causes sometimes, where your mind is all over the place and the only thing you know is playing guitar; your mind is racing and if you do anything that isn’t playing guitar, you flounder. I’m sure it could come off as unprofessional, but if you’ve got the chops to back it and the wit to play it off, you can use the candor to your advantage.

And there was something about her playing that felt right. Like her stage presence, you could sense the excitement and nervousness, but it just seemed like she belonged there. As a player, she has an impeccable sense of melody, intertwining the melodies with bassy rhythms and leads that draw you in. She only played covers (of which I’m not a huge fan), but her original arrangements blended the familiarity with her personality in such a way that set her apart from being just another face doing a cover at an open mic. She drew from a number of inspirations, ranging from Michael Jackson, “who was black,” to Queen, to Tommy Emmanuel, to Andy McKee. I was personally rather impressed with her cover of Apologize, as she took a cover from a genre I’m not fond of, and made it interesting and original, without having to sing. So often the basis of a cover is limited to dumbing down the music and singing it differently, based on the limitations of the individual’s voice. Instead, Sandra took the mundane and gave it flare and technicality and …well, check it out:

Listening to her arrangements, at age 18, made me take a serious look at some of my music. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. She has talent, personality, and a massive following. Right now she’s just arranging covers. If she can get into composing original pieces, she’ll be golden. Yes, there is a niche in playing artsy covers on youtube, but music is bigger than that and it sounds like her aspirations are as well. I mean, she’s only played a handful of shows and she’s playing with Trace Bundy …that’s a good start.

And, like I mentioned previously, she’s living with a host family outside of Philly. So, if you’re in the area, keep an eye out for her dates over the summer!

Back to the show; the stage then opened for Trace Bundy.

Now something about Trace - First and foremost, he is a musician. You can’t deny that; he’s musically talented beyond what any individual could reasonably hope for. And I say musician, because his approach appears appears to be well rooted in theory; he knows what he’s playing; he’s not just a guitarist. Beyond that, however, he’s a performer.

You’ve gotta have personality. For solo acts, if you want people to like your live show, you need them to like not only your music, but who you are as a person. Because we’re in the day and age where you can get music anywhere, you have to sell more than just notes.

Trace has stories, jokes, and crowd engagement. Even if he were an average guitarist, I think he’d make out pretty well just on personality. I try, in my own performances, but I’m well aware that I don’t quite have the same charm. When I see Trace Bundy, I take notes.

So since Sandra opened for him, his set was a bit shorter than last years. Unfortunate on one hand, but on the other, it’s neat to see the up-and-comings.

His set started out with Elephant King, the title track to his latest album.

Next, was Overtime; a delay-based tune centered around playing 1.5x (pay for working overtime) the speed of the delay. It’s a great way for him to introduce the idea of delay to an audience and a great tutorial on how to use delays more dynamically. I had seen him perform both Elephant King and Overtime before, but I’m fairly certain this was the first time I got to see him play Bristlecone. To play this song, he plays a little riff prior to the song and then plays it in reverse to start the song. Again, it’s a nice little demo of how he is actually processing the sound and an interesting look into another artist who uses such effects.

The Oldies medley seems to come out at every show. I think there may have been a few new references, but this one is kinda getting gimmicky. Maybe that’s just my disdain for covers?

Pachelbel’s Canon is a classic arrangement for Trace. He was the first I saw to actually do something innovative with a more classically arranged piece. This was part of the inspiration that Kelly and I had for having Trevor Gordon Hall play this at our wedding. Trace brought Sandra back to the stage to accompany him in this one. When I had seen him with Sungha, they basically played the same thing, but, for this, Sandra had written an accompanying part that really went well with Trace’s version.

Next was Traverse, a song about a rock climbing accident, that resonated well with Kelly, as she was still in her boot from her accident.

Trace got more of the entertainer out with Happy Birthday, played backwards, followed by Beat It on his Iphone. Both arguably gimmicky, but still entertaining nonetheless, especially when seeing peoples confused faces during Happy Birthday. And, actually, I hadn’t seen Beat It on the Iphone before; previously he had played superstition. Personally, I think Superstition worked out better, but it was good to see things switched up.

The night wrapped up with Joy and Sorrow, Dueling Ninjas, and Hot Capo Stew; three crowd favorites. Aside from the frenzied capo use on Hot Capo Stew, I think Joy and Sorrow is one of my favorites. It uses two guitars in different tunings, weaving between major and minor keys.

For an encore, Trace came back out to play a U2 cover, Where the Streets Have No Name.

Also, at some point throughout the show, he recounted the story of the crème brulee from last year. Consequently, I now know how to make crème brulee.

In all, yes, I would go see this exact show again. Trace is engaging and a great performer. However, I desperately want to hear more of his songs that I haven’t seen him perform. It seems like he’s stuck playing “Trace Bundy’s Greatest Hits.” The hits are hits because they are justifiably the most interesting, exciting, and innovative, but I want to see the whole story. And I want to hear the whole story; I want to hear the stories to all of songs I haven't seen him play...

Again, I’ve been challenged. Two weeks, back-to-back, I have seen phenomenal guitarists who challenge what I write, how I write, and how I perform. Ultimately, as a guitarist and performer, that is what I want to see; my songs and performances challenging and inspiring others.

Review: Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

I've been working on this one for a while now; bits and pieces pasted together with dilligent review to prevent anything too incoherent from passing through. This album has taken a lot of digestion and thought. Because it is that good. Enjoy:

What’s the average length of an album these days? Somewhere between 30-40 minutes? Let’s face it, very few people have an attention span beyond that. That’s why the album is dying; it’s more advantageous to just release singles. People can handle 3-4 minutes at a time. The simple-minded can understand that.

So it’s Tuesday (or at least was when I started writing this review). At work, that means country music day, which I vehemently abhor. There are few days worse than a Tuesday. Everything else could be right with the world, but country music just tends to negate all of the beauty in life. So instead of sitting at my desk, subjecting myself to such masochistic torture, I make my Tuesday's death-metal-Tuesday. Ironically, I find death-metal to be relaxing.

On this particular Tuesday, I'm looking for 72.5 minutes of uninterruption. I have plenty of work to fill the time, so I shouldn’t have a reason to get up from my desk. However, as the morning progresses, it becomes more and more apparent that I won’t have my time of solace. Meeting upon design change upon frivolous task pile up and suck me away from my desk. Generally these would be welcome, but I want/need this time in succession.

Throughout the day I resent this. Because you can, in fact, hold my attention for a full album. Listening track by track is not how it should be done. I’m an album guy; tell me a story; paint me a picture. A 3 minute song is a snippet of useless information. Either the album will receive praise or condemnation. I won't revisit an album just for one song. There is no lukewarm, no hit-single, nothing but black and white. And if you can hold my attention through an album, chances are, I will follow that up with the rest of your discography.

So I have tried to reserve this 72.5 minutes to listen to the latest Between the Buried and Me (BTBAM), The Parallax II: Future Sequence. A band that doesn’t believe in hits or 3 minute songs … or 40 minute albums (yes, they have these, but they do not ascribe to the limitations that this narrow-mindedness proposes).This is the sequel to their 2011 EP, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues. Round 1 was a taste; their 3-song, half hour long journey to bring you up to Future Sequence.

And it's an album that needs a half hour EP intro; it deserves it.

This is an album that reads like a novel. Plain and simple. I remember when I was in elementary school, I would stay up on the weekends reading while in bed. Sometimes I would read 2 books in a night, staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning. I was just that enthralled with what I was reading that I could not put it down. And that is this album. You want it start to finish, in one sitting. No one likes putting down a good book.

When you're reading a book, you read it in order. No one would read chapter 8 before chapter 3. The flow only works in a chronological sequence. You have these big themactic events, all linked together with plot that carries the themes and ideas of the characters in some comprehensive, page-by-page diction. A chapter may stand on it's own, but is much better supported with the rest of the book. Likewise, BTBAM has 5 major events (long songs) that are all linked together with 1-3 minute builds and embellishments; essentially one 72 minute long song. And with swings from one climactic/themeactic event to another, you're constantly at the edge of your seat. You don't know what's up next and it's invigorating. That is what brings you back!

What Future Sequence does is bring together every element you love from BTBAM and intertwines them into something more comprehensive than even Colors. It's softer than previous albums, with more light notes, less distortion, and more singing; it's heavier in places, with more gutteral vocals; and it's more experimental throughout. This is a comprehensive book of what BTBAM has been striving towards, arguably since their conception. This is the perfect marriage of Dream Theater meets iwrestledabearonce meets MR. BUNGLE. It is a balanced indulgence.

All that said, I think a lot of people won't get this. Anything prog is grossly misunderstood; prog-metal all the more. This will be too soft for many, especially fans of early BTBAM. It will be too heavy for many prog fans akin to Dream Theater (though this would be a great entry level into heavier death metal). This will be too experimental for fans of stuff like In Flames. It's not straight forward; it's prog. And that, in and of itself, will alienate people. Who cares? Musical thought thrives in progression.

The only bad thing about this is that it has ruined so much music for me. I think iwabo said it best with their slogan: "Metal just got gay." I never understood the shirts when I first saw them. "Gay" has such a stigma behind it in pop-culture these days. What iwabo is saying is that there is a new era of metal upon us. It's more brutal, more experimental, and more musical to the point that all other metal willl lose it's appeal. And it has. Every once in a while I'll throwback to some Haste the Day or Nodes of Ranvier, but 90% of my metal listening is stuff like BTBAM and iwabo. Have you heard the latests August Burns Red? Granted, it's a Christmas album, but it is absolutely laughable; nothing worth holding your attention.

This is the future of metal. This is the future of prog. This is the future of intellectual music. I could go on, hailing the album with analogous accolades, trying to convey what I want, but you really just need to listen to the album. Sit down, and really listen to it. Give it 72 minutes. Heck, listen to it twice. Anything that can pull off a flute solo in a 10 minute metal song is worth it, if for nothing more than sheer curiousity.

Over the past several weeks, I've been trying to think of my favorite song of the album. Because, ultimately, most people are going to read a review, but only give a single song or two a listen. I won't direct you to any one song in the same way that you wouldn't recommend a single chapter of a book to someone. I will, instead, insist that I recommend this as a book, cover-to-cover, all 72.5 minutes of sheer brilliance.

However, I will leave you with a video of some high school kids who did a cover of one of the tracks. Because, seriously, this arrangement is metal.

Review: Kaki King Retrospective Tour at World Cafe 04/28/2013

I've written about Kaki King before. But let's back up with the years-long quest that was finally satiated last night, seeing Kaki King live at World Cafe Live in Philly:

It was the fall of 2007. I was at Messiah College, playing a coffee house. If I recall correctly, it was a song later entitled, Unwinding. After I played and was heading back to sit with my friends, this guy, John, stops me, congratulates me, and tells me of this other, similar guitarist, Kaki King, who had played at school the previous fall.

Usually I don’t listen to people’s recommendations. Part of it is that there are so many that I usually forget names; the other part is that I really don’t trust other people’s taste in music. Tonight was different, though. Whether it was later that night, the next day, or the next week; eventually I looked up Kaki King. And this is what I saw; ultimately the inspiration for Bea and the Rock Elephant:

Similarly to my discovery of Trace Bundy, I was completely blown away and had no idea that all of that was possible on a guitar. Everyone else is just so blindly drawn to big power chords and the same set of 3 or 4 progressions.

Jump ahead a few years and I've missed seeing her every time I've had the chance. Seriously, I've had the chance to see her FOR FREE and things just never work out. I've been chomping at the bit for years!

But I finally got a chance last night. And it was one of the best shows I've seen. Ever.

To start, this was her 10th anniversary show (or tour?). 10 years ago, she released, Everybody Loves You, to make money while playing in the subway. It caught, and the rest is history. But for this show, since it was the 10th anniversary, she played the album, start to finish.

And at first I was super excited when she mentioned that she was doing this; her first album is one of my favorites. After the first few songs, though, I was confused. Turns out I didn't have her first album. Later in the show, I would discover that I didn't have the second album either! Some fan I am? Actually, though, I'm excited because that means more new music of hers without having to wait for another "new" album ;)

But that left me coming to the table with no idea of how the songs should sound. Knowing her latest 4 albums, hearing the start gave insight into the makings of a musical genius. She told stories of her early struggles as a musician, rejection, playing drums for a band in college, and how this one little imperfect demo to sell in the subway blossomed into a career of 10 years and counting.

And Kaki really surprised me. Not that I didn’t expect her to rip; I just didn’t expect the personality. I had heard before that she was quieter and bitter/angsty. Maybe the report had come from a bad show? Everyone has them. But for this she was transparent. She was imperfect and made a few mistakes; she was quirky and stumbled over her words a few times. But she was genuine and she was having fun. When a world class musician can have a less than classically-inerrant performance, yet laugh, joke, and smile, it sets them apart from the mechanized and interjects soul and emotion. Kaki King had that.

And maybe it was because her family and friends were there? Some sisterhood banter to lighten the mood? Comfort from her wife? I don't know; I just know that it was just a good time; it felt like the intimacy of a house concert.

And I was somewhat afraid that after she played through the album that would be it. Instead, she finished up the album and started in on more. She ended up playing an hour and a half long set of just acoustic guitar. It was great.

Except there was more! Yes, a second set; 3 hours total. The second set was King with drummer, Jordan Perlson, and Dan Brantigan on the EVI (electronic valved instrument) and trumpet. For this, Kaki rose to her feet and dawned several other guitars (I think I counted 7 total for the evening) and a tenor(?) uke. Rather than sit, she stood in order to rock out a bit harder to some more of her newer material, mixed in with some of my old favorites off of ...Until We Felt Red. The second set also saw King’s voice transition from stories to singing. It played much more like a technically dazzling indie rock show.

Essentially, King had opened for herself and her band. Half dreamy acoustic music and half indie rock show, the sets were intertwined with the frenzied plucks, pats, and taps that set King's music into oceans of texture. Were there some slips here and there? Yes. Were there technical difficulties with the EVI? Yes. It’s not about hitting every note and having everything be technically flawless; mechanized music is lifeless. Music is about life; it’s about the breath of the instruments, how the artists interact with them, and how meaning can be drawn from feeling.

Kaki King nailed it. All I can think is how much it sucks that I missed her for YEARS and, prior to that, had missed this genre. I will now be locked in my guitar room for the foreseeable future (except for going to work and, perhaps, the bathroom).

And I'll leave you with this: another of my favorites, as well as King's encore -