Drawing inspiration as well as comparison to Bob Dylan, these solo artists walk the lonely road of unsung heroes. Eluding the spotlight for far too long, they stalk the sound waves like giants hiding behind leafless trees in winter.
Someone is bound to see.
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A magician and master in the art of storytelling,
Josh Ritter’s ability to tell a graphic novel through song is unprecedented.
In light of seeing the Broadway play Once, I have decided to pay homage. A surprising number of people at the show were unaware that Once was originally a very special motion picture- academy award-winning special.
"Ah, Academy award-winning, you say- then why I haven't I heard of it?"
Well, that is because Hollywood has a disgusting amount of power in the film industry, beginning when Thomas Edison employed goons to beat people up who tried to make independent films. But that is a story for another time.
The Facts
The two stars of the film composed and performed all of the original songs.
The film was nearly scrapped and was only given the go-ahead under the condition that it could be made for $160,000. To put that into perspective, The Avengers had a budget of $220,000,000. This film should serve as a reminder to Hollywood that it doesn't take millions or even 200k to make something remarkable.
Falling Slowly invokes a special kind of emotion I have seldom felt from a song. Maybe that's why it won the Oscar for best original song. Let it seep into your soul.
The Broadway show is a musical masterpiece. All the performers are impressive musicians as well as singers. Although the story isn't conveyed with the necessary depth, the variety of musical talent is unmatched on Broadway.
Regarded as the best album of 2013 by a well respected critic and personal friend. This band has either time traveled direct from the 70s or somehow managed to hold on to the magic that everyone else seems to have lost. Formed four decades ago by the Reverand Gean West and the Reverend Tommie West, the Relatives shine a powerfully spiritual light from the era of psychedelic soul.
If this was my church I would go everyday with a smile.
The wave of energy continuously passes from one medium to another
building momentum...
It is only a matter of time before this wave crashes against the invisible wall that divides the mainstream from what lays hidden in the fog.
Get your surfboards ready.
The wave is coming…
Soul
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These three genres mingle effortlessly, like puppies on a Sunday at the dog park. It can be very difficult to distinguish them from one another. I have no doubt some of these songs belong in a different category- just like one of those dogs going home with the wrong owner. And, you won’t find out until it shits on your rug, or in this case until you start grooving.
Rock N' Roll
Rules of the groove:
Soul is the slow head bob + sluggish, silent snapping of the fingers.
Funk takes hold of the legs and works it’s way up- a jive that flows unique to each song.
And Rock n' Roll is a spectacular mix of the two
Of course, everyone knows rules are meant to be broken, so just grove and never let embarrassment touch you.
For the one who is too cool to groove never learned the golden rule of preschool:
Do what feels right
You didn’t wait for any toilet, or for that kid to stop playing with those Legos… You smashed his ugly spaceship and built that skyscraper. Now take the dance floor and dismantle the spell that binds the stagnate bodies to the floor.
If you appreciate this picture, a multi-layered radar image of theGanges river delta in Bangladesh,I expect you will enjoy the album that comes with it.
“Zsuzsanna Eva Ward. Say it again. Damnnnn. No way her
music is as cool as her name though. What’s that? Oh it is? Adele best be
watchin’ her back then! Haha, you feel me child?”
-Big Mama
ZZ Ward or Z-suz as I like to call her is fresh on the scene;
droppin’ her EP in 2012 and already making waves enough to stir the Piranha.
Last post I asked what trending element was lacking from the alternative songs included. Well, it is was that of a female's touch. Not to say any of those potentially life-altering tunes would have been better with female vocals, but I am a big fan of their
assimilation into this genre. They remind me of when Jimmy Hendrix bought his
first guitar; it was like the two were made for one
another. Cupid fired his arrow and the heavens opened up. God was able to breathe a sigh of relief and put his headphones on. By
the same measure, synthy alt-beats bearing the beautiful top-coat of a female
voice are… for lack of a more creative word- two peas in a pod.
I have been attempting to triangulate the origin of this
alternative-altering phenomenon and lay down some credit where it is due. The problem is the musical lineage
vectors keep cutting out, creating a musical history-map riddled with holes.
Actually, it's just that I haven’t
looked very hard. But...
I think it may have to do with the sudden
evolution and influence of electronic music. This genre has recently grown
faster than a Chia Pet and split in more directions than the primavera
ballerina at the Russian Ballet. The truth is that synthesizers, or whatever is
used today- (computers maybe?) can add a euphoric element to a song that few
other instruments can compete with. This is only one of the elements shaping the
genre; however, it’s my personal favorite.
Click to the right of album to hear next song
Electron-Infused Alternative Remixes
-Feel the air coming out of your speakers. Feels cool
right?
Here is a fun fact- The air flowing through your speaker is filtered specifically to
carry the unique sound waves of each song. What? You don’t believe me? Then put
on this last youtube track, put your face up to the speaker, feel the breeze on
your skin, and inhale deeply.
Warning: Only do this if you have nowhere to be for the next
four hours.
Trouble Shooting: If you can't feel the air coming out of your speakers you either need to turn up your volume, or upgrade speakers immediately.
PS: All these songs are lacking my favorite component in alternative music. Can you guess what?
If not, I suggest you "standby for further air conditioning!" - Vladikoff- McHale's Navy
Know the name? If not, I foretell you will soon. The real
question is what radio station will you find him on, if any. This young, musically
evolving, Brooklynite is undoubtedly talented, but if he takes the worn-out road
of mainstream rapper, his full potential will likely fall to the wayside, replaced by the all mighty $. I only say this because
already there is a huge divide between his songs that reflect a deep
understanding of music, and the ones that sound like they were processed and
packaged from Kanye West’s house of shit.
Please press play and take a deep breath before entering. Relax. It’s just after midnight at La Piscina Tropical… close your eyes and visualize it. Are
you walking? Dancing? Floating? What do the lights look like? How about the stars? The air? Soon you will discover this is the greatest place you have never been to...
“Rock is dead” Stated by the Who in (’72) was a hollow claim
deserving of little merit. Rock was still relatively young, and arguably in its
prime. Today however, rock is 40 years older. And, someone could possibly
make the argument that rock is dying, or perhaps on it’s way out… best years
behind her. And for those people, I have but two words… Alabama… Shakes…
I’m sensing the tingle of mainstream revival in the air.
“The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there's a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artists collect selectively. They only collect things that they really love.” ― Austin Kleon In other words all artists are influenced by what they love. For anyone to claim they created an "original" or a work of art from scratch is ah-flat-out lying. Art is a collective progression of previous works molded into a new fashion. In this song, the Long Beach Dub All-stars, which in case you didn’t know is Sublime minus lead singer Bradley Nowell, play homage to their inspiration- Some of the deepest roots of reggae. So if your looking to expand your knowledge of the genre a little deeper than Bob Marley and Sean Kingston, look no further. Here is a collection of the artists mentioned in the above tune. Oh and if while listening you don’t experience a single head bob or some sort of musically induced movement (inadvertent or ortherwise) than this blog is not right for you and you should probably leave immediately. “Now live the life you love and love the life you live!”
