Lucky 13

So... luck or skill? I think any band who writes their own music, makes a demo, gets it to record company and gets signed, or anything like that, has done it on skill. On the other hand, anyone who is, well, a pop musician who gets stuff written for them, and does nothing but sing the song and reap the benefitis, is just a lucky punk.

The same goes for the "American Idol hopefulls". Anybody can win that stupid competition. It's only who the public wants to see get there. When it all comes down to it, the general populus of America (which consists of only idiots who watch that show to the end of the hour) votes on their future. So who do they want to see? The person that will sell the best of course. Their vocals could be mediocre compared to the others, but if they've got a pretty face, God help us all.

Still, I suppose there is some level of skill involved in any sort of musical artists career, you have to know somewhat what you're doing in order to get anywhere. That said, there is luck involved in this too. There will always be that defining moment, that special gig or record deal that made that artist big. This is really a personal opinion thing and one person may view it one way and the other the opposite - a fiery debate at best. Do you enjoy this artists' skill more than you notice how far they've come? When it comes down to it, it's how you view the artist in your own eyes.

Rant #2

My rant this week is going to be about bands who change their style. Okay, situation: you find this band on purevolume.com or whatever you absolutely love, you listen to them for a couple years, and soon enough they put out a new album - you're pumped, to say the least. It releases and to your dismay it seems they've gone from hard rock to (WTF) art rock. *coughthricecough* It sucks, right? I can't stand when bands do this, I think they lose fans this way, more than gain. One example is Atreyu, they had released three albums that were metalcore, heavy guitar riffs, lots of very unique screaming through the verses, and great guitar solos. Then they release "Lead Sails, Paper Anchor" where they chose to go all hard rock, to cut out most of the screaming, to change their entire sound, basically. The music wasn't bad, but it wasn't the Atreyu I knew and loved.

Exhibit A of course for this style change is Thrice. They started out very punk, with fast, distorted guitar, upbeat tunes, and slowly started maturing into something very unique. They peaked at Artist in the Ambulance, I believe, it has something for everything. Vheissu was good, but it seemed very niche, it was very ambient and slow stuff, but nevertheless good. Then they released The Alchemy Indexes. I can't even listen to this stuff. It's so weird, mostly acoustic, they are trying to portray the four elements; earth, wind, water, and fire, through the sounds and song names. It's just not for me, and it's too bad, but here's hoping for a better next album.

Thoughts On Music Technology #2

Thirteen weeks already, man... I think things are going a lot better in class. We get the office to ourselves more often, so that helps a lot for getting stuff mastered on Cubase. Yeah, I don't really have any complaints about the class, nothing I haven't enjoyed, it's just the fact that I have to get my butt in gear, I'm kinda falling behind in the class. I guess I'm a procrastinator because if it weren't for the deadlines for the blogs, none of them would be done by now. So, the thing that is the most challenging for me would have to be staying focused in class and getting stuff done out of class.

I really enjoy doing the myspace page, I think that's a cool idea, the hard part is getting time to talk to Liplock, with them being in first block. Just one thing though, I'm not sure exactly what you're expecting from the myspace, do you want us to make it just like real bands myspace, or is there some specific outline we should be following? That's the only thing I'm not sure about for the myspace. I still really enjoy doing lights at the shows, next time I'm going to listen to all the tracks the bands are doing so I can plan out the lights better than just making stuff up. I like mastering stuff, but I'm still sort of unsure about exactly what to do, and it's difficult, because only one person can do it at once in class.

All in all, the class is going alot better than the last time I wrote about my thoughts on Music Technology.

How I Use Music and How Music Uses Me

There are many ways that I use music, but not as many ways that music uses me. I use music to do just about anything, I use it to lift my mood when I'm feeling down or something, I'll listen to something like... well I can't think of any specifics, but just about any music I like will make me feel happier. If I want to get excited for something I'll listen to songs that are loud and fast, something like Hail Destroyer. If I'm relaxing or just trying to chill and do homework I'll try listening to The Used because their stuff is a lot slower and it helps me concentrate. I try not to listen to anything too technical when I do homework because then I get distracted from my work. But the opposite is also true because if I don't listen to music, I'll focus on the ambient sounds around me, which can be even worse. I sometimes use music when I'm running to keep me going, too.

I think music uses me in a way that if I hear a song in a store or something that I like, I might be more inclined to buy something from that store for some weird reason. I use music to also boost my confidence I think, because I feel more normal when I'm listening to a song that I've heard before and that I like. Music also uses me to keep me focused on something, like when I'm watching a movie or something and it's a really tense part - they've just found a body outside and the violins cut in and they start going higher and higher, building to the climax of the scene. It really makes you feel how the writers wanted you to feel at that part of the movie. Music is strange, it can make you feel different ways just listening to it. It's hard to believe something that doesn't physically exist has such a drastic effect on you.

Controversial Figures in Music

So I'm going to go with Michael Jackson, yes him, because I know the first that came to mind when I thought Michael Jackson was eccentric sexual predator and white skin when it shouldn't be white... This is when I started to research him. Everyone knows he used to be black and was part of the Jackson 5, a great group, regardless. Then he went on to start a solo career and had great hits such as Billie Jean, Thriller and Beat It. Some of the most well known songs anywhere and he wrote them. Not only did he write and record these great songs, but he's also raised and donated millions of dollars for 39 different charities through his Dangerous World Tour - that's more than any other entertainer in history. That's something I didn't know. That's a pretty amazing feat even if he is a bit of a freak. While he is quite eccentric - there are stories that he bought a monkey and named it Bubbles and the rumour that he bought the Elephant Man's remains - he hasn't had it so easy, he was sexually abused by his father as a child, and being a child star sort of messes you up, too. Then are the allegations of sexual abuse to young boys and the rumour that he was bleaching his skin. The skin bleaching is false, he has a disease called vitiligo which causes his skin to lose pigment. The abuse allegations, whether they be false or true, or how messed it is, matters not, because he made a mistake and it happens sometimes. Regardless of what you think of Michael, he has been a staple of the music industry for many years now, influencing countless genres of music, bringing MTV to fame through his videos and probably the most important thing he brought us was the moonwalk. Classic. For all his contributions to the music industry I respect Michael Jackson, despite some peculiarities.

Solid Show From Kravitz at MTS Centre

Who: Lenny Kravitz
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg
When: 7 PM, October 29th
In Attendance: 6000
4/5 Stars

The Lenny Kravitz concert was much different from the previous concert I attended. Touring to promote his new album It's Time for a Love Revolution, Lenny put on a good show for die hard fans and good number of songs new fans enjoyed. Lenny Kravitz has had to postpone a number of dates before this in Canada and also in Japan. On September 21, it was Peace One Day and Lenny played Let Love Rule for a Peace One Day in a never ending attempt to promote peace.

First there was the venue, it was really big. I didn't think the sound would be an issue with the venue, but it seemed to affect how loud everything was When the opening band, Thornley, started I thought it was too loud, though. So loud it seemed to crackle, I wasn't sure if this was just my ears or if the speakers couldn't handle the sound. Thornley performed well, and those who knew their songs seemed to enjoy it. When Lenny came out and started into Bring it On, that was when I first noticed how spectacular the lights were. There weren't any fancy video screens or anything, but the multi-coloured lights really did it for me. They did a good job of matching up with the beat or with the different guitar riffs during certain parts of the song. The next song was kind of funny I thought. Or at least when the keyboard didn't work for the solo section. They tried to get it working again, but when it didn't work, Lenny flipped it off the stage. From a technical standpoint, that would sort be frowned upon, but on performance level it was great. Lenny dealt with the mishap quite well, unless it was all staged, but I don't believe it was. Everything in between the opening songs and the final two songs were sort of a blur for me. The lights throughout the concert were always spectacular, if not a little off the beat at some points. The crackling sound sort of faded unless I really listened for it. I remember a number of really amazing saxophone solo sections, and that trumpet solo. Kravitz tried to lead the crowd through a sing-a-long section with his mic stand, but no one seemed to want to participate, sadly. The outro of every single song seemed to last a number of minutes. This is most likely why all the songs seemed to blend into one, and why I don't remember much. The final two songs, beginning with a rendition of American Woman and falling into Fly Away, and then Are You Gonna Go My Way to close to the set. They were both upbeat and everything sounded as it should. All in all a great ending to a good show.

What I really enjoyed about this show was that Lenny found a way to incorporate the jazz elements into his show, some may not have appreciated it that much, but I quite liked it. The keyboard fizzle was a good example of Lenny being a great performer. The guitar solos were also good, not really technical, and just a nice example of a rock solo. The lighting guys also did a good job of keeping the light focused on each soloist. I didn't like that every ending of every song seemed to blend into the next. We timed one song and it was 14 minutes or something, it was just to long for someone like me who is not a die hard fan to enjoy. Other than the really long outros, the rest of the songs were solid, performed well, and sounded good.

Rant #1

My rant is going to be about people who go to concerts and do stupid things such as drink or do drugs. First off, why do it? Drugs and alcohol are stupid to begin with. Why would you go and do these things at a concert which you probably paid good money for? It just seems to me that if you want to really enjoy something, you should do it sober. There were so many people that just stood outside the arena at Lenny while the opening band played and drank. What a stupid waste of money. Isn't it about 7 dollars for a beer? Say you have a couple and get buzzed, or have too many and get drunk, you've just about spent or spent more than what you've already paid for the concert ticket. Not only is it a giant waste of money, it's embarassing and rude to other people who are trying to enjoy the concert. Nobody wants beer spilt on them when they're trying to enjoy some exceptional music. I think if you're going to drink, go do it at a bar or at your house, don't ruin the experience for other people, just for your own enjoyment. Now to drugs, even stupider in my opinion, if not as noticeable. Drugs are bad, plain and simple. Why would you want to do a bad thing while enjoying something good? You're probably not going to remember what happened anyway, so why do the stuff? I think if you pay good money for something, and you want to have a good time, just bring some friends along instead of doing something stupid like drugs.