Darlin' Darlin'...

Music is the universal language. There is nothing in the world that brings emotion out of people like music. We all love some type of music. And if we don’t I guarantee there is something out there for you, you just haven’t found it yet. I encourage everyone to find his or her musical niches. I must say that my own personal niche consists of nearly all types of music. I love seeing people love that they are playing what they want. That seems to be how the best musicians work. They don’t play to please you, they play to please themselves and coincidentally they please crowds. Even the most unpopular musicians in this world are brilliant. Whether they sing, play an instrument, DJ, shred the electric guitar, beat their dogs belly like a bongo drum… all of it is musicianship. My favorite part about music is that it brings people together. People get rhythm and can’t stop smiling. It’s truly inspiring that noises played together well enough can make all sorts of people go to their happy place. I’ve decided to go with a particular video on this post that shows how good even street musicians are. We all tend to look at street musicians and walk right by. This video makes me never want to do that again. 

Going Down The Line

This post goes to a band that is well deserving and floats at the top of my list constantly. Railroad Earth is from New Jersey and boasts an upbeat and folky sound. Sometimes I confuse myself as to what genre they really are. The band consists of 6 members; all of them play some sort of instrument and sing. Their stage can consist of banjos, violins, cellos, drums, saxophones, stand up bass, etc. Needless to say their act is an exhibition of sorts with no doubt. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Railroad Earth in Denver, Colorado, as well as, Fort Worth, Texas. They actually played for the Fort Worth Arts Festival in April of this year. It was their first show in Fort Worth and I highly doubt it will be their last. They got a warm welcome from the crowd and played exceptionally well. I was shocked many people from Fort Worth even knew about them, but I was wrong. Seeing this great band play on Main Street in Fort Worth facing the courthouse, I couldn’t have been happier. I must not leave out the fact that I met their lead singer walking home from the show. My friend, Alex, and I assured them they would love to come back for more. Here’s a little taste.

Wheelin' n Dealin'

For this post, I will again go with an artist – in this case a group of artists – from the great city of Austin, Texas. Austin now seems to be in a perpetual state of spitting out new artists. In a previous post, I mentioned Austin’s own, Gary Clark Jr, who is making his mark on music as we speak. This time it’s The Wheeler Brothers. The Wheeler Brothers is composed of five musicians with three brothers that lead the group. Their sound is a mix of indie folk with some heavy guitar. I’ve recently had the pleasure of seeing The Wheeler Brothers in a live setting and I must say that they are quite the show. I actually was not expecting to like them as much as I did, but despite my lack of knowledge for them, I really enjoyed their energy and commitment to their music. Honestly, most any music can sound good live if the artist simply makes it seem like they’re putting their all in to it. The Wheeler Brothers certainly do that. The coolest thing The Wheeler Brothers did when I saw them was end their show with the three brothers center stage, guitars in hand, finishing it off themselves. This native Texan group could soon be all over the place.

 

Spottieottiedopalicious

Rap/Hip-Hop is a genre I know very little about, but I do know that when I hear a hip-hop song that I like, I tend to remember it very well. To me, rap is the ultimate form of blunt expression in music. Most music relies on the sound to create the feel, rap is different. In what I have listened to, most rap or hip-hop is so lyrically centered it literally turns the mouth into an instrument – not that it wasn’t before. But I think rappers know how to use the instrument in such a way that can inflict any emotion they want from their audience. The artist I’ve chosen to use is Outkast. I will always love Outkast. The group is a duo of rappers who work wonders with their lyrical abilities. Outkast is from Georgia and began their careers in 1992. They debuted their first album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, in 1994. I smile thinking about people who don’t know of Outkast trying to read that album name. Anyways, my personal favorite Outkast song actually has historical references. It refers to probably the most bold, and popular African-American woman of the civil rights era. The song, named after this woman, is Rosa Parks. Remember: We the type a’ people make the club get crunk…

Forget They're Hiding

The Who are without a doubt one of my favorite bands – especially from before I was born. I love how crazy their music can sound, but how it somehow all flows so incredibly. Most of us know the most popular songs from The Who, - songs like “Who Are You?”, “Behind Blue Eyes”, and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – but my reason for liking the who isn’t because of any of those songs or any other popular ones – definitely not “Baba O’Riley” either. So here it goes, my whole life I’ve been a Dallas Mavericks fan. I’ve always loved basketball and I’ve been seeing Mavericks games since before I could talk. Well, the Mavericks have always had a super awesome intro song. And I didn’t know what the song was until my last couple years of high school. Indeed, it is by The Who and the name of it is Eminence Front.  For whatever reason, the song has a way of getting me super pumped and ready for action. Any action. Anything. It was this song that led me into The Who’s greatest jams and then onto many other bands from around The Who’s era. I’ve seen people who’ve never heard this song immediately begin the boogie down once it’s been played, so I don’t imagine it can put on too many frowns. The visual quality makes me laugh, the audio is just fine.

Austin's Finest

Oh Mr. Gary how I do love your bluesy jams. Gary Clark Jr. is an up and coming blues guitarist that plays like no one else. There have been so many great guitarists over the decades so it would be naïve of me to say he is the best. But ladies and gentlemen, this guy just might BE the best. Music is a funny thing in that it is impossible for everyone in the world to agree on what is “the best” and frankly, I don’t think there is a “best” musician out there. They are all different and unique in their own way. Anyhow, Gary Clark is from Austin, Texas where he began playing at Antone’s club. His name sure enough got out and he began to play at more small bars around Texas. In fact, I have had the pleasure of seeing Gary play at Lola’s Saloon off W 7^th St in Fort Worth and I must say, the guy is supernatural.  With so many artists deviating to a style that incorporates LED lights and computers, etc. Gary Clark Jr. is the prime example of an artist that only wants to put music in your ears. And he wants to do it the best he can every time. Check out the rawness of this wonderful musician.

 

Take Care

After making some eyes big with the last post, this post will be, once again much different. This blog has only begun to help show myself how many types of music I enjoy. Also, there is not much that I dislike. The video I will show for this post I hope shows that musical diversity I enjoy having. I think it’s the idea that all music must have a beat, and to have a beat someone has to play that beat. Generally, if someone is playing a beat, it may not necessarily be a happy beat, but by God that person is making that beat because that person wants to. And surely, whoever that person is believes the beat they are making pleases their own mind at the very least. In that case, surely someone else somewhere likes it. This is how I sort of have the evolvement of music pictured in my own mind. It’s really just a simple pass it on concept.  The song I’ve chosen for this post is, in my opinion, one of the best sounding pieces of music in my generation. Florence + the Machine is a band led by the angelic vocals of Florence Welch. This particular song is actually originally sung by Drake and Rihanna, a couple of well-known hip-hop artists. Anyhow, I hope this is as good for you as it is me.

 

Gettin' Wild

After posting about Johnny Cash, I’ve decided to go with a polar opposite on this post. Electronic Dance Music, also referred to often as EDM, has been blowing up among college students and teenagers over the last few years. There are so many forms of EDM that it may be difficult to post a song everyone will like. That is actually the least of my concern; my main concern is to educate those who’ve never experienced a live EDM show on how nuts they can actually be. While I’ve seen a variety of live acts, EDM is hands down the most raucous, rowdy, and obnoxious type of show. Nonetheless, they are an absolute blast to attend, especially with a group of good friends. I would imagine that a parents view of EDM is much more cynical than that of us college students. I’ve actually had my parent’s wonder what in the world was playing. My mother has even said that EDM is like disco on steroids. I would almost agree. I guess back in the day artists were more limited in their technology and could only make the crowd move so much. Nowadays, EDM artists make crowds crazy and seemingly uncontrollable at times. I know some will be shocked, but just know this: If you were there, you’d have a blast. Here’s a video of one of my personal favorite EDM artists, Pretty Lights, performing at the 1st Bank Center in Denver last New Years Eve. IT. WAS. AWESOME. Enjoy. 

Texas Roots

       I've decided to go down the country road for this post because of my legitimate respect for country music. I don't particularly enjoy pop/new-nashville country, but the down home, true to the heart country music is a genre I truly enjoy. I am originally from Dallas, Texas and country music was definitely a part of growing up. For whatever reason, I never enjoyed listening to the mainstream country artists. Looking back now I think it’s because it seemed fake, or gimmicky. I feel like mainstream country mostly all sounds the same and is extremely catchy just to sell records. That said, I truly enjoy good country songs that really hit home to the listener. I understand that not everyone likes country, and frankly, it’s not even close to being my favorite genre of music. However, as I mentioned, I do respect the music to such an extent that I thought it deserved to get a post. Some of my favorite country artists are Robert Earl Keen, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and a few more. I guess I just like the old school stuff. I believe the reason for this is the genuine sound they produce. It’s almost as if these artist play what they want, they don’t care if you like it or not because they love it, and coincidentally, they can get a tons of others to love it too. So here is a video of June Carter & Johnny Cash singing one of my personal favorites, Jackson. These two are awesome. And the sound quality is just fine, don't let the tube television look fool you.

Welcome

Amongst many of my passions, music is probably my favorite. Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed to be a good musician, but I do appreciate almost all types of music. Even music I do not like I find a way to understand and enjoy it for the moment it's blasting in my ears. My plan is to present to my audience pieces of music from all sorts of genres, places, you name it. I avidly attend concerts for music of all types. If you can think of the genre, I've most likely seen an artist or group play from that genre. The live experience makes music even more extravagant. There’s no better feeling than when you are a part of a crowd that is literally being moved by the music. I hope this blog can help expand your musical horizons, as well as, mine. I will begin this blog with a video of my personal favorite band, STS9. I know they can be a stretch for some people, but hey, we all have our favorites. I’ve chosen to post a video of them in an acoustic setting. STS9 is normally in a “live-tronica” setting, meaning they play instruments and use computer-based equipment. While I do love their tunes in the “live-tronica” setting, I believe the acoustic setting is where STS9 is at their best. The song I’ve chosen is one of their classics, as well as, a personal favorite. So crank your speakers or your headphones and enjoy!