Saturday, January 31, 2015

Adventures in Nashtown

Nashtown.

Because it's not much of a "ville" anymore.

Well, fine. I think it's funny.

Nevertheless, I've been down here for the last handful of days recording "Float Away", the upcoming single by my good friend & musical compadre, Sean Waldron. And, with the singular exception of Sean's voice running far, far away from him on the day we were hoping to record vocals, it's been an  incredible trip.

Featuring a stop along the way in Kansas City (during which I was able for the first time to visit the adjoining fields of the Royals' Kauffman Stadium and the Chiefs' Arrowhead), the chance to partake like kings at several of Nashville's best local eateries, and, most importantly, the opportunity to work with a couple of astounding musicians in the persons of Dwan Hill (our producer) and Garrett Miller (our engineer), this adventure has definitely been one for the books.

In addition to all of that, we got to track at the Sound Emporium, a studio which boasts the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss' Raising Sand, REM's Document and projects from the likes of Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, & Taylor Swift amongst its recorded credits. There's something really invigorating and inspiring about working in such a reputable room, and being directed by cats like Dwan and Garrett only bolsters the experience.

I have often said that, for me, performing for an audience full of family & friends is always more nerve racking then those shows with a more anonymous crowd. Similarly, when I get to work with talented people like I have this week, I always feel a particular marriage of nervous excitement and special blessing. There are few people I long to impress quite like the other musicians with whom I get to work, and the camaraderie the four of us were able to conjure up in just a couple days transformed the process into more fun than work. 

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Buy This Album - 'Grand Ukulele' by Jake Shimabukuro

I first discovered Jake Shimabukuro when I heard his cover of 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police in the midst of a ridiculous Adam Sandler comedy. The film was set in Hawaii, so Shimabukuro's ukulele-driven renditions of pop songs added a distinct regional feel to the familiarity of the melodies. The thing I couldn't help but notice was that while the movie was silly, the music was not. It was really, really, really good.

My next encounter with Jake came during my visit to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix last month. They had a portion of their artist section devoted to him and took advantage of his recent recordings to help showcase his instrument of choice. Again, I found myself irresistibly drawn to his music - to his ukulele music.

I know what you're thinking: Niche. Gimmick. Contrived.

I'm here to tell you: Jake Shimabukuro is none of those things.

The simple truth is that Shimabukuro manages to transcend musical boundaries with an instrument generally considered to be one-dimensional & narrow. And he does so in a way that refuses to feel forced, fake, or phony. This is not schtick. This is genuine musical mastery. This is real art.

His record comes complete with a myriad of different styles, all convincingly voiced by his uke. Shades of melodic rock, bluegrass, pop, easy listening, and even classical can be found on this album. There are some tracks where Jake fronts a rhythm section of bass & drums, there is some symphonic accompaniment, and there are solo tracks. There is real soul here. There is groove & feel. There is melody you can't help but want to sing. There is romance. There is joy. And all of it coming from a tiny wooden body and four little strings. It really is something that needs to be heard to be believed.

Jake Shimabukuro might be a genius. He is certainly not something you've ever heard before (unless, of course, you've actually heard him before). His music is sublime, pleasant, magnificent. It is music, after all is said and done, that makes you feel glad to be alive.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Music & 'American Sniper'

FIRST THINGS FIRST:
If you haven't seen American Sniper and don't want to know anything about it, don't read this post.
If you've been living under a rock for the past couple of years and don't know anything at all about Chris Kyle and don't want to until you see the movie, don't read this post.
I have no interest in spoiling anything, but if you don't know by now about the life of Chief Petty Officer Kyle, then it's not my fault if you read something on this blog that ruins something for you.

~

American Sniper is a terribly beautiful movie. It is harsh and brutal, touching and heartrending, conveying its message and subject matter through some masterful performances, intense battle sequences, and the reality of its source material. But one thing it is noticeably devoid of is music.

Warner Bros.Pictures
Well, alright. Perhaps "devoid" is too strong a term. Nevertheless, there is precious little music scattered throughout the film. There are a few moments of light piano theme: soft, single notes played to subtly enhance the mood of a scene here or there. There is a Van Morrison song playing during a wedding reception. But, by and large, the movie delivers the lion's share of its emotion without any musical accompaniment.

And it does so brilliantly. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty remarkable accomplishment all on its own. Background music is such a ubiquitous part of modern society - we hear music when we eat, when we shop, when we're waiting on the phone, when we're doing anything, really - that to deliberately remove it from a place where people are so used to hearing a lot of it (like in a movie) certainly stands as a gutsy call.

But.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Getting Out Of The Box - A Few Thoughts On Dropping Out

Somehow, someway, my Fbook feed has become a magnet for people looking to sell t-shirts to drummers. No idea how it happened. No idea why. But, that's the situation, and I as I've been trying to take things in stride, I've taken to posting pictures of some of the funnier shirt designs to my Instagram page. Here's the latest one to make the cut:



I accompanied it with this caption: <from one dropout to all the rest.>

What I didn't expect (but probably should have) was someone about my thoughts as to whether or not they should drop out of college. I gave two replies: first, I said, "Not if you don't mean it," and secondly, "School's not for everyone, but neither is the other thing."

I'd like to take the opportune moment to expand on these thoughts. Get ready for some bullet points.

Monday, January 12, 2015

The Deception of Celebrity

Reality as metaphor:

A young man enters the Navy. He excels at his assignment, whatever it happens to be, and eventually receives an invitation to try out for one of the most elite fighting forces the world has ever known. After an excruciating selection process, he is chosen to join the SEALs and begins years of the most intense training he's ever received. Again, he excels.

Eventually, he deploys and begins the work that he's dreamed of his entire life. Despite his status as one of the world's most elite war fighters and his capacity to perform a job that more than 99% of humanity could never do, he is anonymous: he is not recognized by strangers on the street, he is not paid an exorbitant wage, he will not be offered million dollar endorsement deals. He is the farthest thing from typical, the farthest thing from ordinary, the farthest thing from either boring or uninteresting...

...and the farthest thing from celebrity.

Eventually, he receives a call to perform another mission. As is typical, he and his comrades perform to the fullest extent of their professional excellence and the mission is a resounding success. He does not receive any kind of additional reward or renown for his duty despite the historical importance of the mission: it is his job - one he loves to do, has agreed to do, and has trained his entire life to do.

Meanwhile, however, back at home...

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Book Reviews On A Music Blog

Designing DisneyDesigning Disney by John Hench
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Artists can always profit from lessons delivered by the masters, and, often times, the lessons transcend the different artistic forms. Musicians can learn from writers. Painters can learn from architects. Dancers can learn from sculptors.

As John Hench says in this book, "The rules of art are the rules of life." The things that make art work do so because art - in all its forms - is both a reflection and an expression of human experience.

Given all of that, plenty of books have been written about the Disney empire's business model. This is the first I've had the opportunity to read that has delved into what drives the creative side of one of Disney's greatest artists. It's a peek behind the curtain with one of the men who went back almost to the very beginning. If there was an authority on Disney's artistic design concepts - both for animation and the amusement parks - John Hench was probably it.

The book is not a long read, and it certainly left me wanting to know more about the details of Disney artistic philosophy. I would have welcomed more depth, to be sure. But there are some brilliant and thought-provoking insights provided here that all artistically-inclined people can learn from, such as: genuinely appreciating & liking your audience and doing your best to see things from their perspective (Walt himself used to walk through Disneyland in disguise in order to interact directly with its attendees), the vital importance of paying attention to small details (like proper period doorknobs & cash registers to keep with the theme of attractions, shops & restaurants), and the invaluable nature of trial-and-error experience (like the 26 attempts at finding the right shade of pink for the castle in Disneyland Paris).

Hench is, as many masterful artists tend to be, somewhat enigmatic and ambiguous. But, his insights and stories are well worth reading. I came away with a new found understanding and respect for the attitudes and artistic worldview that created some of the world's most famous cultural icons, and any artist looking to glean a bit of inspiration can definitely find it here.

View all my reviews

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Facebook, Hayley Williams, & Redefining Success

Recently, one thing led to another on Facebook and I found myself looking at a picture someone had posted of Hayley Williams, wishing the singer a happy birthday. The picture and post were completely innocuous and not at all the point of this post, but a comment someone left underneath the photo read like this:

I hate when super amazing successful fantastic people are younger than me. Blergh.

Interesting.

I was struck by the tone of the comment because I couldn't find it within myself to believe that it was at all in jest. I really do believe that this person, while no doubt being a fan of Hayley's and Paramore's, feels an acute stab of failure due to the fact that she is not as successful as Ms. Williams at this point in her life. Allow me to offer a few thoughts on why this kind of thinking is both nonsensical and unnecessary.

Let me first admit at the outset that yes, I understand that YOUTH is the god of all things in our modern society. I understand that there is immense pressure to succeed while you're still young: mediocre artists not yet 25 receive Grammy's while the old masters linger on the margins, Forbes posts articles about the "Top 30 Under 30", and almost all of popular marketing is directed at young people regardless of the product. I get it. I'm with you.

But this pressure is born of commerce and not reason. It's designed to generate money and income, not to help inform human purpose or elevate human creative experience. To summarize, it's a sham.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Buy This Album - Nathan East

For my first post of 2015, I would like to very deliberately direct your attention toward someone else.

Nathan East - the master bassist with more than 2,000 album credits to his name and superstar sideman who has performed alongside artists like Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Toto, Daft Punk, Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, & Michael McDonald -  has finally released his very first solo project.

And it's amazing.

There is nothing quite like discovering a truly wonderful album you have no idea even existed, and, thanks to the algorithm driving my Facebook feed, soon after Christmas Nathan's record was brought onto my radar. It remained on my radar for only a few moments, however, as I could not open iTunes fast enough in order to purchase it.

It's worth every penny. Actually, it's worth a lot more than all the pennies you're going to pay for it.

What you're going to get when you buy this record is not only a Grammy-nominated masterwork, but a celebration of the music & career of one of the world's greatest living musicians. Nathan East has been one of popular music's most prolific bassist's for 40 years (he toured with Barry White while he was in high school, wrote & sang "Easy Lover" with Phil Collins, played the classic bass line to "Footloose", and, more recently, made the entire world dance on "Get Lucky"). He is one of the quintessential examples of a musician's musician, and when he announced that he was finally going to create his own record, a legion of the world's greatest players & singers came out of the woodwork to make it with him.

 
Nathan with Toto on their 35 Anniversary Tour in 2014. (Check the solo at 5:00)
 
What's more is that Yamaha - the company who's instruments Nathan has endorsed for decades - has produced a documentary film called For The Record chronicling the album making process as well as celebrating the life of one of music's favorite sons. They have released the documentary for free right here on Hulu.com, and I cannot recommend enough that you carve out 90 minutes for yourself and watch it.

(The film also contains a touching memorial to Ricky Lawson, the drumming giant who died last year from a brain aneurysm. Nathan's project was one of the last things Lawson recorded before he passed, and the entire film is dedicated to his memory. I wrote a post about Ricky last year, as well, and it was touching for me to see his musical brothers doing their best to honor him.)

So, if you would like to know what makes a guy like me really geek-out, buy this album and watch this film: wonderful music made by a bunch of true masters in a celebration of one of their own.

(...and the rest of us fangirl all the way home!)

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