I think I miss Pluto. It's no longer a planet. It was demoted to a dwarf planet. A fate I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Memories are strongest from when we are young. We can form relationships that we remember the rest of our lives even if they don't last that long. Who forgets their first love or first kiss?
I find myself, now and then, dreaming about those people from my past and often I wake up feeling sad. I guess I'm sad about the fact that I no longer keep in touch with them, or maybe sad that those days when I was young and full of naive notions has been and gone. I'm not complaining, it's just an observation.
I think some people hold on to the past a little too long. It can eat you up inside, so that you don't live for today. They're always living in the past. It's especially hard to move on in your life when you feel like you've lost something and you have a deep hunger inside to recapture that moment when everything was right.
Some people are like that about music too. They hang on to what they love and stop listening to new music. It doesn't fit with what they find comfortable and appealing. Quite often the music is tied to what they heard and felt in their younger years. The feeling of the time is really what gives the music meaning to them. Think of an old song you like and see if there is a memory from your personal history that's linked to it.
It's all about feeling something
Songs get played, sung and listened to in places that are sometimes special and sometimes not. They only have meaning in the context that they are presented. You need to feel something, so that you remember.
They don't live in a vacuum. They are presented somewhere. Whether it's in a club, or a wedding or when you're feeling blue about someone you lost.
James
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Social Media Has Made Me Fat
The Medium is the message
There's been some famous defections from Twitter lately (John Mayer, Ricky Gervais, Courtney Love etc.) and that got me to thinking. We are being bombarded by information every minute of everyday. I feel out of touch most of the time. There is just so much going on in the world and every bit of it is being reported on by someone, whether through the older traditional media or the new social media. There's just too much to keep track of. I might be getting older, but I'm finding that there are a growing number of so called "celebrities" I've never heard of. There are events I'm completely unaware of, movies I haven't seen, music I should listen to that I don't, people I should talk to that I can't! I don't have the time.
There was a time in the not to distant past that I felt I had a handle on what was going on (for the most part) in popular western culture. I don't have that illusion anymore. I feel lost, adrift on a sea of endless realities shows, streams of facebook updates and a 24 hour news cycle. I just want to make it all stop and get my bearings.
Truth and Consequences
The big record companies have been making the argument for a while that when they were on top, their was a clear choice as to what music was to be listened to and what music was to be avoided. Things were simpler then and there wasn't as much "noise". The chosen few were given the keys to the palace and everyone else was left in the cold. That is to say, they were the gate keepers who determined what was good or bad music and they let us know when they had decided what we should listen to.
Ah the good old days... Now of course there are enough musicians just on Youtube, to fill a small country and we are left to discover which ones are good and not so good ourselves. To be sure, there are still some barriers to entry for new musicians, but it is by far much easier to record, market and distribute music to an audience than it used to be five years ago. The problem now is finding and keeping an audience.
This brings me back to being bombarded with media. I've listened to at least five artists / bands on Youtube this week and they were all good. All of them had an interesting sound and I would have spent more time listening to them ten years ago. Now, I find I don't even finish listening until the end of the track. And I couldn't name any of them now.
I don't like this. I know a great deal of hard work goes into writing, performing and recording an album and there should be time to appreciate it. What I think I have as a culture now, is too much of a good thing.
Too Much of a Good Thing
What we have now is a classic supply / demand scenario with way more supply than demand. When this happens the supply side has less value to people. This is the situation we're in with popular music and popular culture. Good or bad (mostly bad) there's lots of it. I, you and lots of others have been pigging out on the media and now we've gotten fat and lazy about what we watch, listen to and consume. What can be done? Maybe a diet? Better content and no more crap. Goodbye reality tv. Or maybe we do need gate keepers... who would of thunk it?
I've got to go and check my facebook page...
Bye for now
James
The Medium is the message
There's been some famous defections from Twitter lately (John Mayer, Ricky Gervais, Courtney Love etc.) and that got me to thinking. We are being bombarded by information every minute of everyday. I feel out of touch most of the time. There is just so much going on in the world and every bit of it is being reported on by someone, whether through the older traditional media or the new social media. There's just too much to keep track of. I might be getting older, but I'm finding that there are a growing number of so called "celebrities" I've never heard of. There are events I'm completely unaware of, movies I haven't seen, music I should listen to that I don't, people I should talk to that I can't! I don't have the time.
There was a time in the not to distant past that I felt I had a handle on what was going on (for the most part) in popular western culture. I don't have that illusion anymore. I feel lost, adrift on a sea of endless realities shows, streams of facebook updates and a 24 hour news cycle. I just want to make it all stop and get my bearings.
Truth and Consequences
The big record companies have been making the argument for a while that when they were on top, their was a clear choice as to what music was to be listened to and what music was to be avoided. Things were simpler then and there wasn't as much "noise". The chosen few were given the keys to the palace and everyone else was left in the cold. That is to say, they were the gate keepers who determined what was good or bad music and they let us know when they had decided what we should listen to.
Ah the good old days... Now of course there are enough musicians just on Youtube, to fill a small country and we are left to discover which ones are good and not so good ourselves. To be sure, there are still some barriers to entry for new musicians, but it is by far much easier to record, market and distribute music to an audience than it used to be five years ago. The problem now is finding and keeping an audience.
This brings me back to being bombarded with media. I've listened to at least five artists / bands on Youtube this week and they were all good. All of them had an interesting sound and I would have spent more time listening to them ten years ago. Now, I find I don't even finish listening until the end of the track. And I couldn't name any of them now.
I don't like this. I know a great deal of hard work goes into writing, performing and recording an album and there should be time to appreciate it. What I think I have as a culture now, is too much of a good thing.
Too Much of a Good Thing
What we have now is a classic supply / demand scenario with way more supply than demand. When this happens the supply side has less value to people. This is the situation we're in with popular music and popular culture. Good or bad (mostly bad) there's lots of it. I, you and lots of others have been pigging out on the media and now we've gotten fat and lazy about what we watch, listen to and consume. What can be done? Maybe a diet? Better content and no more crap. Goodbye reality tv. Or maybe we do need gate keepers... who would of thunk it?
I've got to go and check my facebook page...
Bye for now
James
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Autotune - Why Did You Lie?
Autotune is not our friend
Autotune is used to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform perfectly tuned vocal tracks without the need of singing in tune. While its main purpose is to slightly bend sung pitches to the nearest true semitone (to the exact pitch of the nearest tone in traditional equal temperament), Auto-Tune can be used as an effect to distort the human voice when pitch is raised/lowered significantly. This has led to it being used in numerous pop songs from Cher to T-Pain.
It's a become a staple with many "Pop Stars" who can't pull off the real thing or are looking to have some robotic sound on a song. I'm not a fan. I don't really like over produced music and use and over use of Autotune falls into that category.
I feel like the artists who use it to correct bad singing are lazy or lying. There's nothing like a live performance with authentic voices, full of feeling and nuance. They sometimes aren't perfect. That's art and that's life. I for one prefer my music to be from real people with something real to say not machines that have no soul.
Autotune is used to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform perfectly tuned vocal tracks without the need of singing in tune. While its main purpose is to slightly bend sung pitches to the nearest true semitone (to the exact pitch of the nearest tone in traditional equal temperament), Auto-Tune can be used as an effect to distort the human voice when pitch is raised/lowered significantly. This has led to it being used in numerous pop songs from Cher to T-Pain.
It's a become a staple with many "Pop Stars" who can't pull off the real thing or are looking to have some robotic sound on a song. I'm not a fan. I don't really like over produced music and use and over use of Autotune falls into that category.
I feel like the artists who use it to correct bad singing are lazy or lying. There's nothing like a live performance with authentic voices, full of feeling and nuance. They sometimes aren't perfect. That's art and that's life. I for one prefer my music to be from real people with something real to say not machines that have no soul.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Russell deCarle - Real humans make music
It's like a frozen dinner vs. a gourmet meal.
You will hear me talk from time to time about how I like performers with an authentic sound. Too much studio tinkering to smooth out the rough spots or create a sound that just wasn't there in the live performance, just doesn't do it for me.
It's like a frozen dinner vs. a gourmet meal. Sure when you're hungry or you don't have a choice, you eat the frozen dinner. You know what you're going to get and it might just be tasty, but there is no comparison with a fresh, well prepared feast by someone who knows what they are doing!
It's the same with music. Live music is the best, with all of the richness and flaws in the music and performance and the shared experience of hearing with an audience in a unique location. I'll take it any day over most of the pop music produced by card board cutouts.
Russell deCarle of Praire Oyster knows how to make authentic music, that soothes the soul. His latest album and solo effort "Under the Big Big Sky". Is a collection of songs deCarle says, took "thirty-six years" to complete. The eclectic album was recorded live with a who's who of Canadian roots music helping out. Jim Cuddy, Dala, Kevin Bright, Steven Briggs, David Wilcox, John Sheard, Amos Garrett and many others.
The album borrows heavily from deCarle's musical influences and stands uniquely as completely separate from what Praire Oyster has done. Lyrically it's has a contemporary, whimsical and poetic feel.
You will hear me talk from time to time about how I like performers with an authentic sound. Too much studio tinkering to smooth out the rough spots or create a sound that just wasn't there in the live performance, just doesn't do it for me.
It's like a frozen dinner vs. a gourmet meal. Sure when you're hungry or you don't have a choice, you eat the frozen dinner. You know what you're going to get and it might just be tasty, but there is no comparison with a fresh, well prepared feast by someone who knows what they are doing!
It's the same with music. Live music is the best, with all of the richness and flaws in the music and performance and the shared experience of hearing with an audience in a unique location. I'll take it any day over most of the pop music produced by card board cutouts.
Russell deCarle of Praire Oyster knows how to make authentic music, that soothes the soul. His latest album and solo effort "Under the Big Big Sky". Is a collection of songs deCarle says, took "thirty-six years" to complete. The eclectic album was recorded live with a who's who of Canadian roots music helping out. Jim Cuddy, Dala, Kevin Bright, Steven Briggs, David Wilcox, John Sheard, Amos Garrett and many others.
The album borrows heavily from deCarle's musical influences and stands uniquely as completely separate from what Praire Oyster has done. Lyrically it's has a contemporary, whimsical and poetic feel.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
September Rain
This is the latest video in the series that we are doing to promote the release of our upcoming EP. Big East consists of myself (James Jones) on rhythm guitar, Mark Sylvah on lead guitar and Kip Daynard on Piano. Big East is a vocal group with acoustic instruments. I guess you would describe us as Acoustic Pop with a twist of retro folk. We focus on creating original songs, but we also do covers of some of the songs we like from other artists. The album we're working on is going to be released in 2011 and we will be putting out a free EP (extended play) early in 2011. We have plans to do some touring locally and in and around Ontario in 2011 and we'd be happy to see you out to hear us live. Please mention that you have seen us in one of these videos.
September Rain is a song that Mark and I wrote beginning back in September of 2009. Mark came up with the little guitar riff you hear throughout the piece and it caught my ear. I spent a couple of weeks writing lyrics and settled on the "Rain" theme one morning while I was staring out my window at the September Rain.
This is the first song that Mark and Kip and I sang together and I think it was when we realized we had an interesting vocal harmony. Truly a situation where the whole is greater than the some of the parts. I home you enjoy September Rain.
James
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Jeremy Fisher
I recently heard an interview with Jeremy Fisher on CBC radio, Specifically, "Q" with Jian Ghomeshi. I can't tell you how impressed I am with this guy! Well maybe I can. Here goes...
First. He's writes great songs. You need to check out Shine a little light , Cigarette, Jolene and The Scar that never heals. These are all Youtube videos that stand by themselves, but the songwriting is superb.
Jeremy's performance is somewhere a cross between Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. He plays guitar feverishly and keeps things moving along with savory lyrics and appealing melodies.
In the CBC interview Jeremy gave a live performance, just him and his guitar. Definitely not as polished as his recordings but authentic and satisfying just the same, maybe better.
If you get a chance check him out at a live event or pickup his new album. This guy is a true talent that needs to be appreciated for his art.
James
First. He's writes great songs. You need to check out Shine a little light , Cigarette, Jolene and The Scar that never heals. These are all Youtube videos that stand by themselves, but the songwriting is superb.
Jeremy's performance is somewhere a cross between Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. He plays guitar feverishly and keeps things moving along with savory lyrics and appealing melodies.
In the CBC interview Jeremy gave a live performance, just him and his guitar. Definitely not as polished as his recordings but authentic and satisfying just the same, maybe better.
If you get a chance check him out at a live event or pickup his new album. This guy is a true talent that needs to be appreciated for his art.
James
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Pipe Street Studios
BIG East goes the the Recording Studio
We had our first recording session at James Gordon's Pipe Street Studios yesterday. After a five hour journey (2 hours late) due to traffic... ugh! BIG East finally arrived.
Pipe Street Studios is three small rooms crammed with recording and musical equipment, located in Guelph, Ontario. We were joined by Randall Scott (currently touring with Sylvia Tyson in Quartet) on Drums and Jesse Turbon on Bass! We laid down rhythm, piano, guitar and vocal tracks for "Home To Stay". Then we worked on "Hey Carolyne" and added a really cool bowed bass part to the piano section as well as a really killer drum part. In "I Die For You" the rhythm provided by the percussion section really adds to the vibe, but it sounds (at least at this point) very much like our arrangement in our Backstage BIG East #3.
We had our first recording session at James Gordon's Pipe Street Studios yesterday. After a five hour journey (2 hours late) due to traffic... ugh! BIG East finally arrived.
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| James Gordon |
When we head back for our next session in January, we'll be laying down vocal tracks for "I Die For You" and "Hey Carolyne" as well as getting started on the next three songs. "September Rain", Across the Water and a song to be decided on.
Those of you who have had any experience of working through the studio recording process, can testify to the fact that the process is painstaking hard work but incredibly fun for musicians. It's the place where you can see your musical ideas come to fruition and where all of your previous practice and planning can be seen and heard, tweeked and geeked.
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| Randall Scott |
It was a great experience and I look forward to heading back in January for our next session. I think everyone was a little nervous to start, we all came together and made some beautiful music. By 7:00 pm we were done... that is exhausted. We headed out to the local pub for a tasty supper and a beer right after that. Yummy!
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