Y M C A!!
I have started my new day job at the local YMCA. A little over a week into my new schedule, and so far have had only one mild freak out session (lots of change is scary, unless it's the kind of change you find at the bottom of your bag, and then you're all like "Hey I can do laundry now!").
I'm working in the aquatics department, which gives me lots of time to stand at the side of the pool watching gym members swim back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....which gives me some time to think about my favourite topics: music, science, and the Titanic vs. Iceberg screenplay I am writing (it's going to be a hit!).
In honor of this new mode of accumulating enough money to pay my rent, I thought I'd look into that ubiquitous song about the YMCA. You know it, you've sang it, you've even probably done the accompanying dance moves; it's that Village People hit: Y.M.C.A.
The tune was released in 1978, and from a quick glance at the lyrics, the song is about all the great things that the Young Men's Christian Association has to offer. The author, Victor Willis, insists that though there are numerous double entendre in the song, it was not intended as a gay anthem. In 1979, the YMCA actually sued the Village People for copyright infringement (and concern over marring their reputation). The suit was dropped, though, after an increase in membership (behold the power of a catchy hook).
Now, get some exercise and spell out the letters with your arms like I know you've done before.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Off the Shelf: Away From the World
It is time to finally say something about the latest release from my dear Dave Matthews Band. Away From the World follows 2009's send up to the recently deceased founding member LeRoi Moore (we miss you, bro), Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King. Big Whiskey is great, incidentally, and proved to fans that Dave and Band hadn't lost their touch. Though the true fans never doubted them.
Away From the World, released in September of 2012, was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who had been at the production helm through the 1990s. Some of the sounds on this album echo back to those songs from that time, and a few tracks, such as Rooftop, carry the dark energy that can be heard in Before These Crowded Streets.
Listening (I mean really listening) to the CD on a recent lengthy drive around southeast Iowa, I came away with a few observations. Even though the song style and direction the band has taken has been a bit of a turn from the "old" stuff, the music is still clearly stamped "Dave and Band Created This." It isn't just the characteristic sound of saxophone versus guitar or busy drumming versus violin. It isn't even Dave's unmistakable voice. For me, a Dave song is always recognizable by the direction a song will take harmonically or lyrically.
As an example, listen to If Only. At the start, the song sounds like something John Mayer or Jack Johnson could do (not to belittle John Mayer, but his style different). It's cool, relaxed, poppy, chillin' outside in the sun music. I felt this way at the first listen. The turn happens at the chorus, when he starts with "but I know you and you know me." That harmonic shift out of a somewhat predictable progression makes the song all his. Now that I've listened to it a few times, it sounds so inevitable, but the song could have gone in many directions.
Mercy was a track that was released as a single and previewed on tour. It's a fragile, politically-charged song that reminds us in a gentle way that we're dealing with a thinking rock star. It is ultimately a hopeful song, in true Dave fashion. Mercy, will we overcome this?/ One by one, could we turn it around?
Of all of the tracks, the one I gravitated to first was Gaucho. Flowing melody over a plucky guitar riff, before leading into the hook: "We gotta do much more than believe if we really want to change things." This sentiment resonates with my own beliefs, which is probably why it grabbed me, but, more importantly, the horn parts on this tune are so well orchestrated. If there were ever a song that so well features what Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross are capable of in a "back up" band setting, this is the song. And it isn't really "back up" band in the traditional sense; it's so much better!
The quiet solo Sweet was nice to see on the album. I remember hearing it live for the first time while at the Chicago Caravan show, played as an encore. Someone had apparently gifted Dave a ukulele and with it he wrote a beautiful little song about his young son learning to swim.
In some ways, this album can be interpreted as an answer to the Band's earliest music. When Dave asked "Could I have been anyone other than me?" in Dancing Nancies (from 1995's Under the Table and Dreaming), he replies now with this advice in Drunken Soldier: "Fill up your head and fill up your heart and take your shot. Don't waste time trying to be something you're not."
Well spoken.
Away From the World, released in September of 2012, was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who had been at the production helm through the 1990s. Some of the sounds on this album echo back to those songs from that time, and a few tracks, such as Rooftop, carry the dark energy that can be heard in Before These Crowded Streets.
Listening (I mean really listening) to the CD on a recent lengthy drive around southeast Iowa, I came away with a few observations. Even though the song style and direction the band has taken has been a bit of a turn from the "old" stuff, the music is still clearly stamped "Dave and Band Created This." It isn't just the characteristic sound of saxophone versus guitar or busy drumming versus violin. It isn't even Dave's unmistakable voice. For me, a Dave song is always recognizable by the direction a song will take harmonically or lyrically.
 |
| The deluxe CD/DVD set I had ordered from the Warehouse came packaged with photo book, lyric cards, and this little assembly-required dude-in-a-box. |
As an example, listen to If Only. At the start, the song sounds like something John Mayer or Jack Johnson could do (not to belittle John Mayer, but his style different). It's cool, relaxed, poppy, chillin' outside in the sun music. I felt this way at the first listen. The turn happens at the chorus, when he starts with "but I know you and you know me." That harmonic shift out of a somewhat predictable progression makes the song all his. Now that I've listened to it a few times, it sounds so inevitable, but the song could have gone in many directions.
Mercy was a track that was released as a single and previewed on tour. It's a fragile, politically-charged song that reminds us in a gentle way that we're dealing with a thinking rock star. It is ultimately a hopeful song, in true Dave fashion. Mercy, will we overcome this?/ One by one, could we turn it around?
Of all of the tracks, the one I gravitated to first was Gaucho. Flowing melody over a plucky guitar riff, before leading into the hook: "We gotta do much more than believe if we really want to change things." This sentiment resonates with my own beliefs, which is probably why it grabbed me, but, more importantly, the horn parts on this tune are so well orchestrated. If there were ever a song that so well features what Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross are capable of in a "back up" band setting, this is the song. And it isn't really "back up" band in the traditional sense; it's so much better!
The quiet solo Sweet was nice to see on the album. I remember hearing it live for the first time while at the Chicago Caravan show, played as an encore. Someone had apparently gifted Dave a ukulele and with it he wrote a beautiful little song about his young son learning to swim.
In some ways, this album can be interpreted as an answer to the Band's earliest music. When Dave asked "Could I have been anyone other than me?" in Dancing Nancies (from 1995's Under the Table and Dreaming), he replies now with this advice in Drunken Soldier: "Fill up your head and fill up your heart and take your shot. Don't waste time trying to be something you're not."
Well spoken.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Status Update
Hello Zombie-lets!
The Undead Maestro of All Things Musical is not for-real dead. She's just working on a lot of different projects at the moment. Also, I've been gnawing on atonality lately (as you will recall from post-the-last) and it is considerably chewier than pop music. In my college days of music history and contemporary music analysis, 20th century music was always a bit intimidating. Not only because for most of our college lives, music majors are just trying to digest over 500 years of music theory and history in a tonal capacity. So learning how to "break the rules," so to speak, is something that is sometimes approached with a bit of caution. And, frankly, some modern music is scary sounding. So, I am re-cultivating my ears to hear the merits of this music and dig into why it was an inevitable course for music to take. You will hear all about it, I'm sure, given my tendency to make everyone around me learn whatever it is that I am currently learning.
Posts have also been sparse lately because, like some other bloggers, I don't like phoning in a post. Unless I have something interesting to say or the topic really turns me on, I just can't make myself write something that I feel is worthy of being read. Writing, like music, is hard work.
BRAAAAAIIIIINNSSS!
P.S. Your assignment is to go to YouTube or the library or iTunes, or wherever it is you locate and listen to new music and listen to a bit of Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck. That is all.
The Undead Maestro of All Things Musical is not for-real dead. She's just working on a lot of different projects at the moment. Also, I've been gnawing on atonality lately (as you will recall from post-the-last) and it is considerably chewier than pop music. In my college days of music history and contemporary music analysis, 20th century music was always a bit intimidating. Not only because for most of our college lives, music majors are just trying to digest over 500 years of music theory and history in a tonal capacity. So learning how to "break the rules," so to speak, is something that is sometimes approached with a bit of caution. And, frankly, some modern music is scary sounding. So, I am re-cultivating my ears to hear the merits of this music and dig into why it was an inevitable course for music to take. You will hear all about it, I'm sure, given my tendency to make everyone around me learn whatever it is that I am currently learning.
Posts have also been sparse lately because, like some other bloggers, I don't like phoning in a post. Unless I have something interesting to say or the topic really turns me on, I just can't make myself write something that I feel is worthy of being read. Writing, like music, is hard work.
BRAAAAAIIIIINNSSS!
P.S. Your assignment is to go to YouTube or the library or iTunes, or wherever it is you locate and listen to new music and listen to a bit of Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck. That is all.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Atonality
Okay. Pay attention.
I have been doing a bit of reading lately about "Twentieth century" music. The Twentieth century title really describes music from the early 1900s to present day, so perhaps historians need to come up with a few new labels. Anyway.
A big part of the Twentieth century revolution in music is something called atonality. You may surmise, from the "a" in front of "tonality", that atonal music is not tonal. You would be correct. But, what does that mean? Let's look a bit closer at atonality, because I don't want to you be lost later.
Tonality is what we understand best (or, at least, it is what we are most accustomed to hearing). Pop music is tonal, folk tunes and nursery songs are tonal, much of the Classical genre is tonal. By calling something tonal, we really mean that there is a pitch that the music centers around. It is scalar and diatonic in derivation and harmonic function. In short, stuff works in a fairly predictable way. A V chord will typically make its way to a I chord, without much weird motion in between. And even if there is some unusual harmonic motion, the resolution will arrive, even if it is delayed for some reason.
I picture tonal music like this:
The rest of the pitches within the scale gravitate to the tonal center. The picture illustrates a regular, non-intimidating C major scale. If you played or sang a major scale and stopped just before you reached the tonic (notice the root of that word is ton) you would have a feeling of unrest.
Try it now: Do re mi fa sol la ti
If you grew up surrounded by tonal music, as many people do, you may experience a sensation of being unsettled. We "want" that final do to sound. You probably silently gave yourself the resolution anyway. I always do, even if I don't vocalize it. Tonality is like coming back home after a long vacation.
Atonality is different. There is no tonal center. No gravity. It is kind of like this:
All tones are equal. No tone in particular is given any sort of function. Initially, this can seem like chaos, but some atonal music can be quite lovely. Even listenable. Arnold Schoenberg wrote some very interesting and listenable atonal music. He was also one of the first Twentieth century composers to delve into atonality with any seriousness. Schoenberg will show up again on Music Zombie later. Remember his name.
I have been doing a bit of reading lately about "Twentieth century" music. The Twentieth century title really describes music from the early 1900s to present day, so perhaps historians need to come up with a few new labels. Anyway.
A big part of the Twentieth century revolution in music is something called atonality. You may surmise, from the "a" in front of "tonality", that atonal music is not tonal. You would be correct. But, what does that mean? Let's look a bit closer at atonality, because I don't want to you be lost later.
Tonality is what we understand best (or, at least, it is what we are most accustomed to hearing). Pop music is tonal, folk tunes and nursery songs are tonal, much of the Classical genre is tonal. By calling something tonal, we really mean that there is a pitch that the music centers around. It is scalar and diatonic in derivation and harmonic function. In short, stuff works in a fairly predictable way. A V chord will typically make its way to a I chord, without much weird motion in between. And even if there is some unusual harmonic motion, the resolution will arrive, even if it is delayed for some reason.
I picture tonal music like this:
Try it now: Do re mi fa sol la ti
If you grew up surrounded by tonal music, as many people do, you may experience a sensation of being unsettled. We "want" that final do to sound. You probably silently gave yourself the resolution anyway. I always do, even if I don't vocalize it. Tonality is like coming back home after a long vacation.
Atonality is different. There is no tonal center. No gravity. It is kind of like this:
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Random Happy
A very happy birthday to Dave Matthews!
The front man, Band namesake, and musical powerhouse is 46 years young today!
Much thanks to someone who I will most likely never meet, but who has been an unfailing source of happiness, mental health, and well-being. Funny the way it is.
 |
| Rather blurry shot from an Alpine Valley concert, 2012! (with Stefan rocking out the bass guitar!) |
The front man, Band namesake, and musical powerhouse is 46 years young today!
Much thanks to someone who I will most likely never meet, but who has been an unfailing source of happiness, mental health, and well-being. Funny the way it is.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Auld Lang Syne
Music Zombie's musical year in review:
2012 was fantastic! I made the trip to Clarinetfest, explored the National Music Museum, attended an Aebersold jazz workshop, visited the birthplace of Glenn Miller, saw Dave Matthews Band at Alpine, and Hugh Laurie in Iowa City.
On a more personal level, I helped to launch a clarinet trio (with two of my clarinet students) and wrote three new arrangements that were performed publicly for the first time. My debut as an arranger, if you will. As a bonus, I learned an entirely brand-new musical in a week and sharpened my flute and piccolo playing skills.
I am learning some new technologies, and hope to start recording some things soon. There are plans for more arranging and perhaps some composing.
This Zombie is counting her musical blessings and looking forward to more great adventures in 2013.
Be safe out there! And take care of your musicians!!
Catch you on the flip side.
2012 was fantastic! I made the trip to Clarinetfest, explored the National Music Museum, attended an Aebersold jazz workshop, visited the birthplace of Glenn Miller, saw Dave Matthews Band at Alpine, and Hugh Laurie in Iowa City.
On a more personal level, I helped to launch a clarinet trio (with two of my clarinet students) and wrote three new arrangements that were performed publicly for the first time. My debut as an arranger, if you will. As a bonus, I learned an entirely brand-new musical in a week and sharpened my flute and piccolo playing skills.
I am learning some new technologies, and hope to start recording some things soon. There are plans for more arranging and perhaps some composing.
This Zombie is counting her musical blessings and looking forward to more great adventures in 2013.
Be safe out there! And take care of your musicians!!
Catch you on the flip side.
Happy New Year!!!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
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