Welcome Back

Oh no, not me. I have been here all along. Manning the decks of “Electronic Voyage” and bringing you the best in Electronic Music from across the decades. Who I want to welcome back is a band that has much to do with my early development as a Metalhead, and just reinstated themselves as an awesome force in music.
Of course I am speaking about Metallica. Before that however, let’s take a look back into the past of the music that made Heavy Metal popular, and then took it to new and unforeseen heights. Their debut in 1981, wow that seems so long ago, was a blistering (I think I am going to be using that word a lot) manic expression of force and naïve rage. Just listen to the opening riff from “Hit the Lights” the album tore open the seams of Rock, and left an entire era of bands trying to recapture the magic of that album while Metallica forged ahead one landmark album after another. What set the music apart from anything at the time is that while speedy and angry, the music was focused, the musicianship second to none, and the song structure unparalleled. Sometimes in the early Metallica recordings the best riffs come at the bridge of the second chorus, Look no further than the intricate noodling of “Whiplash,” and the deep crunch of “No Remorse.” What was perhaps so shocking about the debut is the maturities of the players, who were at the time, barely out of their teens.
Then everything changed. Well kind of. While the rest of the Heavy Metal community were trying to make their own “Kill Em All” Metallica transcended the form with “Ride the Lightning.” It was fast heavy and mean to be sure but there was something more. From the almost Baroque opening to “Fight Fire with Fire” here was a band transformed. On every track they seemed to try something new and succeed. Intertwined guitar solos, complex time signatures, and my favorite song of all the thudding greatness that is “For Whom the Bell Tolls” it was a second revolution for a band that was starting to sell out stadiums without Top 40 support. The question then became, could it be topped? The answer was yes.
“Master of Puppets” took everything the band learned about themselves and the world from the previous album and did not push the envelope so much as refine the idea. The album got noticed by critics outside of the scene and the album sold three million copies with no radio support at all. The songs were longer and more complex, but the aggression and speed remained constant. Here was a band amassing a stunning body of work, and rocketing to the top, doing things on their own terms and in their own way. The music moves up and down slowing at times and braking out at others. Not a note is misplaced, and the obsessive attention to every detail shows in the perfect way the songs are crafted, but this time they work even better as a cohesive unit.
Then everything changed. Cliff Burton, one of the greatest Heavy Metal bassists of all time, was killed when their bus flipped off the road in Sweden. The band grieved in the way they knew how, by falling into bottomless wells of alcohol. One binge drinking night ended with vocalist James Hetfield standing in the middle of the street screaming “Cliff…Cliff…Where are you?”
The band was not done. Not by a long shot. They regrouped, recruited Jason Newstead from Flotsam & Jetsam (an extremely underrated group) and went back into the studio. When they emerged, they had created “And Justice for All” the bleakest, most complex work of their catalogue. The only question mark on the record is the production. Jason Newstead’s bass is turned so far down as to be barely audible, and that makes the record sound tinny. I have always wondered how it would sound remastered. It still remains as my favorite of their albums.
Then they hit the mainstream. Producer Bob Rock helped them with “Metallica” their fifth album and one that has gone platinum ten times. He wanted the band to relax, loosen the reigns and start having fun. It worked. The record is great, but a much more downtempo affair then their previous releases. Then came “Load” and “Reload” and the band seemed to resemble little of the brilliant angsters of yore. Now they were a midtempo Hard Rock band at best. It was something that seemed destined to happen, because it often does with bands as they reach the downward spiral of their careers. I even think that “S&M” live with the San Fransisco Symphony was ill conceived. The music often existed in the same time but not the same dimension as each other. It was done with skill to be sure but it sounded forced and a little silly. “Garage Inc.” a collection of new and old covers was fun, but again it seemed like the band had run out of steam. For me what happened next proved that beyond a doubt.
Remember Napster? Remember Metallica taking them down? I don’t blame them because it is their right, it just seemed so corporate of a band that single handedly pulled themselves out of the underground by sheer force of will and talent. Watching Lars Ulrich testify before a Senate Grand Jury; look I love the band but I cannot help getting a little sick every time I hear him speak. Even now I am all pissy, and it is about to get worse.
Do not listen to anything you hear which trys to salvage “St. Anger.” It is garbage, pure and simple. Unfocused, and poorly produced it sounded like fifth graders in their garage. I know about the infighting, and the substance abuse. All of the drama. I know all the stories, they do not matter. What matters is that the album was a dismal representation of their skill and could very well have been the final step in the destruction of the band. Maybe in some respects it should have been. They could have taken a look at themselves and the inexcusable piece of ...too much hate, I have to relax.
Because this is not a normal band. This is Metallica, and as soon as I heard Bob Rock was out and Rick Rubin was in as producer I was intrigued. Rick Rubin, was the guru of Trash in the 80s working for a long time with Slayer, and also creating Def Jam recordings with Russell Simmons. The guy knows his stuff, and his Metal. I was dare I say excited, but nervous, very nervous. Then Michael played me the first single off of the album. “The Day that Never comes” is ok, perfect for radio but just ok. It sounded a lot like Load or Reload, but I had definitely heard worse. The song was a little all over the place too. James Hetfield's vocals border on Country, and the drums still had that damn tinnyness.
Then I got my hands on the album (never mind how) and listened. They are back. The heroes have done it again. The songs blister (yes that word again) at a rapid pace sounding like a nice Thrash throwback but with a definite feeling of the now, the moment at hand. The edge is back the crunch is back and while it cannot be “Master of Puppets” it is a refreshing return to form for a band that taught us how to rock then forgot how to do it themselves. The credit goes to the band yes, but also to Rick Rubin who showed the boys they still had it in them. “Death Magnetic” rocks plain and simple, and makes me happy to still be a fan of Metallica.

Live and Let Something

To truly be a Rockstar you have to live like one. Being a famous artist is a career that comes with among other things a lot of money, so the real rockers back up their lyrics by leading appropriately hedonistic lifestyles. Whether you buy and crash Ferarri’s like Leif Garrett, or snort your height in lines of coke ala Motley Crue, if you are a famous artist you are guilty of some hedonism and here is the proof: Paul McCartney has been quoted as saying “Somebody said to me,’ But the Beatles were anti-materialistic.’ That’s a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, ‘Now, let’s write a swimming pool.” If The Beatles did it, everyone has. Rockstars need to make people believe that they are gods performing on stage and creating an almost magical level of energy in the crowd, One of the best ways to do that is to spend money like crazy showing us normies just how pathetic our lives truly are.

It starts with possessions, the biggest of which is the house. I have seen most, if not all the episodes of Cribs and it always make me laugh at how no one on the show ever shows off their library. There is never a lack of ridiculous things that people put in their homes. The most amusing is the 52 room mansion in Connecticut owned by rapper 50 Cent. Aside from the movie theater and the recording studio (which for an artist is not such a bad idea) the house’s former owner was none other than, you guessed it, Mike Tyson. If there is a better crazy celebrity to take lessons on high-living from I would love to know. The house also has no less than 4 kitchens and a heli-pad. The really disappointing artists are celebrities like Sully Erna of Godsmack, and David Draiman of Disturbed. These two guys are the frontmen for two of the biggest bands in the world, and their homes do not reflect that. Sully’s Boston pad is nice, tastefully decorated save for the swords hung up all over the living room. The same is true of Draiman’s LA residence. The house itself is big but tame looking like a dark Martha Stewart decorated it. Where is the excess? These are just big houses. Brad and Angelina just threw down 70 million on an estate in France. Let’s go rockers pick up the pace.

Surely cars are a great way to cash in all that platinum album bonus money. 50 Cent once again sets the bar with his collection of rare Ferraris he never drives. You will argue with me that he is a Rapper not a Rocker. Fair enough, then let’s look at some rocker rides and see what they have. Sully Erna has a couple of Mercedes and motorcycles, and Travis Barker of Blink 182 is obsessed with Cadillacs. Sebastian Bach, of Skid Row has a couple of classic Camaros, and Robbie William’s has a Bentley. Whoop de do. Where are the insane customized cars you see at the houses of Ja Rule and Nelly? Where is the overindulgence that Rock music has come to symbolize?

There was a time when Rock music was the epitome of excess. Jim Morrison’s decadent drug fueled ways, Mick Jagger’s rumors of sexual experimentation with David Bowie. It almost seems like the last truly larger than life Rock band was Guns N Roses. Known for trashing hotels and rampant drug use, they truly embodied the lifestyle of the music they created. A famous story involving them took place in Montreal in 1991. The band had been on tour with Metallica and Faith no More in one of the biggest tours in history. The night of the Montreal show James Hetfield of Metallica was seriously burned in a pyrotechnics accident and the band was forced to cancel. G’N’R could have come on played a three hour set and been heroes. This is not their way. About forty minutes into the concert Axel Rose decided he had had enough and walked off stage taking the band with him. Then he sat backstage smoking and drinking champagne while complaining about how his throat was bothering him and he could not sing. While that was going on the angry crowd was rioting, overturning cop cars, and burning the city.

It is this attitude that is almost a necessity in Rock. The solid band Papa Roach, has a very charismatic frontman named Jacoby Shaddix, (great name I know) who off stage is known as one of the most engaging and friendly people around. I am not saying that Rockstars should be assholes, but part of their mystique is the attitude that by performing nightly in front of thousands of people they are somehow better than them. Especially now when we worship our celebrities like never before one would think that they would despise the people that put them on that pedestal.

Times have changed. In the past people used to camp out at Elvis Pressly’s Graceland ranch, hoping for a glimpse of their idol. Elvis usually obliged riding his horses down to chat with people, and even sending his cooks down with hot chocolate in the winter. These days that would not happen, but with the internet and the breakdown of the record label’s stranglehold over the consumer, artists are having to make themselves more available to grassroots marketing campaigns. This brings Rockers ever closer to the fans who not only put them up on the pedestal of fame, but are ever more responsible for that fame. For example, My Chemical Romance started out giving out free tracks on Myspace, and Pure Volume, the word of mouth and devotion won from those early fans guided them to a platinum record and a major label contract.

That they live larger than we can imagine is a given, but today’s artists are a new breed devoted to their art and to their fans. Sully Erna has a Godsmack quilt made by their fans as a gift when his daughter was born. Hollywood actors are on the screen, as far away from us as possible pretending to be other people. If we are taken on an emotional journey with them it is not a real connection because at the end of the day they are only acting. With our Rockers the connection is in person and shared on a communal emotional level. Even the most hardened dead to the world Rockstar feels that connection on stage, unless its Axel Rose, that dude hates everyone.

The Music of the World

Studies show that our generation is losing its hearing at a rapid pace. In my parent’s day when you went to a concert you blew your ears out and took a few days off to rest up and get that wicked buzz out. Now with the proliferation of car stereos and mp3 players the only time we rest our ears is when we sleep. We listen to music on the way to the concerts, blast our ears while there, and listen to music all the way home. The constant drowning of our eardrums in a sea of loud music is killing our ears. It also does something else. By living in our own self-induced musical world, we shut ourselves off to the sounds of the world around us, and by that we close ourselves to a type of music that is constant and ever changing.
Avant-garde composer John Cage was fascinated by sound as music. He talked about how when he listened to music he heard people talking. The music spoke about relationships life and emotions. When he listened to the traffic outside his apartment on 6th Avenue in Manhattan, he did not have the feeling that people were talking, rather he felt as though sound was acting. Cage was fascinated by the activity of sound. Sounds in the City for example, got longer and shorter, softer and louder, higher and lower, all with the ebb and flow of a regular day. According to Cage our problem is that we look at music in terms of time instead of in terms of space. The experience of music to us is to take it internally and make it a part of our emotional experiences. Sound on the other hand is taken externally dismissed as nonsense. But take the complexities of listening to your favorite Pop record, and compare that to a few minutes standing at a bus stop and listening to your surroundings. The Pop music is structural and confined by the space it inhabits. The Bus Stop is the sound of structure. Busses people wind weather, and not confined by a simple three minute construction. Sound is alive, and if you will join me I will show how it breathes.
We will not pretend that what we hear is meant to be something else. For example, a glass shattering on concrete will be just that. The crack of a baseball bat will be just as we describe it. In our constant need to escape the toil and monotony of our daily lives, we forget just how beautiful and real life actually is. There is no substitute for the power and splendor of a thunderstorm. It is almost symphonic in movement. The distant rumbling starts miles away, as a gentle rain taps out a steady backbeat. The rumbling gets nearer and nearer growing louder and louder until it claps overhead booming echoes of sound across the horizon. Then as soon as we grow comfortable with its steady current, it fades almost imperceptibly at first blowing in whatever direction the wind takes it. The truth is that in the previous description I made an important mistake that illustrates Cage’s understanding of sound. By describing sounds in musical terms we remain confined by those conventions. The hardest part is to remove all those ideas from our description and take them in as they are.
Let us take another part of nature and see if we cannot experience its sounds for what they are not for what we project them to be. The sounds of a forest are both beautiful and haunting. A river flows gently through the scenery, while birds and insects chirp at random hidden from our eyes by the rich foliage. I remember being on a camping trip in the Allegheny Foothills, I woke up in the morning to the gentle sound of a breeze rustling through the trees. That was all it was, a soothing hiss as the leaves shifted and blew about. People talk about the wind whispering but they are missing the point. Whispering is talking, and we are trying to free ourselves from terms of communication.
To experience sound for what it is take off your headphones and listen. A breeze blows steadily creating a blowing whooshing sound. A man on a scooter buzzes by, I can hear the engine grow louder and fade as he passes. In the distance the steady drone of the highway mixes with children in a sandbox, their shrill laughter in direct opposition to the soothing rush of faraway cars. Somewhere a crane rattles as it lifts its load. I cannot see it. Another car passes and slows its brakes squeak slightly. Some sounds of the outside world are barely perceptible, and yet they undoubtedly add to the remarkable confluence of noise that is the sounds of our lives. A truck has pulled up to the fruit stand downstairs. I hear the electric hum of the loading platform descend, as men greet each other and prepare to unload the day’s delivery. This is not emotive, and it is not telling a story. It is a picture of being, an indelible link between life and the people who wish to experience it.
There is new technology making the experience of sound even more enriching. Holophonic Sound claims offers stunning 3d sounds without a mess of complicated machinery. It is produced by recording the wave pattern generated when the original recorded signal is combined with an inaudible digital reference signal. The sounds that come from that are so realistic it is almost scary. This technology however only works on a smaller scale i.e. headphones, because of the way the sound needs to reach the ear. Combining this technology with the sounds of life and the world around us it is almost possible to have an experience of walking on the beach from the comfort of your home. The problem is that if these sounds and this technology can replace the actual experience then we have missed the point completely.

Out With the Old in With the New Wave

Where could you go? What could you do if you were a musician trying to make Rock music in the late 70’s and early 80s? Punk’s strangle-hold on the business was so total that it seemed almost impossible to break from the current trends or even try to do something different. Ironic for a style of music that was initially created in order to return Rock into the hands of a less discerning more accepting crowd. If you were Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, you changed your name to a verb present tense, united with Andy Summers and Stuart Copland and created something unique. Something New Wave. The term initially was interchangeable with Punk used by fans and artists alike. It was not until the 80s when Punk’s grip loosened did the term come to mean something more. In the Post- Punk, era there were two types of music. Post-Punk referred to bands like the Talking Heads and Joy Division, bands whose music was avant-garde and challenging but still informed by the ideals of Punk. On the other hand you had bands more interested in exploring Pop Music and there you have New Wave, the subject for this column.
Bursting onto the scene with the super smash Roxanne in 1978, The Police, were one of the first bands to add the title New Wave to their jittery, yet tight brand of Rock. By infusing the music with a heavy dose of Reggae, and some Jazzy tendencies, they were able to fill the simple rhythms of Punk music with a more accessible edge. It was this sound, polished, well written and a little nerdy, that defined the early movement. Another of the early giants of the form was Mr. Nerd himself, Elvis Costello. Hiding his intelligence behind his early Punk compositions, Costello was able to instill his music with a myriad of themes and ideas making his music as intelligent as his lyrics. It is told of his early career that he dumbed down his music in order to get a recording contract, because Punk Rockers were being handed record deals like Skittles. Once he secured that, he was free to expand his music. It is a similar case with The Police, who were far more talented musically than the average Punk.
After the break between New Wave’s modern take on Pop and the more arty Post-Punk, New Wave was adopted as the Genre du jour by the fledgling MTV, and its fortunes began to rise. The influence of music videos made the genre super popular. Some of the early creative standouts of music videos were Aha’s classic “Take on Me”, “Rio” by Duran Duran, and the epic “West End Girls” by the Pet Shop Boys. It was the right place for the new slick sound, and there was seemingly no end to the countless one hit wonders that were trotted out week after week, year after year. Let me give you a short run down. Flock of Seagulls Kajagoogoo When in Rome, these bands were hurled into the limelight one after another, each band catapulted to success by climbing on the backs of those that came before them. In that respect, it is the producers who perhaps deserve the credit for making the sounds so crisp and polished. That is what I love about the music. It is so perfectly formed, crisp, concise, without a note out of place.
The peak of the genre and its style came, on what is my favorite TV show of all time, Miami Vice. Helmed by Michael Mann, the show centered around two Vice cops in Miami. One of the show’s innovations was the obligatory musical interludes that came in each episode, the most famous of which was set to “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. It took the music to new moody heights and found a mainstream way in which to bring the music to new fans. In addition, the pastel suits and sockless white shoes became staples of the New Wave style, not matter how cheesy they seem today.
By the middle of the 80s it wasn't just new acts popping up all over the place that were trying to make their way in the style, older acts were launching big comebacks by coopting the approach in their own ways. Perhaps the most famous is the song “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen. Yes, it is off “Born in the USA” arguably one of the best Rock albums of all time, but the song’s synthesizer driven throb is more of a nod to New Wave than a throwback to The Boss’s early music. Another artist who fully adopted the style for a while was Rod Stewart, whose 1981 release “Tonight I’m yours “ was not only a full on New Wave affair, but one of Stewart’s last great recordings. It featured the amazing “Young Turks” that sort of sounds like Dire Straits on New Wave, although Stewarts voice is unmistakable. Even Fleetwood Mac got in on the fun with the dark, yet palatable “Little Lies” a dreamy track from their 1987 release “Tango in the Night.” Even Stevie Nick’s classic “Edge of Seventeen” has elements of New Wave in the driving guitar and keyboards.
New Wave music is awesome, and as a fan of Electronic music it was a vital step in the development of the form. Depeche Mode is the first Pop band made entirely with keyboards, and hints of Trance music can be found in the amazing album “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. These days with the way the craze for all things retro has possessed us, music from the 80s has roared back into vogue as though it was too cool for us to really enjoy back then. It is, within that framework, that artists are making music that sound as though it was plucked straight from the80s, although the technology used makes is sound vibrant and current. It was a watershed moment for a music industry recovering from Punk and looking towards the future.
What I am listening to:
Mackintosh Braun: The Sound – A lush album with dreamy sounds and stirring harmonies, this band hailing from Oregon wanted to create an album that was meant to be listened to all the way through. They have succeeded with style.

Tracking the Sound

Back after a long absence the Rocking Chair is going to start up again right….now!

I have been listening to Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s Score for “The Dark Knight” for about two days now, and I it has been blowing my mind on the same level as the movie. From the spare dark overtones of Batman’s themes, to the rich pastoral melody of Harvey Dent’s music, and on to the droning whine of the violins as the Joker enters, it is truly a wondrous composition. I have been a fan of soundtracks and scores for a long time but this is the first time in a while, well since Danny Elfman’s Spiderman score, that I have truly been moved. When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland Ohio, every Monday night at the dinner table we would listen to “Music of Science Fiction & Fantasy” with Mark on Cleveland state University’s radio station. He would and still does play the classics and modern themes from all across moviedom. Every week I would call in to request something by Danny Elfman, because at the time he was my favorite composer.
Before we delve into some of the best composers and scores we should discuss the genre. Soundtracks are the incidental music that keeps a movie moving along. It keeps pace with the narrative while adding important emotional shading to the story. It is because of that many scores and composers are lost, their compositions serving their purpose, without making a singular impact of its own. At the same time there are Soundtracks, so i ndividual in their appeal, they eclipse the movie itself. One that comes to mind is the soundtrack for the less than moving flick, “Last Action Hero”. Ok the score by Michael Kamen was competent, but the soundtrack was stellar. Featuring tracks by Alice in Chains Anthrax and Megadeth among others, it was a Grunge Rocker’s dream. In many cases the mix-tape Soundtrack becomes iconic in its own right. Like for the Gen X classic “Singles” whose soundtrack was a watershed moment for the Grunge era. I don’t want to focus on those types of soundtracks. Here is a great example. Toto’s (yes the guys that sang Africa) score for David Lynch’s 1984 film “Dune”, a big screen adaptation of the classic Frank Herbet novel. The band was able to wade through the hot mess that was the movie, and create something melodic and futuristic without overshadowing the material.
I tried to look up a list of some of the best soundtracks of all time to include here just for fun, but most of the ones I found were stupid with nary a mention of one of the greatest composers of our time, Vangelis. Born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (say that ten times fast) in Greece, his most known work is the score for “Chariots of Fire”. I think his gifts are fully realized was the score for Ridley Scott’s epic and my vote for the best movie EVER “Blade Runner”. In this score, Vangelis was able to add to the stark bleak atmosphere or Ridley Scott’s uncompromising view of the future. When he produced the album of the score twelve years later, snips of dialogue were looped in and the music became not only an important detail of a stunning movie, but an iconic piece of Electronic Music in its own right. One standout track is “Memories of Green”, a beautiful Ambient piece in the background of which we can hear the late night sounds of a futuristic city.
One of the greatest moments in the realm of Soundtracks and movies is a famous scene from “The Empire Strikes Back”. Darth Vader, standing on a catwalk on the bridge of his Star Destroyer, whirls around and walks off to the strains of John William’s classic “Imperial March.” The regally dark nature of the melody combined with the stature of Darth Vader is truly one of the great moments in film. The music swirls around in a sing able melody not stealing any of Vader’s power, but working with it. The opposite is true in another famous scene from Star Wars, this time “Episode IV: A New Hope”. Inside the Cantina at Mos Eisley Spaceport, the band plays another memorable melody. What is interesting about that is the fact that when you listen closely the music seems to be little more than a Jazz standard, yet the heavy reliance on the Steel Pan Drum makes it sound strange and alien. The problem is that the scene is so heavy handed musically and visually that for a moment we forget about the story and get lost.
Then there is Danny Elfman. Starting out working on “Back To School” he formed the band Oingo Boingo before going out on his own as a composer. His theme for Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman is still one of the most recognizable melodies of our time, right up there with Koji Kondo’s theme for Super Mario Brothers. The important aspect of his work is how grand the style is while keeping the melodies tight and manic, sprawling out before us as Spiderman swings through the city. There is a strange quality in his work that lends itself well to the Superhero Movie genre. It is a telling statistic then that he has scored all but two of Tim Burton’s films.
The last composer I want to focus on is my favorite, the late Jerry Goldsmith. Known for his dark and chilling score for the horror film “The Omen” which won him an Oscar, Goldsmith resented having won for a horror movie. His work is soft and flowing preferring to pulse below the action rather than usurp it. His score for 1979’s “Alien”, (hmm another Ridley Scott Film?) is a barren atonal affair, that mimics the setting and feel of the movie perfectly. In my opinion his most inspiring work came from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, yes a pretty crummy movie, but with a few inspired moments. When Captain Kirk Mr. Spock and Bones the Doctor set out on foot to explore a planet inside of a black hole, Goldsmith’s “A Busy Man” brings us along with its lush themes and ethereal strings. It is a bright spot in an ultimately dismal movie.
Some of the best soundtracks come from video games. I am not talking about current games. I am talking about 8-bit Nintendo themes, that lull you into a relative trance as you sit there for hours playing. The inescapable fact that these themes have become part of our modern melodic lexicon is by the way they have been re-imagined. The Mario theme is the most obvious, but the theme from “The Legend of Zelda” is just as important. There are even bands like “The Minibosses” who play rock versions of Nintendo themes. I personally love the 8-bit sound because of the way that the composers were limited technologically. Despite that they were able to make music that has transcended the games becoming something much greater. It is not the purpose of Soundtracks to do this, but it is important to note when a Score is able to become greater than the sum of its parts. It gets problematic when that comes at the expense of the film or the game. “The Dark Knight” illustrates this perfectly in the way it complements the film, and stands alone as a beautiful piece of music.

Easy Living Easy Listening

With summer just beginning, and the prospect of lazy days stretching endlessly in front of us, we need a soundtrack that reflects this relaxed state. All the Rock is great, and as festival season wears on fans will have their fill of Heavy Metal and Rock N Roll. The summer is when everyone is on tour; when you find yourself worn out from mosh-pits and headbanging, I will provide some musical suggestions and guidelines to get you through some of the main summer events. I remember a few years ago going to the Warped Tour with my friends. I am not a big Punk fan, but I do appreciate bits and pieces here and there. I was going to see 311 only to find that they were not performing in Cleveland, which really upset me. Bad Religion and the Vandals were there though so that was cool. It was hot and water, as you can imagine, was grossly overpriced and people were just using sinks in the bathroom to fill whatever receptacles they had. One of the funniest moments of the day came when Pennywise finished their set. Rollins Band, a Hardcore Punk act fronted by the always entertaining Henry Rollins, was slated to go on next. All my friends wisely informed me that I needed to get out of the mosh pit because Rollins Band fans were a bunch of fatigue/army boot wearing lunatics. The band went up, the militia went wild and we watched from the stands, only to realize that our boy Josh was still in the fray. When we finally found him he had been stomped pretty bad, but was feeling good. It was on the ride home that we truly appreciated the come down from the day’s overwhelming Punk faire by listening to some good old Motown.
One of the main events in the summer schedule is the barbeque. Usually spent with family or friends the music serves more as a background to the conversations and general hanging out. This is not to say that music is not an essential piece of the barbeque atmosphere. It is a standard blend of Funk music and Classic Rock, that when mixed with a sprinkle of Bob Marley sets the tone perfectly. The main reason is that these tunes are familiar enough that people can just digest them with ease as the party wears on. If mixed well, however, your party can have an interesting dynamic. Sure everyone loves the Beatles (at least they should), but if you place “Twist and Shout” appropriately within the mix of songs people will get out of their seats and start grooving to the music. The barbeque is about familiarity and friendship, and so the music should create an atmosphere to reflect that.
Another of Summers’ pleasures is the trip to the beach, and the time spent alone with your headphones, reading or catching some rays. My favorite music for this time is anything with a lush dreamy sound. Certainly any music with a beautiful flow that mirrors the ebb and flow of the tide sets the mood. However, when on the beach there is time to enjoy an album to its fullest, and not rush through your music shuffling at will. One wonderful album is “Beach Samba” by Astrud Gilberto. A smooth-voiced Jazz singer from Brazil, Astrud’s sound is soft Bossa Nova that drifts almost to Pop. Bossa Nova is a Brazilian style of music that combines Latin beats with Jazz sounds, and was very popular in the 60s. The true gem of this recording is the lush relaxed music orchestrated artfully by Ron Carter (Bass for Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, among others) and Toots Thielemans (guitar and harmonica). Another band, Everything But the Girl, got their start as a Jazz/Pop act only to find success in the thin line between Pop and Techno. Their 1996 release “Walking Wounded” took the themes of Trip-Hop, and other styles of experimental Electronica, and placed them in a tight concise Pop framework. (Trip-Hop was a name given to a style of Electronic music that incorporates down-tempo beats with Soul and Funk sounds.) Though more than a decade old, the music still sounds fresh and bright, and the beats provide a perfect kick for the beach. For my final summer beach album, I recommend a lovely album by the British singer/songwriter Rachel Goswell. Her debut “Waves are Universal” is a laid back British Folk album that contains elements of Alternative and Country.
The final event we will be touching on is the ever present road trip. When driving with friends the similar rules as the barbeque apply, although the musical choice is the driver’s prerogative. Just don’t try to give a serious listen to anything with people in the car. It is when alone that the road trip takes on a personal quality that is perfect for a more challenging listen. I have made the solo trip from my hometown Cleveland (Ohio) to New York many times when I was in University. Each time I would stock up on music that would get me through the almost 8 hour drive. A classic album all around, “Ritual de lo Habitual” by Jane’s Addiction starts at a fevered pitch with “Stop!”. From there the album builds in energy until the ten minute epic “Three Days”, a sort of Alternative nod to Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”. In following Hard Rock’s Heavy Metal conclusion, Iced Earth’s “The Dark Saga” is a concept album loosely based on Todd MacFarlaine’s famous comic book “Spawn.” The tempo is a bit slower than usual but the band is as heavy as ever, banging out amazing tracks like “The Hunter” and “I Died for You.” Finally, a stunning listen from start to finish and a perfect soundtrack for the road is “In Absentia” by The Porcupine Tree. Led by Steven Wilson, who is well known for his Blackfield project with Aviv Gefen, The Porcupine Tree is a Progressive Rock group from the U.K. The album is one of the most accessible of their career and still spans the musical gamut, from Heavy Metal, to Pop, to dreamy cuts that are almost indefinable. All around, this album keeps the listener interested with its wide range which makes it perfect for the often unchanging, steady drone of the U.S. Highway system.
Most people who know me know that I am a huge fan of Electronic Music in all its forms. There are many albums by myriad acts that fit excellently into these categories, but I try my best to keep column this as Rock oriented as I can. Michael once remarked that he thought it was funny how I always manage a few Electronic references each week. I cannot help but support that which I am passionate about, and as the summer heat bears down upon me my emotions begin to ignite. I hope that my musical choices can help you do the same.
What I am listening to: Aaliyah – Self Titled
Produced by Timbaland before his handiwork was seen on every production in the land, Aaliyah’s best album was also her swan song. It is a terrific blend of R&B and Soul that showed Aaliyah maturing into a more adult artist before her life was tragically cut short.

Come Jam with me, Come Jam Let’s Jam Away

I should start with an apology. Michael had suggested that my columns were too academic, that I do not write as I speak in normal conversations. He wanted me to get angry, and to call people out. Well I tried and failed, miserably. As it happens I was way too insulting to be allowed to write in such a manner. It was because of this that I could not get out a column last week and for that I am sorry. The purpose of this column is not to insult and get angry, I write to share my love of music and the ideas I have about it. I do not know if I ever told you the story about how this column got its name. If I did I am sorry but it bears repeating. There is an introduction to a “Far Side” collection by Robin Williams. He mentions that while some cartoonists sit in their favorite chairs happily sketching next to a crackling fire, Gary Larson works in a laboratory waiting for lightning to give his creations work. I told Michael that I felt more like the guy in the easy chair writing about music with my best headphones on, as I relax. He suggested the “Rocking Chair” and the rest is history.

Where were we? Ah yes The Grateful Dead. It is interesting that in the scope of their career, and much of the other bands in the Jam scene, their concerts are so iconic that their albums are almost glossed over. To these bands, an LP seems to be little more than a necessary tool in order to prepare for their live shows, where improvisation and free form movement are key. The Dead had only one top 40 hit in their career, and of course any die hard Deadhead will tell you that “Touch of Grey” is not a real Grateful Dead song. Trent Reznor for example feels in his element in the studio, making sure every sound and note come out to his exacting specifications. Conversely many Jam Bands feel confined by the need to be concise and economical in the studio, preferring the on-the-spot inventiveness of a live concert to get their real point across.

The word Jam Band was used as early as 1937 when it was published in a glossary of Dance Orchestra terms. ”A jam band depends entirely on improvisation, using no written music.” Interestingly the term did not become synonymous with the movement until the 90s when it was used to refer to Phish and the second generation of jammers. Bands like The Dead and the Allman Brothers were referred to as Jam Bands retroactively. The definition from the 30s is about as apt as you can get to describe the technical side of the music. It is very much focused on free-style improvisations. The songs themselves are used as jumping off points into other musical regions, and provide a landing point when the band finally finishes. Stylistically speaking Jam Bands work from all over the spectrum. Blues Rock Country Jazz Psychedelic even Electronica, many Jam Bands carry a smattering of these themes throughout their music.

Interestingly the term Jam Band which has become an all-inclusive term stylistically also distances it from the styles it so heavily borrows from. Blues is known for its improvisational techniques. The main way that manifests itself in the music is with long guitar solos over a steady backbeat. Hardly the full on intensity of a Phish or any other band Jam. The most interesting stylistic comparison between Jam Bands is with what is called “The American Classical Music” Jazz. On the surface the improvisational methods that are inherent in both styles seem to make the two almost indistinguishable. Each are based on a Blues downbeat, both have free improvisational themes, and the two even sound similar in some ways. The differences come in Jam Band’s extended palate of sounds. This primarily speaks of the presence of psychedelic sounds in their music. Use of keyboards and synthesizers also make the music sound less focused and more spacey. Additionally, Psychedelic themes are largely influenced by Eastern music and Asian sounds, so in that respect the music is vastly different from Jazz which is firmly entrenched in Americana. It is hard to break down a Genre of music that so effortlessly blends so many styles together, but when looked at closely the thread starts to unravel.

The influence of this style of music on music culture at large is profound. From the first days hanging out with Ken Kesey in San Francisco in the 60s, the Grateful Dead had a dedicated following. To say that this has continued into current times is to grossly underestimate the scene. Fans of these bands are so devoted they take months even years of their lives in order to follow their favorite bands all over the country. Phish were famous for causing major traffic jams surrounding their New Years shows in Florida. What is so fascinating about all of that is that these bands did it all with little or no radio support. Phish were able to have a lucrative career any artist would be jealous of, playing the music they loved, and not compromising in order to sell more records. They solidified their presence on the Pop Culture lexicon of the US when Phish appeared on a 2002 episode of “The Simpsons.”

Of course every great musical movement has its’ downside. And as I am sure you can guess here I am going to speak about drugs. I am not going to say that the scene is only about that because there are thousands I am sure of fans that enjoy a clean and sober lifestyle. I will say however that the presence of drugs primarily Marijuana LSD and Mushrooms, are the most popular because of the way the experience interacts with music. The fact that many of the Jam Band concerts take place in open natural environments the possibility for sneaking and taking drugs is prevalent and astonishingly easy. It can be argued that the main corruptors of the scene are the misguided youth who don’t truly understand the music, and just use the venue as a place to do drugs. I would point out that many of my friend’s parents who were into the Dead in the 60s and 70s did their fair share of drugs as well. LSD and Pot have been present in the scene forever. It is only now that Cocaine and ecstasy and MDMA, and other harsher substances have grown in popularity that they have become more widespread in the Jam Band scene.

It is truly remarkable that a style of music that came from 60s hippie culture is still thriving, and with almost no label support at all. The music is so eclectic it is almost impossible to classify and yet that it was makes it so dynamic, the ability to play a sixty show tour and change up the jams is a testament to the artists skills and the reward for the fans who follow them all over.

What I am listening to: Jean Luc Ponty – Cosmic Messenger

Combining many styles into his 1978 release this album also showcases his growing control over his instrument, the electric violin. This album will be entertaining for fans of Jazz, Fusion, and Rock music alike.

Jonny