Cool Stuff #1.

[Stuff One.]

The above picture is a link to an article in which Vampire Weekend responds (and confirms) the "Africanisms" in their music. They also answer the Graceland parallels. (Sorry, Dr. Vaneman!) If you're not familiar with their music, stop reading NOW and go. Your life is incomplete.

[Stuff Two.]
In my first blog I mentioned in passing Kanye West's song, "Love Lockdown" on his album 808s & Heartbreak. The first video below is the music video for the song. I encourage you to listen more than watch due to scantily clad tribal women I mentioned in class... I tried to find a good video of the VMA performance which had drummers behind him, but couldn't... The second video is his interview on Conan where he credits takei drums as inspiration.

He begins talking about his career around 5:40, his music around 7:05 and the drums around 8:00 just before he does an awkward segue on how he needs to use the restroom... Oh, Kanye...

[Point Three.]
The other day fellow YouTubers and self-proclaimed "Internetainers" (Internet + Entertainers) uploaded their full documentary they assembled a few years back on their search for their first grade teacher that brought them together. Titled "Looking for Miss Locklear" they abandoned all use of internet and phone, using only people to try to locate her. This leads them to a Lumbee Indian pow wow in North Carolina. I was going to link to the actual film, but YouTube has put a restriction that now you have to pay to rent it. Instead here is a clip from a Lumbee pow wow that I enjoyed:

[Sidenotes.]
"You can make an instrument out of that?" I have two fellow YouTubers who have also stretched the limitations of that statement. This first clip is an attractive British guy our age (Charlie McDonnell) who we can all grow to love. He's not a trained musician per se, but he has become famous worldwide through YouTube and makes a living off of YouTube and his music. He has a series called "Challenge Charlie" and was challenged to make a song using only items around his house that weren't standard instruments. This witty, catchy song is the result:

The next video is from YouTuber, Michael Aranda, who I actually chat with time to time. As a part of the Ford Fiesta Movement he was given a Ford Fiesta for a period of time and in turn had to make videos featuring it. Most likely inspired by the Julian Smith Jeep video that Dr. Vaneman posted last year, here's his video. The horn is autotuned, but beyond that... everything's produced by the car. I LOVE it. & of course the Beethoven salute doesn't hurt either. 

Hope you enjoy! :D

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Religious? 7-Eleven. [Entry #2.]

I’m don’t shy away from the fact that I’ve grown up in a Southern Baptist church. I think it explains a lot about my family and makes my political stances surprising. Growing up I heard a lot of Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West, Mark Schultz and the like on 89.3 HISRadio but it took a few years for me to realize that it was Christian music. It was a far cry from what I heard in church.

[Point One.] 

In services, we use music the same as they did in antiquity. We're not chanting, but we use music to humble ourselves before God, pray to Him, cry out to Him, thank Him. In my church, there's not any speaking in tongues, there wasn't even any raising of hands in praise until just recently. "Big Church" was filled with these praise songs with full choir and orchestra. But growing up in the church, there's some gradual steps you go through to get there. Elementary Sunday School and Wednesday night choirs tended to be filled with songs that taught ideas, you start early with "Jesus Loves Me" for the basics, then you progress to stories like in "Rise and Shine" and eventually you'd put on a Christian musical with a few soloists, full choir, backing track and pop culture references. Once you're a youth your Wednesday nights become nights for "Crossfire" a service with more contemporary worship music that is conducted in a "hum & strum" fashion, and sung back ina 7-eleven fashion: Repeating the same seven words eleven times... Also while in youth group you go on tour during the summer to nursing homes and soup kitchens through junior high. Then your high school summers are spent touring and performing in prisons across America.  On both of these tours we perform more modern Christian pop, rock, and rap like I mentioned in my previous blog.  ...All of the above tours are accompanied by lively choreography of course. 

On a separate note, for one week each summer we go to churches across impoverished parts of Southeast Kentucky with my church and conduct Vacation Bible School. But on Sunday morning, we're guests in another Baptist church, who do things far more formally than we do. Every verse of each hymn is sung and their old, feeble pianist accompanies as the one member choir/worship leader sings leads hymns like below... at a much slower tempo with a much thicker accent, which makes things quite amusing. 

[Point Two.]

Since Baptist music is obviously born from Western Art Music and I find it pleasing, I imagine it's effected what I enjoy in music. But I don't believe that it's limited my taste in music. While what I consider right and wrong behaviorally has been heavily influenced by my sheltered Baptist homelife, I don't believe that it's translated to my musical taste. The words of the music hold the most religious weight, but I'm sure that we could dissect several hymns and find numerical symbolism, but the focus isn't on the instrumentation, intervals or anything.

I would have written on the music experience from visiting Richard's Episcopal church, but here's a summary: they sang the Doxology differently and I didn't approve.

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Musical Autobiography. [Entry #1.]

I approached this blog with complete dread. But when I jumped in and started looking at the music I’ve grown up with and been surrounded by, (although occasionally against my will) I have a bit more experience outside the Western Art realm than I anticipated.

[Point One.]

I’ll start off with the music that is my biggest guilty pleasure. American Pop, Rock or Hip Hop music, often just insulting to the trained ear... I can’t shake it. Sure, I’ll drive around belting Ke$ha (that’s actually her stage name). We could trace all of the above to Western Art music (or the Middle East), but… I’m okay with leaving it at this.

[Point Two.]

Now to my territory: Indie Pop or Rock. I don’t care if it’s American, British, or Australian. If I understand it, I probably love it. This was the only music that I discovered without much outside influence. I found it watching the music videos played at 3 in the morning during sleepless nights and explored from there. Tally Hall, Broadcast 2000, Fun. I could go for days, but if there’s a genre that I will proudly label mine, it’s Independent. (I’ll address Vampire Weekend in a moment.)

[Point Three.]

I don’t understand those ashamed of musicals and the show tunes associated therein. I grew up on miniature musicals that you’ve never heard of: Grandpa’s Magical Toys, The Marvelous Musical Mansion, Wee Sing Train. ...Anyone? From there I grew a love for Annie, and The Sound of Music. I didn’t realize what I was falling in love with until the third grade when we watched CATS. From there I found Phantom, Annie Get Your Gun, and even less traditional musicals like The Wiz or Spring Awakening. While the use of harmony and such is straight from Western Art music, and you’re probably thinking I’m not venturing far... I'll get there.

[Point Four.]

Here’s my “wow” factor. While not necessarily exposed to African music per se, I’ve always been fond of music heavily influenced by African music. Below is a lovely example that I considered saving for Cool Stuff Friday… Largely because my father’s name is Al, I was exposed to Paul Simon’s album Graceland: influenced by his trip to South Africa. The music from The Lion King, my favorite Disney movie, (although by Elton John) is African influenced. More recently the drums in Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” caught my attention: African influence. But most recently, often compared to the Graceland album: Vampire Weekend. Their music is heavily influenced by the rhythms incorporated in African drumming, which helps make their music so praiseworthy and amazing.

I’ve sung La Cucaracha in Spanish class, Feliz Navidad at Christmas, and listened to music in Mexican restaurants. I’ve also heard ancient Asian music through 6-week terms of various language studies in elementary school. I was forced by my brothers to endure both Country and Christian Rock/Rap. My family thrust wholesome Southern Gospel on me. So I’m looking forward to further exposure to any music this semester that isn’t Country… I’ll keep my hopes up.

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