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doomedandstoned · 5 years ago

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Konvent Debut Neck-Breaking Death Doom Masterpiece

~By Willem Verhappen~

It's not often that I'm impressed by a demo, but every so often Bandcamp treats me to something special, a diamond in the rough. It was only last year that I came across the 2017 demo of Danish death doomers , but it stuck with me. This demo promised me a good mix of stuff I like, namely nasty death doom with some catchy stoner hooks molded into it. Just listen to "Square" to see what I mean. I'm happy to say that I wasn't the only one impressed by the demo, because Austrian metal merchants Napalm Records once again prove that they have an ear for talent, picking up Konvent and releasing their debut record, 'Puritan Masochism' (2020).

Listening to Puritan Masochism makes it clear that these women have developed their sound quite a bit in the last couple of years. The stoner influences are pushed to the background. What remains is crushing, relentless death doom. Straight forward, no-nonsense, hard hitting metal in its purest form, but with a keen sense of melody.

By the time you've reached the third track, "Trust," anyone who says they're not hooked on the riffs, is lying. If you're more a fan of the really heavy death metal, "World of Gone" will serve you well. Musically, I keep comparing Konvent to the slower Dutch death metal bands like Asphyx and Grand Supreme Blood Court. Heidi Withington Brink (bass) and Julie Simonsen (drums) deliver a pounding, sluggish base, while Sara Helena Nørregaard adds an extra dimension with her thriving, faster guitar work.

Rikke Emilie List's grunts are the (rotten) cherry on top. This woman has a set of pipes that would make many of her colleagues blush. Her vocals alternate between growls similar to those of Nick Holmes and the sub-bass grunts you'd expect on a Demilich record. On the stomping "Waste," List gets some help from Morild's Tue Krebs Roikjer, who throws some black metal screams in the mix.

While I consider this record more of a death metal record with doom influences, this is changes during the two-parter "Ropes." In the first part, the band is leaning more towards black metal, with dissonant melodies and some much needed air to breathe. "Ropes Pt. II" is by far the most dynamic song on Puritan Masochism, mixing death doom with faster parts, sounding almost like post metal, but dirtier. Much dirtier. With this the band proves that there's more to Konvent than just death and doom.

In their promo sheet, Napalm blatantly states that Copenhagen might become the new death doom capital, and while that might be a bit much, I can't deny that Konvent is a force to be reckoned with. It's not often I find a straight forward death doom record that manages to grab me from beginning to end, without being over 20 years old, but this is one of them. Up until now, I associated Denmark mostly with Mercyful Fate and Lego, but you can add Konvent to that list.

An interview with Sara from Konvent

First of all, thank you for this interview. 'Puritan Masochism' (2020) has been out for a couple of weeks now. How are the reactions so far?

Hi! And thank you so much for wanting to talk to us. Yeah, Puritan Masochism has been out since 24th January and we just finished our tour in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.

We’ve been overwhelmed with the attention our album is getting and it’s really exciting to see how people are reacting to it. The reactions have been really good and we couldn’t think of a better reception of the album. Of course it’s a matter of taste whether you like it or not, and we know that our album isn’t for all. But seeing so many people coming to our shows in cities or countries we have never been before, and people actually buying our vinyls and merchandise just makes us so happy and gives us the desire to keep on going.

Since this is our debut album we already got a lot of new ideas for the second album and we actually see this very much as a learning process where we are able to evolve over time. There has also been a lot of people wanting to talk to us and interview us, and we really haven't seen that coming to such an extent. But people have been really nice and it’s always fun to meet people. So we’re happy!

Puritan Masochism by Konvent

There’s quite a gap between your demo and your debut record and it’s clear you’ve grown as a band. Can you tell us a bit about what has been going on in the past three years?

Thank you so much! The first year we pretty much spent on getting to know our instruments and each other, but we quickly started working on our own material, and the demo that came out in 2017 was a result of that. Then we played a lot of shows around Denmark and that really helped us grow as musicians and as a group. During all these shows we were also working on songs for a debut album, but it was a very slow process. It wasn’t until after we got on Napalm Records, that we really stepped it up and got to finish it.

At the same time, it was also important to do it in our way and not let ourselves be pressured of someone else expectations to us. The demo was a big learning curve for us regarding our sound. It just expanded our minds on how creative we could get with the sound. This really helped us when we went into the studio with Lasse Ballade from Ballade Studios to record our debutalbum, because we spent a long time tweaking the sound of the instruments and putting small things in here and there. And Lasse was imminent in making the sound of the album! He is a beast at what he does and was such a treat to work with. I think this gap between our demo and the album reflects a lot of what many other bands are “struggling” with as well.

On the one hand, you really want to get out and play as many gigs as possible, but on the other hand you also want to prioritize making some great songs - and sometimes it can be difficult to achieve it all. It takes time. We also had many people asking us why we didn’t put some of the demo songs on the album. But we really wanted to make new songs, because some of the demo songs were from 2016 and we felt like we had evolved as musicians. So we knew we could make even better songs if we just pushed ourselves.

Demo by Konvent

What were your inspirations, both musical and lyrical for the record?

Our album isn’t a concept album, but if you were to put a theme on it, or around the lyrics of the songs it would basically be losing control over your life.

The song "Puritan Masochism" -- which is also the title of the album -- is about how everyone has a tendency to do things, or thinking things that actually hurt us, but we keep thinking/doing those things because we feel we have to, in order to fit into something or to live up to some imagined expectations. And sometimes we keep doing these things without even realizing it because you just go on autopilot. It’s sort of our way to say that we don’t have to live like that.

But our inspiration comes from everyday life experiences, both ups and downs, but mostly downs. Musically we all have a lot of different genres that we like. Julie likes hardcore and punk and Rikke likes tech death. So we all drag different genres and styles into the rehearsal place and it just goes on from there.

Your music has quite an old school vibe to it. Was that intentional?

We really wanted that raw, gritty sound, as if the music is coming from the abyss! And that’s why we chose to work with Lasse Ballade, because he had made a bunch of cool records that we really admired. Also, we don’t like too many guitar solos and a lot of effects and that was important to us when we picked our producer.

We never sat down and decided to play death doom. The only thing we talked about from the beginning, was to play heavy music with an evil sound and growling vocals. So after the first rounds of rehearsals where we were playing covers, we quickly felt like just playing something of our own. And we just jumped head first in there and made riffs before we even knew exactly what we were doing. I don’t think we knew in the beginning that the songs we were making sounded doomy and old school like and it wasn’t until other people heard it that the genre doom came up. We remember having to write something about our music before our first show in 2016 and just not knowing what to write. So we had to get people in, to get their opinion on it. We've also been compared to some bands that we didn't even know before -- we just play the music we feel like.

Your agenda appears to be quite empty so far. Can we expect to see you on tour again soon?

We just finished our Puritan Masochism Tour with 10 gigs in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany. And we’re going to London and Oslo this month also. We also have some festival gigs for this summer. It’s a pretty big thing for us, when we’re able to go to new places or countries, we have never been before.

We are still a very young band that not a lot of people know of, so we’re actually really happy about our agenda this far. We’ve played at Roskilde Festival and Copenhell, which is the two biggest festivals in Denmark. And to see our first single “Puritan Masochism” on YouTube get so many views is crazy to us, too. Regarding people showing up to shows and buying merch, we’ve always been pretty lucky. People are really good at coming out early to see us and eager to support us in the merch booth, so that is a huge thing for us.

Of course, we would really like to go on bigger tours and play more festivals, as long as it can work out financially. And we are steadily getting more offers, so that’s really exciting! Our booker Thorsten, from Napalm Events is handling all our offers, but we often get messages directly from bookers who want to put on a show with us and then we just direct it to him. And, yes, we have more plans for 2020, but we can’t tell anymore at this moment, sorry!

Your label states that Copenhagen might become the next death doom capital. Do you agree? Are there any death doom or doom bands from your local scene that we should keep an eye on??

That’s a big statement! But there are so many great bands here in Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark. I don’t think that death/doom is the most popular genre here in Denmark. People tend to like it faster. But worth mentioning is the danish band Katla. We just played two gigs with them and they appear to do it pretty well on the Danish scene with a debut album to come in 2020. Otherwise we have bands like Alkymist, Bethmoora, Drukner, Dirt Forge and, of course, Saturnus.

The title 'Puritan Masochism' has a clear religious context. Is Denmark a religious country?

Not really. "Puritan Masochism" is the title for our first single from the album, as well, and it was the first track that was finished for it several years ago. The song is about how us humans have a tendency to put ourselves in situations where we don’t feel good enough. With this song we’re hoping that people will identify and question their habits of doing that. We felt like this would be a great album title because it was something we really resonated with. We did not think of it in a religious context.

Once again, thank you for your time. Any last words for our readers?

Thank you so much and thank you for wanting to interview us! Hopefully we’ll see you at a show at some point. And thank you to all the people out there listening to our music and buying our stuff. This means the world to us.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

#D&S Reviews #D&S Interviews #Konvent #Copenhagen #Denmark #Doom #Death Doom #Metal #Napalm Records #Willem Verhappen #Doomed & Stoned

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gayasinstupidpodcast · 6 years ago

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Goood afternoon guys and gays! We’re back from break with our 6th episode, in which Isaac and I discuss our community’s past and present relationship with the prison system as trans people. We have lots of info for you and I know I’ve been Really excited for this episode, so give her a listen! A lot of my sources for this episode were written by transphobes, so I’m only including one of my three Main sources in further reading, as well as some historical news articles. If you’re interested in seeing the rest, feel free to DM me on my main or send an ask to this blog or mine. Warning for deadnaming/misgendering in my historical sources.

You can find us on the Itunes Podcast App/Webpage at Gay As In Stupid Podcast! You can also find our episodes uploaded to Youtube and Soundcloud!

You can also follow us on twitter at gayasinstupid!

Further Reading:

The Dire Realities Of Being A Trans Woman In A Men’s Prison

UNJUST: How The Broken Criminal Justice System Fails Transgender People

The Dismal State Of Transgender Incarceration Policies

Transgender People At Higher Risk For Justice System Involvement

Harry Allen Articles Available Online: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Mary Jones Lithograph

Black On Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity, by C. Riley Snorton (Available for purchase here)

LGBT Fiction Recs Under The Cut!

Aaron’s February 2019 Recs!

Six Of Crows Duology Six of Crows is not specifically an LGBT story, which is why I haven’t included it until now, but it has a main mlm romance, the first one I ever read in a book, and it and its sequel are some of the most well-written and engaging heist/fantasy novels I’ve ever read.

Trap Girl Trap Girl is a feminist punk band lead by trans woman Drew Arriola-Sands, and is one of my absolute FAVORITE things to listen to ever. Go check them out on spotify or bandcamp if you’re dysphoric or having a hard time. Or even if you’re not.

Isaac’s February 2019 Recs!

Their Story Their Story is a sweet manga about two girls falling in love. It’s written by a woman and lacks gross fetishization of their pure love. It’s rare to find such sweet media about wlw being in love and goofy and full of personality compared to mlm content, but this manga does an amazing job for making both the girls have more to them than just being wlw. It’s sweet, soft, and heartwarming!

Doukyuusei Both a movie and a manga, Doukyuusei portrays a sweet and nervous romance between two high school boys. It’s heartwarming, and not some nasty yaoi shit that is usually found with mlm in this type of media. It shows them with healthy communication, going at their own pace and falling in true, deep love. Easily one of my fav depression movies to watch when I need a pick me up!

#gay as in stupid podcast #Gay as in stupid #Gay Podcast #trans prison #lgbt podcast #LGBT Creators #LGBT #trans #gay #fuck blue lives

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transgendermusic · 6 years ago

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Sammy Heck: Egg Cracker

Sammy poses with an iridescent sword in front of a mossy concrete statue.

Listen to Season 1, Episode 8 of the podcast below:

iTunes - Spotify - Stitcher - Google Play Music - Bandcamp

This week's episode is an interview with Sammy Gagnon, an indie rocker from Baltimore. But first I want to talk about someone a little closer to home. About an hour’s drive south of where I live, in Lilington, North Carolina, there's a men's prison called Harnett Correctional. A trans woman named Kanautica Zayre-Brown is imprisoned there, and she wants to be transferred to a women's facility. Sharing a dorm with 38 cis men is really scary, but solitary confinement is worse, and there's no reason she should even have to be in the building. I thought that was pretty messed up, and if you do too, I need you to call the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Prisons Division at 919-838-4000.

Let them know that you demand that they transfer Kaunautica Zayre Brown to a women’s facility to ensure her rights and safety.

If you can, see if you can talk to or leave a message for Kenneth Lassiter, the director of prisons in North Carolina. If you’re not totally sure what to say, I put a script at the bottom of this article, along with more information about Kanautica’s situation, and three more numbers to call.

Back in October, I went on a little road trip to Washington DC. Whenever I travel now, I reach out to local trans musicians and see if they want to be interviewed for the podcast. Sammy Gagnon, who plays under the band name Sammy Heck and runs the DIY label Deep Sea Records, drove all the way down from Baltimore to meet me for this interview. We met up in a dilapidated strip mall in Greenbelt, Maryland, outside of a vegan café where someone was protesting by eating slabs of meat. We talked about how she got into the DIY scene, what Guitar Center is like as a trans woman, and cracking eggs.

Riley: Thanks for being here with me. Thanks for coming down.

Sammy: Yeah, thank you for having me.

So you just were telling me you just wrapped up a 17-day tour?

Well, it was a whole year of touring. I think I toured 41 or 42 days in total this year, which is more than I've ever done. Five tours this year, across January to August.

Where all have you gone?

I went as far north as Boston, as far south as Tallahassee, Florida and Austin, Texas, and then towards the Midwest I went as far as Chicago.

And have you been doing it yourself?

Yeah. The first tour I did, I toured with another band, White Petals. I played bass for them, and then I did solo Sammy Heck stuff. Then I did a five-day tour in July where I was tour managing for a band called Phase Arcade. For the rest of the time, I drove totally alone.

Sammy Heck/White Petals Split by sammy heck

Your first Sammy Heck music was a split with White Petals, right?

With White Petals, yeah. We have been friends for a long time. I also run this label called Deep Sea Records, and White Petals is one of the first bands that I put out on that.

How long have you been running the label?

It'll be four years in February.

Okay, so the label is older than the Sammy Heck project?

Yeah, absolutely. Sammy Heck I just started in August of last year, after my old band, Samurai Tiger, broke up. But I started Deep Sea Records in February of my senior year of high school.

So was it hard to get people to take you seriously 'cause you were a high school senior? Or did they not know?

I think that all the people I was working with at the time were about the same age. I honestly find that people took me more seriously when I was a 17-year-old "boy" (I'm doing air quotes there) than now, when I'm a 21-year-old girl who's been on a dozen tours and has put out almost 50 records.

Valentine's Charity Compilation 2018 by Deep Sea Records

So it's just a gender thing?

Yeah, I definitely think so.

That really sucks. But I know what you mean, though.

Yeah. I think that the place that people treat me the most differently at is Guitar Center. Before, I'd walk into Guitar Center and I was practically invisible, and now every time I walk into Guitar Center and pick up an instrument, everybody wants to talk to me and ask me how long I've been playing an instrument for.

Do you think they're hitting on you?

I don't know.

Mansplaining?

There's definitely that male arrogance of "Oh, girl that plays guitar? What's up with that?"

"Gross!"

Sammy lost a heel a couple times during the photoshoot

How'd you learn about and get into the DIY music scene?

In high school I had a Tumblr, and I found out about bands like The World Is a Beautiful Place and Empire! Empire! Stuff like that. Like, "Oh, this is cool!" And then I joined some Facebook groups that were about twinkle emo, and stuff like that. And from there, I was like, "Oh, everybody wants to play in bands like this." So, yeah.

Can you explain what twinkle emo is?

So there are different waves of emo music, but twinkle would be, like, Algernon Cadwallader, to an extent The World Is a Beautiful Place...

Parrot Flies by Algernon Cadwallader

What's the vibe?

So it's got that emo punk vibe that bands like Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, stuff like that have. But they take it to an extra level of less punk, more indie rock. So there's more noodling and open tunings, and stuff like that.

What would be your genre classification for the Sammy Heck project?

Sammy Heck, I usually say it's, like, sparkly indie pop.

That's reasonable.

Yeah. Because I like a lot of the emo indie bands, like The World Is, or my friends in Commander Salamander coined the term "sparklepunk."

Sparklepunk?

Sparklepunk. So there was twinkle emo, but nobody likes to say the word "twinkle," so I guess they just pulled out a thesaurus and looked up synonyms for "twinkle," and were like, "Sparklepunk!" I was like, "Okay, that's cool. Well I'm gonna be sparklepop." So I feel like people compare me a lot to bands that are in that emo genre but on the more lighter, sensitive side, like Kississippi or Soccer Mommy, bands like that. But then I'm also really into late 2000s, early 10s indie pop, like MGMT, Foster the People, Matt and Kim, stuff like that.

Stop Wasting Time by sammy heck

I can definitely hear that. That makes sense to me.

Yeah? People say The Postal Service a lot.

Yeah. So on your recordings, you play most of the instruments except for bass, right?

Yeah. On the recordings that are out right now, it's me playing guitar and singing, and then my friend Josh, who recorded me, plays bass on it because he has a really nice bass rig. And then I programmed all the drums, and the synths, and the stuff like that, using... Logic? I think he had Logic on his computer, which is like GarageBand for big boys.

So you already knew how to do that?

Yeah, when I play live I use GarageBand for everything. So I have my phone mounted onto my guitar with one of those car mounts, and then I just run that through a mixing board on my pedalboard, and run both of those into my amp. So it plays the backing tracks, but since none of them are live instruments, it sounds more like kinda a chiptune, bedroom pop kinda thing, rather than like I'm playing along to a backing track of all live instruments.

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Do people think it's weird that you have your phone taped to your guitar, and then are putting it all through one amp?

It depends. It really depends. Some people are like, "Whoa, that's the coolest thing ever!" And then other people are like, "So when are you getting a band?" Yeah.

All you need is one synth player, right?

I mean, I guess. I'm doing an upcoming tour in January where I'm having a band.

Oh, you're gonna have a full band?

Yeah, so that'll be interesting. And on the new record it's a whole band, so that's a whole thing.

A new record that you're planning to release soon?

Yeah. I'm finishing up the demos right now, and then we'll go ahead and record it.

That's awesome. So you've created a band in Baltimore? You've started practicing with people?

Yeah, I more of just stole another band. So it's this band Phase Arcade, except I'm putting their guitarist and singer on keyboards, and then their bassist and drummer are still their bassist and drummer, and then I'm just fronting it. So when I tour with them, it'll be with... There's a bee.

Was that a bee?

It's a wasp. Yeah, it's a wasp. Yeah, so when I tour with them, I'll play my set, and then I'll move all of my shit out of the way, and then - can I curse on here? Does it matter?

Yeah. It's going on SoundCloud.

Okay, I wasn't sure. Cool. I'm always paranoid that I'll do a radio session and I'll be like, "Oh, that's fucking stupid" or something like that. And then they'll get mad at me.

Gonna get some crazy fine?

And I'll be banned from the air, yeah. Do they fine you when you do that?

Oh yeah.

Really?

Yeah. Well the station does, not you. Yeah, the station gets a fine from the FCC, I think. Or FTC? No, that's the trade commission. I think it's the FCC.

That sucks. They get fined somewhere.

Yeah, they get fined. I think after 10:00 pm you can. There's like the watershed time... I don't really know what I'm talking about. But I do know that it costs money. That's why they care.

That's funny. Okay. But yeah, I'm basically borrowing their band.

That's cool. Are you also in that band?

No.

You just saw it, you liked it. It's your band now. So I wanna describe where we are right now, because I think it's really, really deeply funny. So in front of us is the Greenbelt Federal Credit Union.

Next to us is a zombie-themed minimart. There are people here, but it's just got a very creepy vibe.

Yeah, this is kind of what every D.C. suburb I've ever been to has been like. Just really weird, kinda empty, but impeccably clean and put together.

Yeah, I'm used to one or the other. But this is creeping me out a lot.

It's a little weird.

Do you know what else it reminds me of? When I was in high school [Note: it was actually college]... We didn't break in. The door was unlocked. But we went to this megachurch apartment complex where these people in the late 90′s had built this giant mall-shaped place for all their followers to live, and it was so clean, but everyone had left the community by then. So the lights were on, and then there was a couple stores open. It was like a dead mall.

That's too cool.

There was, like, grand pianos everywhere, and there was an old abandoned play park, and half-finished construction.

Oh, that's my shit. And the power was still running?

The power was still on. There was people there. But I'm sure occupancy was like 2%.

Okay. 'Cause I was gonna say, if it's totally abandoned, you could have cool shows there, and stuff.

It wasn't abandoned. So I think it was still being administrated, but I think most people didn't wanna live in this weird megachurch commune.

Yeah, I can't imagine why.

Oh, the wasp is on you. There's a wasp just... It likes you, I think.

Yeah, there's cocoa powder in my contour, and bugs are really into it.

Uh-oh. Your makeup looks great!

Thank you!

I like the iridescent nails, lip, and sword that you brought. She brought a sword for our pictures that we wanted to take.

Who wouldn’t want a piece of that contour?

So what are your goals, musically and as an artist?

Whenever people ask me this question, I always think of that Vine of Riff Raff, and he was like, "The goal is to blow up, and then act like I don't know nobody." And then he has those really scary shark teeth grills, and he laughs, and it's really frightening. But that's not my goals, no. I feel like... This is gonna sound so cheesy.

I wanna be the artist and the role model that me as a teen woulda needed. So I wanna write songs about being trans, and being sad, and dealing with that, and stuff. And I don't really want it to be a pity party thing, but it ends up being that a lot of the time. I definitely wanna be more like... Do you know what the term "cracking eggs" means, in terms of trans people? Yeah.

Yeah, you could explain it, though.

Okay. So an egg is a trans person who doesn't know that they're trans yet. I feel like I wanna inspire more trans people to be open about their transness, and be okay with being visibly trans, and stuff like that.

Yeah, we were talking earlier when we were taking pictures about how some people who I talk to for this website, sometimes there are trans people who don't wanna be on a trans website, or they don't want their trans identity to be part of their identity as musicians as artists. You don't choose that, right?

No, I don't. So, I understand that. I think that's super valid, because in a way, I feel like I have almost closed myself off, because now cis people are like, "Oh, her whole thing is that she's trans." Or even other trans people will be like, "Oh, your whole thing is that you're trans." But it's not. Not all my songs are about that. That doesn't consume every minute of my life. But I think that it's really valid to not wanna be open in today's climate, where you'll get harassed and murdered if you're trans.

Yeah. So you wanna be cracking eggs.

Cracking eggs, yes.

Have you ever had that experience? Has anyone ever said...

Yeah. That's definitely a weird thing, 'cause a friend of mine, actually, after seeing me play, a few months later texted me and was like, "Hey, because of seeing your performance, I decided to come out." I was like, "That's fucked." That's fucked up that that was something that I could do, if that makes sense. I'm trying not to sound really self-important. I don't wanna sound like that.

I don't think that you do. I think that we're raised in a culture where it's not seen as an option. Like, gender is seen as an immovable object, like you can't do anything about it. So any time you even see someone... There's that song based on the Alison Bechdel cartoon Ring of Keys, where she sees a butch and she's like, "Oh my god!" She's eight years old in a diner and she sees a butch, and she's just like, "Is that a thing that you can do?"

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The butch was not a messiah, the butch was just hanging out going to a diner, but you can do incredible things just by existing publicly.

My only experience with trans people up until I was an upperclassman in high school was through porn. And that was the only way that I knew that trans people existed, which is really fucked up. 'Cause I never really knew that trans people existed outside of a fetish, if that makes sense.

Yeah. Is your friend doing okay?

Oh, yeah, she's doing great. She's awesome, yeah. I'll have to send her this interview. She'll geek out. I don't know if she wants me to name who she is, so I won't say anything.

Probably not.

Yeah, I'm not gonna say anything. No, she's sweet.

Well, thanks for talking to me.

Yeah, thank you for having me. This is fun!

Find Sammy online: Sammy Heck Bandcamp Deep Sea Records Sammy Heck on Facebook

Note: A little bit after our interview, Sammy moved to Philly, but while we’re talking about Baltimore, I actually travelled there a couple weeks ago and interviewed two awesome local musicians, so look forward to that in Season 2!

More information about Kanautica:

Kanautica Zayre Brown is a Black trans woman who has been denied transfer to a women’s facility. You can read more about her story on The Root.

I know that most of the people reading this right now are trans, and trans people generally hate phone calls. It’s also scary if you don’t know who's going to be on the other end. But we’ve gotta stand up for each other y’all. If we don’t, who will? And if you want to send her some money, she and her husband Dionne’s cash app is $007db.

Example script:

"I'm calling to demand that you transfer Kanautica Zayre-Brown (inmate number 0618705) to a women's prison in accordance with her wishes, the Prison Rape Elimination Act, and The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Transgender Offender Manual. Kanautica needs to be moved to a women's facility to affirm her identity and ensure her rights and safety"

More numbers to call:

Harnett County Sherriff’s Office: (910) 893 8111

Harnett Correctional Institution: (910) 893 2751

NC Department of Corrections: (919) 838 4000

NC Department of Public Safety: (919) 733 2126

#sammy gagnon #sammy heck #deep sea records #indie rock #indie pop #diy #kanautica zayre brown #podcast #calls to action

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sinceileftyoublog · 6 years ago

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Alasdair Roberts Interview: What News? Nae News.

Photo by Alex Woodward

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Earlier this year, Scottish singer-songwriter Alasdair Roberts released one of his finest albums to date--one that’s not even a solo record. What News is a collaboration between Roberts, pianist David McGuinness, and electronic artist Amble Skuse. If it sounds contemporary--the clicks of Skuse’s laptop interweaving with McGuinness’ keys and Roberts’ voice and occasional guitar--the songs are not. They’re traditional Scottish ballads that the three make sound more alive than ever.

Speaking to me from Glasgow earlier this year, Roberts detailed to me how hard it is for him to find a U.S. booking agent. “It’s a difficult time for English folk music,” one facetiously told him (not realizing Roberts sings undeniably Scottish songs). But what What News proves is “same as it ever was.” The songs are riddled with sad tales of death rooted in a world with oppressive gender norms, a world we’re always threatening to return to. In some ways, we already have. The familiarity of the songs is eerie, and it makes them all the more powerful.

Check out the rest of my interview with Roberts, edited for length and clarity, below. He reveals the process behind making What News, the problematic nature of many of the songs, and his take on Drag City’s much publicized decision to make much of their catalog available for streaming.

Since I Left You: What overall inspired you to embark on the What News project?

Alasdair Roberts: I had these traditional Scottish ballads--I love them--that I had been singing for a while. I wanted to do something with them. But I was kind of growing a bit frustrated with my customary guitar accompaniment. I had worked with David McGuinness before on a few things, so I thought about a piano accompaniment on these songs with him playing. He’s a great pianist, obviously, and I knew he’d have some good ideas. Also to free me up from singing and expressing myself vocally and concentrating on the songs without having to play an instrument at the same time. I thought it might be an interesting challenge and way of developing as a vocalist.

SILY: These songs had been kicking around in your live performance, but had you ever recorded any of them in a traditional way before?

AR: [For the album] No Earthly Man, the song “Long A-Growing”, we actually recorded in that session. In a studio in the middle of nowhere in rural Aberdeen. We had a bonfire one night and set up some microphones around the bonfire, and I recorded that song that night. But we didn’t put it on the record. Some of them I’ve been singing for a long time. Some I haven’t performed live. Some I’ve performed live before with guitar and bass. Some just unaccompanied vocals.

SILY: Did you ahve to narrow down a larger group of songs, or did you know you wanted the record to be these specific songs?

AR: There were a couple of songs that we tried playing, but they kind of fell by the wayside. One was a song called “Lord Donegal” that I ended up putting elsewhere. Essentially, I felt really strongly about these particular songs.

SILY: Where did you put “Lord Donegal”?

AR: It’s on this record called Missed Flights and Fist Fights that I made with a couple of guys from Chicago--Bill Lowman and Brad Gallagher. It came out three years ago, self-released.

SILY: How do you go about deciding the arrangements for traditional songs?

AR: In this case, it was pretty organic. At first, it was David and I, and then Amble got involved later on. But David and I would meet a few times in Glasgow, and I’d just sing him the song, he’d think about it for a while and come up with a piano accompaniment. We’d just organically do that process of back and forth between the two of us and then between the three of us.

SILY: Did you give Amble and David free reign to interpret and add to the songs?

AR: Pretty much. We all gave each other free reign, really. I kind of like that, when the people I work with have good ideas and are free to express them rather than someone saying, “Play these notes” or “Do it this way.” I’m very happy with how it all came out. I don’t regard being 100% happy with everything as necessarily a good thing or a victory. It can be just as valid to have your aesthetics, ideas, and assumptions challenged. Something that may be a bit uncomfortable or that you may not enjoy.

SILY: On the Bandcamp page, you mention, “Amble Skuse's electronics keep the 21st century in the picture, which unfortunately, seems necessary.” What did you mean by “unfortunately seems necessary?”

AR: That must have been Drag City that wrote that. I don’t think it’s a comment about Amble’s music making but about the 21st century. That unfortunately we still have to remain in this century. That’s what I understood it to be. Right this minute seems like a particularly rough time. But I don’t think the past was much better, really.

It’s easy to look back on the past. A lot of these songs detail a very tough existence. Tough situations which obviously happened in the past just as much if not more so than now. Particularly for women. The gender politics of these songs are quite questionable. That was a thing that came up a lot in discussion between the three of us making it. It’s always the woman who suffers or gets done in. How do you sort of deal with that in the present day when you’d like to believe you have liberal attitudes?

SILY: How did you deal with that?

AR: I’m not sure if we did, really. [laughs] I suppose just by thinking that they’re a reflection of attitudes and experiences that existed, and it’s important to remember that they did, lest they should persist.

SILY: That’s one of the good parts about living in the 21st century.

AR: That’s one of the good things, but there’s always that counter struggle against forces of liberation, and so on. Like the rise of the Alt-Right or whatever. The back-and-forth seems inevitable.

SILY: Do you have a favorite track on the record?

AR: I don’t think I do. [laughs] I was laughing because when David and Amble and I were rehearsing, I think Amble asked David a similar question. And he said, “I’m trying to free myself from my likes and dislikes.” And we were like, “Shut the fuck up.” [laughs]

A lot of people seem to like “Clerk Colvin”. That seems to get a lot of attention. The one that’s 10 minutes long.

SILY: It’s about a fifth of the album.

AR: That seems to be a standard favorite. I can understand why. I don’t think it’s necessarily my favorite. I like them all.

SILY: Was the title taken from a line in “The Dun Broon Bride”?

AR: It was, but I think it also comes up in the second track. It’s kind of like a stock phrase in these ballads. “What news, what news.” Some point when something exciting has happened, someone will ask this question. The answer, invariably, is, “Nae news, nae news.”

SILY: It’s a question, but it almost seems like an exclamation of exasperation, too.

AR: I see what you’re saying. It could be read as that. But it’s “nae news, nae news” because nothing really changes. The human condition now is the same as it was long ago when these ballads originated.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art?

AR: There’s a woman called Amy Whiten who is a friend of Amble’s. The three of us were discussing artwork, and Amble said, “We’ll get my friend Amy.” She sent examples similar to this one, a variety of work, and we all liked it, so we commissioned Amy to make 8 individual pictures for each track. She had free reign over it. We gave her a month, and she came up with what she came up with with minimal input from the musicians. It’s how she envisioned the songs.

SILY: Did you have an opinion on Drag City’s choice to stream the large majority of their catalog?

AR: I had mixed feelings about Spotify. Before Drag City put my music on Spotify, there was some of my music on there. I felt kind of weird about it because it wasn’t representative of what I do now. Some of it was very old or atypical of what I do. I know a lot of people go to Spotify to check out new artists or artists they’ve never heard, and I was partly worried I was being misrepresented there. In a way, I’m happy that the Drag City stuff--the core of my work--is there for people to hear. At the same time, I’d obviously rather people buy physical copies.

Roberts, McGuinness, and Skuse have a few UK live dates lined up for the fall, as does Roberts solo and with other collectives.

#alasdair roberts #Interviews #music #what news #alex woodward #david mcguinness #amble skuse #alasdair roberts amble skuse & david mcguinness #drag city #no earthly man #missed flights and fist fights #bill lowman #brad gallagher #alt-right #amy whiten #spotify #what news? nae news.

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aaronafgash · 6 years ago

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Best Songs Under One Minute: A Top 10 List

A majority of songs released throughout history have followed similar structural patterns: most, in some order, utilize a verse, chorus, bridge, hook, and refrain. To fit all of these sections, songs tend to be around three to six minutes in length, depending on factors such as tempo and repetitions of individual structures. Things start to get interesting, though, when artists start to shrink down songs under the traditional three minute mark. Which sections will be cut out? Will there only be a single verse or hook? How will an artist tell a story or capture an emotion in such a limited amount of time? I became fascinated with these sorts of questions, and it led me to paying more and more attention to the best “short” songs. Here is my top 10 list of songs under one minute.

10. Sometimes (Mix #9) - Erykah Badu (0:44)

R&B music was being redefined in the late ‘90s, with songwriters like D’Angelo and Maxwell leading the pack of new-age soul artists. These artists paid homage to greats who came before them in the genre, but added more current hip-hop elements to spice up their songs; “Sometimes (Mix #9)” perfectly exemplifies that sentiment. The song begins with a light bongo drum pattern and distant background vocals, but soon, the mood changes: a harder hitting drum pattern overtakes the previously heard bongos, and in comes Erykah with a smooth, laid back verse. Badu rides the beat like an MC, with lyrics like “I’ve got the paper stacked, and a pimped out track,” but she does so while singing in her unique tone. It’s hard not to believe that artists like Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott were influenced by previous Badu songs like this one.

9. Demons - Sampha (0:54)

Before the Drake and Kanye features, before “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano,” before touring with the xx, Sampha was a lesser-known songwriter from South London. “Demons”, the first track off of his 2013 EP Dual, gave us a taste of what was to come with the artist we know now. The track begins with Sampha leaving a voicemail, quietly stating “I rang you earlier but you didn’t pick up.” Immediately, the track begins, driven by a repetitive, dragging bass drum, and distinctive piano chords. Sampha chimes in, singing “I guess I don’t believe you / And I think you don’t believe, too / So take all these demons and go.” It’s a short ballad that introduces us to Sampha; he may now be a world-renowned artist, but he’s still battling his demons just like the rest of us.

8. Her Majesty - The Beatles (0:23)

Written in jest about Queen Elizabeth II, “Her Majesty” is the Beatles shortest song in their spanning discography, yet in 23 seconds, it captures everything that makes the group so undeniably excellent. The subject matter is, of course, silly; Paul McCartney is singing about loving the Queen as if she’s a normal, everyday woman that he’s trying to court at a bar. But when he sings “I wanna tell her that I love her a lot / But I gotta get a bellyful of wine,” he’s still

able to make what is clearly a joke a relatable topic of conversation -- only the Beatles could make a song like this one

7. Track 14 (Chix) - Jai Paul (0:51)

Jai Paul is a mysterious artist. Since 2011, he has only (officially) released two songs. The lack of material left fans yearning for more music, but in 2013, an unidentified Bandcamp user uploaded what looked like Jai Paul’s 16-track debut album to the site. A day later, Paul tweeted out that what was uploaded was a collection of demos that had been previously stolen from one of his laptops. Regardless of how or why the music got out, it undeniably exists, and it is an outstanding piece of work. On “Track 14”, which fans nicknamed “Chix”, Jai Paul shows off his eclectic sonic pallette; in just 51 seconds, we hear a beautiful stringed orchestra, glittering electronic synthesizers, and poetic lyrics of frustration and devotion: he sings “I don’t know what you mean / I’m always on the scene / Your time and your company / Let me get you home with me.” If Paul’s unreleased demos are of this quality, I can’t imagine what an official studio album would sound like. But even if that project doesn’t see the light of day, at least we have this.

6. Fertilizer - Frank Ocean (0:39)

Acting as an interlude on the critically acclaimed Channel Orange, “Fertilizer” sonically comes off as a fun little pop track, but in one poetic lyric, we quickly discover that Frank is not singing a happy song. When he sings “Fertilizer / I’ll take bullshit if that’s all you’ve got,” he’s attempting to elicit any sort of response from a person who he loves and cares about; even if they aren’t going to tell him what he wants to hear, he’ll take it. In a 2012 Esquire article, Gavin Matthew’s affirms this, stating that “Ocean begs for his love not to treat him like the titular bullshit. But the sorrow in his voice and the painful laugh track tell us he’s not having much luck.” Frank’s unparalleled writing abilities allow for him to pack a surprising amount of meaning into shorter tracks; he may or may not appear later on this list.

5. Parachutes - Coldplay (0:46)

Most people today know Coldplay as one of the biggest bands in the world, with pop hits like “A Sky Full of Stars” and “Something Just Like This”, but at their best, Coldplay gave us well- produced albums of interesting, unique alternative music. Their debut album, Parachutes, balanced bright, upbeat tracks with calmer, acoustic songs to create a near-perfect alternative masterpiece. The project peaks, though, on the title track “Parachutes”: here, Chris Martin, backed by only an acoustic guitar, sings quietly of fidelity and commitment, with lyrics like “ Here I am and I’ll take my time / Here I am and I’ll wait in line, always / Always.” The gentle nature of the song allows listeners to feel like Martin is personally telling them his story, and that quality makes for a captivating track.

4. Intro - Brandy (0:49)

Brandy burst onto the scene in 1994; at 15 years old (!!!), she had just released her self-titled debut Brandy, and soon, the album was receiving critical acclaim. Eventually, Brandy went on to go 4x platinum, allowing Brandy to establish herself as a successful R&B solo artist. While Brandy was an excellent project , the topics of her songs were (understandably) a bit childish considering her age. So when Brandy released her next album, Never Say Never four years later in ‘98, she knew she had to prove that she could be a grown up. Any doubts that critics might have had immediately went out the window when Never Say Never dropped, and “Intro” perfectly set the tone for Brandy’s newfound maturity. The production of the track is tighter and darker, and Brandy sounds like a totally different artist; while she may just be singing “Never say, never say, never say never” repeatedly, her tone is now provocative and seductive. Her experiences with love and life have given her a new outlook on relationships; in an interview around time the album was released, she stated “I’m not the little girl I was when I made my first record.” Brandy grew up, and “Intro” sets the tone perfectly for her transition into adulthood.

3. Commes des Garcons - Frank Ocean (0:53)

On “Commes des Garcons”, a track off of the criminally underrated visual album Endless, Frank Ocean weaves together a complex love story over playful, tropically-infused production. Frank cleverley sings of infidelities (“We was dating on the side / He was seeing double”) and makes witty sexual references related to items you’d find at a local hardware store (“All this drillin’ got this dick feelin’ like a power tool”). To close out the song, he repeats the phrase “Commes des Garcons”, which means “like boys” -- in doing so, Ocean is referencing his coming out letter in which he brings up the first time he fell in love with a man. Just as he did in “Fertilizer”, Frank makes efficient use of his limited time on “Commes des Garcons”, but this time, he’s telling a sophisticated story.

2. Beach is Better - Jay-Z (0:55)

No one expected 44-year-old Jay-Z to include a Mike-Will-Made-It produced trap anthem on his 2013 album Magna Carter Holy Grail, but he did just that with “Beach is Better”. For all the album’s flaws, “Beach is Better” immediately became one of the best Jay-Z songs we’ve heard in the last decade. The beat is slithering and metallic at first, but suddenly, monstrous 808- drums kick in with mesmerizing synth blips that give the production more melody and a plethora of different high-hat patterns to give the beat a sense of chaos. Jay-Z is at his absolute best, rapping about what he loves flaunting the most: his wife, his money, and his dominance in the rap game. Lyrics like “Girl, why you never ready? / For as long as you took you better look like Halle Berry / Or Beyoncé...shit, then we gettin’ married!” exemplify peak Jay-Z boasts. In an interview with MTV, producer Mike-Will was quoted saying “[Jay] was like, ‘Man, let’s do something so effortless,’ and that just stuck with me when he said ‘effortless.’” This idea of effortlessness for both Jay-Z and Mike-Will resulted in a track where they’re both in their comfort zones, and the combination allowed for a perfect rap interlude.

1. Elephant Parade - Jon Brion (0:28)

In composer Jon Brion’s “Elephant Parade” off of the soundtrack to the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there are no sophisticated lyrics to analyze. There are no complicated allegories or connections to make. There is simply a piano and an acoustic guitar, softly playing together for 28 seconds to construct a short song. But those 28 seconds provide some of the purest, most blissful musical moments you could ever capture. Brion’s ability to create so much out of so little is remarkable; “Elephant Parade” is everything you could ask for in a sub-minute song, and it does so using two of the most basic, universally-known instruments known to man. To this day, it strikes a certain emotional chord with me that I have a hard time putting into words. The ability to leave a listener speechless is nearly an impossible task, but “Elephant Parade” manages to do that to me. For that reason, it’s my favorite song under one minute.

#music #minute #song #sampha #frank ocean #jay z #brandy #jai paul #coldplay #badu #hiphop #r&b #pop

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independentartistbuzz · 3 years ago

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7 From the Women: Carolyn Shulman

Listen in to “Grenadine & Kerosene” here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4ScxXYrd8uTMHfzaaYiEMr

1. What have you been working to promote lately? My debut album, Grenadine & Kerosene, will be released on Friday, May 21, and I’m so thrilled to share it. I recorded it with veteran producer John McVey at Cinder Sound Studio in Longmont, Colorado. John and I brought in a stellar group of musicians for this recording, and he did a great job of arranging and mixing all of the instrumentation to help bring out the best in each song. This project is the realization of a lifelong dream to record a full length album of my original songs, and I’m very proud of this work. I hope that when people hear it, they hear all of the thought, energy, and care that went into making this album, and I hope that they connect with this music. 2. Please tell us about your favorite song written, recorded, or produced by another woman and why it’s meaningful to you. That is a hard question because there are so many that I love! If I had to choose one favorite, I think I’d have to say “A Case of You,” by Joni Mitchell. I think it’s one of the greatest love songs ever written, and Joni Mitchell is a brilliant songwriter and musician who helped pave the way for so many women in music after her. 3. What does it mean to you to be a woman making music/in the music business today, and do you feel a responsibility to other women to create messages and themes in your music? To me, being a woman making music today means trying to follow in the footsteps of the incredible women before me who helped forge a path for me to do this, while working to develop my own sound and message. I also think a lot about what it means to be a mother and a full time musician. I am showing my daughter that you don’t have to choose between being a loving and involved parent and pursuing your dreams. She is seeing that it is hard work, and that there are times when I have to make sacrifices, either with my family or my career, but I think she also sees that the end result of having my music available for anyone in the world to hear it is pretty cool, too. I do think about how my messages and themes will resonate with other women hearing my music. In my songs that have a more narrative focus, I tend to highlight the stories of women or mothers, like the central figure in my song “Across the Borderline,” who is a refugee mother trying to get to America with her two daughters. I think it’s important to amplify women’s voices and experiences. 4. What female artists have inspired you and influenced you? So many! My biggest influences have been women. To name several: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Joni Mitchell, Lucy Kaplansky, Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Catie Curtis, Ani DiFranco, the Indigo Girls, Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin, and so many women artists whom I have the good fortune to call my friends, like Edie Carey, Jen Hitt, Megan Burtt (all three of whom sang backing vocals on my album), Susan Gibson, Jana Pochop, Rebecca Loebe, Carrie Elkin, Vanessa Peters...I could go on, but you probably have a word limit! 5. Who was the first female artist you saw that made you want to create music / be in the business? Melissa Etheridge. The first real concert I ever attended was a Melissa Etheridge show in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama. My parents took me to see her when I was about twelve years old, and I was hooked. I wanted to freakin’ rock and pour my heart out onstage, just like her. I wound up veering more towards the folk end of the music spectrum, but seeing her live show really impacted me.

6. Do you consider yourself a feminist? If so why and if not why? I certainly do! Feminism is simply the idea that women should be treated equally to men. I can’t imagine an existence where I didn’t think I deserved to be treated equally. I hope that as feminist values continue to be more mainstream, and more women rise to positions of power and leadership, more and more women AND men will realize how much is lost when women’s voices and contributions aren’t sought or valued. Especially now that I have a daughter, I think even more often about what I can do to help empower her, as well as all girls and women. 7. Why do you think the music industry has not had our #MeToo moment? This is an interesting and important question. I am purely speculating, but perhaps it is because there are not enough women in positions of power on the business side of the music industry. So, if women speak up about their experiences of being harassed or abused by men in the music industry, there is a fear of retaliation or being shut out of important opportunities. Of course, that’s not so different from the situation in Hollywood, either, so I’m not completely sure why the difference in the music industry, but this has given me something to contemplate further. Find Carolyn Shulman via: Website: https://carolynshulman.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6gsVEG0liEOMJBvMdgw4Ts?si=FpYrv_LuQHSC8ZgiMsm2IwInstagram: https://instagram.com/cshulman80Facebook: https://facebook.com/carolynshulmanmusicYouTube: https://youtube.com/carolynshulmanBandcamp: https://carolynshulman.bandcamp.com/releasesBandsintown: https://bandsintown.com/carolynshulmanSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/carolynshulman

#carolyn shulman

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karingudino · 4 years ago

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Bandcamp Wants to Make Streaming Pay for Musicians

Last July, as the local economy scrambled to survive the third month of the coronavirus pandemic, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek took to Twitter with some financial figures of his personal.

“Excited to announce our Q2 numbers exhibiting sturdy progress throughout the board,” Ek tweeted on July 29.

Linked within the tweet was an infographic touting the corporate’s 299 million month-to-month listeners, latest enlargement to Russia, and unique podcasts with former First Woman Michelle Obama and bro-losopher Joe Rogan.

Printed elsewhere have been the corporate’s staggering earnings for the second quarter of 2020: roughly $2.22 billion.

That very same day, in an interview with UK-based Music Ally, Ek, contemporary from his monetary fluffing, set about addressing a sure “narrative fallacy” he claimed to have noticed in musicians: “You’ll be able to’t file music as soon as each three or 4 years and suppose that’s going to be sufficient,” the billionaire decreed.

The identical month, an organization proper right here within the Bay Space issued a really completely different message to its customers. In an article titled, “Assist Musicians Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic,” Bandcamp co-founder Ethan Diamond touted a few of his firm’s latest accomplishments.

“On March 20, 2020, we waived our income share so as to assist artists and labels impacted by the pandemic,” Diamond wrote. The quantity paid out to musicians on that day alone: $4.3 million. “On Could 1, 2020, we did it once more,” he continued, “and followers paid artists $7.1 million—wonderful!”

All through 2020, Bandcamp held 9 of those Bandcamp Days, wherein for twenty-four hours they waived their customary lower of 15% on all music gross sales, and 10% on all merch. In simply 9 days, the corporate paid their musician customers a reported $40 million.

For listeners and traders, Spotify gives that everlasting promise of capitalism: infinite progress for one low, low worth. For musicians, it gives one thing else completely: a gamed system that favors that already profitable. Fortunately, in 2020 Bandcamp was there to funnel some a reimbursement into musicians’ pockets. However within the face of an more and more dominant streaming trade, is it sufficient?

Wealthy Band, Poor Band

When discussing Spotify, there may be all the time an elephant within the room: the corporate’s royalty fee. As famously low as it’s famously exhausting to pin down, Spotify’s payouts have provoked public complaints not simply from indie artists, however enormous trade gamers as properly. In 2014, Taylor Swift pulled her music from the service over the problem, stating in an op-ed that “useful issues needs to be paid for.” When she got here again three years later, it was the results of a years-long stress marketing campaign from Ek himself—the CEO personally traveled to Nashville a number of occasions to persuade Swift to return.

Every year, David Lowery of Santa Cruz’s pioneering indie rock band Camper Van Beethoven, and later the alt-hitmaker Cracker, publishes his annual Streaming Worth Bible, which makes use of his band’s streaming knowledge to assist break down royalty charges throughout the trade’s prime 30 streaming providers. By his estimation, Spotify’s present fee equates to roughly $0.00348 per music.

“In different phrases, Spotify is paying out about $3,300 – $3,500 per million performs,” Lowery wrote.

Nonetheless, that quantity isn’t completely correct. The rationale why everybody appears to disagree on what precisely Spotify’s royalty fee is, is as a result of the corporate doesn’t really pay musicians per stream in any respect.

“What Spotify does is determine the overall sum total that they’re paying out in royalties, then your fee as an artist will depend on the proportion of the overall streams you’re in all of Spotify,” says leisure lawyer Cameron Collins.

Collins recurrently teaches a course on the music trade at Seattle College, and is an adjunct professor at Seattle College Faculty of Regulation. He makes the purpose that 10,000 streams on Spotify doesn’t really equate to 10,000 royalty funds.

“If there are one billion performs and also you solely get 10,000, you really solely get a really small share of the entire. So the massive artists, the Macklemores of the world, are going to receives a commission a ton of cash, and your native indie band shouldn’t be going to get very a lot,” Collins says.

Worse nonetheless, as reported by Rolling Stone in September, the highest 1% of artists on Spotify make up for 90% of the platform’s streams. A blue badge affixed to Macklemore’s Spotify web page exhibits he’s at present the No. 291 artist on the planet. Collins, then, is probably going appropriate: The system is working comparatively properly for Macklemore (and, it have to be mentioned, even higher for Taylor Swift, the platform’s No. 10 artist).

New Fashions

In 2015, Lowery filed a category motion lawsuit towards Spotify, alleging at the very least $150 million in unpaid mechanical royalties to artists. Twice, the streaming behemoth made strikes to dismiss, however Lowery’s swimsuit was quickly mixed with three comparable, concurrent lawsuits towards the corporate (together with one from the property of Climate Report bassist Jaco Pastorius), and, in 2017, Spotify agreed to allocate $43.5 million to the creation of a brand new fund for artists and publishers “whose compositions the service used with out paying mechanical royalties,” a useful admission of the cost Lowery and others had levied towards them.

Bored with the system not working for him, Lowery has been growing a brand new mannequin for releasing his music. On New Years Eve, he launched his fourth solo album Leaving Key Member Clause through his label Pitch-a-Tent Data, which additionally launched Camper’s first albums within the ’80s. Although the album is at present on the market on Bandcamp, Lowery says that beneath his new mannequin, that platform would usually come second.

“I modeled it on the film enterprise, how they deal with demand,” he tells me. “First I’ve the theatrical window, which is to promote the album at exhibits—we didn’t have that this time. Then, we now have the DVD or video on-demand window, which is Bandcamp or direct web site gross sales and delivery them via the mail.”

Solely on the very finish, after the tour is finished and the Bandcamp orders have been shipped, does Lowery put his music onto the foremost streaming providers like Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube—the latter two of which really pay even decrease royalties (Pandora: $0.00203; YouTube: $0.00154).

“It’s not that there isn’t a spot for streaming, it simply must be farther down the street after a file is out,” Lowery says. “They’re principally simply designed to suck all the worth out of the whole lot.”

In 2018, the Music Modernization Act (MMA) was handed and signed into legislation. Although the MMA made some strides in the direction of addressing long-festering music trade issues (reminiscent of the truth that nearly each music written earlier than the 12 months 1972 was out of copyright) and even created a authorities physique to handle the distribution of royalties, it had no impact on Spotify’s pool royalty system.

Busting The Stream Syndicate

It’s price noting that Spotify had one meant aim upon founding, and it was to not carry folks music (or, for that matter, podcasts). It was to fight piracy.

“I noticed that you would be able to by no means legislate away from piracy,” Ek informed the Every day Telegraph in 2010. “The one solution to resolve the issue was to create a service that was higher than piracy, and on the similar time compensates the music trade. That gave us Spotify.”

In Ek’s phrases, compensating the music trade was considerably incidental to Spotify’s major aim of combating piracy—the previous, apparently, an impact of the latter. (Importantly, Ek doesn’t even point out the musicians themselves.)

Bandcamp, however, set out with a really completely different aim in thoughts. In a 2016 interview with Market’s Kai Ryssdal, Bandcamp founder Ethan Diamond described the panorama of on-line music internet hosting within the MySpace period as akin to “sharecropping:”

“You gave them your content material after which it was their logos, their promoting—it was their URL, it was their site visitors. It was their total id,” Diamond mentioned.

Impressed by the simplicity of running a blog platforms like WordPress and Blogger, Diamond got down to appropriate what he noticed as an absence within the accessible on-line sources for musicians.

“We constructed Bandcamp to deal with that downside,” he informed Market.

Since premiering in 2008, Bandcamp has been steadily rising, and has developed into a sturdy nexus for music lovers of all stripes.

The corporate’s true energy, nonetheless, has been its resistance to the Silicon Valley fantasy of scaling. Nonetheless privately owned, Bandcamp has managed to show a revenue whereas giving 80-90% of their income to artists yearly since 2012.

Bandcamp seems to be the uncommon music trade participant knowledgeable initially by the musicians. In interviews, Diamond recurrently makes use of phrases like accountability, and insists that the corporate’s “core metric” is the cash it pays out to its musicians.

“It could actually’t be that music is a commodity, or content material to make use of to promote promoting or a subscription plan. Artists have to come back first,” he informed the Guardian in June.

One lesson the corporate appears to have realized from musicians is that there’s energy in staying small. Bandcamp’s 37 million guests in December 2020 (in accordance with analytics web site SimilarWeb) could also be a speck subsequent to Spotify’s reported 286 million month-to-month customers, however the firm has managed to develop by itself phrases—and fully via the sale of music—yearly since 2008.

Whereas Spotify has discovered market success with its “good, predictive algorithms,” in accordance with CFO Barry MacCarthy, and is at present making an aggressive push to turn out to be the highest canine in podcasts, Bandcamp hinges on the wager that perhaps, simply perhaps, you really care about music.

Misplaced within the Algorithm

The music that initially uncovered Spotify’s paltry royalty fee was removed from a smash hit. “Tugboat,” by the Boston shoegaze band Galaxie 500 is a dreamy little dinghy of a music, a sassy snippet of a melody floating in a sea of reverb, and hinging on the lyric “I don’t wish to vote in your president / I simply wish to be your tugboat captain.”

Galaxie 500 solely existed for 3 years, however their dour, ramshackle earnestness had a palpable affect on the form of ’90s indie rock. Initially launched as a 7” in 1988, “Tugboat” grew to become an indie rock flashpoint by passing via the underground through phrase of mouth and mixtape. Uploaded to Spotify within the 2010s, it grew to become extra fodder for the countless churn of the algorithm.

In an article revealed by Pitchfork in 2012, Damon Krukowski, the band’s drummer, broke down the royalties “Tugboat” had earned within the first quarter of the 12 months. Streamed 5,960 occasions, the music had earned the band $1.05. By his calculations, so as to make the identical cash as one bodily album sale to at least one fan, the band would wish 47,690 performs on Spotify.

“Right here’s yet one more manner to take a look at it,” Krukowski wrote. “Urgent 1,000 singles in 1988 gave us the incomes potential of greater than 13 million streams in 2012. (And other people say the web is a bonanza for younger bands …).”

On the one hand, Krukowski’s anecdote about “Tugboat” performs proper into Daniel Ek’s narrative about musicians’ unrealistic expectations: Certainly, nobody can count on to reside in 2020 on the income of a single indie rock music from 1988, proper? However even for energetic bands with sizable fan bases and important acclaim, the algorithm manages to show hundreds into pennies.

Hardcore Actuality

Final summer season, San Jose hardcore band Gulch ran a wall of death on heavy music followers with the discharge of the punishing Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress, the “hardest album of this shit 12 months 2020,” in accordance with one Bandcamp reviewer.

Closed Casket Actions, the band’s file label, owns the digital rights to Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress, so the band solely will get a portion of that album’s streams. However ever since releasing that album in July, their earlier, self-released EP Burning Want to Draw Final Breath has additionally skilled a major bump in listens. In response to Gulch guitarist Cole Kakimoto, within the final three months Burning Want has been streamed on Spotify greater than greater than 150,000 occasions. The income for these lots of of hundreds of streams?

“Round $700,” he says. “The quantity that we make in three months streaming we most likely make in a pair days of face-to-face interactions.”

Santa Cruz hardcore band Drain has obtained about $200 per member per 12 months from Spotify for his or her 2016 EP ‘Over Considering’—which has been streamed lots of of hundreds of occasions. COURTESY PHOTO

Santa Cruz hardcore band Drain is in an identical scenario. Although their label, Revelation Data, owns the digital rights to 2020’s thrash-y and exhilarating California Cursed, the band nonetheless owns their again catalog, together with 2016 EP Over Considering. Trying again via the figures, singer Sam Ciaramitaro says that after 4 years and lots of of hundreds of streams, that album has introduced in roughly $3,200 via Spotify—divided up, $200 per band member per 12 months.

“Not a ton of cash haha,” he texts me.

As for Gulch, Kakimoto says that they’re fortunate: All of them have full-time jobs. Gulch play hardcore for the love of it, not as a result of they’re making an attempt to outlive on it.

Days later, it dawns on me how tousled the streaming period needs to be for a musician to really feel fortunate to have a full-time job.

The Swindle Continues

When UCSC Historical past of Consciousness professor Eric Porter was researching his e book What Is This Factor Known as Jazz? he had the chance to look at bassist Charles Mingus’s papers on the Library of Congress.

“I used to be blown away them to see how little cash he really made out of a few of these basic recordings,” Porter says.

If there was ever a counterexample to Ek’s chimerical musician-who-only-works-once-every-three-or-four-years, it was Charles Mingus. Between the years 1956 and 1966, Mingus recorded virtually 30 albums, nearly all of which have made important, transformative contributions to the sound of American music. But, for nearly his total life, Mingus struggled. The deck was stacked towards him.

“Historical past is wealthy with examples the place working-class musicians, Black musicians, have been cheated out of what’s owed them,” Porter says.

Notoriously, the contract drawn up for Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” netted him solely $50; lengthy earlier than the Kingsmen coated it, Richard Berry obtained paid solely $175 for writing what’s arguably probably the most well-known rock music of all time: “Louie, Louie.” Like Mingus, their songs have been singular in shaping the sound and tenor of American music. But, for many years, they obtained subsequent to nothing for his or her contributions. The deck was stacked towards them, too.

“Due to their lack of energy within the trade and their must survive, musicians find yourself promoting their songs at lower than market worth, via a transaction that appears open—and the phrases are adopted via on—however there nonetheless isn’t truthful compensation given the sum of money that’s made on their labor,” Porter says.

Within the chaos of 2020, when musicians have been most in want, Bandcamp proved itself an anchor for the employees who’re its lifeblood. However the harsh reality is that within the period of (roughly) $0.00348 royalties, Bandcamp alone isn’t sufficient to help working musicians.

“So far as gross sales go, Bandcamp is actually not that important but,” Lowery says. “However I just like the mannequin, so I’m supporting it.”

Kakimoto equally says that Gulch’s gross sales on Bandcamp are nothing just like the band’s true bread and butter: promoting merch in particular person at exhibits.

“It’s not even comparable,” he says.

Definitely, musicians have expressed their frustration even with the comparatively artist-friendly Bandcamp. This December, the exuberant ska musician JER of We Are the Union and Ska Tune Community raised some hackles after they tweeted: “I deadass make more cash from streaming income than folks shopping for my music…”

They went on to submit a receipt from Bandcamp exhibiting a $2.00 sale. After income share (-$0.20), fee processing price (-$0.15), and an “utilized to your income share stability” deduction (-$1.60), the overall quantity JER earned from the sale of their music: $0.05.

As for Spotify—at present valued at $60.8 billion—in November, the company introduced a brand new service, quickly to be unveiled, and summed up in a Guardian headline: “Spotify to Let Artists Promote Music for Reduce in Royalty Charge.”

arts, Bandcamp, Camper Van Beethoven, cover, cover stories, Cracker, Daniel Ek, David Lowery, Eric Porter, Ethan Diamond, Gulch, lead, Music Modernization Act, Spotify

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source https://fikiss.net/bandcamp-wants-to-make-streaming-pay-for-musicians/ Bandcamp Wants to Make Streaming Pay for Musicians published first on https://fikiss.net/ from Karin Gudino https://karingudino.blogspot.com/2021/01/bandcamp-wants-to-make-streaming-pay.html

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bottomshelfreviews · 5 years ago

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My Top 20 Albums of the 2010s

There was a lot of great music released this decade, so narrowing my list down to twenty was incredibly difficult. The albums listed here are ranked according to my enjoyment of them and the sentimental value I attach to them.

20. Batushka - Litourgiya (2015) | Label: Witching Hour Productions

Many have hailed Batushka as being one of the most interesting black metal acts to emerge in recent memory, and I’m inclined to agree. The Polish group reminds me of everything that drew me to black metal in the first place. Their 2015 debut, Litourgiya, is atmospheric, sinister, and overall sounds larger than life. The inclusion of Eastern Orthodox chants in their sound only further contributes to the sense of doom and gloom this record evokes.

19. Knuckle Puck - Copacetic (2015) | Label: Rise Records

If any of you were into or even vaguely aware of the pop punk scene in the early to mid-2010s, then I am sure you’ll recall what YouTuber Finn McKenty and others have affectionately dubbed the “sad boy era” of pop punk. This new crop of bands, who dominated the Vans Warped Tour lineups of the first half of the decade, had more in common with emo than they did the “goofier” pop punk bands of years past. Copacetic, in my opinion, was the perfect marker for the decisive end of this era. Although the time in my life during which I mainly listened to this genre of music is over, I still find myself revisiting this record over and over again.

18. Lingua Ignota - All Bitches Die (2017) | Label: Profound Lore Records

Lingua Ignota (the stage moniker of multi-instrumentalist Kristin Hayter) is truly a force to be reckoned with. Hayter’s music is punishing and heavy, and her stage performances are no different. Beyond the brutality, however, there is beauty, and an important message to behold. A survivor of domestic abuse herself, Hayter pens what she calls “survivor anthems,” using her music as a method through which to process her experiences. 2017’s All Bitches Die is a hurricane of rage, delivered through both beautifully-sung vocals and harsh growls from Hayter. Lingua Ignota is an artist to keep an eye on, and although she just released another full-length, 2019’s Caligula, I cannot wait to see what she does next.

17. Vein - Errorzone (2018) | Label: Closed Casket Activities

This spot very nearly went to the 2017 release, Forever, by hardcore heavyweights Code Orange. Although it is difficult to tack a genre onto Massachusetts band Vein, they have been welcomed into the hardcore scene with open arms, taking it by storm following the release of this breakout album. After attending the record release show for Errorzone at the Billerica Masonic Hall during the summer of 2018, I immediately became entirely and utterly obsessed with this album. If you are a fan of hardcore, metalcore, or nu metal, then this album has something for you, and all of these genres are mixed in a way that doesn’t come off as tacky. After seeing Vein for the second time this past summer as one of the opening acts for straight edge hardcore legends Have Heart at one of their Worcester reunion shows, I only became further convinced that Vein are hardcore’s next big thing.

16. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION trilogy (2017) | Label: Empire

Okay, so I’m technically cheating with this one, but it makes sense to me to consider all three SATURATION albums as one cohesive unit. Formed in Texas but now based in Los Angeles, hip-hop collective BROCKHAMPTON took everyone by surprise when they released three albums back-to-back spanning summer to winter 2017. Since then, BROCKHAMPTON have gone on to attain considerable success and popularity, but for me, nothing they do will truly match the “magic” of SATURATION. Doing nearly everything themselves, these young men are among the hardest-working musicians in the industry today. While I may be partial to certain albums in the trilogy over others (cough, cough, SATURATION III), each album is full of bangers and appears to be a hip-hop classic in the making.

15. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun (2017) | Label: Sargent House

A seasoned musician by the time Hiss Spun dropped, the 2017 record was Chelsea Wolfe’s fifth full-length. While I love a majority of Wolfe’s discography, in my eyes, Hiss Spun is her crown jewel. This album is sludgy, gloomy, and heavy, but as always, Wolfe’s songwriting reflects her childhood roots of being raised listening to folk and country music. Wolfe has explained that the lyrical themes present on this album have to do with various health issues she has faced, and her writing’s focus on the body as a vessel can be downright unsettling at times, but in the best way possible. Hiss Spun is cathartic but uncomfortable, a space that Wolfe is more than content to dwell in.

14. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2014) | Label: Total Treble Music

Punk band Against Me! were already a seasoned and established group by the time Transgender Dysphoria Blues was released, but, it was their first full-length outing since vocalist and guitarist Laura Jane Grace came out as a trans woman. The album’s lyrical focus on the struggles of gender dysphoria and not feeling like you belong in your own body is not only refreshing, but needed. Not only that, but it’s just a damn good record. Lead single “True Trans Soul Rebel” is anthemic while lyrically dealing with a challenging topic. Other tracks, like “Black Me Out” and “Unconditional Love,” are bonafide punk bangers that are all too tempting to jump around to. Transgender Dysphoria Blues is not only Against Me!’s most important record, but it also just may well be their best record.

13. Lorde - Pure Heroine (2013) | Label: Universal

In my opinion, Lorde is THE pop musician of the 2010s. Still a teenager when her debut album dropped and when lead single “Royals” was dominating the airwaves, Pure Heroine introduced Lorde as one of the most interesting new voices in popular music. Not only that, but its lyrical critiques of wealth and consumerism were a challenge to the pop status quo of the time. While I wasn’t too fond of “Royals” upon my first few listens to it on the radio, I became far more appreciative of Lorde when I listened to Pure Heroine in full for the first time. It has catchy hooks and a lot of the other usual hallmarks of pop music, but the memorability of the album established Lorde as a new kind of star and separated her from the rest of the pack. “Tennis Court” and “Glory and Gore” are still favorites of mine, and although I adore her sophomore release Melodrama, I’m still convinced Pure Heroine is Lorde at her best.

12. FKA Twigs - MAGDALENE (2019) | Label: Young Turks

British singer FKA Twigs had been quiet for a long time leading up to the release of 2019 full-length MAGDALENE. Prior to its release, her last project had been the 2015 EP M3LL155X. And oh boy, was the wait worth it. MAGDALENE is perhaps her most breathtaking work yet, everything sounding lush and ethereal. Taking inspiration for the title from the Biblical Mary Magdalene (there’s even a track on the album named for her), MAGDALENE explores emotion, womanhood, and the ways in which the two are intertwined. The lyrics to single “home with you” reflect the nurturing nature and caregiver status that women are typically expected to uphold: “I didn’t know that you were lonely / If you’d have just told me, I’d be home with you / I didn’t know that you were lonely / If you’d have just told me I’d be running down the hills to you.” Even the lyrics to radio-ready “holy terrain,” which features American rapper Future, reflect a desire to be wanted by a partner once “I’m yours to obtain.” MAGDALENE is a record that demands the listener’s attention from start to finish.

11. We Came Out Like Tigers - Agelessness and Lack (2012) | Label: Dogknights Productions

Out of the same UK town that produced The Beatles came “blackened skramz” outfit We Came Out Like Tigers. I discovered this group via Bandcamp, and they were my entryway into learning that there was an entire subgenre of bands that combined two of my favorite genres: black metal and screamo/skramz. Even with all of the wonderful music I subsequently dove into, We Came Out Like Tigers’ 2012 release Agelessness and Lack still stands out as a favorite of mine. The first track, “An Introduction,” includes folky guitar and spoken word lines before you’re thrust into the sonically complex “Sous Les Pavés La Plage.” The complexity is exactly what continues to make me revisit this album. The band is constantly switching between quiet and loud, and for a young band at the time, they had completely mastered when to make a song big and when to tone things down. Agelessness and Lack is both punishing and delicate. Sadly, We Came Out Like Tigers are no longer together, but this record will long outlive them.

10. Animal Flag - Void Ripper (2018) | Label: Triple Crown Records

I almost gave this spot to Animal Flag’s beloved 2016 record LP, however, Void Ripper was a record that I could not get out of my mind. On this record, the Massachusetts band covers genres varying from pop punk (“Candace”) to post-rock (“Fair”), and this variance pays off. Void Ripper may come off as a thematically dark record to many, but the hope present in it is palpable. The track “Stray” utilizes the metaphor of a stray dog to convey the message of feeling lost in life. Interestingly, religion and the doubting of one’s faith is a constant theme throughout the album. The track “Why” states, “No god above / There’s evil all around,” and “Fair” asks, “Do you feel close to God yet?” Questioning of faith is a common experience for those who were raised religious, only adding to the relatability of Animal Flag’s work. Sonically stunning and lyrically heart-wrenching, Void Ripper, to me, is Animal Flag’s magnum opus.

9. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010) | Label: Reprise Records

Anyone who knows me personally knows that My Chemical Romance are, and have been, my favorite band. Their 2010 release Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys was their last full-length prior to their infamous breakup in 2013. Danger Days is not my favorite My Chem album by any means, and it was polarizing for many long-time fans when it dropped. It marked a huge musical shift for the group and sounds more like a straight-up rock and roll album than anything else they’ve ever released. The concept for the album was based around a comic book series frontman Gerard Way was working on at the time, a series that would eventually begin to be released during the summer of 2013. Like anything My Chem had ever done, everything about Danger Days was meticulously thought through and on brand. Lead single “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” is a slick rock and roll anthem, and tracks like “Bulletproof Heart” and “S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W” are personal favorites of mine. On this album, lead guitarist Ray Toro truly shines with some of the best musicianship he’s ever displayed during his time in the band. Danger Days is both glam and futuristic, a party at the end of the world.

8. SZA - Ctrl (2017) | Label: Top Dawg Entertainment

SZA’s Ctrl is one of those records that possesses the power to instantly transport me back to where I was when I first discovered it. It was the fall of my freshman year of college, I had just gone through a breakup, and I was unsure of what I was really doing in life. The R&B singer’s reflections on life, love, and feeling undesirable (the song “Supermodel” is a good example) had struck a chord with me, as they did with countless other listeners. The themes present on SZA’s debut album are melancholic, but it’s through this melancholy that SZA is able to convey relatability and hope to her fans. This relatability, to me, is especially present in the song “Prom,” in which SZA laments, “Am I doin’ enough? / Feel like I’m wastin’ time.” Ctrl is great, soulful stuff, just how all good R&B should be, and above all, it’s filled with earnest honesty. Undoubtedly, Ctrl is a record that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

7. Ghost - Opus Eponymous (2010) | Label: Rise Above

Many have pegged Swedish band Ghost as the breakout metal group of the decade, and I couldn’t agree more. Hard rock and metal publication Loudwire even named frontman Tobias Forge as their metal artist of the decade. Although their debut effort Opus Eponymous is not the record that propelled them into stardom, it effectively set the groundwork for the hallmarks of their sound present on subsequent albums. Part of Ghost’s appeal is, of course, their theatrics. Forge masquerades as a demonic anti-Pope in Papa Emeritus I, and the rest of the band is filled with masked “Nameless Ghouls.” Beyond their creative “devil church” concept, Ghost just makes damn good music. Forge is an astounding vocalist and has a real knack for crafting sticky melodies. I’ll never forget the first time I heard “Ritual,” with its catchy introductory riff (great opening riffs seem to be Ghost’s “thing” now: think “Square Hammer” or “Mummy Dust”). Although themes of Satan and the demonic are common in a lot of heavy music, this was the very first time fourteen year-old Kayla had heard anything remotely of the sort. The same goes for the equally-catchy “Stand By Him,” and their ode to blood countess Elizabeth Bathory, “Elizabeth.” Anyone who is aware of my current love for black metal will likely laugh at this, but upon first listen, I was horrified yet enthralled. Even after years of being a fan of this band, I can still say with confidence that Opus is full of the catchiest metal songs I’ve ever heard.

6. Lana Del Rey - Born to Die (2012) | Label: Interscope Records

Lana Del Rey, up until her critically acclaimed 2019 record Norman Fucking Rockwell!, has historically been met with mixed reactions. However, it’s her major-label debut Born to Die that made me fall in love with her. Del Rey set herself apart from the upper echelons of the pop world with her deep, sultry vocal register and love of old Hollywood glamour. Her music has a grand, lush, cinematic quality to it—think of the track “Ride,” taken from the extended Paradise edition of this record. It’s hard to say anything about Born to Die that hasn’t already been said, but like countless other records on this list, Del Rey’s debut possesses major sentimental value to me—I’ll never forget hearing “Video Games” for the first time. Some have critiqued Del Rey for her melodrama, but I believe this melancholy attitude is what makes Lana Del Rey, well, Lana Del Rey. Born to Die was a new kind of pop record, one that was dreary and marked by a self-aware sadness.

5. Turnover - Peripheral Vision (2015) | Label: Run for Cover Records

Turnover was, and still is, a band well-loved by kids who listened to pop punk and emo. When Turnover decided to reinvent themselves in favor of a more shoegaze, dream pop-infused sound for their second record, it paid off extremely well. Peripheral Vision effectively made Turnover the torchbearers of this sonic shift within the pop punk/emo scene, but in my opinion, no band or release since has come close to touching them. Not even Turnover themselves with their later releases. Peripheral Vision is dreamy and atmospheric, and at times, feels like a warm hug. Its melodies are infectious and stay with you, like in tracks such as “Humming” and “Take My Head.” This record reminds me of a warm spring day. Peripheral Vision opened a lot of minds, including my own, and was one of the catalysts that pushed my music taste beyond the pop punk I was so comfortable with. From here on out, Peripheral Vision is the record I’ll choose to play on a sunny day.

4. The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation (2013) | Label: Hopeless Records

The Greatest Generation marked a shift in maturity for The Wonder Years. It is undoubtedly their masterpiece, dealing with issues varying from vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s mental health struggles to coming of age in the suburbs. In my eyes, The Greatest Generation is the defining record for this era of pop punk, and I believe its appeal and relatability allow for it to expand its reach far beyond the pop punk scene. “The Devil in My Bloodstream” is a heartbreaking take on dealing with depression, and “We Could Die Like This” provides a snapshot of monotonous suburban life, even including the brand of cigarettes Campbell’s grandmother smokes and the lyrics, “If I die, I wanna die in the suburbs.” The album ends triumphantly with the seven minute-long “I Just Want to Sell Out My Funeral.” With The Greatest Generation, The Wonder Years have achieved what I think is the defining coming-of-age record of the decade.

3. Balance and Composure - The Things We Think We’re Missing (2013) | Label: No Sleep Records

Do you remember that part of the decade when it seemed that every pop punk/emo band had taken some sort of influence from 90s grunge? With their second record, Balance and Composure put out the best album to come from that era of the scene. The Things We Think We’re Missing was a huge leap away from the band’s first effort, Separation. From the immediate nuclear blast of an opening track in “Parachutes” to the slower (but still raucous) closing track “Enemy,” Balance and Composure compiled a collection of tracks that was instantly memorable and iconic. Even more toned-down moments, like the acoustic track “Dirty Head,” are still laced with the same desperation and aggression. The guitar work on this thing is incredible, and frontman Jon Simmons’ vocal performance soars. I listen to this album probably about once a week, and I foresee it continuing to be in my rotation for a long time. Make no doubt about it, this record is filled with angst, but as I get older, I feel like The Things We Think We’re Missing grows alongside me.

2. Movements - Feel Something (2017) | Label: Fearless Records

I haven’t felt this way about a new band in a very, very long time. California’s Movements are such an incredibly special band and convey emotion in a way very much unlike most of their contemporaries. After an impressive first EP with Outgrown Things, I was hoping for Movements to continue to deliver with their debut full-length project. And, oh boy, did they deliver. Feel Something mixes elements of post-hardcore, emo, and spoken word in a refreshing manner, despite the fact that this type of genre-blending was certainly not invented by Movements. Frontman Patrick Miranda’s lyrics are pensive and thoughtful, and delivered in a manner that grounds the notion that he knows what he’s talking about. The lyrics to opening track “Full Circle” are delivered with an earnestness that only a person who’s experienced the lows of depression themselves could possibly be capable of. Miranda perfectly captures the monotony of going through the cycle of depression: “It comes in waves and I’m pulled below / It’s not subjective, it’s clinical / Drown myself in the undertow of all my imbalanced chemicals / And the cycle comes full circle.” Even the song “Deadly Dull,” which is centered around living with Alzheimer’s and having all of your memories be erased “every time you fall asleep,” gives the impression that Miranda has had first-hand experience with what he’s singing about. For such a young band, Movements have perfected the craft of emotive music in a manner that few others have.

1. The Hotelier - Home, Like NoPlace is There (2014) | Label: Tiny Engines

Not only is The Hotelier’s sophomore effort my favorite record of the decade, but it might also be one of my favorite records of all time. Massachusetts’ The Hotelier marked their place in the 2010s “emo revival,” but, to me, Home, Like NoPlace is There is more than just an emo record. It’s intensely personal and conveys grief like no other. It’s personal because of the simple fact that many people likely have a topic covered on this album that they can relate to, from losing a loved one, to struggling with your identity, to being in a toxic relationship. The most popular song on the record, “Your Deep Rest,” features vocalist and bassist Christian Holden lamenting over their friend’s suicide and wondering if they could have done more. Holden sings, “I called in sick from your funeral / The sight of your body made me feel uncomfortable.” “Housebroken” utilizes the metaphor of a dog relying on its owner to convey the message of feeling stuck in a toxic relationship. The album ends on a triumphant note with “Dendron,” and with it, you get a sense of closure, as if the emotional journey the album took you on is wrapped up neatly with a nice little bow. Despite this closure, this album stays with you for a long time, and listening to it requires your full attention. The Hotelier are a special band, and Home, Like NoPlace is There is one of those records that only comes around once in a lifetime.

Honorable Mentions:

- Citizen - Youth (2013)

- Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want (2018)

- Pianos Become the Teeth - The Lack Long After (2011)

- Behemoth - The Satanist (2014)

- Title Fight - Hyperview (2015)

- Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

- Grimes - Art Angels (2015)

- Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me (2017)

#top lists #music reviews

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poetryatrest · 7 years ago

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Music Monday: Queer Tunes Edition

Aaaaannnndddd we’re back with some music-related goodness. I have a pretty lengthy Spotify playlist of songs from LGBTQA+ artists, and I figured I’d compile it all here for accessibility. I’m constantly adding new artists to the playlists (below), so give those a follow if you want to be up to date.

1) This one is EVERY SONG IN EVERY ARTIST’S DISCOGRAPHY AND IT IS DAUNTING AS HELL.

2) This one is a (constantly updated) playlist of all my favorite songs from these artists.

Allison Weiss

Like The Front Bottoms (Allison was actually featured on “Cough It Out” and a few other songs off of the newest Front Bottoms album), but just a single person writing kick ass indie pop/orck songs.

Songs to check out: “Motorbike” and “I Was An Island”

Gay, uses both female (she/her) and neutral (them/they) pronouns.

BOY

My friend Frank recommended this band to me by calling them “the gay Death Cab for Cutie,” so I guess they’re the gay Death Cab for Cutie.

Songs to check out: “Waitress” and “Boris.”

Brendan Maclean

Wonderful poppy songs about heartache and stuff.

Songs to check out: “Stupid” and “Hugs Not Drugs (Or Both).”

Gay.

Camp Cope

Really good indie rock music with fantastic lyricism. They’re also Australian, kind of have a Courtney Barnett vibe.

Songs to check out: "Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams” and “Flesh and Electricity.”

I can’t find a source anywhere, but lead singer Georgia McDonald is on the spectrum somewhere, and the band is vocal in its support of LGBTQA+ issues.

Chris Pureka

The queer, more laid back Shakey Graves.

Songs to check out: “Burning Bridges,” “Cynical” and “Back in the Ring.”

Genderqueer.

Courtney Barnett

Singer/songwriter with a cool garage rock flair.

Songs to check out: “Pedestrian at Best” and “Pickles from the Jar.”

Gay.

Cyberbully Mom Club

Lo-fi indie pop. Normally not crazy about lo-fi stuff, but this band does it really well and the lyrics are great too.

Songs to check out: “Drunk Text Romance” and “Life Time Warranty.”

Lead singer Shari Heck has been open about gender identity and the “boxes” of binary genders, but hasn’t assigned themselves a label from what I’ve seen.

Des Ark

Chill acoustic/indie music.

Songs to check out: “Peace to You Too, Motherfucker” and “You Pregnant Motherfucker.” Both are pretty relaxed despite their titles.

Front woman Aimée Collet Argote identifies as queer.

Hemming

Young singer/songwriter, very sad and very Julien Baker-esque. I want to protect her.

Songs to check out: “I’ll Never Be the Man for You” and “Some of My Friends.”

Gay.

Hurray for the Riff Raff

Imagine Johnny Cash. Now imagine him as a queer female fronting a band. That’s kinda what this band is like.

Songs to check out: “I Know It’s Wrong (But That’s Alright)” and “Jealous Guy.”

Frontwoman Alynda Lee Segarra identifies as queer, fiddler Yosi Perlstein is trans.

Jenny Owen Youngs

Jenny Owen Youngs is like the musical equivalent of the first person you ever had a crush on and I want to hug her a million times.

Songs to check out: “Born to Lose” and “Last Person.”

Bonus: Her cover of Jukebox the Ghost’s “Good Day,” her cover of Weezer’s “Getchoo” AND her cover of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.”

Gay, plus she’s married to the Queen of Gay Kristin Russo (one of the founders of Everyone is Gay).

Jesse Thomas

Just say yes to more women making cool indie music.

Songs to check out: “Use Me Up” and “Leather Jacket.”

Gay.

Julia Weldon

A good mix of some folky sentiments with indie rock flair.

Songs to check out: “Marian” (I like the version from the self-titled album better) and “Same Games”

Identifies as queer and “definitely not a lesbian folk singer.”

Julien Baker

Sad, acoustic music. Like a female Bon Iver or something.

So sad, so many feels.

I want to love her.

Songs to check out: “Everybody Does and “Something.”

Gay, and also transparent about being a gay person that is 1) Christian and 2) from the South, if that’s enticing.

Mal Blum

The purest, sweetest cinnamon roll in the entire world making really good, relatable music.

Songs to check out: “New Years Eve” and “The Bodies, The Zombies!”

Non-binary and pansexual.

Mo Kenney

More swell folkish music (more of an indie rock vibe on the latest).

Songs to check out: “I Faked It” and “The Happy Song.”

Gay.

Natasha Negovanlis

Because that chick from Carmilla everyone loves also makes some pretty good music.

The only three songs on her Bandcamp are pretty spotty in terms of genre (”Nothing” has a more pop/rock vibe while “Green” is a slower, more straight pop song and “27″ is weirdly jazzy).

Songs to check out: All of them, but “Nothing” is my favorite because I just dig the whole vibe.

Unspecified, label defying queer. The queen of my heart.

No Girlfriends

Swell punk music.

Songs to check out: “You’re Impossible” and “Proposition.”

They’re literally all crushworthy lesbians and the name is a pun because they’re...all single BUT ALSO because they were apparently getting sick of people just assuming they were “the girlfriends” of dudes in bands.

Palehound

Very nice lo-fi rock. Sometimes verges into grunge territory.

Songs to check out: “Dixie” and “Molly,” just so you get the full spectrum of sounds in there.

Ellen Kempner is queer.

Partner

MORE indie rock music, because that’s what the world needs.

Literally this band has a song about Ellen Page AND they straight up just use the word “lesbian” whilst referring to themselves/Ellen Page in said song.

Songs to check out: “The Ellen Page” and “Hot Knives.”

Gayyyyyyyyyyy.

Porch Cat

Lo-fi, bedroom rock/folkish punk music.

Songs to check out: “The Haircut Song” (I like the acoustic version from “Little Songs” best) and “If Yr Not Happy.” Bonus: “Want to Be Free (I’m An Asshole Too)” with accompanying band The Fair-weather Family.

Non-binary.

Sleater-Kinney

Motherfucking Sleater-Kinney.

Songs to check out: All of them, but also “Surface Envy” and “You’re No Rock N’ Roll Fun.”

Members Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker are bisexual.

SOAK

Soulful folk music (literally, hence “SOAK”) from Ireland. The accent is endearing.

Songs to check out: “B a noBody” and “Hailstones Don’t Hurt.”

Gay.

Soko

For the most part folky/poppy, but charted into some rockish territory on the newest release.

Songs to check out: “Who Wears the Pants??” and “Why Don’t You Eat Me Now, You Can.”

Gonna put her down as pansexual/bisexual, ‘cause in an interview she said she preferred girls but had been with guys before, so.

(She also ended the aforementioned interview by saying “I love pussy,” so there’s that.)

Sports

Kind of like Modern Baseball but with a female lead singer, ya feel?

Songs to check out: “Getting On in Spite of You” and “GDP.”

Queer.

St. Vincent

Excellent, poppy indie rock.

Songs to check out: “Paris is Burning” and “Actor Out of Work.”

Unspecified queer/pansexual/dates a lot of hot women, so she’s just kinda winning at life.

Tegan and Sara

Motherfucking Tegan and Sara.

Songs to check out: Their entire discography, but also “Shock to Your System” and “Frozen.”

Gay times two.

Torres

Indie singer/songwriter.

Songs to check out: “Jealousy And I” and “New Skin.”

Gay.

#music monday #music #tunes #LGBTQA #queer artists #queer art

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viralnewstime · 4 years ago

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A few months back Victoria’s six-part streaming series The State of Music brought a much-needed dose of live music magic to our living rooms, thanks to some standout performances from some of Australia’s most-loved acts.

Now, with the state of Victoria still firmly under lockdown, they’re doing it again! Only this time, they’re placing the spotlight firmly on emerging artists with the four-part series The State of Music: Introducing.

Produced in partnership with the Victorian Government, The State of Music: Introducing invites established acts and legends of the Aussie music industry to lend a little of their star power to their favourite Victorian up and comer, by ‘introducing’ them to a wider audience.

It’s a wholesome idea that so far, has produced wonderful results with the likes of Paul Kelly, The Chats, The Teskey Brothers, Alex Lahey, Tim Rogers and Vika and Linda bringing some truly stellar young acts some much-deserved attention. As well as the chosen artists absolutely turning it up with some knockout performances.

It is a giant musical lovefest, that not only brings some fantastic musicians some invaluable exposure, but that also brings out the giddy music fan in the acts doing the ‘introducing’.

There’s something truly heartwarming about seeing someone so deeply ingrained in our music culture as Paul Kelly rambling on like a starstruck fanboy as he introduces Jess Hitchcock, or Alex Lahey busting out of her boots with glee at the opportunity to bless us all with the gift of Nancie Shipper.

It shows that deep down inside, they’re still music tragics like us, and as live music-starved fans ourselves, that feels really nice and comforting to know.

As a bonus, with incredible turns from Jess Hitchcock, Nancie Shipper, CLAMM, Gena Rose Bruce, Pollyman and Kee’ahn, it is also beating the hell out of our lockdown blues here in Victoria, by giving us some quality live music to truly lose ourselves in every episode, while we await the return of our states true god: gigs.

Heading into week four, we’ve witnessed some star-marking moments from this diverse array of acts that showcases the staggering amount of talent that calls Victoria home right now.

Don’t just take our glowing word for it though, check it out for yourself by catching the four most memorable moments from The State of Music: Introducing so far and then do a deep dive on the artists’ back catalogues. Your new musical obsession awaits.

Jess Hitchcock

Introduced by Paul Kelly

“When you sing with Jess, you have to step up to the plate” says Aussie songwriting legend Paul Kelly when introducing Jess Hitchcock. It takes until the end of the first word of her cover of ‘Lay It On Me’ by Vance Joy to understand why.

Jess has one of those voices that just captivates you immediately, whisking you away to another realm for the precious few minutes you are blessed with her company.

Such pristine tone, such power, such emotion, Jess Hitchcock’s voice is a force of nature and it is on full display during this set. Accompanied simply on acoustic guitar by Cristian Barbieri, Jess displays the scope of her considerable talents, as a songwriter, a singer and a performer, making every second of this performance feel like a must watch.

An award winning Indigenous performer, composer and singer-songwriter with three years to her name as a backing vocalist for Kate Miller Heidke, a national run with Paul Kelly during which she was a featured artist every night, and over a decade’s worth of work with Australia’s only Indigenous opera company Short Black, Jess’ list of credentials gives some context to her capabilities, but no amount amount of context will prepare you for THAT voice.

Whether hitting stunning highs on the aforementioned Vance Joy cover or taking you on a gorgeous journey of self-discovery on the title track of her debut album Bloodline, a song about discovering and connecting with your identity as an Indigenous person, Jess’ voice will leave you spellbound.

Checkout ‘Bloodline’ below then take a listen into the rest of her wonderful debut album.

CLAMM

Introduced by Eamon Sandwith (The Chats)

“If you’re a fan of fuzzed-out punk music with aggro lyrics and sick riffs, I reckon you’ll be a fan of CLAMM,” Eamon Sandwith of The Chats decrees and you know what, Eamon, no truer words have bloody been spoken, mate. Exploding from the screen with a ferocious brand of punk, CLAMM bring some much needed danger to proceedings with an opening riot of romp through ‘Keystone Pols’ off of their bonza full-length record Beseech Me.

With guitarist/vocalist, Jack Summers, barking out anti-authoritarian lyrics and ripping out fierce riffs, bass player Maisie Everett hammering down the low end, and drummer Miles Harding going ballistic on the kit, CLAMM unleash a unique and rare energy that cuts through all the bullshit and has you looking around the house for the nearest thing to stage dive off of.

Backing it up with an absolute corker of a cover of Aussie punk legends The Saints ‘This Perfect Day’, proves that this band of inner-southern suburban types have the street cred, taste and talents to be the next big thing in Australian punk.

Check out the banging ‘Keystone Pols’ from this episode filmed at Collingwood’s iconic ‘Gasometer Hotel’ (the ‘Gaso’ to locals) then head to their Bandcamp to pick up the whole ‘Beseech Me’ record. It was the 3RRR Album of the Week for a reason. It rips.

Pollyman

Introduced by Tim Rogers

“They’re my favourite band. It is my enormous pleasure to introduce you, you lucky buggers, to Pollyman.” when Tim Rogers. TIM FREAKIN’ ROGERS, is this hyped about a band, you know you’re in for something special, so it is not surprising that Pollyman absolutely lives up to that sparkling intro.

From the moment frontman George Carroll Wilson steps up to the mic in his retro swag and lets out a rockin’ croon, it is apparent that this is not your average rock band.

Oh no, this is a terrific, original, breath of fresh air of a rock band, one that calls to mind greats of the past, while sounding so contemporary they could almost be from tomorrow.

Opening with ‘Inhibitions’ a slow-burning, off-kilter rocker that showcases George’s unique timbre, by pairing it with artfully chosen chord shapes, rumblin’ rhythms, and just enough space to go on some haunting runs.

‘Inhibitions’ calls to mind so many rock legends, while at the same time sounding nothing like any of them.

The song, much like the performance here, is incredibly accomplished, a perfect display of power-pop infused rock and roll with a sort of weathered sophistication that leaves you thinking about it for days.

Pollyman serves this up alongside a faithful and fabulous cover of Aussie icon Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs’ ‘Most People I Know’ that adds to the timeless quality of their sound. It provides a subtle hint to the origin and intentions of their sound while gifting everyone the chance to have a blast singing along to THAT chorus. This is two songs of rock done right.

Checkout ‘Inhibitions’ below then check out all things Pollyman. Tim wasn’t lying. That album is great.

Kee’ahn

Introduced by Vika and Linda

When industry veterans like Vika and Linda are left in awe of a young performer, you best be prepared for that performer to blow you away.

That’s what Kee’ahn does here with a stunning solo performance of her debut single ‘Better Things’.

Armed with nothing but a white strat, a microphone, and a voice that will leave you breathless, Kee’ahn introduces herself to the national stage with a silky smooth yet emotionally gripping rendition of a genuinely special song.

With a name that comes from the Wik people that means “to dance, to sing, to play”, Kee’ahn lives up to the meaning of her name, in a manner that gives you the sense of something spiritual at play.

There’s a soulful feeling to every note played, while every syllable sung evokes a depth of emotion that has you thinking of the adage ‘an old soul, in a young body’.

A song about reflection and looking forward to the future, this take on ‘Better Things’ has us looking forward to a future when we can see Kee’ahn live IRL.

The accompanying cover of The Temper Trap’s ‘Trembling Hands’ showcases Kee’ahn’s ability to embody a song so effectively that it sounds like it is her own, while somehow still remaining faithful to the musicality and narrative of the original.

The delicate delivery on the chorus’ vocals makes the hairs stand on end. A proud Gugu Yalanji, Jirrbal, Zenadth Kes song woman who has recently ventured from her home town in North Queensland, to pursue her dream in the Kulin Nation (Melbourne, Australia), Kee’ahn is on the verge of something big when her debut full-length In Full Bloom drops.

Checkout ‘Better Things’ here then go follow Kee’ahn on socials so you don’t miss out on the next step of her story.

–

Catch up on past episodes of ‘The State of Music: Introducing’ here.

The post The Four Most Memorable Moments From The State Of Music’s ‘Introducing’ Series appeared first on Music Feeds.

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iowamusicshowcase · 6 years ago

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Written by Chad Taylor. Originally appeared on the Culture Myth website on March 23, 2016.

There are people who feel that Los Angeles is a city you know about right away: you pull in, and immediately know in your gut if you're going to love it or hate it. Conversely, I've heard that LA is so big, so diverse, that you really need to spend a couple of years submerged in it before you really have a handle on how you feel about it. For me, as the most superficial of interlopers into the greater LA biosphere, I can say that it seems very much to be a place with a purpose. Not so much a city, as a tool. As such, I can understand why some people live here. If you're involved in entertainment in just about any way, LA is where you have to be. So for actors and screenwriters and directors and media types, I get it. I can see why people are here. What I haven't figured out quite yet, is why people would WANT to live here, all things being equal. The greater allure of the city, outside of the entertainment industry, has so far eluded me. There's a shabbiness to LA. Part of that is affected. Shabby-chic is a definite way of life here. But another portion--I'd wager the greater portion--is just how the city has become. It looks tired. The people and their cars are all very shiny and well maintained and beautiful. But the city around them, the set upon which everyone plies their trade, is worn and frayed at the edges. You can see it in the trees and on the faces of buildings. A lot of it is unquestionably the fault of this great drought that is ravaging much of the American west, and hitting California particularly hard. But it's not the only explanation, because there is a general weariness that you can feel in the spirit of the place. I don't know if I've seen more than a handful of genuine expressions of emotion or desire in my time here. There's also an aesthetic to the city that permeates everything. So much of the town is built up around the Hollywood machine, that you can see a kind of worn down cinematic flair in everything from apartment buildings to street corners. Everything seems to have been constructed with the thought "what would an early career Liberace think of this?" There are pockets of the town, however, that are really good. Walking into Bar Lubitsch for the first time, I can immediately see the appeal. A Russian themed joint, everything is decked out in red and Cyrillic. The performance space is behind the actual bar area, and set up to seat 50 on a good day. It's also about as close as Sara Routh has to a spiritual home. Which is ironic, considering where it's at. Routh lived in LA for eight years, over a couple of stints. Each time, to some degree or another, she was getting away from something. So, for as much as LA might have felt like home for a while, and as much as those eight years helped to form the person she is now, LA was a tool for Routh, as well. Coming back to it now, exactly a year after she last played a show in town, she's honest in what the town means to her. "I miss this," she says, waving an arm over her head, gesturing to the bar around her. "I miss these people. But I don't miss LA. Going home was the 100% best decision for me." And yet, because she has only been back for a year, there's no place in Des Moines that feels the way Bar Lubitsch feels for her. Her performances in Iowa -- all great, with the exception of that first, drunken stumble at Gas Lamp -- have been tinged with a certain feeling of earnest uncertainty. If you ask her, she will tell you that she doesn't yet feel like there is a venue she can really call home yet. Which is probably true; I haven't seen her play more than twice at any one venue in town. But as with anything else in life, the story doesn't just have one answer. If you ask me -- which nobody has directly, but it's my blog, so some questions are implied in the reading -- I think there's a need to prove herself. Not to any person in particular, but a general desire to show the folks back home that she's made good. Des Moines still feels to her like a place where she needs to earn fans. LA is not that place. She has only been gone a year. She still has a brother in the town, and on this night, Bar Lubitsch is full of close, close friends. By the time Rae Davis takes the stage to open the night, there are about 20 people in the back room, with double that still talking to Routh in the bar proper. Midway through Davis' set, there's no place left to sit, and people are ringing the back wall.

Both performers give their best sets of the tour thus far. Davis is flawless, up to her final song, and people are clearly impressed with her voice. I've seen Davis now with her band, The Honeybees, singing with The Tighten Up, and with her other act, Cover Grrls. And yet, I think I prefer her solo. The fewer things she has on stage to muddle the sound, the more clearly you can hear her voice, which is easily one of the most underrated in town. As a songwriter, she has a great feel for her own capabilities, and writes to her own strengths well. She made some fans tonight in LA. When Routh takes the stage, she is a woman transformed. Seeing her here, in a space she is completely comfortable in, is a revelation. She does not introduce herself or say hello as she approaches the mic, she simply launches into her first song. This room, this crowd, is hers. Just like Davis, she turns in a strong, quality performance. Her songs flow into one another effortlessly. Banter comes easier to her here, as well. This is Sara Routh firing on all cylinders, and once she finds a place in Des Moines where she feels as comfortable as this, good things will happen. We have one more night in this huge, strange, sprawling, back lot of a town. One more performance in a city where Routh is as comfortable as she's ever going to be. There will be friends to say another round of good byes to, and favorite haunts to re-visit before moving on. But when the sun rises and the Black Sheep Tour continues on to its next stop, Routh will do what any other good workman does with their tools, and LA will go back into its proper place on the metaphorical wall. This space means the world to her, but she does not need it. Miles traveled: 2,255

On the first and third Monday of every month, we reprint a post from Chad Taylor's blog, Culture Myth. Chad Taylor was the music reporter for Cityview magazine in Des Moines, and has also written for other publications like DSM Magazine.

The Culture Myth website: http://culturemyth.net/ Rae Davis (Fehring)'s home page: https://www.raedavismusic.com/ Sara Routh's home page: http://www.sararouth.com/ Other IMSC posts featuring Culture Myth: http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/search/label/Culture%20Myth Other IMSC posts featuring singer/songwriters: http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/search/label/singer%2Fsongwriter Other IMSC posts about performing: http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/search/label/performing PREVIOUSLY ON IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE: JAZZMAN JOE VIDEOS - NOLA Jazz Band at Noce in Des Moines on Apr 27, 2018 http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/05/jazzman-joe-videos-nola-jazz-band-at.html IHEARIC PODCAST - Episode 21: May Concert Preview (04/29/2018) http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/05/ihearic-podcast-episode-21-may-concert.html YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 29: Christopher The Conquered http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/05/your-own-private-iowa-episode-29.html IHEARIC VIDEOS - Dana T, a Violinist, and a Chorus http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/05/ihearic-videos-dana-t-violinist-and.html PLAYLISTS - Random Iowa Music on Bandcamp 2 http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/04/playlists-random-iowa-music-on-bandcamp.html THREE RANDOMLY PICKED PREVIOUS POSTS.... PLAYLISTS: Artists who Submitted (But I Still Haven't Put on a Podcast Yet!) http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2016/04/playlists-artists-who-submitted-but-i.html YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 13: Michaela Thompson http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/01/your-own-private-iowa-episode-13.html YOUR OWN PRIVATE IOWA - Episode 24: Jared Miller http://iowamusicshowcase.blogspot.com/2018/03/your-own-private-iowa-episode-24-jared.html OTHER IMSC WEBSITES AND LINKS: Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/IowaMusicShowcase Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowa-Music-Showcase/364796883703114 Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamusicshowcase Instagram: https://instagram.com/iowamusicshowcase

#IFTTT #Blogger #Iowa #Iowa music #music #iowa bands #iowa band #iowa musician #iowa musicians #midwe

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thedgreene-blog · 7 years ago

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the TOP 10 albums I saved to my Spotify in 2017

Seasons greetings friends. I write to you from icy cold Vernon, BC. I’m fighting a sore throat, dried out sinuses, and an eye infection I got from the pool at the Vernon Lodge (formerly the Best Western, currently featuring a Don Cherry branded sports bar). But enough about me. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and kick up your feet. It’s time for another one of D. Greene’s horribly written year end top 10 lists.

10. The Guess Who - American Woman (also Wheatfield Soul and Canned Heat)

We’ll start off with a perfect double whammy example of why you should stop reading this right now. Seriously. Ok well don’t say anyone even remotely recommended reading this all the way through. First off - These albums came out over 40 years ago. Second - I listened to them all 5-10 years ago. But guess what amigos - they weren’t saved to my Spotify library until this year. I have a beautiful memory of driving around getting together production requirements for a weekend of shooting Gritzmore Season One which is available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube and Funny or Die. With me were my friends Derek (listens to Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age), Justin (listens to Tragically Hip and Anime music), and Melissa (listens to only Japanese folk songs and Lady Gaga(Zef if you’re reading this please DM me)). Despite our wildly different tastes in listening; all genres were transcended by the heavy yet clean and spatial Canadian dad rock majesty that is the Guess Who. While most dad bands force you to listen to a best of because of the sheer monotony of a pentatonic rock album produced in the 70s, The Guess Who’s albums hold up. You’ve got the sounds of jazz, hard rock, 60s referencing psych and more. I’m really running out of steam here and I’m still on number 10 oh my god. Be a good Canadian and listen to some Guess Who.

9. Painted Fruit - PF II

And now to completely stray from the previously mentioned guide lines seemingly rendering this piece of “journalism” more pointless than it all ready is. This album isn’t on Spotify but it is on Bandcamp. Painted Fruit are some old friends from the mother land, Vernon. I shot a video for them a while ago. It still kind of holds up even though it’s on YouTube in 720p. This album sports shiny reverberating guitars influenced by beach rock, drums caught up half way between garage and math rock, and vocals obviously influenced by Talking Heads or similarly uninhibited post punk wailing. My favourite track is “Primitive” it really heats up near the end. Very upbeat but dark. It’s not too common an album can keep you tuned in start to finish but the Fruit’s second album is mentally stimulating all the way through whether it’s on in the car or if you’re taking a more scrutinizing listen with headphones.

8. Fleetwood Mac - Future Games

If you’ve ever spent any time around me you know I don’t shut the fuck up about pre-Stevie Knicks Fleetwood Mac. I think I’m SO god damn cultured because I can say “ACTUALLY they started out as a blues band before transitioning in psychedelic and eventually soft rock”. Wow David. Mr. Rock and Roll trivia. You don’t know shit about what’s going on in the world politically or even in your own city for that matter. You don’t watch sports. You don’t even watch current TV and movies even though you claim to be a writer and director. But I bet you’ve got some sick ass trivia about Fleetwood Mac. They’re that band that does “thunder only happens when it’s raining” right? They’re pretty good - my mom has a few of their CDs. Whatever don’t tell me how to live my life. One day I’m going to get on Jeopardy and then we’ll see who’s laughing when I burn the fuck through the entire rock and roll trivia category and the $1000 daily double is “this guitarist played in Fleetwood Mac before departing and eventually joining the religious cult known as the Children of God” “WHO IS JEREMY SPENCER, ALEX!?” Anyway this album is really good and it’s finally on Spotify. And not to confuse you, Jeremy Spencer plays on Then Play On, which is not on Spotify yet. Danny Kirwan is on Future Games.

7. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak/Graduation

Hey Kanye how you doing buddy? Seems like you’re thinking about a lot. Got a lot going on upstairs. Glad I got to see the Life of Pablo show before you cancelled the rest of the tour. If you need to talk or anything I’m right here. It can’t be easy keeping up with those krazy Kardashians. What happened to the album you said you’d put out by this past summer? Can we have a little teaser at least? I was going to DM you on Twitter but you deleted it. Well I just wanted to write and say that I was listening to 808s and Graduation and was thinking about how 10 years ago you literally laid the ground work for the majority of current pop and hip hop. Every dance track lately has the same synth sounds as Graduation. Even rock artists are writing easy listening yacht rock inspired songs again. And who did you sample on Champion? That’s right Steely Dan. You were pumping out vocoder and heavy minimal bass 10 years before Future and 21 Savage. You’re truly an artist my friend even if I compared you to dads who use Facebook last year. Gimme a call man let’s hang out - I miss you.

6. Once and Future Band - Once and Future Band / Brain

The best kind of satisfaction is the kind you didn’t even know you were after. I came across Once and Future Band and realized I had an itch for prog rock I didn’t know needed scratching. If you’ve ever rocked out to Yes, early King Crimson, late Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, I urge you to check these guys out. Every song plays for around 5-6 minutes. Each track an adventure. They even pepper in elements of classic rock and pop but keep you guessing with messy yet precise fills and time signatures. I just noticed their EP “Brain” isn’t on Spotify anymore which is a huge bummer but you should try and track it down.

5. Arcade Fire - Everything Now

Arcade Fire are a band that “get it” in every sense of that expression. Lyrically I haven’t identified with songs like the ones on Everything Now since...I want to say ever. They’ve completely found their place sonically after the somewhat experimental “Reflektor.” We can all pretend the song you put out with Mavis Staples doesn’t exist, don’t worry. The singles off this album are perfect. The album tracks leave nothing to be desired. Your music videos - MOIA *kissing fingers hand gesture*, your concert OH MY GOOD GOD it was a work of performance art. It’s hard to put into words how Arcade Fire pleases me as a band so I’m going to stop now. Please keep making records forever. Also u kno Arcade Fire can get it ;)

4. Vulfpeck - Mr. Finish Line

This year I was introduced to one of the tightest bands of I’ve ever heard. I’m not using tight like I’m a snowboarder from 2009. I mean musically this band is tight. Vulfpeck is based around 2 guys who went to music school and became gods of building beautiful, happy, upbeat songs around a bass guitar and a drum kit. There is one fill in the track Baby I Don’t Know where the saxophone and the guitar walk down some sort of mind mending jazz scale that just about broke me the first time I heard it. I feel like I intended for this article to be funny but I’m getting really earnest with these entries which isn’t good because it’s not funny and it’s not written well why are you still even here. Hang in there. If you prove you read it all the way through I’ll shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say say thank you.

3. The Lemon Twigs - Do Hollywood

A studio band built around 2 kids who were 17 and 19 or something when this came out. I’m not a real journalist do your own fact checking. I just know when I saw them play at the Cobalt they weren’t even close to old enough to drink in Canada. The Lemon Twigs are part of a fascinating group of LA musicians who seem to all be associated with Johnathan Rado - member of Foxygen, produced this album for the Twigs, produced Tim Heideckers album that came out this year. (How Tim Heidecker is spending his time creatively recently is very questionable. Wareheim remains my favourite. Also Tim and Eric shaped modern comedy but that’s a different essay). Rado also worked with Diane Coffee, former Foxygen drummer, former child actor - like the members of the lemon twigs. The Twigs went to the same high school as Billy Joel which probably doesn’t mean anything but hey isn’t LA neat? In their circle as well is Alex Cameron whose latest album is pretty fun. Basically what I’m getting at here is I’m a big Hollywood wannabe who feels left out of the fun. I just wanna be famous ok? Dammit. This album is great check it out.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell Live

Sufjan Stevens is a fascinating artist and person. Who would you sit down and have a 4 hour conversation with if you were given the chance? Sufjan Stevens is on my list. I want to know his creative process, how he spends his days off, how he decides what clothes to wear, why he would cover Hotline Bling live (not complaining - it was incredible to see in person). I got to see Sufjan in concert twice last year and while the experiences were almost too good to be true I was left both times with the bittersweet feeling that I may never experience this or something quite like it again. It’s definitely not being there but if any of Sufjan’s work needed a live recording it was Carrie & Lowell.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

HAIM - Just the song You Never Knew. Devonte Hynes is one hell of a producer and song writer. I think I tricked myself into liking HAIM just because I have crushes on all three of them. When I get to Hollywood I’m going to ask Alana on a date.

John Lennon - Mind Games

There’s so much post Beatles music I feel like I’ll never get through it all. I’m usually turned off by Lennon’s cynical lyrically driven basic rock songs but there’s some really good stuff on this album.

Kevin Morby - City Music

New music that sounds old. This album is great and led me to listen to a bunch of his old stuff too. If you don’t know Morby listen to Singing Saw, Harlem River, and follow him on Instagram.

LCD Soundsystem - american dream

I’m more into dance music than I’ve ever been. Not EDM but music by bands that makes you dance. Also my friends got to see them live in New Orleans and I’m definitely not jealous and didn’t have FOMO the whole time they were there and I was back in Vancouver.

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffit

Zeppelin’s best album that isn’t made up of songs completely stolen from black musicians.

Loving - Loving

Cool easy listening woozy Mac DeMarco rip off tunes.

Nick Hakim - Green Twins

Cool soulful spacey psych music that doesn’t cross into sounding like Hozier.

Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney

Best of Paul who is the best Beatle.

Shintaro Sakamoto - various

Awesome Japanese psych pop.

Steely Dan - Aja

The best of all dad/yacht/jazz rock there is. The bench mark for easy listening melodic rock. I listened to I Got The News probably 200 times this year.

The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

I call bullshit on every music writer who put this in their year end list. No one has played this album past like track 5. It all sounds the same.

NUMBER ONE BEST THING ON THE SPOTIFY OF 2017

Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog

I love Mac. I want to be his friend. Actually I just want his life. I follow him and Kiera on Instagram. His cover of Wonderful Christmastime he just put out is great. I hope Mr. DeMarco keeps making music for decades. What a guy. He doesn’t even shave or dress up when he goes on network late night talk shows. Unfortunately I don’t go to his concerts anymore because they used to be $20 and now they’re like $60. Anyway man keep doing your thing. I don’t care if I come across as a mindless hipster who happens to also roll up his pants. I like your songs. You write great lyrics about love and life. You can shred guitar. Your live cover of Reeling In The Years is amazing. I still laugh about the time I saw you cover Enter Sandman and Smoke On the Water. Mac 4ever.

Well that about does it. Hope you all had a great Christmas and a great time reading this. I’m gonna go put visine in my eyes and watch Elf.

Love, David. (go watch Gritzmore Season One and email it to all those network executives you’re secretly friends with)(here’s a picture of me in my dad’s old clothes)

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montrealrampage · 7 years ago

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Stellar Lineup As Usual

I’ve only been living here for three and so years but year after year, POP Montreal’s lineups have always been satisfying without relying on star power. Of course, names like Royal Trux, Elza Soares, and Austra each have their pull, but POP doesn’t fit into the calendar of mega summer festivals and all the better for it. For some local and indie (in the truest sense of the word) bands, it may mean the chance for long-deserved recognition. For other, mostly newer bands, it’s a chance to test their mettle. What it always translates to is a full palette of choices for the listener and a guarantee of finding some new band to love.

POP For All

Reflected in the lineup’s diversity is POP’s idea of inclusiveness. They really try to offer a little bit of everything for everyone and it was nice to see people from different walks of life. All ages, all genders, many musical cliques, a healthy mix of origins. It was nice to look around venues and not once have the feeling of being out of place.

Hurray for Hurray For The Riff Raff

Early in the set Alynda Lee Segarra proclaimed that her music was resistance music. We don’t have much, but we do have music, went the argument. Hers was a high-octane resistance, full of yelps and shrieks and guitars making shattering sounds that were as melodic as they were calculated. Apparently, the last time she was in town she had to sleep in a park. Touched that POP invited her back, her performance pulled heartstrings and called for harmony. Lots of shows leave you feeling happy at seeing something good, but few leave you actually feeling positive. Segarra’s was one such rare concert and I hope she’s back soon.

KEXP at Breakglass Studios

This year, KEXP filmed a few sessions at Breakglass Studios including The Besnard Lakes, Moon King, and Wake Island. Interested people could reserve a free ticket by RSVP-ing and while initially this was capped at 35 entries, POP released at least 50 more. My partner managed to get tickets for The Barr Brothers, who played five songs off their upcoming October album, Queens of the Breakers. A compact studio with roving cameramen and lights in their eyes didn’t stop the band from playing a truly tight set and joking with the crowd. Judging from the tracks played, the band look to take on a heavier sound, simultaneously more bluesy and wandery.

Strong Merch Game

That music sales have been in freefall is no secret. Yet, vinyl sales are on the up and bands are still making music. The economic argument that streaming would kill music isn’t necessarily holding up yet. Is it because passion trumps finance, or because bands are finding other ways to stay afloat? At any rate, one of the latter ways includes merch sales. Vinyl purchases at shows make very nice mementoes, as it beats getting vinyl at the store. Then, there are the posters, stickers, pins, hats, cassettes, shirts. Undoubtedly however, Jay Som had the biggest and brightest selection of all, which I found really mirrored her cheery personality on stage.

What’s ‘Mile End’?

Often, I would hear a conversation in passing about the Plateau or the Mile End or La Vitrola or Le Divan orange. Locals and residents were explaining the layout of Montreal’s musical landscape to either new residents or tourists. What better way to get to know a city than by venue hopping?

Post-punk’s Not Dead

I knew of a post-punk resurgence in the States and the U.K. but up till now hadn’t heard anything of the sort from Canada. Enter Casper Skulls from the Toronto exurbs. Brooding and dark, Neil Bednis and Melanie St. Pierre’s spoken-voice style is counterbalanced wonderfully by sung choruses. Languid at times, the band evoked Silver Jews and even Built To Spill. So, not exactly Pere Ubu or PiL, but just as post-punk fractured punk, Casper Skulls’ toying with the formula gets a pass too. This young band has potential.

Juana Molina

Molina gave one of those shows that one is totally unprepared for. Her latest album, Halo, was an exercise in restrained calm and serenity, sketched with elongated vocals and punctuated by synthetic glitches. One expects a quiet persona, the type that doesn’t look up beyond her bangs. Live, apart from one quiet “more romantic” piece, it was controlled chaos – disjointed yet whole, like trying to fit a puzzle with pieces from different sets. Barely a minute into her set and people could not sit down in the seated venue. Her, Odin Schwartz (multi-instrumentalist) and Diego Lopez de Arcaute (drums) played cracking, thunderous music that left us breathless.

Ty Segall

Perhaps the venue for Juana Molina should have been switched for Ty Segall’s acoustic performance. What could have been an intimate, get-to-know-you-behind-the-mask (literally) soirée was marred by constant chatter and ambient noise. Of course, the man himself didn’t underperform at all. Deft guitar work, his hand just a butterfly blur as they fluttered over the strings. Plus, in his threadbare voice, a sense of humility prevailed despite his stardom in garage rock circles. Those closer to the stage joined in on songs like ‘Crazy’ and ‘Black Magick’. It was a night of missed opportunities.

Laura Babin

So you’re in Montreal and you hear that this city is a bilingual city. POP had Dead Obies rep the franglais crew in what I’m sure must have been a fun show. Laura Babin covered the other side of the spectrum with her show at Le Divan orange early Sunday afternoon. Low key folk rock in both English and French charmed and swayed the audience. Gentle guitar melodies grounded by thick bass notes surrounded Babin’s captivating vocals. Her song ‘Water Buffalo’ was a standout song and personal highlight, reflecting on the idea of being a foreigner – another very Montreal theme.

Divan Brunch

The above brings me to the idea of a ‘Brunch concert’. Indie Montreal has been hosting such concerts for a while. There are so many novelty factors here. Not only is the show in broad daylight, the audience is sitting and eating! Sunday’s show went further in offering a buffet style meal, therefore prompting concert goers to leave their seats for further gastronomical satisfaction. Does this formula work? The argument that the band gets less attention doesn’t really hold well given that crowds do whatever they please, brunch or not. Time will tell but colour me intrigued.

Sing Like You Mean It

So many bands, so many vocal styles. I’ve mentioned Casper Skulls harried spoken word but I heard an idyllic English countryside in Tess Roby’s performance at the Ukrainian Federation too. It was my first time seeing her (she’s performed at POP five times!) and I liked the precise mastery of the ascents and descents. On ‘Ballad 5’ (highlight), what sounds on the record like an electronic looped voice was actually her own breathless repetition. Meanwhile, Stef Chura left me hanging on to every word in the way she could enunciate without much lip movement. You’d expect a mumbler but words left her with utmost urgency, matching the sharp, charging guitar and drums. Then, on ‘Human Being’, playing solo, there was that fascinating lilt, rolling around, unpredictable and magnetic.

Girl Power

This year, I saw more bands with women in them than men. I didn’t choose to do so consciously; POP’s lineup and the convenience of venues led to that itinerary. Some didn’t, but most bands blew me away. I imagine seeing more and more woman acts on the bill (and in bands) must be very empowering for female audiences in the same way seeing someone of my own background is. I’m not sure any other festival can boast such equal footing between the sexes and I’m glad POP are leading the way.

MAUNO

I’d never seen a Haligonian act prior to POP and this year I saw an excellent one: MAUNO. Quirky in their personality, the music is sparse yet energetic rock. They already have one album in their discography but judging from the cuts they played from their upcoming one, Tuning, the band could go places. Crunchy bass, shimmering guitars, well-balanced vocals from Nick Everett and Eliza Niemi. The setlist featured masterful instrumental transitions for a bit of indulgent headbanging. Most importantly, a strong sense of self-assuredness and dry humour from the four-piece ensured a fun show to close out my Saturday.

Maggy France

At one point I believed I was tired of vocal harmonies. Then I heard Maggy France at L’Escogriffe on Friday and changed my mind again. Listed as a two-person band on their Bandcamp page, the band performed as a six-piece. Despite the number, the sound wasn’t stuffy or overbearing. In contrast, what we got was dreamy, shining guitar tones couples with calming, sighing harmonies. One of a few bands I thought had too short of a set.

Sweetest moment of POP’s sweet sixteen

Definitely goes to the little hug Tess Roby gave her unsuspecting younger brother Eliot at the end of their show. I’ve always wondered about the secret life of bands and what happens before and after shows. Why is it that members don’t seem to acknowledge the fact that they just worked together to play an awesome show? Is it jadedness from the road? Or are high fives reserved for the band room? I’ll never know.

Sixteen Things at POP Montreal’s Sweet Sixteen Stellar Lineup As Usual I've only been living here for three and so years but year after year, POP Montreal's lineups have always been satisfying without relying on star power.

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iowamusicshowcase · 6 years ago

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CULTURE MYTH - Day 6: Los Angeles https://ift.tt/2IxXSyt

Written by Chad Taylor. Originally appeared on the Culture Myth website on March 23, 2016.

#IFTTT #Blogger #Iowa #Iowa Music #Iowa Artists #Iowa Bands #Music of Iowa #Midwest #The Midwest #Mid

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