A few weeks ago, the topic of love came to my attention. What exactly is it? What do you feel when you experience love? When I started thinking about this, my first thoughts went to one thing in particular: the Bible. Now those of you that know me probably know I'm not the most religious person, but I'd just like to say yes I do believe. I could go into way more depth on this situation, but I feel like it would be drifting off tangent to my original subject. A specific passage came to mind when I started thinking about this. It comes from 1Corinthians 13:4-7 and it goes something like this: "love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." This is how I define love and this is the true definition of love and is quite self-explanatory. This is the basis on almost every single healthy relationship. This is the reason why so many people in relationships make it all the way. This is why I've ended relationships in the past; they told me they loved me when I knew from that very moment it wasn't love. It was almost the exact opposite of everything these verses tell you about love. If you take away anything from this, please let it be that you should use this as a guide to your relationship. This is my favorite Bible verse and I hope it becomes one of your favorites as well.
WC: 230
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Don't Stop Man!
Everyone has their own personal choice of how they express themselves musically. Some choose to play drums, some choose to flaunt their vocal talent, some just like to listen to it and leave it to other people to make it up for them. Personally, one of my favorite ways to express myself musically is by playing piano. Even if I haven't taken a piano lesson since I was in the fourth grade, playing the piano is so much fun. There's something about being able to play, at the very least, semi-difficult melodies and harmonies up and down the eighty-eights, combining an amalgamation of chords, singular notes and octaves that touches the heart and calms the mind.
I think most musicians would agree with me when I say it gives you a sense of pride to be able to play any instrument regardless of what it is and having an extra skill that you can call your own. I mean how many people can brag about being able to play "Devil Went Down to Georgia" on violin or "Classical Gas" on guitar? While I can't do either of these (although I'm working on the latter of the two), I can play some fairly interesting songs on the piano despite having a lack of training in the instrument.
The two most recent songs that I've been working on a lot are both songs I think a vast majority of people have heard and are quite familiar with whether they know it or not. The first one is called "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Yes, that's right I can play perhaps one of the most famous songs from the golden age of music on piano. The only really tricky part of this song is keeping different rhythms all at the same time. For instance, higher part of it, the chords, are essentially just straight eighth notes with a two-note chord/single note alternation. The underlying part is the moving bassline in the lower ranges of the keyboard, quite simple to play once the former becomes muscle memory. To add even further difficulty, if you're singing along with it, the entire piano part pretty much has to be entirely muscle memory, or at the very least mostly muscle memory.
The second song I've been working on is called "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. This one may not be as well known, but it's definitely one of those "I'd know it if I heard it" songs if you don't remember song titles that well. The only thing that really makes this song hard is that it has a lot of chord changes. Not terribly hard chord changes, but quite a few. The other thing that can make this song a little challenging is certain phrases that can easily be thrown out of time if done incorrectly. A lot of it is actually basic music fundamentals as easy as just feeling the beat, but this becomes almost critical when playing piano as you really have to feel where the beat is to play certain songs such as this one.
WC: 512
I think most musicians would agree with me when I say it gives you a sense of pride to be able to play any instrument regardless of what it is and having an extra skill that you can call your own. I mean how many people can brag about being able to play "Devil Went Down to Georgia" on violin or "Classical Gas" on guitar? While I can't do either of these (although I'm working on the latter of the two), I can play some fairly interesting songs on the piano despite having a lack of training in the instrument.
The two most recent songs that I've been working on a lot are both songs I think a vast majority of people have heard and are quite familiar with whether they know it or not. The first one is called "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Yes, that's right I can play perhaps one of the most famous songs from the golden age of music on piano. The only really tricky part of this song is keeping different rhythms all at the same time. For instance, higher part of it, the chords, are essentially just straight eighth notes with a two-note chord/single note alternation. The underlying part is the moving bassline in the lower ranges of the keyboard, quite simple to play once the former becomes muscle memory. To add even further difficulty, if you're singing along with it, the entire piano part pretty much has to be entirely muscle memory, or at the very least mostly muscle memory.
The second song I've been working on is called "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. This one may not be as well known, but it's definitely one of those "I'd know it if I heard it" songs if you don't remember song titles that well. The only thing that really makes this song hard is that it has a lot of chord changes. Not terribly hard chord changes, but quite a few. The other thing that can make this song a little challenging is certain phrases that can easily be thrown out of time if done incorrectly. A lot of it is actually basic music fundamentals as easy as just feeling the beat, but this becomes almost critical when playing piano as you really have to feel where the beat is to play certain songs such as this one.
WC: 512
Response to MM
In light of recent events, I'd like to touch on something that my good blogger friend Music Man talked about in one of his blogs. He was explaining what makes a good song by comparing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" to, as MM put it, "(insert horrible Nickelback song title here)" and, in another post, how lyrics are better if they have something to be interpreted. I completely agree with him on this in a lot of ways. But I'd like to focus on the latter of these issues for this post.
Everyone has their own personal tastes in music, but there are some types of music that I will refute completely (such as Nickelback). Just going off the topic of lyrics, a lot of bands word things much better in a more figurative way that makes the overall song better. Even when a song is talking about something like sex, "like a ukulele mama made a baby, really don't mind to practice cause you're my little lady" ("Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson) sounds so much better than "you look so much cuter with something in your mouth" ("Something in Your Mouth" by Nickelback). Seriously what happened to good music with lyrics that actually meant something? Or maybe had a rhythm comprised of more than just straight eighth and quarter notes? Why do people just decide to follow the flock of sheep into mainstream music when you can barely call it music anymore?
Today I'd like to share with you one of my favorite songs that actually has good song elements in it. If you refer back to my first post, I talked about a band called Rise Against and how, in light of a better word, obsessed I am with them. The song I'm currently referring to is off their fourth album, The Sufferer and the Witness (my favorite album), titled "The Good Left Undone." The whole song, as I understand it, is about what's called unrequited love, or one-sided love. It starts by talking about a flower in "fields where nothing grew but weeds," most likely referring to a girl that seems to stand out among all the other average girls. Continuing the analogy, he uproots the flower and "finds what he's been missing" by taking this girl out hanging out with her, finding a kind of new meaning in his life. But as the second verse implies, things are not as they may seem. It goes on to say that the dried up petals of this flower fall to the ground. I take this to mean that while the guy may really like this girl, the girl may not be happy being with him. Because he likes her so much, he decides to let her go and "return this flower to the dirt." The chorus explains just how haunted he is by the memory of this girl and how he only dreams of "drowning in the ocean." I love this song because of the analogous comparison of the flower to the relationship of these two people and how it ACTUALLY MEANS SOMETHING!!!!! If you have heard this song before and have another interpretation of it or any further comments, please let me know. If you haven't heard this song, I highly recommend that you check out the video for it.
WC: 499
Everyone has their own personal tastes in music, but there are some types of music that I will refute completely (such as Nickelback). Just going off the topic of lyrics, a lot of bands word things much better in a more figurative way that makes the overall song better. Even when a song is talking about something like sex, "like a ukulele mama made a baby, really don't mind to practice cause you're my little lady" ("Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson) sounds so much better than "you look so much cuter with something in your mouth" ("Something in Your Mouth" by Nickelback). Seriously what happened to good music with lyrics that actually meant something? Or maybe had a rhythm comprised of more than just straight eighth and quarter notes? Why do people just decide to follow the flock of sheep into mainstream music when you can barely call it music anymore?
Today I'd like to share with you one of my favorite songs that actually has good song elements in it. If you refer back to my first post, I talked about a band called Rise Against and how, in light of a better word, obsessed I am with them. The song I'm currently referring to is off their fourth album, The Sufferer and the Witness (my favorite album), titled "The Good Left Undone." The whole song, as I understand it, is about what's called unrequited love, or one-sided love. It starts by talking about a flower in "fields where nothing grew but weeds," most likely referring to a girl that seems to stand out among all the other average girls. Continuing the analogy, he uproots the flower and "finds what he's been missing" by taking this girl out hanging out with her, finding a kind of new meaning in his life. But as the second verse implies, things are not as they may seem. It goes on to say that the dried up petals of this flower fall to the ground. I take this to mean that while the guy may really like this girl, the girl may not be happy being with him. Because he likes her so much, he decides to let her go and "return this flower to the dirt." The chorus explains just how haunted he is by the memory of this girl and how he only dreams of "drowning in the ocean." I love this song because of the analogous comparison of the flower to the relationship of these two people and how it ACTUALLY MEANS SOMETHING!!!!! If you have heard this song before and have another interpretation of it or any further comments, please let me know. If you haven't heard this song, I highly recommend that you check out the video for it.
WC: 499
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Fireflies
Up until now, I've been talking about all these fantastic rock bands that you really ought to listen to. But if you recall from my first post, rock isn't the only type of music I listen to. There are at least a dozen other different genres out there that I also listen to and even more subsets of genres to add to that. And due to recent events, I've started taking breaks from rock to listen those other genres.
A few days ago, I was hanging out with one of my friends, listening to music. She was looking through my iPod and came across my Owl City album, selecting "Fireflies" from the song list. This once again piqued my interest into this electronica-esque style of music. One of the reasons I love Owl City is because of his use of lyrics. The way he expresses everything by using a lot of personification, analogies, similes and various colorful descriptions to create a vivid image in your head of what exactly is happening. For example, in the intro verse in "Vanilla Twilight," it states "the stars lean down to kiss you," clearly showing one of their uses of personification by giving the stars the human-like traits. Another example is in the song "Hello Seattle" and how he says he is all these different things to describe all these different perspectives of view. Not only does it paint a picture in your head, but the way he words things you can almost feel what he feels. If he feels sad and that he misses someone, like in the case of "Vanilla Twilight," you can easily understand how he feels and the intensity in which he misses this girl. This gives his songs a sense of being able to relate to what he's singing, something I look for in a lot of the lyrics of the songs I listen to.
WC: 309
A few days ago, I was hanging out with one of my friends, listening to music. She was looking through my iPod and came across my Owl City album, selecting "Fireflies" from the song list. This once again piqued my interest into this electronica-esque style of music. One of the reasons I love Owl City is because of his use of lyrics. The way he expresses everything by using a lot of personification, analogies, similes and various colorful descriptions to create a vivid image in your head of what exactly is happening. For example, in the intro verse in "Vanilla Twilight," it states "the stars lean down to kiss you," clearly showing one of their uses of personification by giving the stars the human-like traits. Another example is in the song "Hello Seattle" and how he says he is all these different things to describe all these different perspectives of view. Not only does it paint a picture in your head, but the way he words things you can almost feel what he feels. If he feels sad and that he misses someone, like in the case of "Vanilla Twilight," you can easily understand how he feels and the intensity in which he misses this girl. This gives his songs a sense of being able to relate to what he's singing, something I look for in a lot of the lyrics of the songs I listen to.
WC: 309
Chevy Chevelle
Lately, I've been listening to a lot of rock music and other rock variants across the entire music spectrum. If you haven't picked up on it by now, when I find a good band that I really like, I tend to listen to them a crap ton by creating a Pandora station of them, because they always play a song by whoever the radio station is named after every so many songs. If you don't know what Pandora is, then you must be cut off to modern technology as most people have one, or at the very least know about it. Nevertheless, I shall explain. Pandora is a personal radio hub where yo can set up different radio stations based on songs, artists or genres. If you choose an artist, it will not only play songs by that artist but also songs from artists similar to that particular musician (or "musician" depending on your music preferences). I can't tell you how many Pandora stations I've created just from discovering a band I wanted to hear more from.This next band is in no way contrary to the previous examples.
My latest, let's call it an obsession, is with a little band by the name of Chevelle. Now I hope when I say that everyone thinks of the older model Chevy by the same name, but if you didn't then I guess that's okay. Of course those are probably the same people that's rather listen to some horribly written pop song over music that's actually good, but I digress. I remember the first song I heard by Chevelle back during freshman year. I was going through a rough time and had borrowed my friend's iPod, him having heavier stuff than on my Sansa. I came across a song entitled "Send the Pain Below" by the aforementioned band, that basically describes masking the pain you may be feeling and send it away. It later foreshadows that, while it may be good at the time and give you temporary peace of mind, eventually it can eat away at you and hurt you even worse, "much like suffocating." One of their other hits, "The Red," talks about anger and how it can sometimes escalate to the point where you just release it in a flurry of violence. However, don't misunderstand as it does not condone any violence in any way. But the latest song that I've fallen in love with by them is called "Saferwaters" even after only hearing it once. It has the same kind of feel musically as "Send the Pain Below" without actually repeating rhythms or melody.
WC: 432
My latest, let's call it an obsession, is with a little band by the name of Chevelle. Now I hope when I say that everyone thinks of the older model Chevy by the same name, but if you didn't then I guess that's okay. Of course those are probably the same people that's rather listen to some horribly written pop song over music that's actually good, but I digress. I remember the first song I heard by Chevelle back during freshman year. I was going through a rough time and had borrowed my friend's iPod, him having heavier stuff than on my Sansa. I came across a song entitled "Send the Pain Below" by the aforementioned band, that basically describes masking the pain you may be feeling and send it away. It later foreshadows that, while it may be good at the time and give you temporary peace of mind, eventually it can eat away at you and hurt you even worse, "much like suffocating." One of their other hits, "The Red," talks about anger and how it can sometimes escalate to the point where you just release it in a flurry of violence. However, don't misunderstand as it does not condone any violence in any way. But the latest song that I've fallen in love with by them is called "Saferwaters" even after only hearing it once. It has the same kind of feel musically as "Send the Pain Below" without actually repeating rhythms or melody.
WC: 432
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Running Free
If you haven't heard yet, there's a craze that's been sweeping the nation recently. Well...maybe not the nation, but at least my group of friends at high school. Have any of you out there heard of parkour? Well regardless of whether you have or not, I'm going to tell you what it is. The simplest way to put it is getting from Point A to Point B in the quickest way possible. If there's standard size, chain link fence, jump over it in one sitting. If there's a low wall, scale it by running up it, grabbing the ledge and hoisting yourself up. If there's an alleyway, push off the walls, alternating between the two until you reach the top. If there's...well, I think you get the general idea. A lot of my friends have started doing this and I just decided to start as well. Who knows, maybe I can use it if I'm ever being chased by a roving band of thieves in the heart of the Windy City. For now, though, it's just for fun and a good way to build strength and an excuse to get out of the house every once in a while.
WC: 199
WC: 199
Feel Good Summer
When we were in one of the merch tents at Lifelight, I came across a table for Solid State and Tooth & Nail records. They had various CDs laid out across the table, some that I'd heard of, some that I hadn't. But in particular, there were two bands that caught my eye; Anberlin and Demon Hunter. Both of these I had heard maybe one or two songs by them, but pretty much just figured I would like most of their other stuff. I bought a pack of both bands' first three CDs for the low, low price of fifteen dollars. That's right, do the math: six CDs for fifteen dollars. And so begins my latest musical obsession.
I first heard of Demon Hunter two years ago after the 2010 Lifelight festival from a music sampler through Tooth & Nail records. The song featured was called "Collapsing" and it had quite a bit of meaning in it. I feel it was talking about how this person didn't like the way his life was going and he's losing faith in himself, turning to harming himself and just wanting to give up on life. Not only does this hurt himself, but as explained in the second verse, "I know the pain that lies within you, I feel it too," it also hurts the ones around them as well. But one of he songs I've been listening to a lot is called "Summer of Darkness." I haven't quite deciphered the meaning behind this song, but maybe I just keep getting distracted by the pure awesomeness of it all.
Last year, one of my friends posted on my Facebook wall a video of a song by a band named Anberlin. After listening to it, I hit replay...about ten times. It's pretty easy to see I fell in love with this song. After buying the CD this past weekend, my love for it was been renewed with an even greater fervor than before. The song is called "The Feel Good Drag" and just by listening to the song, it's not that hard to tell the entire theme is about one of the seven deadly sins: lust. The entire song talks about a relationship that was built upon lies and an unhealthy foundation, suggesting that she was cheating on him, hence the lyrics, "was this over before it ever began?" It also calls her out on things she may have used as a sort of "leash" if you will ("your kiss, your calls, your crutch," "your lips, your lies, your lust,") and how "the devil's got her hands." It continues with how much he regrets going out with her and how he he hated himself for falling for all of her tricks.
WC: 421
I first heard of Demon Hunter two years ago after the 2010 Lifelight festival from a music sampler through Tooth & Nail records. The song featured was called "Collapsing" and it had quite a bit of meaning in it. I feel it was talking about how this person didn't like the way his life was going and he's losing faith in himself, turning to harming himself and just wanting to give up on life. Not only does this hurt himself, but as explained in the second verse, "I know the pain that lies within you, I feel it too," it also hurts the ones around them as well. But one of he songs I've been listening to a lot is called "Summer of Darkness." I haven't quite deciphered the meaning behind this song, but maybe I just keep getting distracted by the pure awesomeness of it all.
Last year, one of my friends posted on my Facebook wall a video of a song by a band named Anberlin. After listening to it, I hit replay...about ten times. It's pretty easy to see I fell in love with this song. After buying the CD this past weekend, my love for it was been renewed with an even greater fervor than before. The song is called "The Feel Good Drag" and just by listening to the song, it's not that hard to tell the entire theme is about one of the seven deadly sins: lust. The entire song talks about a relationship that was built upon lies and an unhealthy foundation, suggesting that she was cheating on him, hence the lyrics, "was this over before it ever began?" It also calls her out on things she may have used as a sort of "leash" if you will ("your kiss, your calls, your crutch," "your lips, your lies, your lust,") and how "the devil's got her hands." It continues with how much he regrets going out with her and how he he hated himself for falling for all of her tricks.
WC: 421
Fun in Sioux Falls
Whenever you go back to school after an extended weekend, many of your friends and teachers always want to know the exact same question, "What did you do over your weekend?" I know even after a regular weekend I always have a chance of having to answer the this question (in Japanese too, nonetheless). While I typically don't enjoy answering most times, due to my lack of adventures over most weekends, this past labor day weekend I was so excited I was on the verge of giddy. Why you ask? The reason is quite simply one word: Lifelight.
If you don't know what Lifelight is, then I highly suggest you climb out from under that rock you've been hiding under and please listen to the following explanation. Lifelight is a three day long music festival comprised of various Christian musical talents over the labor day weekend. It takes place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota so if people under that rock know about it then it's gotta be good. They have two main stages, one for mainly worship music and the other for rock, each with several big and small name musical acts leading up to a headlining band to finish the day out. It also has a smaller "coffeehouse" stage and 360 "dance" stage as well as various food vendors and merch tents for both the bands performing and the festival itself. Now that you know what Lifelight actually is, let's talk a little bit about the bands that were there this year. And to do so I'll be reviewing the performances of some of my favorites.
Artist: Peter Furler/Phil Joel (former Newsboys members)
Genre: Pop Rock/Worship
Overview: I've already seen Newsboys both with and without frontman Peter Furler, but I've never seen Phil Joel with them, or even on his own for that matter. When you put them together, though, playing songs from each of their solo work as well as songs from they wrote when in the band, it's a really interesting experience for those that have followed the band especially. Even if you're just finding out about these two artists, they put on a pretty good show through humor and worship (not to mention the obvious musical element).
Artist: Skillet
Genre: Metal
Overview: This concert is most probably the best concert I've ever been to. Skillet is one of my favorite christian bands and was the biggest attraction at the festival and they definitely lived up to expectations and more. The general experience, the irony of squished by a fervor of shoving idiots during their hit "Hero", the appearance of a light-up monster head during their single "Monster", pyrotechnics; all of these add their own unique part of the Skillet experience. I overheard one of the merchants in the merchandise tent say they used 2 tons of pyrotechnics consisting of various types of fireworks, showers of sparks and columns of flame. They even had rising platforms, including the drummer's which actually spun around. One warning to all who attend such a concert, the following may be side effects of Skillet: temporary hearing loss, loss of voice, sore neck (headbanging) and any other random accidents that could happen.
Artist: Five Iron Frenzy
Genre: Ska
Overview: Okay I already know what you're thinking: what the hell kinda music is ska? It's actually like a mix of jazz and rock complete with trombone, saxophone and trumpet. I originally heard of this band from one of my friends late last year and had already had some experience with ska music from a band called Less Than Jake. At first, I didn't think they were that big of a deal and was a little confused at how they were able to get the ten 'o clock spot, on the Souled Out (rock) stage, usually reserved for huge names. Boy was I wrong! Imagine my surprise when I see a crowd that rivaled even Skillet's audience the night before. I did a little research and found out that the band actually broke up in 2003 and didn't start up again until 2011 (explaining how they've only had seven performances in ten years). And I cannot tell you how happy I am they did get back together. The performance was great, consisting of a lot of humor, including some of the lyrics that the band used in their songs.
Other great performances I highly recommend: Triple Stitch, The Wedding, Children 18:3, Silverline
WC: 738
If you don't know what Lifelight is, then I highly suggest you climb out from under that rock you've been hiding under and please listen to the following explanation. Lifelight is a three day long music festival comprised of various Christian musical talents over the labor day weekend. It takes place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota so if people under that rock know about it then it's gotta be good. They have two main stages, one for mainly worship music and the other for rock, each with several big and small name musical acts leading up to a headlining band to finish the day out. It also has a smaller "coffeehouse" stage and 360 "dance" stage as well as various food vendors and merch tents for both the bands performing and the festival itself. Now that you know what Lifelight actually is, let's talk a little bit about the bands that were there this year. And to do so I'll be reviewing the performances of some of my favorites.
Artist: Peter Furler/Phil Joel (former Newsboys members)
Genre: Pop Rock/Worship
Overview: I've already seen Newsboys both with and without frontman Peter Furler, but I've never seen Phil Joel with them, or even on his own for that matter. When you put them together, though, playing songs from each of their solo work as well as songs from they wrote when in the band, it's a really interesting experience for those that have followed the band especially. Even if you're just finding out about these two artists, they put on a pretty good show through humor and worship (not to mention the obvious musical element).
Artist: Skillet
Genre: Metal
Overview: This concert is most probably the best concert I've ever been to. Skillet is one of my favorite christian bands and was the biggest attraction at the festival and they definitely lived up to expectations and more. The general experience, the irony of squished by a fervor of shoving idiots during their hit "Hero", the appearance of a light-up monster head during their single "Monster", pyrotechnics; all of these add their own unique part of the Skillet experience. I overheard one of the merchants in the merchandise tent say they used 2 tons of pyrotechnics consisting of various types of fireworks, showers of sparks and columns of flame. They even had rising platforms, including the drummer's which actually spun around. One warning to all who attend such a concert, the following may be side effects of Skillet: temporary hearing loss, loss of voice, sore neck (headbanging) and any other random accidents that could happen.
Artist: Five Iron Frenzy
Genre: Ska
Overview: Okay I already know what you're thinking: what the hell kinda music is ska? It's actually like a mix of jazz and rock complete with trombone, saxophone and trumpet. I originally heard of this band from one of my friends late last year and had already had some experience with ska music from a band called Less Than Jake. At first, I didn't think they were that big of a deal and was a little confused at how they were able to get the ten 'o clock spot, on the Souled Out (rock) stage, usually reserved for huge names. Boy was I wrong! Imagine my surprise when I see a crowd that rivaled even Skillet's audience the night before. I did a little research and found out that the band actually broke up in 2003 and didn't start up again until 2011 (explaining how they've only had seven performances in ten years). And I cannot tell you how happy I am they did get back together. The performance was great, consisting of a lot of humor, including some of the lyrics that the band used in their songs.
Other great performances I highly recommend: Triple Stitch, The Wedding, Children 18:3, Silverline
WC: 738
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