“I Listen to Everything”
Feb 24, 2010 Uncategorized
When I first meet people I make every attempt to discover their taste in music. More often than not, the conversation goes like this:
Me: What kind of music do you listen to?
Them: Oh, I listen to everything.
At about this point I internally roll my eyes and prevent my hands from forming fists. I get a sudden urge to hit something. I absolutely detest this answer because it’s simply untrue. The worst part is the person saying it doesn’t realize their own untruth. “I listen to everything.” Bullshit. No one listens to everything. What people really mean is: “I listen to everything I listen to.”
Music diversity is only determined by one’s exposure. So listening to everything is a way for the individual to give themselves props for listening to a little of everything to which they’ve been exposed… and, even then, this may not be the case.
When I hear the “listen to everything” answer, I appease my rising anger by proving this answer wrong. My line of questioning sharpens.
Me: Really? Do you listen to classical? How about opera? Do you partake of the polka? How about Native American or Buddhist chants? Ancient Chinese folk music? American folk songs? What about atonal music like John Cage or George Crumb? Bollywood soundtracks, anyone?
I invariably lose people with opera, and then usually they offer some examples of what they really listen to. Basically they let me know what’s on their iPod.
Now I realize proving someone wrong may be a dickish move, especially to someone you’ve just met. However, I don’t really feel like I’ve met someone until I have a feeling of the music they enjoy.
A person’s listening taste reveals more about that person than a 2 hour dinner conversation ever could. What is your image of someone who listens to Britney, Justin, and Mariah? Contrast that with someone who listens to Beethoven, Bach, and Debussy. What do you think someone who listens to Floyd, Zeppelin, and Zappa does late at night? (On a side note, the people I tend to write off immediately are those that listen exclusively to “Indie Music.” Ugh. I’d rather share the company of someone who enjoys the vacuous vapid existence of Britney over the self-importance pretention of a wide-eyed twenty-something “Singer Songwriter.”)
Most of us feel music more than we listen to it; that is, we can’t really rationalize why we like some music over another. We experience music on a carnal instinctive level. Music moves our soul. And because we listen with our soul, understanding a person’s music taste helps us understand that person. It provides a glimpse to what moves them. We begin to sense their aesthetic sensibilities. We immediately realize some commonalities and differences to help shape our future interactions with this person.
Music helps us understand each other. It helps us understand ourselves. When someone asks you what kind of music you listen to, give them a real answer. It’s an easy and comfortable way to reveal some depth.
What kind of music do I listen to, you ask?
Me: I listen to everything except for polka, hardcore rap, and most new country.
In A Genre of Their Own
Oct 23, 2009 Musical Appreciation, Uncategorized
While I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on musical genres, I have listened to a fair share of music in my time and truly dig songs from all types of genres. Usually I stay within the same 4 or 5 genres (namely classic rock, jam bands, reggae, bluegrass, and folk) but can’t help but love when musicians mix genres, cross genres, or create new ones all of their own. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a huge success but when it does work, it is one awesome sound…take for example the Easy Star All-Stars reggae remake of Pink Floyds’ Dark Side of the Moon. Even more appealing is when I come across a group with its’ own sound that really doesn’t fit into one of the traditional genres. The three bands below have only been releasing albums for the past 5-10 years, but they are so unique and so good at what they do I believe they deserve a genre all of their own and therefore I have taken the liberty to create some new genres for them.
Artist: J.J. Grey & Mofro New Genre: “Swamp Rock Funk”
While it is hard to compare J.J. Grey & Mofro to any other artist I have ever listened to, they could arguably possess the smoothness of Marvin Gaye, the funk of Stevie Wonder, the jams of Curtis Mayfield, and the masterful organ playing of Gregg Allman. Add to these resemblances some amazing harmonica playing and a screaming slide guitar, and you have one of the best bands to surface this decade. When you first listen to Mofro, you might envision a rundown house on a dirt road in a small Mississippi town back in the 1960’s. You can imagine a couple of guys sitting on the front porch on a blistering hot summer day singing about the good times and the bad times. There’s no audience, just soulful sounds and heartfelt lyrics that make you feel like you were sitting on that same front porch. The brilliance of J.J. Grey & Mofro is that they are a couple of white guys from southern Florida who weren’t even born in the 1960’s, yet their songs tell stories that bring you back in time when things were simpler. Do yourself some justice and listen to everything these guys have released….it’s that damn good!
Artist: Xavier Rudd New Genre: “Didgie Jam”
Imagine a voice that resembles Paul Simon, rhythms that compare to Bob Marley & The Wailers, and slide guitar playing that would make Ben Harper jealous. Now add the unique and mesmerizing sounds of the didgeridoo and you”ll have a sound the echoes that of Australian native Xavier Rudd. The first time I heard Rudd was live at the 2004 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. A group of us were heading back to our campsite when we were stopped dead in our tracks by a gratifying sound coming from one of the side stages. It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard a the striking vibrations of a didgeridoo before, it was the fact that on stage there was one guy sitting on a stool playing an unbelievable jam with 5 different didgeridoos, a slide guitar, and the drums…that’s right, one guy! Since then, Xavier Rudd has added a full band and has expanded his offerings with a darker sound that features more slide guitar and deeper jams (as evidenced in its latest album Darker Shades of Blue). Even though he has shown an impressive range in his sounds, Xavier still sticks to his island roots and produces the kind of music that can turn a bad day into a good one!
Artist: Railroad Earth New Genre: “Bluegrass Jam Rock”
One of the members of Railroad Earth classifies themselves as “an amplified string band with drums” while another member says they are “a Country & Eastern Band.” However, the resemblance that might be missing the most from the bands’ description of themselves is that they are also a “Rock and Roll Band”! Before the band ever released its first album, an organizer for the world famous Telluride Bluegrass Festival got a hold of one of Railroad Earth’s studio sessions and they were quickly added to the lineup. Listening to the voice of lead singer Todd Sheaffer might remind you of little bit of Jerry Garcia, but there is a range to his voice that will be sure to surprise you. The bands’ last album, Amen Corner, has a harmony and flow that will give you goose bumps. It is a beautiful collection of songs that all have a sense of optimism to them, making it hard not to tap your foot and wear a big smile. Whether you are a country fan, a jam band fan, or a bluegrass fan, Railroad Earth is sure not to disappoint.