Last Wednesday in my recording technology class we nixed any note taking plans on the syllabus and headed straight towards a discussion to find the answer to a question that is continuously circulating throughout the realm of the music business today: why is the music business falling apart, and what can we do to fix it?
People have come up with a number of plausible answers to this question – at least the first part. We can blame iTunes, record labels, and uneducated consumers all we want – and they are at fault to an extent. However, in the end, it seems like it may all boil down to what the business revolves around – the music.
Is there too much music out there? Technology has done wonders for the business, and nowadays, any old average Joe or Jane can put his or her tunes up on the web for all to hear. Ahhh, but there’s the problem – any old average Joe or Jane can get his or her music out to consumers. Even when the music is, let’s say, average. Back in the day, our grandparents didn’t scour the internet looking for obscure talented artists. Now, it’s trendy to do just that, and because there’s so much music out there, we don’t necessarily feel the need to pay for all of it (guilty as charged). How many of us can say we honestly listen to everything that is on our iPod?
New technology and tools musicians are using to record – whether it’s in a dorm room or a studio – are making it harder to find the good stuff as well. You can fix any shortcomings with the click of a button. A mediocre artist has the opportunity to sound stellar (case in point: Taylor Swift). It’s a bit like a false ad. You hear something, and thus expect that quality when you hear the artist live, only to find out that they don’t have “it.”
Music has become like a thrift store: we have to sort through all the crap to find the good stuff. Record Labels complain about consumers only buying singles. Maybe that wouldn’t be a problem if the artist could create an entire album that is just as good as that one song.
On that note, I saw a lot of artists that proved themselves this past weekend. First off, I went to an in-store show at Grimey’s featuring “The Civil Wars” – a duo with killer harmonies. Afterwards, I headed to Hotel Indigo to see Jane, Emily, and Ben perform. They were amazing. Jane closed the show with a new song, Thinking Clear, that Ben sang harmony on. I’ll let the performance speak for itself:
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Jane also had a stellar performance of her song “Suddenly.” Unfortunately, a good number people were casually late and missed it. You can see it here:
I have a few videos of Emily as well that will be up in about week (my quota on my vimeo is full at the moment and it won’t let me upload anymore).
On Saturday, Molly Selby and I drove to Knoxville to catch a couple of shows that were part of the Big Ears Festival. We saw a group known as The 802 Tour (802 referencing the area code of Vermont where they’re from) first. They were… interesting. Some things I appreciated (Sam Amidon and his folksy voice), other things I did not (attributing noise to be music).
What we really drove to Knoxville for was Sufjan – yes, I saw him in the flesh. We agreed that it wouldn’t even matter if he sang, as long as we could look at his face for an hour. Fortunately, he sang. And played piano. And played banjo. He was performing as a special guest with the band Clogs. Every musician in this band was what you would call a true musician (I mean, they got Sufjan to perform with them, which says something). Sufjan only played one of his songs – Barn Owl, Night Killer – but the trip was well worth the three-hour drive there and back. Now I can’t wait to see him perform an entire sets’ worth of his songs.
Last night was truly a treasure. Joanna Newsom performed at the Mercy Lounge, but more importantly, Robin Pecknold opened for her. Robin Pecknold may not be a household name, but Fleet Foxes is, and Robin is the lead singer of Fleet Foxes. He played a variety of covers, Fleet Foxes songs, and brand new originals that he had never performed live before. If you hear the lyric “Oh man what I used to be, oh man, oh my, oh me” on the next Fleet Foxes album, I’ll be privileged to say, like those trendy hipster kids, that I was one of the first to hear that one live. Joanna was great as well (very different), but my true love was for Robin.
Considering I went to five different shows this weekend, it’s obvious that there’s plenty of good music out there for all ears to hear. I don’t mind excessive amounts of the good stuff, but maybe the people without the talent should make way for those who have it.
I hope everyone has a great Easter this coming Sunday – we truly are blessed to be living like we do in this day in age.
It's friday and I'm sitting in my den snacking on cheese 'n crackers. I like that. But what's more exciting is what has led up to this monumental climax of cheese 'n crackers.
this week has been the perfect break. a little bit of high class partying at the deb ball, a little bit of casual relaxation at the ranch, and a bit of winding down at home. couldn't have asked for anything better. I'll let some photos speak for themselves.
The decorations at the Helping Hands Crystal Ball.
Dinner at the Ball! Getting our dose of the Alamo on the way down to the ranch Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning walk to the river...
Just hanging in our favorite spot... a miniature cave on the river.
Oh, you know, just soaking up the beauty of Texas.
Exploradoras
Cool cross at the top of the hill at the ranch... looks even cooler lit up at night.
This is where we spent the majority of our time... just a few steps down from the house.
Laying out on the river (pre-Lindsay's burn).
Kayaking the Nueces... there were a few struggles but be made it all the way.
Final group shot before we left the ranch.
On the way back to Austin... windows rolled down the entire time, 84 degrees.
It was a jolly ole time, and I can't wait until we get to do something like this again. come sunday, I'll be back in nashville rockin 'n rollin... and when life seems to drag, I'll think about spring break 2010.
hope everyone has had/will have a wonderful spring break
xx
(slightly) tanner
(p.s. all of these pics were taken from my friends' cameras... thanks friends)
Goodbye winter. I know you don't want to go because the ground is still wet from your snowy tears. I'm sorry, but it just isn't working out. The sun is calling me, and I'm going to Texas. When I get back, you better be gone for good.
It's still freezing here in Nashville. It keeps snowing, even though it's not sticking anymore. Needless to say, I'm going to back to Texas for spring break! In just two days until I'll be making my way to Austin.
Last weekend I got to go to Lindsay's home in Ohio. The ground was covered with snow when we got there and stayed for the weekend. I loved getting to go see where she grew up and spending time in her home with her parents and pets (ellie, cricket, and fat mike - the biggest cat I've ever laid eyes on).
On Friday night we went to see the CCM's (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music) musical, Anything Goes. It was a pleasant surprise when I found out a friend from home, Christine (who is a freshman at CCM), was in the show! CCM did a great job and it was great to see Christine perform with other equally talented actors. We talked briefly after the show.
I'm officially two weeks into my facebook/twitter fast, and I'm loving it! It actually has been that difficult. I spend my time doing other things that are actually more enjoyable than surfing people's profiles (although that can be a lot of fun sometimes).
The past couple of weeks have been productive but not that exciting... hence the lack of words on this thing here called a "blog." I'm reaching for words here - and for that, I'm sorry. When I think of something that might be mildly interesting to expound upon I'll be sure to share.
So in my last post I said I was a little stressed out (a lot stressed out) about future stuff... now I'm back in chill mode. Why? Because I have so much to look forward to. First off, let me just say it is beautiful in Nashville right now. It was 50 degrees. Much needed break from the cold... people were playing frisbee on the quad earlier. We walked around Radnor Lake. So refreshing.
Anyway, what I was really stressed out about when I wrote my last post were my summer plans. I had a lot of options, but only some were solidified, and there were pros and cons to everything... I finally decided (yesterday) that I'm going to work at Kanakuk this summer. I'm really pumped now. I'm going to be doing videography for six weeks at one of the kamps. I'm going to be around a bunch of other college students and around a bunch of kids with tons of energy (which will keep me energized). I'm looking forward to the experience and being back on familiar turf... I was a kamper there for five years myself. I also look forward to writing letters and being pen pals with lots of people.
What's really exciting is that two weeks from this moment I will be arriving in Austin, Texas for spring break. A bunch of us are going to the deb ball that Jane is in and then we are gonna hang at her ranch for a couple days. Even the Ohioans are coming! And my roommate, Molly, who lives in Fredericksburg. And I get to spend the second half of the week at home. It truly is the best of both worlds.
Just a few weeks after Spring Break I will probably poop my pants. Why? Because Molly, Jane, and I (and anyone else who wants to come) are going to see Sufjan. SUFJAN. SUFJAN STEVENS. He isn't playing his own set, but he is playing with a band called Clogs. So what. I will be seeing Mr. Sufjan Stevens in the flesh. If I could scream in a blog post, I would. This is probably what it would look like:
P.S. I officially gave up facebook/twitter for lent. So far, so good. Life feels much more free. And Molly Rodg and Thomas are on facebook leaves of absence too! Woo!
I've been pretty stressed out recently just thinking about the future and things I need to get figured out regarding the future so I can live in the present. But tonight, after getting a bit overwhelmed, I just started thinking about the past and everything I miss while I'm here in college - not that I don't love Belmont (in fact, I love Belmont, and you can probably tell that from all my other posts).
I miss:
1. the warm texas heat. nashville, the first couple of snows were cool (it was only last week that I was saying I wouldn't mind another blanketing of snow), but now I'm getting a little bit miserable in the cold.
2. brent, austin, mom & dad. I talk to my parents a lot, which is good, but I only talk to my brothers occasionally. they're all in dallas. I'm here in nashville.
3. my grandparents. my grandma writes me letters all the time (I got two last week alone!) and I talk to them on the phone often, but it makes me just want to see them. I'm named after my grandma, and I'd love to be anything like her. she is probably the most warm-hearted, loving, optimistic and unselfish person I know.
4. europe. I got to travel there with 30 some-odd friends this past summer. I miss the places. I miss the people. we had a reunion over christmas break, which makes me miss them even more. I miss the gryffindors the most. just kidding. but seriously, we sorted all the to 30+ people into harry potter houses. we were that cool... okay, yeah, it was my idea.
5. video tech family. I worked rock showcase at belmont this last weekend and got to do camera-op, which was incredible, but it made me miss all the people I spent the last four years of high school with in classroom G209 edit rooms A-F. I miss mr. preston: the best teacher in the world. I miss working the film festival in dallas and talking to all the filmmakers who were working hard to get their films out there. I miss being able to go to all those screenings alone without feeling self conscious at all and talking to the strangers next to me in the theater.
6. good records & the polyphonic spree. owned/operated by the same people. i miss volunteering for the holiday extravaganza shows and dressing up as an elf. singing/shouting out of joy into the microphone. high-fiving the flautist.
7. trips to jenna's farm in mineola, texas. playing the alphabet game. four-wheelers. attempts at making scary movies. karaoke. line dancing. cornhole. roman candle wizard duels.
8. dora the explorer (my old car). I miss using a wrench to turn on the lights. I miss holding the stereo with my right arm so the CD wouldn't skip and driving with my left hand. I miss picking up karen for school while blasting polyphonic or eisley (depending on what phase I was going through). I miss driving to my horrible parking spot on the ramp going to no where junior year//backing into my horrible spot around the corner senior year (hoping every time I wouldn't get hit).
The list goes on and on... don't know why I felt the need to blog this. I guess one of my new years resolutions was to blog once a week, and while I haven't been blogging that regularly, this blog has been a good outlet for whenever I do need to get something out of my system... or feel like I have something to share that someone else might enjoy reading about. I don't know.
Blogs really are self-indulgent. Look at me! Read what I have to say about stuff! Blah blah blah blah. Same with twitter. Same with facebook. Except I feel like blogs require some more thinking. They are longer than the 140 character updates you post for @everyone to read (and hope that one of your "followers" will find entertaining or insightful). Unlike facebook, there isn't any kind of etiquette that you need to know... you can write whatever you like.
We are technology addicts. We are "social networking" addicts. I'm on facebook, twitter, linkedin, last.fm... list goes on and on. But none of those really require me to think. They are time wasters. They're fun, but I know that I don't get anything out of them.
I'm sorry this blog is really turning into a rant. It's more me being upset with me and how I'm spending my time. Unlike all those other sites, blogging does feel worth my time because writing is fun. I haven't really had to write much for school yet. That's why I started this little doodad: to have a reason to write and to have a place to organize my thoughts into sentences. This post isn't really organized at all and is a horrible example of that. In fact the majority of this post is grammatically incorrect.
Maybe it will be really hilarious to read this blog twenty years from now. But right now, I'd love to have something else to read. So, I'd encourage anyone still reading this post (doubtful) to start a blog and then promptly tell me where to find it. I want to read it. I probably love reading the blogs of people I know (and don't know) more than I love writing this crap. Which is what it is. Especially tonight. Crap.
apologies,
unorg'anne'ized
p.s. maybe a facebook/twitter break is in order for lent. anyone want to commit to it with me?
I am from Texas. North Texas. We freak out when it snows, let alone when snow sticks. This year, it snowed on Christmas Eve in Dallas and stuck (less than .5") the next morning, so we had a White Christmas. My favorite mug and Elvis enjoyed it:
Last weekend, though, it SNOWED in Nashville. I mean, because I'm a Texan, I felt like I was in a blizzard. We're talking 4-5" of snow. Snow that you can pack into a little ball and throw at someone. Snow that you can turn into an actual life-size snowman.
I'm dreaming of a white campus...
This was just the beginning (around noon last Friday). It kept snowing through the night. People sledded down the huge street next to the parking garage, going off ramps and injuring their tailbones for years to come (unbeknown to them, as they weren't really feeling anything at the time...).
On Saturday, I went to downtown Franklin, a little cute city right outside of Nashville, with Lindsay, Thomas, and Nichole. Although most the stores were closed due to the icy roads us southerners don't know how to handle, it was great to see the town covered in snow.
It's funny that we were in New York a few weeks ago and the weather was relatively warm when we expected it to miserable. Now that we're back here in Nashville the biggest snow storm in years hits (and it's supposed to snow again this weekend)!
"[Nashville] looks lovely in the winter time - all the sidewalks are white as snow..." -Much Farther to Go, Rosie Thomas (original lyrics say New York instead of Nashville)
When you put pale ole me in the middle of two moderately tan people, you make an "anne tanwich." My favorite color is purple, my favorite number is 7, my favorite accessory is a pair of sunglasses, and my favorite saying is "bless my life." I have a lot to be thankful for.
The decorations at the Helping Hands Crystal Ball.
Dinner at the Ball!
Getting our dose of the Alamo on the way down to the ranch Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning walk to the river...
Just hanging in our favorite spot... a miniature cave on the river.
Oh, you know, just soaking up the beauty of Texas.
Exploradoras
Cool cross at the top of the hill at the ranch... looks even cooler lit up at night.
This is where we spent the majority of our time... just a few steps down from the house.
Laying out on the river (pre-Lindsay's burn).
Kayaking the Nueces... there were a few struggles but be made it all the way.
Final group shot before we left the ranch.
On the way back to Austin... windows rolled down the entire time, 84 degrees.
I'm dreaming of a white campus... 
