Okay, I’m gonna come clean–I don’t like classical music that much. I know, I know, I should because I’ve played the violin since forever, but honestly…I have a hard time connecting emotionally a majority of classical music. Maybe it’s the harpsichord that bugs the heck out of me, or maybe it’s the piano accompaniments that really only serve to fill sonic space, or maybe I just haven’t worked hard enough to find out which classical artists I would like.
I mean, I sure wasn’t looking for Ólafur Arnalds. And I love him. So maybe I just haven’t been looking hard enough. That’d be fair.
I happened upon Ólafur Arnalds in philosophy class last semester. Our professor had made split us into groups to choose something to define “Beauty,” and one group played his piece “3055″ as their example.
Whether or not Ólafur Arnalds could possibly be the answer to Plato’s question of What is Beauty, I fell in love immediately with his music.
Think classical music with a contemporary twist–Arnalds brings in drums, nature sounds like wind and creaking wood, and the most delicate piano arrangements you may have ever heard. This is music to play while studying, sleeping, or showering at night, when you’re feeling sad, lonely, or peaceful, when its rainy outside or right after the sun comes out of the clouds on a spring day.
And the guy used to be in a metal band.
Recently, he scored the soundtrack for Another Happy Day. I haven’t seen the movie, and I don’t know if I will, but the soundtrack is, in one superficial word, fabulous. In more words, I’d say that the simplistic yet elegant arrangements featuring piano and strings are sweet, somber, haunting, can-I-touch-the-depths-of-your-soul flat-out beautiful. In different words, I’d say it’s one of the prettiest film scores I’ve heard lately, and I believe it’s too amazing for you to pass up.
I’m proud of my young fellow friends and acquaintances for pursuing their creative dreams during rough and uncertain times in this economy.
The dream killers of this world will tell you to study your brains out to get smart so some Ivy League college will accept you because hey that’s the only school that will prepare me to get a job right, then sell your soul to studying a field you could care less about but hey it’ll get me a job right, and then plunge further into debt to get a Master’s degree because hey I’m not good enough to get a job yet and now I’ll for sure get one once I graduate right. And GOD FORBID you sign up for some artsy-fartsy major like Music, English, or Studio Art.
The people that bow to this social pressure I pity, for I am seeing people I know and love working hard to attain their true dreams, not looking down on themselves because they are young and creative, but setting an example for the world in their artistic passions.
And so today, as I was checking Facebook, I saw a post of a music video called “I Hope to Remember”…and, well, I watched it. Backed by soft guitar strums, the singer croons with somber emotion about a broken relationship as he contemplates pure love, while the video montages a couple struggling through a breakup. The work of both the music and video was rather beautiful, with harmonious tones in sound contemplated by the soft lighting and cool color scheme of the visuals. And the story portrayed struck me with honesty–I related, I blinked away a tear or two in my eyes–and I may or may not have listened to it again…and again…
But the best part: the music was created by my friend’s newly formed indie/acoustic rock band PieceMakers. The video work and acting was done by some guys from my high school youth group, who are presently in the hardcore band Kady! Danger.
My hardcore headbanging persona is grinning stupidly right now; The Devil Wears Prada is now streaming the entire Dead Throne album (which is due to release this September 13th).
I’m four songs in so far, having listened to “Dead Throne,” “Untidaled,” “Mammoth,” and “Vengeance.” And so far, it sounds like a blast of brilliant metalcore to me, which is why the aforementioned headbanging persona is hardcore dancing in my head right now. Check it out right here…right now. Tell me whatchya think.
Hey there Cali rocker people. We have music-related business to talk about.
So, in Fresno, there’s this sweet little venue near downtown called Kuppajoe, an all-ages club that hosts young local and indie bands with a leaning toward the hardcore edge of music. The club is headed up by Christians, though the lineups are not always exclusive of bands that don’t proclaim to be Christians.
A Current Affair was on the bill to play the other Friday, so a couple of friends and I dug out some cash, got pumped, and headed over. This was the first time I had ever gone to Kuppajoe, so I didn’t know what to expect.
First, I wish I had frequented the venue more often. It’s a cool place to bring a bunch of friends to go to a show for a small cost. And if you don’t feel like spending anything, you can chill outside where there’s tables and places to sit and still be able to listen to the music for free (yay amps).
If you’ve never been to Kuppajoe, I need to tell you something, though: the venue is REALLY small. It’s about as big as a medium-ish-sized backyard. Therefore, wear something lightweight that allows for ventilation. Something like a tank top….yeah. And if you prefer to preserve your hearing, a pair of neon earplugs wouldn’t be too shabby to have on hand, either.
Now, about the bands…
Two high school garage bands opened up, Streetlight Fire and Fresno local Ever Chasing Daylight. For being young, Ever Chasing Daylight played some decent rock and I must say their drummer impressed me by running the beat with not-so-basic drumwork while providing the lead vocals. The band’s stick-on mustaches and grins clearly showed they enjoyed being onstage.
Briertone played next, a San Luis Obispo rock band with a country flair. And when I say “rock band with a country flair,” I mean there’s a bunch of guys onstage doing normal sweet rock music and one of the guys happens to have a banjo and is carrying rhythm, rocking solos, and leading square-dance-style breakdowns. Yeah, they were totally cool.
A Current Affair dealt out their normal awesome alt. rock jams with lots of invites to sing along. (After working through a little electrical snaffoo that involved shocking instruments. An interesting thing to watch unfold.) Right now, the band’s finishing up their new album in the studio–I’m super excited about this. You should totally be, too. Be. Excited.
PK, yet another San Luis band, finished up the night. These boys played some sweet indie pop rock, and the crowd gleefully amped up with their catchy tunes. There was indeed some dancing. If you like The Killers, I think you’re gonna totes dig these guys.
Kuppajoe is gearing up for another show this Friday with Culprit, The Greater Heights, Mercy Fists, and Captain We’re Losing Speed. It’s eight bucks if you wanna come inside. :)
One of my life regrets is not getting into MUTEMATH sooner. I got their CD Armistice for my birthday last year (which I fell in love with), and I just saw their music video “Typical” for the first time a couple weeks ago–which made me feel a little ashamed of myself, after I got over almost having my head blow up from overexposure of too much genius ….
But what matters is that I’m on the right track now, and I’m excited to introduce some of MUTEMATH’s new work for their upcoming album Odd Soul, which is due to land in October.
The single, “Blood Pressure” hit iTunes today, and I’m liking its funky blues-rock vibe and its rather sweet drum work. Alongside it is “Odd Soul,” a less catchy and more experimental piece, but no less noteworthy, with a stellar music video available on the band’s Facebook.
This summer, I decided to be a counselor at RCP (Redwood Christian Park), the high school camp my church’s youth group goes to (since I’m a big bad college student now and “too old” for summer camp).
For the past few years, the camp has brought up different bands to play the music during worship. This year, the band was Great Awakening, a quintet from North Carolina. Each night, they played both familiar church songs and their own music, with one night in particular set aside for a more concert-like setlist.
I really want to tell you right now that Great Awakening is not the stereotypical church worship band. Listen up.
First off: killer lyrics.
“How much faster does your heart beat when we draw near? / How much faster does your heart beat, let me hear. / How much faster does my heart beat when you draw near? / Come and hear, come and hear. / I’m gonna look right into your eyes / and ravish your heart with my gaze. / I want to breathe ‘I love you’ / I want to sound like a river of praise…”
“Let Me Hear,” a song inspired by Song of Solomon, flows with an indie vibe using plucked acoustic guitar layered with piano chords and minimal drumming to lead up to a powerful chorus.
Other standout tracks of their recent album Songs in Secret include the crooning “My Gold,” slow-jam “Lazarus,” and heartfelt “Many Waters.”
On top of skilled instrumental work, these guys know how to use their pipes. One of the vocalists, Zach Janicello, led acoustic worship for my morning Bible study group, and I couldn’t get over how his rich voice filled the room. Onstage, the harmonies and vocal layering with co-lead singer Cole Johnson added even more to the beauty.
One of the coolest things about this band is their partnership with Come&Live!, a music label geared for bands with a mission to use their music to lead others to Christ. As a part of this mission, both Songs in Secret and debut album Cities are available to download on Come&Live!’s site for completely free, right here.
I highly recommend giving them a listen or spending a few bucks on a concert. They’re really great guys to hang out with, too–I mean, what band teams up with a bunch of counselors against 200 kids in a game of Zombie Apocalypse?
Anybody out there into Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, or Sigur Ros? You may just want to head over to Come&Live!’s website for a free download of The Sleep Design’s album All That is Not Music is Silence. I picked up the download of this CD a month or so ago, and ended up playing it a lot when I was studying or just feeling in a chill mood–which is exactly what post-rock/ambient music is for.
My personal favorites of All That is Not… include “These Dreams Haunt & Capture,” “Fire, The Grave, & The Eyes of Man,” and “He Bargains Beautifully.” And I was pretty sure that “The Sound of War” was on some epic movie’s soundtrack. I tried to figure which one it was, but eventually ended up coming to the conclusion that there isn’t a movie epic enough for that song.
So go check it out! And tell me what you think about it. :)
As Cities Burn fans, may you lift your hands to the heavens and rejoice.
I was extremely bummed when I found out that my favorite prog rock band As Cities Burn had broken up soon after they released their last album Hell or High Water, and the fact that album is one of the most beautiful things I own in the shape of a circle made it even more depressing.
There were rumors another project had been birthed by frontman Cody Bonnette, called Hellohighwater. Two years ago.
So, life went on for me, and I was checking out tickets for Emery’s We Do What We Want Tour the other day, and I noticed that Hawkboy was listed as the opening band.
Hm. Never heard of Hawkboy.
Not long after that, I saw a little Facebook feed update from As Cities Burn’s band page:
Hey ya’ll! It has been a long time since you have heard from ACB I guess. Here to let you know Cody and Aaron (me) have a new band called Hawkboy. We will be releasing an EP very soon and we will be on tour all summer. Go like our page and keep up!
Um. WHAT?!
Didn’t take me too long to find Hawkboy’s Facebook page and “Like” it. They should’ve had a button that gave me the option to “Love” it.
Photo via Facebook
And, yes, the song they posted, “2 Bit,” is completely raw. If you’re looking to listen to something interesting and different and awesome, I highly recommend you to check it out. And if you were a fan of As Cities Burn…I don’t know why you’re still reading this.
The day I heard Aaron Gillespie left Underoath, I almost cried. I think people thought I made a really big deal about it. I told others, and myself, that this is why the news was so terrible to me:
1. Gillespie simply is an amazing drummer, and the chemistry that he and Spencer Chamberlain (lead singer) had as vocalists was really quite unique. Songs like “Too Bright to See. Too Loud to Hear” just wouldn’t be happening anymore.
2. I admit, I have a soft spot for Gillespie….the product of a past teenage-girl crush I had on him. Sorry. Don’t blame me, he was the red-headed drummer of my favorite hardcore band! What was I supposed to do?
3. Gillespie was the last remaining original member of Underoath when it started, from the ground up. Knowing he wouldn’t be there anymore was just weird.
4. I never would be able to see THIS in concert ever:
(Photo credit not mine)
So, those were the reasons I thought I was so upset about dear Aaron Gillespie leaving Underoath. As life moved on and I accepted my heartbreak (yeah, so dramatic), I still continued to follow Underoath, and I was happy to receive their new album Ø (Disambiguation) for Christmas.
Yesterday, though, I watched the music video for their single “In Division.” Out of all Underoath’s bizarre, raw music videos, this one ranks at the top for me. Seriously; here’s a screenshot I found online of one of the scenes:
As I was watching the video, though, I found myself saying, “Oh my gosh, Tim!”…”Whoa! Look at Chris! He’s so crazy!”…”Haha, oh, James…”…”Aw, Grant!”…and, “Oh no! Spencer’s drowning! Sad…”
Then it hit me–even though I’ve never met any of these guys, much less seen Underoath in concert (truly a sad thing), this band has been part of my life ever since I started listening to them back in my early high school years. From the first time I watched their video biography from debut They’re Only Chasing Safety, it was like I entered into their world. And for the next couple of years, I grew up with the Underoath family–that was the special part of Underoath, how they never changed since Chasing Safety; no lineup rearrangements, no breakups, no hiatus. Unlike a number of other bands I listened to, Underoath held to consistency.
So when Aaron left, you could say this wasn’t the typical so-and-so-band-broke-up-that’s-too-bad-they-were-pretty-good sort of deal. No, we’re talking about a my-big-brother-just-moved-halfway-across-the-world-I-may-never-see-him-again sort of deal.
I was rather relieved to realize my feelings weren’t simply the product of a very disappointed fangirl.
Though I believe Underoath will never be the same without you, Aaron Gillespie, I will still listen, support, and love them. Ø (Disambiguation) is a rather fantastic album, and the “In Division” music video is a pretty good way to express its hardcore awesomeness.
Sorry, Josh Dies, but I don’t think you have that phrase copyrighted yet. Besides, I think I’m allowed to use it since I’m going to talk about how your band Showbread is making a new album for FREE as a result of its new partnership with Come&Live! Records–because that’s truly raw.
Come&Live! is a non-profit organization that focuses on equipping musicians to be more missionary-esque, by using a charity-based income to offer free digital music. Here is a short video explaining their vision in a nutshell:
In March, Showbread announced a statement regarding their departure from Tooth & Nail records and their signing on with Come&Live!
“At this point in our lives as Showbread, we have decided to withdraw from many elements of the industry that have been a part of our band for years, sign with Come&Live! and trust God to provide ways for us to offer our music and our performances as free gifts in order to expand the scope of our ministry. By offering our music as a gift with no charge and embracing Christ’s call to give generously we will open our ministry to anyone and everyone who will take any note of it, not just those willing to pay for it. It is our hope to make Showbread more like the work of missionaries than the work of a professional rock and roll band.”
You can read their full statement on Showbread’s site here.
Well, sure, that’s cool, sounds like a good charity to donate to once in a while, free music is fun, yada-yada. Sounds pretty raw, I guess…
Wait, I’m not finished yet! The deal here is, not long after they joined the Come&Live! family, Showbread decided to begin a fundraiser for their upcoming album, with the intent to raise enough money to be able to create the album for free, with all the studio charges covered by donations.
The project started in late May, with a deadline for August 14 to raise $13,000. Those interested in supporting the project were allowed to pledge money online, on a site called Kickstarter, with the option of choosing a gift according to the amount pledged (for example, $20 would get a special signed CD/DVD).
Eight days later, the full amount had already been funded…and after the full 90 days had elapsed, the grand total of donations amounted to $33, 322. Now that’s what I call raw.
Personally, I was completely amazed at how God not only matched the band’s goal, but completely surpassed it even when no one could tell if the project had any chance of success. Needless to say, the Showbread guys were pretty excited too:
