This was originally written for something else...
My ticket read:
DJ Thanksgiving Brown / Jel (Solo Set) / Black Moth Super Rainbow / Subtle
Knitting Factory
Friday May 3rd
I knew who was playing, but this was a rare show where I didn't go to see the headlining band. Apparently no one else did, either.
Jel, one of the members of Subtle, began by showcasing live beats. The crowd was prepared to stand in a typically apatehtic, zombie-ish stance, but Jel's instrument-like mastery of the drum machine forced the crowd into a dancing trance.
That trance only lasted about two minutes. People were there to see Black Moth Super Rainbow. I thought I was there to see them too- until they started playing. If it weren't for their bizarre video projections (that would even throw Dan Deacon and his Wham City Collective for a loop) I might have died of boredom in their cloud of aural LSD. At times, I felt like I was walking inside of a Pratt student's acid trip. At other, I felt I was severely missing out on some huge joke. All I was certain of was that their brand of psych-electronica is absolutely best enjoyed recorded. At home. Without hippies.
An exodus of mass proportions followed Black moth's set, so I decided to stay and figure out what it was about Subtle that people didn't bother to try to relate to, or just couldn't grasp. A black guy with glasses popped into the doorway to take a picture of the crowd, and then disappeared. Oh my god was that Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio? Yes it was!
Subtle goes on stage wearing white. He's stands near an altar fixed with skulls, fur, chattering teeth and other, much less identifiable objects. Doseone, the pint-sized firecracker of a lead singer struts on stage with a shadowy chin and an overgrown mohawk. Some Asian twenty-something in the crowd mutters something about hip-hop staying alive. Some bald middle-aged man in front of him pesters me about back injuries in old age. Forks were hurled, Obama was mentioned and so was Hitler. What the hell kind of group is this? A cult?
Maybe it wasn't a cult, but it was something strange. Subtle's stage presence seemed to hint at the music's peaceful dichotomy between respecting the past and forward progression: live instrumentation vs. turntablism, Doseone's primitive banshee voice vs. the technology he runs his voice through, a cello played with slide guitar bottlenecks and connected to effect pedals. These aspects of their live show were subtle bridges between the past and the present.
When listening to him at home, Doseone's esoteric 'raps' (some may prefer the word 'rants' or 'tangents') go right over my head, but somehow in the dark, cramped hall it feels like it makes perfect sense. Somehow it's logical that something so 'subtle' hits me like a brick. I understand the crowd, the costumes, and the altar. It's obvious: I've been welcomed into the cult.
Subtle, Knitting Factory: old show, new post
CHECK OUT:
Doseone's now defunct project cLOUDDEAD (particularly the "Ten" album). His Anticon. label (which is more of an artist collective) supports a lot of artists that appear in various permutations to form various different bands. cLOUDEAD was one of those permutations, and Why? is one of the most current ones. Jel, a member of Subtle and Anticon.'s Themselves, and 13&God uses drum machines without sequencing, meaning that he essentially programs the machine so he can play it like a virtual drum with his fingers- more of an instrument than a tool. I especially like his little dance at the beginning, back when his hair was long.
Labels:
Black Moth Super Rainbow,
Jel,
Knitting Factory,
Subtle
Cold War Kids, Prospect Park - you get what you pay for
I'd planned on seeing a friend's band, The Baby Train, but my friends and I lacked IDs and extra dough. So, yes, as usual, my plans flopped, and I ended up at Cold War Kids. I had a feeling their lo-fi bluesiness wouldn't translate onto a big stage in the middle of some park.
Lo & behold I was right! I was pretty confused after the show, and if I wasn't already familiar with the songs on their set list, I wouldn't have enjoyed the vast majority of the concert. Also, not that this has anything to do with my disappointment, for some reason the band seemed to have a greater likeness to the French Kicks than they ever had before. I didn't notice that on my own, but apparently multiple people felt the same way.
So were they drunk? Were they sick? Were they tired? Maybe a little of all three?
I don't know, but overall, the band's sound was pretty muddy. Their sloppy, inconsistent tempo changes (especially the drummer's playing...aren't drummers supposed to keep time or something?), pitchy, scratchy vocals, and nearly energetic delivery was pretty disappointing considering how much I loved the recorded tracks.
I don't know why bands insist on using cheap-sounding piano sounds on keyboards. I only wish Cold War Kids could have been the exception, especially because they use a lot of keyboard in their songs and because the sound they use for the recorded material is so distinctive- you know, the almost-kitschy-five-cents-out-of-tune-upright-piano-sound that the Walkmen also use. For one song, Cold War had the audacity to use a synth. Really, guys?
The fellows from Elvis Perkins in Dearland lent their woodwinds and brass to a couple of the songs. It could have really added to the performance, if only it were mic-ed properly. I'm not much of a fan of Elvis Perkins in Dearland either, but to be fair, I haven't spent much time listening to them.
To Cold War's credit, they showed their versatility by exchanging instruments between band members every few songs. The flow of songs, and integration of the older album and the new one was pretty well crafted as well. The set list included "Welcome to the occupation", "Devil's in the details", "Something is Not Right With Me", "Hospital Beds", and "St. John" (my personal favorite). Seeing this jerky clappy dance-thing that all these guys in bands seem to do was reason enough to go, if anything. Almost.
Today was the Crooklyn Dodgers Reunion (featuring Chubb Rock) and I couldn't go...
Here's a post in honor of the show I missed:
Yesterday in the car with my dad, Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" came on the radio. I vomited in my mouth a bit when an image of a smug-faced, blinged-out Kanye West came to mind as soon as I heard the familiar brass line. I was immediately reminded of how many people would have naively wondered how this "Mayfield guy" got away with stealing Kanye's "beat".
My dad actively supports artists' rights and copyright laws. He never downloads music, and would frequently question my integrity during my Kazaa and Napster filled preteen days (to no avail). Some how I feel as though my conscience is clear now because I read blogs to get my free mp3s instead of fancy programs that give PC's viruses. (Yeah, I'm kind of full of crap). It was so irritating to me that the potential was so high for someone to wrongfully attribute Mayfield's songwriting to Kanye. I told my dad how irritated I was and he immediately replied, "that's sampling culture for you". It got me thinking.
I'm not one who believes that art or music should be judged predominantly by its degree of difficulty; it's not a problem that sampling can be accessible to the masses because of its ostensible simplicity. It's not even a problem that sampling often exploits the immediate recognizability of the original record. Sampling culture at it's best is something I support, and I feel its a shame that this legitimate art form can sadly be reduced to exploitative plagiarism at its very worst. No, I'm too much a product of the new millennium to be bothered by any potential ills.
The problem is that too many people have a lack of investment in their craft. It's a problem that is especially apparent and easier to fall victim to in sampling culture. A man like Dilla or a guy like Immuzikation (if you haven't checked out "Fish Tacos" do so RIGHT NOW. It's one of the most masterful mash-ups I've heard in a while) obviously has investment in their craft. But it's too easy to pull a Borges "Pierre Menard". Only, after the billionth time of hearing someone else just "choose" someone else's work, it stops being novel. It is the musical equivalent of Duchamp's readymade, but there is one crucial difference. The readymades were placed in a gallery with the intention of being a type of cerebral art. There's usual nothing cerebral about sampling culture, and there doesn't need to be. However, people who listen to the music should be "cerebral" in terms of being more aware of the medium's social implications, and aware of the original music. Not to mention the fact that artists have a responsibility to protect the legitimacy about their craft (and combat any questions claims of its illegitimacy) through their actions: giving credit where credit is due, being knowledgeable, not lazy and fully invested in their music.
The opposite can with sampling, yes. While people can become ignorant of the original material that was sample, people can also learn about music that they never knew existed.
My point is simply this: In an age where everything is easy, and people use music exploitatively (trying to look cool, just making profit, etc...) it would be nice to see musicians, themselves, trying to actively subvert this pervasive laziness in a lot of youth culture, particularly American youth culture. It's inherently easier for people to accuse artists in newer art forms such as beat-making of such laziness, than it is in older ones such as playing an instrument. Playing an instrument can take years upon years to master, and beat-making doesn't necessarily require such intense training. That being said, this is no one's fault, and no one should think that music should be inherently complicated or have to take years to master.
I guess that's why I'm drawn to less familiar music in the first place- it's like a bit of insurance that what I'm listening to is going to be full of heart. The artists aren't making as much money, so they have to love what they're doing enough to compromise luxuries; If I have to go hunting to listen to and read about particular artists I must truly appreciate their work. In this hunt for knowledge I automatically develop a connection to the music, and break away from this generation's pervasive passivity.
My dad actively supports artists' rights and copyright laws. He never downloads music, and would frequently question my integrity during my Kazaa and Napster filled preteen days (to no avail). Some how I feel as though my conscience is clear now because I read blogs to get my free mp3s instead of fancy programs that give PC's viruses. (Yeah, I'm kind of full of crap). It was so irritating to me that the potential was so high for someone to wrongfully attribute Mayfield's songwriting to Kanye. I told my dad how irritated I was and he immediately replied, "that's sampling culture for you". It got me thinking.
I'm not one who believes that art or music should be judged predominantly by its degree of difficulty; it's not a problem that sampling can be accessible to the masses because of its ostensible simplicity. It's not even a problem that sampling often exploits the immediate recognizability of the original record. Sampling culture at it's best is something I support, and I feel its a shame that this legitimate art form can sadly be reduced to exploitative plagiarism at its very worst. No, I'm too much a product of the new millennium to be bothered by any potential ills.
The problem is that too many people have a lack of investment in their craft. It's a problem that is especially apparent and easier to fall victim to in sampling culture. A man like Dilla or a guy like Immuzikation (if you haven't checked out "Fish Tacos" do so RIGHT NOW. It's one of the most masterful mash-ups I've heard in a while) obviously has investment in their craft. But it's too easy to pull a Borges "Pierre Menard". Only, after the billionth time of hearing someone else just "choose" someone else's work, it stops being novel. It is the musical equivalent of Duchamp's readymade, but there is one crucial difference. The readymades were placed in a gallery with the intention of being a type of cerebral art. There's usual nothing cerebral about sampling culture, and there doesn't need to be. However, people who listen to the music should be "cerebral" in terms of being more aware of the medium's social implications, and aware of the original music. Not to mention the fact that artists have a responsibility to protect the legitimacy about their craft (and combat any questions claims of its illegitimacy) through their actions: giving credit where credit is due, being knowledgeable, not lazy and fully invested in their music.
The opposite can with sampling, yes. While people can become ignorant of the original material that was sample, people can also learn about music that they never knew existed.
My point is simply this: In an age where everything is easy, and people use music exploitatively (trying to look cool, just making profit, etc...) it would be nice to see musicians, themselves, trying to actively subvert this pervasive laziness in a lot of youth culture, particularly American youth culture. It's inherently easier for people to accuse artists in newer art forms such as beat-making of such laziness, than it is in older ones such as playing an instrument. Playing an instrument can take years upon years to master, and beat-making doesn't necessarily require such intense training. That being said, this is no one's fault, and no one should think that music should be inherently complicated or have to take years to master.
I guess that's why I'm drawn to less familiar music in the first place- it's like a bit of insurance that what I'm listening to is going to be full of heart. The artists aren't making as much money, so they have to love what they're doing enough to compromise luxuries; If I have to go hunting to listen to and read about particular artists I must truly appreciate their work. In this hunt for knowledge I automatically develop a connection to the music, and break away from this generation's pervasive passivity.
Please don't incorrectly simplify this post to "oh, she doesn't like hip-hop or support sampling". If you're that stupid, you probably can't read this post, anyway. But, next time "Touch the Sky" comes on and someone mentions how great the beat is, I'm going to only mildly agree... then send them a link to a site about Curtis Mayfield.
Education ain't doin' me NO good...
I almost had a post for today. But I missed the concert because I got disoriented and confused in alphabet city. I wish they taught you how to read and count in kolej.
"If you don't know, now you know..."
You heard what Biggie said...so alright kids, here are the basics:
Blog aggregators / search engines:
- I swear I was one of the first people ever to use hypemachine. Say I'm wrong and I'll punch you in the face.
- I actually found elbows before hype, and I still think it has better search capabilities.
- Skreemr isn't exactly a blog aggregator. It's more of an "all of the music on the entire interweb" aggregator. It's not pretty but it gets the job done.
- You might be surprised by what you find on Alta Vista. It's probably better for sound clips / voice clips than full mp3s.
Find new music:
- Pandora still does the trick. If you don't know pandora, you've been living under a rock and you should probably stay there.
- Virtual mixtapes allow you to peep other people's current playlists (or whatever they want you to think they're listening to). OUTdependent has one, but it's not often updated.
- Blah, blah, blah social networking. Blah, blah, blah username. Blah, blah, blah. Thanks to these things we're all socially inept and creepy. But it's okay, because now we can all bond over the internet and find music. IMEEM and Last.fm bridge the gap between social networking sites and music sites. What better way to help us through our social failings than by streaming sweet tunes?!
When all else fails:
- Use youtube.com. I don't care if it's kind of unreliable and bootlegged. Occasionally, I use youtube to find songs I haven't bought or downloaded yet. To pretend it's on repeat, I keep clicking the play button before the song stops. Don't judge me.
- Use a free Rhapsody trial for a couple of days. Again: not caring about the "bottleggedness" factor. It works, and better yet, it's renewable. Sometimes, if you stop a song before it finishes, it doesn't count as one of your 25 free listens in your free trial and you can squeeze in more listens!
- ORRRRR *gasp* buy it from a local record store. I support Soundfix and Other Music. Not because I'm pretentious or a jerk (the verdict's still out on those, actually) but because they have free concerts and events. I'm jobless and broke. Freeness + brokeness = a match made in heaven. Plus, when I was younger, (even) dumber and played the "stump the guy who works at the record shop" game there, I felt more accomplished.
Labels:
alta vista,
blog aggregators,
elbows,
hype,
IMEEM,
Last.fm,
machine,
mixtape,
muxtape,
other music,
Pandora,
rhapsody,
search engines,
skreemr,
soundfix,
youtube
It's been a long time coming...
Why on earth does the kitsch-ily named blogosphere need another wanna-be critic? Yet another 'opinionated' couch-dwelling 'pundit' that leeches onto name-dropping scenesters' playlists? Why'd I use that god-awful pun as the title?
What I mean by moving "beyond what's 'in' in fringe":
- I want to focus on *music* and do so with breadth, depth, and honesty.
- I'll try not to ONLY talk about what everyone else is talking about. (Only is the operative word here). I hope to discover lots of random music, learn a lot from it, and share what I learn with my readers.
- Musicians aren't always music lovers and music lovers often aren't musicians. I hope to bridge the two and exploit the fact that I'm both.
- The meaning of 'indie' and 'independent' music has been changing as the industry evolves. The label 'indie' is ineffable to me, and ultimately not that important. I'm only drawn to what the word has the potential to signify: originality, grit, heart, etc...
My goal is to mainly evaluate live music and smaller acts. Not necessarily the bands that are all over the blogosphere already. Not necessarily the band magazines are lauding ad nauseum. Not necessarily the band you love to name drop but have never actually listened to. (It's okay, I admit that I do it too sometimes). Not ALWAYS those bands, but your sister's band. The band who's album I picked up by accident for a buck. (Being cheap is practical!) The random concert I went to last night. All of those hidden gems juxtaposed with artists we ALL already know or have already seen live.
In the future, I'd like to sponsor special recordings of songs by artists featured on the blog. Think: a "daytrotter session" mixed with a "le blogotheque" edge. Instead of recording the song the way we know it already, I'd pick a special way of recording: as if you're Mic Jagger (an unfortunate recording, undoubtedly), as if it were a hair metal ballad, a capella, with an extended chorus, freestyling lyrics, slower, faster, etc...
It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally here. Don't get it twisted, this is MY blog, but I'd love your comments and corrections. Be my maven! I can learn a lot from you all, and hopefully you can get something from OUTdependent. If not a new band to love and cherish (or hate and despise), a new way of thinking about and listening to music.
NOW THAT FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS ARE OVER LET'S GET THIS STARTED ALREADY...
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