the importance of rhythm (aka why white people don't like hip-hop)

It stills blows my mind when even musicians will proclaim that hip-hop isn't real music when they've probably seen someone who isn't good try to do it. It's a disaster that's equivalent to someone who can't sing trying to belt their way through "Bohemian Rhapsody" at a karaoke bar. I'm sure there are some arguments out their that claim racist reasons for white cultures negation of hip-hop as real music much like those who say that lesbian relationships are sexy flirtations rather than genuine love. But, for me the main cause behind this thought is that black or African music is rooted in rhythm rather than melody. White people, for the most part (because i speak generally) like their drummers in the background. They don't understand music that is based around the rhythm rather than the melody.

At the same time this could go to explain why white people supposedly can't dance. When you haven't grown up around rhythm you probably can't express it with your body. But, there are white guys who play the drums and can't dance, but they've probably never tried too often to express it with their entire body. Most of us have probably only seen family members dancing on a handful of occasions. We ourselves have probably only danced at certain family occasions and awkward middle school dances. Basically it hasn't been part of of lives or our music.

But, this is changing. Younger white people are getting into hip-hop music, but mostly for the wrong reasons. They'll blast it in their tricked out Honda Civics until their mid-twenties, but then they'll disavow it when they are older and have kids. I think this is because they were into mainstream hip-hop because of the absurd lyrics and situations. Once they become older they feel as if they've grown out of it and find it destructive. They probably didn't really like the music form itself. There were other reasons beyond the music that drew them to it. It was a short-term flirtation.

I don't know. What I'm saying might be controversial. Let me know if you think I'm wrong, but remember that I'm speaking generally. There are always exceptions, but you can't really discuss anything by using the very few exceptions. For the majority of us I think this rings pretty true.

scenes go with songwriting like hammers nail pretzels...

forgive me for the really bad metaphor, but it was an on the fly thing and i didn't really want to go with something cliche, like chocolate and onions.
in one of my previous blogs i briefly implied that musical scenes more often than not fail to encourage good songwriting.

"The ultimate failure of scenes and things that categorize music into a small box is that they emphasize the technical aspects of the music being performed or listened to, not songwriting."

Granted, this is a simple reduction of something that is a little more complex as scenes can be, so I'll go into a little more detail. First, I'll make a statement as to what I feel categorizes a scene.

1. Style: There is a certain way of dress that allows scenesters to define themselves as part of their own subculture. It allows them to not only let others know they are a part of it, but it also helps them define themselves as a human being as being a part of something larger than them that is special. For many people music isn't just music. Life is routine and the daily grind can tend to make us feel very unspecial, like our lives are virtually meaningless. Style allows people in a scene, especially those who aren't contributing to the music, to define themselves a part of something they see as great so that they don't have to define themselves by their employment, which is typically low wage and service related. A lot of us grew up with working parents who didn't have much of a life of their own. We always told ourselves we'd be better than that, but failed to learn a skill that would separate us from the majority. So, style is an easy way to do that.

2. Youth and Emotions: One of the most important aspects of a thriving scene is its ability to emotionally connect to the people around it, especially the younger generations who have the expendable time and energy to be a part of something that has no monetary or job-related gain for the majority of its participants. Once you've past a certain age and your life is full of more and more responsibilities you don't have the time or desire in music unless you actually love the music. Most of the general population you know has a cd collection of music that came out before they moved out on their own and had financial responsibilities. They will own the cd's from their favorite high school/college bands and if they have anything new it will usually be from those same artists or their solo projects. They just don't have the time for new music or anything that seems so frivolous to someone who is concerned about children, mortgages, bills, etc. Also, these people have mellowed out a bit since they were 16. If they listen to new music it probably won't be something that has the youthful anger/angst that most thriving scenes emote. Mellow attitudes don't usually rally people together. Ultimately, this is why once you pass a certain age you are no longer the target of the music industry. They know you don't buy cd's anymore and if you do it's not their market.

Music: It depends who you ask, but most people would probably say that the music is ultimately the most important aspect of a scene, though I would disagree. It's way too complicated to say that it's all about the music. The emotional aspects are probably more important. But, I digress.

Now to the subject of the title. Musically, scenes are more about the instruments you play, the loudness, the softness, the style of singing, subject of lyrics, the clothes you wear, the attitude you have on stage, whether you care or are apathetic, the speed, etc. ultimately, the show will draw if it falls in line with the style and emotional desires to be a part of the scene. people will come because all of their friends will be their and this will make them feel special, needed and a part of a group. most of them will say they like your music and dance to it, but wont likely buy the cd. if they do, they probably won't listen to it much. in the loneliness of their room they'll probably be more likely to break out The Cure, David Bowie or Bob Dylan. That's why, in my original quote, I claimed that most scenes, even the really thriving ones will produce only a handful of successful bands out of the thousands that didn't go far. The ones who rise to the top were the ones who wrote good pop music, the kind of music that you actually want to listen to when your friends aren't around. In the end, scenes involve too many non-music related facets to put any real emphasis on songwriting. It's easy to get lost in the more shallow aspects of a scene and forget that you need to make a great record first.

leaders, followers and loners

leaders: someone who can take the information that is presented to them and decide what is write and wrong and lead those who agree and change the minds of those who don't know what they believe.

followers: those who, for one reason or another, can't sort through information and come to conclusions on their own. they need leaders to sum things up for them and tell them how to feel and think about things they weren't able to come to a conclusion on. their belief system usually accords with that of the leaders who remind them of themselves or come from their community.

loners: much like leaders in their ability to come to their own conclusions, but are only capable of leading themselves, not others. usually don't care about others enough to lead them. you have to love to the people to lead them...sometimes.

I got to thinking about this when I started talking to a friend of mine at work about Barack Obama. He brought up how the Jeremiah Wright scandel changed his opinion about Obama's character and wondered how influential Wright was on Obama.
First of all, Jeremiah Wright isn't a force of pure evil. There is probably a lot of good qualities in the man to admire and live up to. I'm not familiar with all of this controversial beliefs, but he is an extremist which is always going to turn a lot of people off. But, I'm sure most of his beliefs fall in line with goodness and are meant to help empower his own people, which isn't a bad thing.
Second, Obama is a leader. He's not the people you remember from your hometown and religious experiences who just absorb what is presented to him and becomes a clone of his teachers.

the art of songwriting !!: having the vision to see a song through

I would like to take off on a subject that was discussed on one of my new favorite blogs (reeltoreal.blogspot.com) where he takes a Mazzy Star demo and compares it to the finished album product with the intention of showing how after the main framework of the song is created many great songwriter's have the vision to take the song to another level whether it is through better recording quality or a more complex arrangement.

I'd like to start off by presenting an example from my own catalog titled "The Great Depression" which is a song I wrote in the spring of 2006, but didn't record a more professional version until the fall of 2007. The original version can be found at "redfizz.com/rf/song.aspx?&songid=346523 and the album version can be found on "myspace.com/jivewhiteboy."

The original chord progression essentially exists in it's entirety in both versions of the song, but the instrumentation that is built around the progression either emphasizes its dark surrealness or changes the emotion entirely as I feel is the case with the second chorus where the lead guitar/piano combo creates a brighter/happier feel.

In all honestly, with this particular song and pretty much most of the songs on the ep, I came into the recording process with no intentions of how it should or was going to sound. I have a feeling this is going to change for my next album. Having more of an idea of how the recording process works, I'll probably come into it with more ideas of arrangements rather than doing everything on the spot. I'm not really sure if that's a good thing. There was something about the spontaneity of this particular situation where the producer and I collaborated on something neither of us had put much thought into beforehand that helped make this one of the better tracks. It was also my willingness to let someone else "mess" with my work that took it to a different level. I know a lot of people who are almost phobic about letting others change their work, but sometimes you have to sit back and put trust in someone. It's also a hell of a lot more enjoyable to work with someone else.

I've had people tell me before that it was blasphemy to change some of my songs the way I did. But, it was always my intention to take them in a different direction and turn them into something bigger. Though, I'm probably considered a "singer-songwriter" the music I've always listened to as never reflected this title. I've never been very strict about how things should sound, genres and the like. The thing I'm looking most forward to about the next album is just how much I can turn the original songs into something different.

the art of songwriting: chapter !

The difference between songwriting and technical ability

I started playing guitar in the 5th grade after a three year stint of learning the piano which never really managed to inspire me. I took classical guitar lessons for about 4 or 5 years, but alas, was yet to be moved by the art of playing music. I loved to listen to groups like the Beatles, but playing classical never grew on me. By the end, I practiced so little that my teacher thought it would be better if I just stopped taking lessons. What a disappointment! I wasn't too upset at the time. It freed me up to take on more constructive activities like Super Street Fighter on the Super Nintendo. Three years later I started messing around with my Classical Alvarez again, learning how to play Beatles' songs with a tablature book I got years earlier for my birthday. As my teenage years progressed and I started listening to good music again after a period of being in love with cheesy 70's rock bands like Styx and Supertramp, I fell in love with the Smashing Pumpkins. Though they're not in my rotation much these days their music encapsalated the way I felt during that brief, yet emotional time in my life.
So, when I started to play the guitar again after a three year hiatus, I learned to play a little bit of almost every smashing pumpkin song I could. Certain aspects of the music were beyond my technical ability, but I always managed to learn enough to make it recognizable to the listener. In the tablature book for "Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" there were a couple articles written by Billy Corgan for Guitar World magazine. There was a quote that has always stuck in my mind about the difference between songwriting and technical ability.

"Guitar playing, in and of itself, does not mean a whole heck of a lot. But guitar playing with in the context of great music and great songs is a big deal. If you look at the guitarists who are most noted for their playing ability, you will find that their reputations are inextricably tied to the great songs they have written, or at least reinterpreted in their own unique ways."

At the time and today still, all the music I love and the music I write have one thing in common: good songwriting. I listen to hip-hop, electronica, indie rock, whatever. I'm not a genre nazi and hold no allegiance to any kind of music. The ultimate failure of scenes and things that categorize music into a small box is that they emphasize the technical aspects of the music being performed or listened to, not songwriting. Usually only a couple bands from a scene will actually connect to anyone outside of the scene, probably because they were good songwriters. When these bands leave that scene they usually want to grow into something different after which they'll be extricated from the scene or they'll continue to make the same kind of music and become stale.

So, advice to young musicians is to learn how to write and play music. Like in most aspects of life, the middle ground between the two is the best place to be. If you don't learn the technical aspect you'll eventually be stifled by your own ignorance and unable to move forward. If you only know how to play you'll never be able to create something that connects to anyone other than yourself when you're playing it.

critique from A&R representative of the Universal Music Group (UMG)

so, as a part of finishing in the top five of that famecast.com thing one of my prizes was to choose between a $100 gift cirtificate from Guitar Center or to get one of my tracks sent to an A&R representative for the Universal Music Group. choosing the later, i got my response a couple of days ago. as it was told to me by the famecast.com people, they would only critique the one's that they like the most, which i guess i'll take as the truth. in that respect, i'm flattered they chose to critique mine, which was "knives that stab your face."

"I really like this vibe. I love the harmonies and the stacked vocals. The music would fit perfectly next to Bright Eyes and other indie bands of that ilk. The lyrics are great. Please send me the full record when it's complete. I stress that in this genre of music, it's very important to cultivate a fan base before trying to get on a major label, as all major label operations are based around radio support. I checked out the myspace and don't see too much activity. I'd like to see more. I want to see an organic fan reaction. Lots of talent here. Look forward to hearing the full LP."

I'm pretty happy with what he said. Though, I never had any expectations that any kind of major label would be interested at this point without any kind of real fanbase.

new demo: "white kids"

this song was my first attempt at creating a fuller sound for one of my demos. so, i had to deal with more instruments in the mix than i normally have had to in the past. it's hard to say where the inspiration for this song came from. i was feeling particularly down one night and i was by myself. i came up with the simple little guitar progression that you hear throughout the song which is basically a C major chord with the bottom G. i make a little melodic line one the bottom string by going from the G to the E then to the F, keeping the rest of the C major chord intact. then, as i usually do, i came up with the vocal melody which had an almost punk quality where you have a lot of exaggerations on the beginning and end consonents and a lot of ah ah ah's.
what i like most about this song is that it's a departure from what i had written in the past and is kind of a new direction. i'm opening up a little more with my singing and seeing what i can do with my vocals. i'm not an amazing singer in the classical sense, but i feel it helps to make up for it with a little bit of originality. you be the judge i guess. as far as the subject matter, i'll leave that up to interpretation. enjoy "white kids." brian (jivewhiteboy)

white kids from the plains
become white men in the game
grow white hair on their face
throw white fits to get their way

i'm sick and tired of everyone
i'm sick and tired of everyone
guess i'll shoot them down with my gun

white kids live in malls
buy white things to show off
no thought in their brains
revelling in white fame

chorus

white kids from the sand
become white teens in a band
write white songs about grace
become white men who spit in your face

you can check this song out at myspace.com/jivewhiteboy