Indablog

Mariah Remix Discussion

Indaba Music — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

I've noticed something on here lately. No matter what I post, no matter I'm talking about, you guys just seem to want to chat about the Mariah remix contest . At first I was insulted; "Why aren't they praising my witty, insightful analysis of the 'Gilligan's Island' theme song? The fools!" But now I've checked my ego and see that the reason you guys are talking about the Mariah remix contest is because it's the best thing to talk about. So I'm not going to fight the trend with this post. No, I'm going to encourage it! (Of course, you can talk about it on the Contest Page as well).

So, lay it on me. Leave comments about your favorite remixes, ones you find interesting, your own process with the song. Say whatever you want, I want to hear it.

I'll start with this: everyone remixing this track is far more musically talented than I will ever be and, therefore, I have no right to actually comment on the quality of any of the mixes.

Oh, and if you haven't entered yet, you had better hurry up because the submission period ends TONIGHT AT 11:59!

What's Your Least Favorite Song?

Indaba Music — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Yesterday I told you guys all about one of my favorite songs and asked you to post yours as well. Today, let's try the opposite, shall we? Like it or not, there are plenty of horrible songs out there and they deserve to be called out for sucking so, so hard. So, if you'd like to let the world know which song out there absolutely kills you to listen to, post a blog with the title My Least Favorite Song. As we did yesterday, I'll go first.

I absolutely hate the "Cha Cha Slide." If you're not familiar with this sonic dogpile, count yourself lucky. It's almost devoid of actual music, save some computer-generated drums and the singer just sort of talks over the beat. I find it almost offensive; an asualt on all the halfway decent line-dance songs out there. Yet at every wedding, every birthday party, every organized event with dancing, some horrible person seems to want to hear this garbage. Line dances used to have music mixed with dancing instruction. Not anymore, apparently. Listen for yourself, if you dare! NOTE (this version has more music in it, but it's still awful!)

Body of Work

Indaba Music — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Wired pointed me to a fascinating, funny study on which body part is sung about most often. The study was conducted by two visual artists, Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg, as part of a project named Fleshmap . The bodyparts vs. song segment of the project has been named "Listen ." (Some NSFW imagery there) Despite what Mr. Mix-a-lot would like to see - namely, the supremecy of the booty - it's the eyes that are sung about the most accross all genres. From the post...

"Listen investigates the relationship between language and the
body," reads one sentence of the project's manifesto. "Verbal
manifestations of human physicality in music, poetry and religion are
distilled to their basic elements." By presenting those elements in
such an intuitive way, Viégas and Wattenberg bring data to life
graphically, so that it can be grasped in seconds.

So, what do the results tell us? Across all of the categories, the
eyes are most frequently mentioned body part (Hall & Oates, "Private Eyes" ), with the exceptions of hip hop, which places a firm emphasis on the posterior (Sir Mix a Lot, "Baby Got Back" ) and blues (Louisiana Red, "Keep Your Hands Off My Woman ") and gospel music (The Gospel, "Put Your Hands Together" ), which are respectively focused on the keeping off of one's hands and the clapping or raising of one's hands.

As for the genre that talks about body parts the most, hip hop takes
the honors with more references than any other genre. Meanwhile, gospel
refers to the body the least. There are plenty of other data points to
peruse. It's nice to know that 23.64 percent of hip hop songs refer to
the behind, while 11.83 percent of rock songs talk about eyes.

What's Your Favorite Song?

Indaba Music — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Hey guys, I want to try something different. I want to give one of you a week a sounding board here to talk about your favorite song. Tell us what your favorite song is and why. It's pretty simple, right? But that's how people learn about other music and I want to know what you guys are into. Anyway, I'll go first.

My favorite song right now is probably Rilo Kiley's "A Better Son/Daughter." I can't exactly say what I like about it so much, but I can say a bunch of things that intrigue me. I like how the song builds from a simple, open chords into a rousing march. I like how the vocals come from the back to the front halfway through. I like the layered synth chords that also build for the entire song. I even like the lull in the middle, right beofre the "hit." Mostly though, I think I like how confident the song is. It's pretty much three chords right on through - simple, really - but it feels so much bigger. It feels like "Bohemian Rhapsody," but on paper it would look more like a Ramones song.

Now you go!

If you'd like to see your song up here post a blog with the title "My Favorite Song." Hope to hear form you guys.

(Pardon the bad audio and bad language)

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Another little gem from Joe S.'s blog

The Producers: Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, and "Brainwashed"

George was my favorite Beatle, if I had to chose one. In this video
set Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison discuss the making of George
Harrison's final album, "Brainwashed". It is amazing to hear how fully
realized George's songs were...to the extent that he wrote down even
the sound descriptions.

Peace and Enjoy.

The Monday Showdown

Indaba Music — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Happy Monday, everyone. We're back in the saddle and ready to discuss - argue? - some music. Now we've been in TV/Movie territory a lot recently and I think it might be time to explore some other facets of this wonderful thing we call music. For instance, what makes a song great? Of course, there are so many answers you could start writing a book on the topic and never stop. However, what makes a song epic? That seems a little more quantifiable, doesn't it? Is it orchestration? Layered vocals? A generally inspiring theme? All of those - or none of those - could be true. However, we all know an epic tune when we hear one and today I want to see if any of you guys might help me figure out which of the following rock songs is more epic: Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" or Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Both are epic, for sure, but one has to be more epic, right? Right. Argue away in the comments!

Sound-A-Likes

Indaba Music — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Hey Indabans, let me know what you think of this new feature I'd like to start running on the site. The idea is to find two songs that sound, for all intents and purposes, the same. For our venture into the world of iffy copyright practices, let's have a look at two of the most famous early rock n' roll acts: The Beach Boys and Chuck Berry.

First up is Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen," which hit the airwaves in 1958.

Now, let's have a listen to the Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA."

Pretty much the same song, right? How funny that two classic tunes got by using the same chords and melodies and nobody noticed! Well, that's not entirely true: the Beach Boys' gave Berry a songwriting credit on "Surfin' USA."

If you know of any funny sound-a-likes, let me know at Streeter@IndabaMusic.com.

Funny Video Thursday

Indaba Music — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

I cam across this little gem at my day job. Suffice to say I like Slayer a lot more in 8-bit...

Little Town, Big Festival

Indaba Music — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

So often with big music festivals you hear major opposition from some old coots who don't want no damn hippy shindig in their damn town. They don't want the noise, they don't want the people and they don't seem to care about the influx of cash to their area. It's happened since music festivals began decades ago and it continues to this day. However, old folks don't always hate music festivals. In fact, I came across one elderly couple who are begging that one be allowed.

It's a sad story, really. Well, not sad yet but it could be. Barbara and Ted Beckingham live in upstate New York. They don't have pensions and they get by on social security payments. The only thing they really have is a nice 100-acre farm in the town of Springfield. Here is the story from Syracuse.com

In the spring, the owners of Madison Square Garden came to the rural
town of Springfield, in Otsego County, with plans to launch a three-day
music festival each summer, like Woodstock, Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo.
The concert site would sit atop the Beckinghams’ farm and another,
larger farm next door.

But the Springfield Arts and Music Festival idea has generated so
much controversy that Barbara Beckingham, 75, fears opposition from
local residents will kill the deal.

“They’ve got their 401(k)s and their pensions and all those other
things,” she said, her voice breaking and her eyes tearing up behind
sunglasses. Looking toward the farmhouse and barn, she added: “Social
Security of $800 a month just doesn’t cut it. This is our retirement.”

The Beckingham farm sits at the epicenter of a bitter fight that is
tearing apart this small town population 1,350 that arcs along the
northern shore of historic Otsego Lake. The promise of a $15 million
investment and an annual influx of 75,000 music fans has pitted those
who want economic development against those who want to keep this rural
town rural.

Both sides see green, be it cash or countryside.

So, what do you think? Should the town have a right to stop the festival? Should the Beckinghams sacrifice for the rest of the town? Weigh in in the comments.

RIP LeRoi Moore

Indaba Music — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died yesterday of complications from an ATV accident. He was 46.

I was a big Dave Matthews Band fan growing up - as I'm sure many of you were - and it's sad to see such a talented musician go so early. DMB was certainly a musician's band and Moore was one hell of a musician. Here's Moore playing an extended live solo during "Spoon." I wish the video quality were a little higher but even with this kind of garbage sound you can hear just how good he was.

Awwwwkward

Indaba Music — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Occasionally we make something worth sharing at my day job. Today is one of those days. Please enjoy "Awkward Rap," a song about all those awkward moments we share.

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

From Joe S.'s Blog

Byrne and Eno: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

Oh Happy Monday! Two of my "hero" collaboraters have released their
new music today. David Byrne and Brian Eno's new album is available on
mp3 format.
From the album site David says:

Brian Eno and I recently finished our first collaboration
in about 30 years. The name of the new record is Everything That
Happens Will Happen Today. For the most part, Brian did the music and I
wrote some tunes, words and sang. It's familiar but completely new as
well. We're pretty excited.
The album is available exclusively from this Web site . You can stream all of the songs for free and purchase it in a variety
of digital and physical formats, including a limited edition Deluxe
Package designed by Stefan Sagmeister. All formats can be downloaded
immediately and physical CDs will be shipped in the Fall.

I've been a fan of their music since TH and "My Life InThe Bush Of Ghosts".
I will be at the Lyric in Baltimore this September for this show. Check out the tour dates.

Please...Enjoy!

Guest Spot: Oliver Sampson

Indaba Music — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

From Oliver Sampson's blog

Deep Purple

I went to see Deep Purple last night. Now that was an experience! I had given up on arena type
shows a long time ago, because, well, they sucked. The sound was
horrible, and I'd have to stand next to Jimmy Joe and Bobbi Sue and
wilt in their enthusiasm for whoever their Rock hero was. I've been to
some large festivals here in the Europe, and they've all been quite
civilized, but I just didn't dig on big arena shows.

This time, I decided to make an exception. A friend of mine, is friends with Ian Gillan , and said she could get me a backstage pass if I would like one. Hell, yeah! Naturally, I took her up on her offer.

I went on Monday down to the ticket office to buy a ticket. The show had just sold out on Saturday. Fuck. What am I gonna do now? Ebay! I decided to check if maybe, just maybe, somebody had a ticket or two
for sale on Ebay. The worst case would be that maybe I'd have to pay a
little more than the face value, or maybe I'd have to buy two tickets,
and try to sell one at the door. How did I get myself in a situation
where I have a backstage pass but no real ticket? A quick look on Ebay,
and sure enough there's one ticket available. With the Buy it now!
option. And it's at a price of..hold on...I can't be reading that
right. Does that really say for 10 EUR less than the ticket price? Hell, yeah! You can bet your bottom euro that I clicked on that Buy it now! button
faster than the speed of light. I broke the laws of physics with that
purchase, baby. Not only that, he lives just a couple of miles away and
he'd bring the ticket to me! Man it just doesn't get any better than
this. And then the Swedish Bikini Team showed up! Okay not really, but that would have been good. We arranged a meeting point , and money and ticket changed hands.

Read The Rest

Hey Indaba, see any good shows lately? Blog about it and let me know! You could have your post featured up here.

The Monday Showdown

Indaba Music — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Welcome to another wonderful week, Indaba! It's Monday and that means its time to argue about music. Now, last week we talked about movie scores and the week before we talked about TV show themes. I think we should finish off our foray into the moving picture with one final TV show theme song battle. These two songs are iconic in the worst possible way: iconic-ly cheesy. But that's what makes them so damn memorable and so damn catchy. What I want to know is this: Which of these two songs is cheesier? It's simple: listen to each song, form an opinion in your brain and then back it up in the comments. And with that, let's re-visit two of television's most corndog songs: the Gilligan's Island theme and the Brady Bunch theme.

Indaba on Discovery Channel News

Indaba Music — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Discovery Channel News , which appears to host its video on Blip.tv, did a great report on us! Thanks, Discovery Channel. The story features two Indabans, JD Allen and Disposable Love , as well as some words of wisdom from Indaba co-founder, Matt Siegel . Enjoy.

Funny Video Thursday

Indaba Music — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Every Thursday I'm going to post a funny video I've found online but I can't so it alone! If you've found a funny video having to do with music please email me at Streeter@IndabaMusic.com and let me know. You'll be credited, of course. And with that introduction allow me to show you this week's find. A classical heavy metal guitarist with a penchant for funny faces.

Congrats, Matt Palmer!

Indaba Music — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Indaban Matt Palmer is up for props. Why, you ask? Because his song, "I Wish," (available for a listen on his Indaba profile page ) was named best song of the month by Songwriter Universe Magazine . They also wrote a fantastic bio for Matt, some of which is excerpted here.

Matt Palmer, a talented pop/R&B singer & songwriter
from New York, NY, has won the August SongwriterUniverse “Best Song Of The
Month” Contest, with his song “I Wish.” “I Wish” is one of eight new songs
Palmer has written for his upcoming album project, which he will be releasing
in early 2009.

“I Wish” is a very hooky, appealing uptempo cut, which is
the vein of hit singles by Usher and Ne-Yo. It’s clear that Palmer has developed
the ability to create very commercial pop/R&B songs which can be placed
with major label artists. This recording of “I Wish” also showcases Palmer’s
artist potential – he effectively performs all the vocals (lead &
background) on this cut. And notably, Palmer played all the instruments on this
demo, using his ProTools studio setup.

Palmer, who is 21, grew up in Atlanta, GA, where he was
inspired early on by listening to Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and other
artists. When he was seven he started to play piano, and when he was 14, he
began writing songs. “During high school, I would write my own material, and
record demos,” recalled Palmer. “Then (in 2005) when I was a senior, I released
a CD (14 songs) called Getaway .

Congrats, Matt! We wish you the best of luck and hope you don't forget about our little website when you've made it big. And hey Indabans, if you or any other member you know of has won an award, signed to a label or any other musical move of consequence, don't hesitate to write me at Streeter@IndabaMusic.com and let me know.

Amazing Singing Bird

Indaba Music — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

I could barely believe it when I first saw it, but I'm totally convinced this is real. Isn't nature amazing?!

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Another great post from Joe S.

The Producers: Glen Ballard

Glen Ballard is a veteran songwriter and record producer, best known
as the producer of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, which went
platinum sixteen times in the U.S. and more than 30 million sold world
wide. He started playing the piano from a very young age and later
learned the guitar. Ballard was ten years old when he wrote his first
song, and he was in local rock bands beginning in grade five.

Ballard attended the University of Mississippi, where he was a
member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He studied English language,
political science, and journalism, and he graduated with honors. He had
the option of attending either graduate or law schools, but Ballard was
intent upon a career as a songwriter. Within a week of graduation
(1975), he moved to the West Coast.

There he joined Elton John’s organization in Los Angeles. Starting
out as a lower level assistant, Ballard eventually ended up playing
piano for Kiki Dee. He was writing constantly, and when Dee recorded
his song "One Step" in 1978, Ballard had his first charted single.

Glen has worked with artists, including Celine Dion, Elisa,
Anastacia, Shakira, Ed Kowalczyk of Live, Aretha Franklin, The Corrs,
Natalie Cole, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Patti Austin, George
Strait, Dave Matthews Band, OAR, Christina Aguilera, Barbra Streisand,
Van Halen, No Doubt, Goo Goo Dolls, Hanson, Aerosmith, Annie Lennox and
P.O.D. He is also credited with launching the debuts of Lisa Marie
Presley, Curtis Stigers, Jack Wagner, Paula Abdul, Wilson Phillips,
Katy Perry, Josh Groban, Natalia Lesz and Alanis Morissette.

in this set we have Ballard in the studio with Anouk and POD, and videos of his work with Katy Perry and Alanis Morissette.

Once again Youtube's playlists are messed up so if you cannot see the videos on this page, click here to view .

Goodbye, Mr. Hayes

Indaba Music — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

The music world lost one of its greats over the weekend. Isaac Hayes passed away while running at home on a treadmill. He was 65.

Now, I'm too young to have seen Hayes rise to greatness in the 70's with songs like the theme from Shaft , but Hayes had a whole other surge of popularity in the 90's when he signed on as the voice of Chef on "South Park." For years we laughed at the affable, amorous Chef as he handed down life lessons to the boys and tried his best to sleep with every woman in South Park. Hayes and the show parted ways after the show did an episode making fun of Scientology, in which Hayes had been a believer. They were never to work together again and both he the show were probably worse off for it. So, allow me to pay my final respects to a musical great by showing just how funny this otherwise serious singer could be. Isaac Hayes, you will be missed.

The Monday Showdown

Indaba Music — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

It's Monday and you know what that means: Argument. Last week we discussed how well two movie theme songs - Rocky and Superman - worked with their respective films. This week, let's stay in Hollywood and discuss two more theme songs. The two I've selected I consider to be two of the most inspired film scores ever written, but only one can be tops. So, I want to know which is better, the theme from "Jurassic Park," or the theme from "Chariots of Fire"? Both are moving, theatrical scores but only one can be the best. Let fly in the comments.

New Contest Alert

Indaba Music — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

As if you didn't have your hands full with the Mariah Remix Contest , the /Passenger Remix Contest and IndabaMusic Podcast Remix Contest , we've got another one here for you. We're proud to announce the launch of the latest IndabaMusic contest: The Minitek Remix Competition.

From the contest page ...

Get creative and remix a track straight from Buenos Aires' emerging underground!

Indaba is proud to bring you a new track to re-imagine, by Buenos Aire's art/music collective Fase Miusic Sender, courtesy of AirDrop Records and the minitek festival .

Fase Miusic Sender is making their track "Lejano Oeste", from their new album, Tres EP, available for you to slice, loop, and scale any way you like. As an up-and-coming label, AirDrop focuses on discovering new talents. We're excited to introduce AirDrop to the talent on Indaba and to give you a chance to take your work to the next level.

Fase will be featured along with a host of other artists at the minitek festival in New York City on September 12-14. The winning remix will be announced and debuted at the festival!

You've got till August 21st to get your entries in so get remixing and good luck! Head on over to the competition page to enter .

Announcing The IndabaMusic Podcast

Indaba Music — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Hey Indabans, Good news: we're launching our podcast . What's our podcast, you ask? It's a bi-weekly chat with some of the music industries most interesting people, hosted by yours truly. We're going to be talking to musicians, producers, DJ's, critics, industry folks and just about everyone else who plays a part in the music world. From our newsletter...

We've officially launched Season 1 of the Indaba Music Podcast , complete with its own dedicated player. In an attempt to create an open dialogue on the rapidly changing state of the music industry, we've invited an innovative and diverse group of artists, journalists and business people to talk with as at our podcast studio in New York City.

Listen directly on the podcast page , subscribe through iTunes or use your favorite RSS reader. Look for a new episode every two weeks!

So there you have it, folks. Please subscribe to us on iTunes or listen to us in the Indaba player. And if you have anyone you'd like to hear us interview, let me know at streeter@indabamusic.com . Hope you guys like it!

New Contest Alert

Indaba Music — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Hey Indabans, as if you didn't have your hands full with our Mariah Remix contest, we're hitting you with one more. Allow me to introduce you to the /Passenger Remix Contest. First a bit about the band...

A young band that's been building a strong following, /Passenger are getting great play in the UK this year. Now they've packed their
bags, stamped their passports, and have hopped the pond to make waves
internationally.

Bloody Brits, they are! But that shouldn't top you from taking a crack at remix their song, "Do What You Like" to the best of your ability. From the contest page...

To celebrate the US release of their new album, Wicked Man's Rest ,
/Passenger are asking the good folk of Indaba to inspire them with some
crazy remix action on their rising single, "Do What You Like."
/Passenger's songs are like mini-movies: storytelling with a twist in
its finest form. "Do What You Like" is no different, the story of boy
meets girl, falls in love, and then...well...loses girl. We trust
you'll show the song a brilliant time, but, as the band says, do what
you like!

To get things rolling, /Passenger has provided all of the original
files to the song, along with remix ready stems. Take a listen,
download the files and go wild with the remixing.

For more information, music, videos and your free download, visit www.passengerofficial.com .

You've got till August 26th to get your submission in, so get going. Check out all the details on the Contest Page and good luck!

Self-Leak?

Indaba Music — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0500

The Wall Street Journal - not normally your first stop for music news - has picked up an interesting story. It seems that Buckcherry - the hard rock band best known for their hit "Lit Up" (I love the cocaine, I love the cocaine) - had a song form their upcoming album leaked online and were quick to complain about it. However, the webmaster of torrentfreak.com tracked the IP address of the leaking computer back to the band's manager. At first glance it seems like espionage - the band's manager leaks a potential revenue-earning song for free on the Internet. However, it appears that the leak may have been the best thing to happen to that song and the manager, well, he might just be the next big thinker in the music industry. From the article...

While entertainment companies decry filesharing, they
nevertheless frequently use it as a tool to market music or gauge the
popularity of their offerings. Radio stations use information on which
songs are most trafficked online when deciding what to play. And it is
increasingly common for musicians and their record companies to give
away some or all of an album online before its commercial release,
albeit usually through their own Web sites, rather than through
filesharing services.

After "Too Drunk. . ." appeared on the Internet early
last month, Buckcherry wrote in a July 3 MySpace posting that "we hate
it when this s- happens, because we want our FANS to have any new songs
first." In that post, the band provided a link that allows fans to
download a copy of the song, and soon after posted a music video on its
Web site. A July 22 news release from Atlantic quoted the band making
the same complaint.

The song quickly gained traction on the Internet, and
some tech-savvy fans grew suspicious that the leaked song and the
complaints had been a successful exercise in generating publicity.

Full Article

So there you have it. A bold new marketing strategy that intentionally leaks songs. It's so contrary to what we've seen over the past few years, it may just work!

Guest Spot: Club Mocazo

Indaba Music — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

From Club Mocazo's Blog

The Power of Music

Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us. These
feelings are gripping - often irresistible - and seem to emerge from
nowhere. These feelings colour our moods, affect our perceptions and
generate a behavioural pattern. The indisputable fact about music is
its power to evoke emotions. Is there anyone, for whom, music is
completely emotional - neutral? Music has the ability to inevitably tap
the still, mysterious deep well of our emotions.

However, music can produce various emotional responses in different
individuals and even different responses in the same person at
different times. Music may produce expressions of various emotions -
peaceful, relaxing, exciting, festive, boring, unsettling,
unstimulating, invigorating ... and so on.

Music is an extremely versatile medium of communication. It is capable
of exploring all the features that are used in verbal communication.
Moreover, it does so in an explicit and structured way, which makes it
an interesting and useful window into human communication, in general.

The repetition of a line as in a lullaby, the regular beating of a drum
- they produce a feeling of physical ease and lull the child to sleep.
The rhythmic sound of the train, of waves breaking on the shore, the
song of a cricket at night - why, even the electric fan is able to
produce a soothing physical quiet. But good music does not stop there.
It touches our emotions. True music really far deeper and touches our
very soul and leaves its imprint on us. It may not be possible to
explain or describe this reaction in ordinary language. It can only be
felt. It is one of those mystic experiences, which baffle analytical
explanation.

Music is known to endow the listener with aesthetic or intellectual
pleasure. It can be simple, complex, subtle, overt - and these features
may reside in one of the different aspects of the music e.g. rhythm,
melody. Some of the greatness of music however, lies in its holistic
nature that all the elements form a unique wholeness which may not be
understood by studying the parts separately. However complex, music is
readily appreciated by the mind without the need for formal knowledge.

The lay listener may not be able to hear which instruments are playing,
or which pitches are used. Yet, he or she may have no problem
appreciating the music as a whole. An experienced listener, on the
other hand, may be able to transcribe every note, but might still be at
a loss to understand why the music is so pleasing to listen to even for
the time!

As a performer, I believe that music can recreate emotions and get the
listeners involved with my emotions. Any particular music has an
inherent emotion. And, there is the emotion that one feels while
rendering. Besides, the listener is in an emotional state while
listening to that music - which is also important because it could be
possible that this will now be linked to the emotional state of the
listener. So he or she can use the song to recreate this emotion. Very
often we hear people say "This is my song" and feel that special
emotion again.

Rhythm and melody are two facets of music that lend themselves to
enjoyment in their individual capacities. The experience of beat and
rhythm has a simple relation with joy, well-being and even excitement.
Babies spontaneously start to rock and move when they hear music with a
pronounced beat in a medium or fast tempo. By changing rhythm, we can
change the aesthetic appeal of a piece of music. Even a change of tempo
can cause variations in the aesthetic appeal.

Similarly, melody, which is the soul of music, can create different
types of feelings in listeners. Some melodies bring soulfulness, some
sadness, some bring jubilance or tranquility.

Music is created from the heart and moulded by emotion. As musicians,
we are inherently creative - so people say - and we have the ability to
derive intense pleasure from a particular piece of music, which we
listen to or produce. Here, I am referring to an aesthetic experience,
which everybody must have felt. Tears of joy, a tug at the heart, goose
pimples... True art always comes as an irresistible inner urge. We hear
a song of Thyagaraja and are enthralled just as we gaze at a majestic
temple or an ancient sculpture with wonder. All such works of art are
the result of an inner urge. That is why it is something inherently
beautiful.

And there can be no enjoyment more impersonal and sublimating than what
it offers. It prepares the very soul for something higher.If u want know more details visit my website :http://club.mocazo.com

Help Me?

Indaba Music — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

I hate to post personal requests here, but I figure this is the place to ask for this one. After spending an hour and a half in the scorching Manhattan sun I managed to secure a new iPhone. I know, pretty rad. Now, I've spent most of the last two days playing with the fancy phone and downloading a slew of stupid apps - namely, one where you try to land a helicopter without blowing it up. Anyway, I'm looking to find some good music apps I can install and play with. I've heard good things about the Pandora app, but I want something more. I want to play with music - I want something that will take the songs on the phone and show me different ways to look at them. in short, I want to use the music aspects of my new toy to its fullest ability.

So, does anyone have a suggestion? Anyone? Either leave it in the comments or email me at Streeter@IndabaMusic.com. Thanks guys, and I promise, no more personal requests on the Indablog (until I need musical advice again, that is).

Nostalgia On Tour

Indaba Music — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Remember nostalgia? Think about it, nostalgia is one of our most base and ever-present emotions. Thinking about times past not only serve to increase their effect on us, but also greatly inflate their worth ("I used to be able to throw a baseball over a mountain! I swear!") Music is often the trigger for nostalgia. I can't hear any track of The Smashing Pumpkins' "Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness" without thinking of talking to my 8th grade girlfriend. I can't hear Smash Mouth and not think of the embarrassing clothes I wore in high school. I can't hear Lily Allen and not think of last summer. So it's no surprise that bands a few years past their prime are cashing in on their nostalgic influence. From Yahoo News...

When guitar-rock band Built to Spill announced its fall tour in May, fans took notice. That's
because rather than a typical jaunt around the country
promoting a new album, the three-month trek will find the band
performing its 1997 release, "Perfect From Now On," in its
entirety throughout the United States and Europe.

It's the latest in an ever-increasing list of tours and
performances of the ilk, joining recent and upcoming
experiments from Sonic Youth , Liz Phair , Slint , Echo & the
Bunnymen , the Stooges, Public Enemy , Tortoise and Sparks. And
those in the know say it's having a positive impact on the
bottom line.

Full Article

What a fun idea. I would pay a high price to hear some of my favorite bands from the mid-to-late 90's perform their classic albums sans-"new stuff" and I'm sure I'm not alone. Hopefully this trend will continue and I can one day find myself, well past thirty years old, screaming the lyrics to all my favorite Smashing Pumpkins jams from my childhood. Oh, to be young again!

Digital Symphony

Indaba Music — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

I can't really beat the caption my co-worker Jeff came up with for this video: "This is how Chopin drunk-dialed." Enjoy.

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

From Joe S.'s Blog

I'm recovering from Joy Division saturation, having watched both the Joy Division Documentary AND the movie "Control " in one sitting. It's a good thing it's Friday!

The seminal song by Joy Division is "Love Will Tear Us Apart". The
lyrics were written by the band's vocalist, Ian Curtis, who committed
suicide a month after the song was released as a single in April 1980.
It is considered by some to be the best post-punk song ever and was
listed by NME magazine as the best single of all time in 2002.

After Curtis' death the band continued making music history as New
Order.
In this video set we have the original Joy Division version, The Cure's
fan version (with lyrics...and animals?!), Arcade Fire/U2's (messy)
live version and finally New Order performs their rendition of it.

Enjoy!

The Monday Showdown

Indaba Music — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Is it Monday already? I was just getting used to taking it easy, weekend-style. Oh well. At least there's one bright spot in my Monday routine, and that's trying to spark arguments about music. That's right, it's time for the Monday Showdown. Last week we talked about which had a better theme song, The Simpsons or South Park. The vote went to The Simpsons and, really, they deserved it. So this week I want to continue the battle of theme songs but switch from the small screen to the big one. This week's argument will be truly epic, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Why? Because this week we'll be debating the merits of two of the most popular and recognizable movie theme songs ever written. They are, respectively, the theme songs from Rocky and Superman. Both are the very definition of epic and both accompany their movies well, but one has to be better, right? Right! Let loose in the comments.

Variations on a Theme

Indaba Music — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0500

One of my favorite TV shows is "Weeds," the Showtime comedy about a pot-dealing suburban mother and the crazy world around her. It stands apart from other comedies in a number of ways - swearing, nudity, zero remorse about drug dealing, to name a few - but one of the cleverest things the show has done concerned its theme song. For the second and third seasons, "Weeds" featured versions of the theme song - "Little Boxes," a 1962 song by Malvina Reynolds - sung by different people. Each cover of the song was unique, exciting and gave me, the viewer, yet another reason to keep my Showtime subscription active. Sadly, they have dropped the theme song in the new season - long story short, the show no longer takes place in suburbia and creator, Jenji Kohan, felt the song was no longer applicable - but thanks to the glory that is YouTube, we can take a listen to a bunch of versions. Who are some of the people who provided covers for the show? Let's ask IMDB.

Artists who provided covers for openers included Elvis Costello , Death Cab for Cutie , Engelbert Humperdinck , Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle (who sang the song in French), Regina Spektor , Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice , Randy Newman , Angélique Kidjo , Donovan , Billy Bob Thornton , The Shins , Joan Baez , The Decemberists and Linkin Park .

Full List on Wikipedia

Here are a few choice picks from the show.

Original Version - Malvina Reynolds

Regina Spektor

Death Cab For Cutie

Billy Bob Thorton

The Shins

Guest Spot: Les Bennett

Indaba Music — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

From Les Bennett's Blog

As some of you may know, I am the father of a little boy who has
autism. He is 7 years old and we live in Nebraska. I am starting a
new album project about autism. I am looking for collaborators on this
project. I am looking for songwriters, singers, and other unique
musicians to help out. This will be a power-pop, ambient, sometimes
dark and techno, happy and just an all around good feeling project.
Whoever gets involved with the project should be very proffesional and
willing to work very hard on it. Your knowlege about autism is not
that important but I would expect you to read a little about it.

The
thing about autism is the lack of communication of the person affected
by it, and their frustrations caused by not being able to express their
needs. It is much like any relationship in that they have needs,
expectations, love and all of those other emotions that we have, but no
way to communicate their feelings. To me it would be like wanting
someone to love, but you can't have them because of some reason or
another.

Also I want to write some songs about the way I feel about
him, and my dreams for him in the future. I think this is a very
unique concept and I have already talked to some record companies about
this project, and they are very excited to hear it. The time frame is
about one year, but it may take longer. I am very open to anyone's
input on this project. I would have to say that my downfalls in music
would be keyboards, vocal harmony arrangements, and the final mixdown.
I would be willing to do this project as a public thing, or in private
also, or a combination of both. The word autism does not ever need to
mentioned because it is really about relationships, desires, love,
frustration, happiness, and the unknowns of life. Please feel free to
contact me directly by email: jaxiepaul@yahoo.com
subject: Autism album project, or by contacting me here on Indaba. I think this
will be a very fun project because it is something that has never been
done before. I can't wait to hear from you ! Les

This is very much in the spirit of what Indaba is all about: Musicians coming together to work with each other. I hope some of you can help Les out.

Yahoo! You Might Get Some Money

Indaba Music — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0500

DRM is a fickle creature. On the one hand, it prevents music from being illegally shared. On the other hand, it often screws the people who pay for it. Thus was is the case developing over at Yahoo, who have shut down their DRM'd music service. However, those who paid to legally download songs are now finding themselves in a pickle, unable to transfer the songs they legally purchased to different programs. Have no fear (maybe), Yahoo claims it will reimburse customers in some way. From Wired...

When Yahoo announced that it would follow Sony Connect and MSN Music into dissolution by terminating its DRM-ed music store ,
customers of the store and media analysts were understandably irate.
But we can all take some comfort in Yahoo's vague offer to reimburse
those who were unfortunate enough to have paid for PlaysForSure DRM-ed downloads from the Yahoo Music service, although details remain scarce.

"You'll be compensated for whatever you paid for the music," Yahoo spokeswoman Carrie Davis told InformationWeek . "We haven't said exactly what we will do, but we will take care of our customers."

Songs purchased from Yahoo Music will continue to play on computers
after the service goes offline on September 30th, but cannot be
licensed to new computers or devices after that, meaning that they'll eventually become unplayable.

FULL ARTICLE

So there you have it. If you were once a customer of Yahoo's music service, you may be in store for some sweet, sweet cash. Or a lame voucher or something. Keep an eye out.

Video Mashup

Indaba Music — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Some genius put together this gem of a video. In it you'll find video footage from every song used in 'In Step,' a track on the new Girl Talk album . See if you can spot them all!

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0500

From Joe S.'s blog

Yacht Rock

Upon hearing John Paul Young's Love Is In The Air today my thoughts
went to the Yacht Rock greats like the Doobies (circa Michael McDonald)
Christopher Cross, and Steely Dan.

This video set is a comic telling of Yacht Rock History with
"cameos" by the Yacht Rockers themselves in a smooth rock street fight
and a tale of how they saved smooth rock from Michael Jackson and Eddie
Van Halen...with a little help from Vincent Price!

Enjoy!

( I don't know what's been going on with YouTube's playlists lately so if you can't see them on this page click here .)

Secret Sponsorship

Indaba Music — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Word just leaked out that a new Chris Brown track is actually a jingle made for Wrigley Chewing Gum. The track, "Forever," is an extended version of a song Wrigley plans to use in chewing gum commercials airing soon. But did you know that this isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened? In fact, I have a little story about.

I was living in London a few years back when I heard something familiar on the radio. It was the McDonalds slogan "I'm lovin' it, " except it wasn't at the tail end of an ad. It was a full song. To my surprise, the DJ claimed the track was by none other than Justin Timberlake (or 'Trousersnake' as the tabloids over there referred to him). I did a little a digging and it turned out that Timberlake had recorded the single and released it only in England. It was co-opted by McDonalds and is, I believe, still used to this day. Whether Timberlake recorded the track specifically for McDonalds I do not know, but isn't it strange enough to learn that the man behind one of the best-known slogans in America is also one of the best-known singers in America. Here is the video for proof.

UPDATE: The video won't play on Indaba, but you can see it HERE .

Good Start, Bad Finish

Indaba Music — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Dear DJ's,

I remember the first time I experienced what I'll refer to as the Curse of Stairway. It was homecoming my freshman year of high school. I had managed to make my way out on the dance floor for slow songs only, as was my strategy to avoid looking like a turd (I was not one for 'fast dancing,' then and still am not). Anyway, I was out on the floor with my girlfriend when Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven" came on over the PA. Now I had hear this song hundreds of times but somehow I didn't realize what was to come as the song progressed. The whole gym slipped into a rhythmic slow dance as the opening few verses rang out. But then a feeling washed over me, a feeling of pure panic, a feeling - a knowing, really - that my fast dancing skills were about to be tested. The song, as everyone - everyone - knows, speeds up, leaving the dancer with no choice but to...rock? Some continue to slow dance, some attempt to 'fast dance' to the song but most just wander off the dance floor. And that is what I did.

This problem has been ruining romantic dances for a quarter century and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. So it is here, on a site frequented by musicians and DJs, that I plead for you to stop playing "Stairway to Heaven" at dances. Thank you.

The Monday Showdown

Indaba Music — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

It's Monday and you know what that means. It's time once again for the Monday Showdown. Last week we discussed which theme song was greater, The Jetsons' or The Flintstones'. That was a good time, wasn't it? Well, let's keep the party going, shall we? This week we're going to argue about two iconic cartoon theme songs. One changes season to season and the other changes only for special occasions. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to know which theme song is better: The Simpsons' or South Park's? Both have their merits: The Simpsons' is a flowing, symphonic journey while South Park's is a quirky, funny jam. However, one must be superior and I want you to leave your opinion in the comments.

Whatcha Listening To?

Indaba Music — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:00:00 -0500

Let's do an experiment, shall we? Let's all post our five 'most listened to' songs on iTunes in the comments here WITH the play count. I'll go first.

5. "Rebellion (Lies)" The Arcade Fire - 204 Plays

4. "When You Were Young" The Killers - 239 Plays

3. "Rocks Off" The Rolling Stones - 278 Plays

2. "You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes" Johnny Boy - 353 Plays

And, embarrassingly, the top spot goes to...

1. "Welcome To The Black Parade" My Chemical Romance - a shameful, yet impressive, 426 Plays.

Now you go...

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0500

Another great post from Joe S.'s Blog

The Producers: Jimmy Jam and Terri Lewis

I lived in Minneapolis during "Flyte Time" rise to fame. The
songwriter/ producer team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were in The Time
and had begun producing some major acts. Their sound became synonymous
with the "pow pow bang" beat of the 80's.

The pair met in high school in Minneapolis and formed a band called
Flyte Tyme which evolved into The Time. In 1981, they were joined by
Morris Day and toured with Prince as his opening act.

As members of The Time they recorded three of the group's four
albums (The Time, What Time Is It?, and Pandemonium. The first two
albums are said to have shaped early eighties R&B music (featuring
"Cool","Get It Up", "The Walk", "777-9311", and "Gigolos Get Lonely
Too"). The pair were fired from the tour because a blizzard left them
unable to rejoin after a short break to produce The SOS Band. However,
one of the tracks they were producing, "Just Be Good to Me", became a
big hit and made their reputation, as well that of the SOS Band.

After working with other artists like The SOS Band, Cherrelle and
Alexander O'Neal, Jam and Lewis were introduced to Janet Jackson and
produced her breakthrough album Control in 1986, for which the duo won
a Grammy Award. Their collaboration on her next album, 1989's Rhythm
Nation 1814, was even more successful.

Since then they have produced hits for Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stephani and Boyz II Men to name only a few.

This video set features The S.O.S. Band's "Just Be Good To Me",
Human League's "Human", and an instrumental of Usher's "U Remind Me",
all Flyte Time productions. I've also included a cool radio interview
of a very casual Jam and Lewis on The Amie Jo Show.

Enjoy.

The Return of the Concept Album?

Indaba Music — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0500

The Times UK has an interesting story about the re-emergence of the concept album. Only a short while ago albums were declared dead and singles were slated to replace them. However, the death of the CD has brought an unexpected return to form for a lot of bands who, I believe anyway, see an album-as-a-whole as the only way to get all their music out there. Most successfully and recently, Green Day showed us that a concept album of sorts, American Idiot , can also be a huge chart topper. Now, says the The Times, more bands are beginning to experiment with the idea. Where once the land was rife with concept albums from The Wall to Tommy , we haven't seen that kind of attention to the over all product in a long while. I for one am happy it's back.

Hurry Now, Only 9 Days Left!

Indaba Music — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

The Darla Farmer re-mix contest is winding down and you've only got 9 more days to enter the contest, remix the tracks and submit your entries. The prize is pretty sweet, too...

After the Indaba community nominates the top three finalists for each
song, Darla Farmer and the guys from Paper Garden Records will choose
two remixes to appear on their upcoming album! The winning artists will
receive royalties from all album sales. Additionally, the winner will
receive a free copy of the album as well as two tickets to an upcoming
Darla Farmer concert.

Royalties, baby! That's free money forever! So quit twiddling your thumbs and get remixing. best of all, you have two tracks to choose from: "History " and "Tommy Bones. "

Guest Spot: Joe S.

Indaba Music — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0500

From Joe S.'s Blog

Morphing: Godley and Creme and Beyond

There were many musical firsts in the 80's that seem to revolve around friends of producer Trevor Horn (who shows on the last "cry" in the video). Whether it is Yes and the
Art of Noise with the use of sampling, or being the first video on MTV,
Trevor and his friends were innovators. In this post we have his
friends Godley and Creme (of 10cc) and their video "Cry". It was the
first to explore morphing as a visual effect.

Being talented and successful songwriters Godley and Creme were also
responsible for producing some of the 80's best music videos, including
The Police's "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger",
"Synchronicity II", Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", Duran
Duran's "Girls On Film" and "A View to a Kill", and George Harrison's
"When We Was Fab".

Their experiment in morphing inspired and culminated in Micheal Jackson's masterful "Black and White" . I'd love to have it in the set but the Jackson Mafia has disallowed
embedding on all of the video sites. I think Michael takes morphing
waaaay too personally anyway.