So, I'm touching on something that we dicussed in class a while back. I totally forgot to elaborate on it in my blog, so I'm doing it now!
The discussion was on Live music in comparison to the quality of recorded tracks on an album. Some people felt that listening to CDs was more beneficial and some felt that seeing a band live had a certain quality that made it more involved and appealing. I think that it depends on the artist.
There's only been one occurance where a band performed and I just thought to myself, "HOW DID THEY GET THERE?!...Is it really that easy???--they must know people." Perhaps that's harsh, but man, we've talked abotu "ineptness" a lot this semester...and i think they just about nailed it. Of the...(i'm counting)...20 or so bands that I've seen live, this was the only one I didn't really approve of. I could appreciate there love for music and performing...but the quality just wasn't up to par. Granted, they were just an opening band that I'd never known about, but I've also seen a number of opening bands that I'd never heard of prior to seeing them live that I thought were magnificent! So, that's my opinion of inept live music....now competence...
Boy, oh, boy do I love the feeling of being at a live show. Something about the the the kick drum, and the bass just take over my entire body and I seem to become one with the sounds. Not to mention that there is NOTHING better than a musician how can still have an amazing vocal performance live. The greatest example I can think of is The Hush Sound--wow, I almost lost my marbles during that show. Of course I'm bound to love their performance---they're my most favorite band, but I'd be honest if I felt disappointed. The female vocalist and the male vocalist in this band harmonize in most songs--which I am in love with--and their live performance showed no weakness in either of their vocal abilities. I was overly impressed!
Another band that comes to mind is Jimmy Eat World. I've seen them twice now (and will be seeing them again during their Clarity 10 year anniversary tour in february!) and Woah. I'd only recently started listening to the band when i first saw them a little over a year ago. After hearing them live and then listening to their albums, there were elements of each song that stood out patricularly because I had noticed them during the live performance. I think that after seeing a good band perform live, you (or at least I am) are able to place yourself in the audience of the show and hear things that you heard live. The music in a sense, then becomes more alive.
And that is what I love about live music.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Reading Synopsis
NOISE/MUSIC: MERZBOW
Merzbow--Masami Akita--is known as the master of noise. Proceeding the dicussions of Japanese noise music in the previous chapter, this chapter focuses distinctively on the strategies used by Merzbow in his work. Merzbow bases his work completely around noise....all of it is characterized as noise. Such strategies used are: duration volume, harshness, interference, luring listeners into attributing meaning,antri virtuousity, pulses, oscillations, crashes and explosive bursts.
Merzbow creates an experience for the listener that is out-of-body. His sounds do occur in sequence, but undo what happened just before. In his earlier work his equipment included mostly percussion, tapes and sample. He later moved on to analoque equipment, which primarily includes feedback, explosive residue, metallic scrapes and howls, pulses and "colored" noise.
SOUND UNBOUND: Chapter 35 - Theater of the Spirits: Joseph Cornell and Silence Catherine Corman
This chapter seems to tie the disciplines of art, music, writing, theatre and film together. Instances of each of these arts is mentioned while discussing uses of silence as well as how different mediums are used to portray silence. What I found most intersting in this chapter was that different artists have bounced ideas off of each other in various instances. This is something we've touched on in class a few times and whether or not using an idea from someone else is plagiarizing. In my opinion, boucing idea off of each other is an extremely effective way to grow as a community of artists and creators, as well as a great way to learn from each other.
SOUND UNBOUND: Chapter 20 - South Africa's Rhythms of Resistance
This chapter was great. Lee Hirsch's message that "song always has been, and continues to be, at the heart of humankind's jouner, at times arguably the fuel that keeps us going," seems to be the main point of this reading. He uses his own experience of traveling to South Africa after their civil war makes this message even stronger. Everyone can relate to the fact that music seems to bring people together, especially in times of crisis. People are able to use their emotions from difficult experience to channel into the creation of music that seems to obtain followers as the sound spreads. Music is a strong healer and this chapter mirrors this well.
Merzbow--Masami Akita--is known as the master of noise. Proceeding the dicussions of Japanese noise music in the previous chapter, this chapter focuses distinctively on the strategies used by Merzbow in his work. Merzbow bases his work completely around noise....all of it is characterized as noise. Such strategies used are: duration volume, harshness, interference, luring listeners into attributing meaning,antri virtuousity, pulses, oscillations, crashes and explosive bursts.
Merzbow creates an experience for the listener that is out-of-body. His sounds do occur in sequence, but undo what happened just before. In his earlier work his equipment included mostly percussion, tapes and sample. He later moved on to analoque equipment, which primarily includes feedback, explosive residue, metallic scrapes and howls, pulses and "colored" noise.
SOUND UNBOUND: Chapter 35 - Theater of the Spirits: Joseph Cornell and Silence Catherine Corman
This chapter seems to tie the disciplines of art, music, writing, theatre and film together. Instances of each of these arts is mentioned while discussing uses of silence as well as how different mediums are used to portray silence. What I found most intersting in this chapter was that different artists have bounced ideas off of each other in various instances. This is something we've touched on in class a few times and whether or not using an idea from someone else is plagiarizing. In my opinion, boucing idea off of each other is an extremely effective way to grow as a community of artists and creators, as well as a great way to learn from each other.
SOUND UNBOUND: Chapter 20 - South Africa's Rhythms of Resistance
This chapter was great. Lee Hirsch's message that "song always has been, and continues to be, at the heart of humankind's jouner, at times arguably the fuel that keeps us going," seems to be the main point of this reading. He uses his own experience of traveling to South Africa after their civil war makes this message even stronger. Everyone can relate to the fact that music seems to bring people together, especially in times of crisis. People are able to use their emotions from difficult experience to channel into the creation of music that seems to obtain followers as the sound spreads. Music is a strong healer and this chapter mirrors this well.
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