blog: This Is What God Thinks
Video: Yellowbirds - "The Reason"
May 9, 2011
Here's the next stop motion animation video from Sam Cohen of Yellowbirds. This time he collaborated with artist Michael Arthur‚ taking 10 years worth of drawings and stretches and turning it into this video for his song "The Reason."
Here's what Sam had to say about stop motion animation in our interview:
"One thing that I love about doing the collage stuff is that it allows me to combine different time periods and different styles, which is what inevitably happens with the music. The background, the cut-outs and everything, that would be like the raw influences. And how they're put together would be an analogy for what my music does with those influences.
And making collages... it's like my friends who DJ and make completely new shit out of already existing albums. Collage is sort of the same way -- here's a photo that someone else took, it's done, it's beautiful. That's why mine looks good [laughter]. I'm just doing something different with it -- it's just one ingredient."
Check out "The Rest of My Life" video:
Tom Hamilton's Truth: Blues
May 3, 2011
Tom Hamilton is the guitarist and vocalist of the bands American Babies and Brothers Past. Flawed Logic‚ his fantastic new record with American Babies‚ was released April 19th on Engine Room Recordings.
Check out Tom Hamilton's Truth: Soul
Preface:
To me‚ a life in music is a never-ending quest for knowledge. The goal is to learn the tools that can express the hurt or happiness in this life that words alone could never do justice. A mix of talent‚ expression‚ vulnerability‚ and will that cannot be calculated but is immediately felt and understood.
Some people flip through scripture to help find meaning and guidance. For others‚ it could be family or financial success. For me‚ it's time spent flipping through records and scrolling through playlists. Once in a while I'll be fortunate enough to find hope‚ love‚ and/or understanding in a three-to-four minute segment. These are my moments of very real‚ undeniable truth.
They come in many different styles‚ and I am here to share them one genre at a time.
The Truth: Blues
Here is a mighty mountain to climb. The blues are the foundation for Rock n' Roll as we know it. From Elvis to Zeppelin‚ Dylan to Guns n' Roses‚ the ripples can be felt everywhere. Some of the most iconic and influential bands to come out of the 20th century cut their teeth as a young blues band. The Beatles‚ the Stones‚ and the Grateful Dead found their footing perfecting the "one‚ four‚ five" progressions and 12 bar blues.
The history here is way too deep for me to sum up in a few paragraphs‚ dating back to the late 1800's to present day‚ so I'm going to talk about the guys who absolutely kill me and were my foundation as a guitarist and songwriter.
In the mid-80's‚ there was a Blues festival every summer in Philadelphia that my parents always went to. Only being 7 to 10 years old‚ this meant I would spend those days being babysat by my grandmother or something else not nearly as cool. One year they took my older brother and when he came back it was all he could talk about. This led me to ask my old man what the fuss was and‚ needless to say‚ he was happy to oblige with an explanation.
We started with "The Kings." B.B.‚ Albert‚ and Freddie King were all monumental in the development and popularization of post-war‚ electrified blues. I found B.B. to be a bit too tame for my tastes‚ but Freddie and Albert blew me away. They managed to make their guitars cry and wail. Even as a very young boy I was able to feel that power slice right through me. I had heard Clapton‚ Garcia‚ and the Allmans by this point and LOVED their stuff but hearing The Kings made those guys sound so insincere.
Over the years since that initial talk‚ my Dad would continue to sit me down to make sure I'm "still listening to the right guys." Bringing Buddy Guy‚ Albert Collins‚ Otis Rush‚ and just recently‚ Luther Allison into my world.
This is just the tip of the iceberg‚ but if you are fans of Derek Trucks/The Allman Brothers‚ Stevie Ray Vaughn and whatnot you should start digging into it.
Get started with these:
Freddie King -- "Ain't No Body's Business"
Albert King -- "I'll Play the Blues For You"
Buddy Guy - "Damn Right I've Got the Blues"
B.B. King -- "You Left Me for Someone Else"
Ariel Pink at Coachella - Hipster Don't Want to Sing? Fuck Him
April 28, 2011
Thanks to Adam King (SoM Contributor and Creator of I Shit Music) for telling me about this hilarious video of Ariel Pink at Coachella. I can't imagine being there and giving a shit: I'd probably tolerate it for 30 seconds‚ laugh‚ and then walk to another stage to see one of the other thousand bands playing. Or it could be like watching a train wreck right before your eyes‚ where you just can't stop watching. I love that shit‚ but usually in the context of a band improvising and getting lost… and knowing they've lost control. The interesting take on this is the kid in the video who says that "he got fucked on" but then also says he'll never forget this performance. So‚ is this a meltdown or a calculated performance antic? Or is it both? Shit‚ I'm talking about it…
But while I watched this video all I heard in my head was George Carlin's comedic take on Anorexia: "Rich Cunt Don't Want to Eat? Fuck her." Hipster don't want to sing? Fuck him.
If you're going to have a meltdown‚ go deep and go dark. Let that ego fly like a motherfucker. Take Keith Jarrett‚ for example. He's already proven his music is worth listening to -- people will consistently pay good money to see him play‚ and he'll come right out and tell you it's your privilege to hear him. He's always pushing the envelope with his douchebaggery:
Also‚ he's been known to stop performances because someone was coughing in the audience -- read about it here.
Here's another example: go Trey at Coventry. Before the last song of your band's career‚ do a bump of oxy and drool on yourself during the jam in front of 60‚000 fans -- now, that's a meltdown! (I think Ariel Pink's music is mixed in with this video too)
Reminder: Surprise Me Mr. Davis is Awesome
April 26, 2011
My friends at Royal Potato Family recently posted this Surprise Me Mr. Davis gem from a few years back at High Sierra (shot by Karina at Shine A Light Productions) with the following sound description: "Every now again we have to go back and watch this... hit the reset button... and remember the point of all this in the first place." "Fat King of Gods" is the tune‚ and one of the finest from their arsenal.
The lead up to SXSW was an overload to my inbox -- hundreds and hundreds of emails the month up to the event from publicists‚ labels‚ bands hyping all the happenings. It came and went and one of the only genuine residuals from this year's festival was about Surprise Me Mr. Davis. Apparently‚ they pwned it. Here's a nice video by Jesse Lauter from SXSW of Davis getting dirty during "Sissyfuss." The band will most likely tour a bit this summer and are confirmed for Liberate in August.
Tom Hamilton's Truth: Soul
April 20, 2011
Tom Hamilton is the guitarist and vocalist of the bands American Babies and Brothers Past. Flawed Logic‚ his fantastic new record with American Babies‚ was released yesterday (4/19) on Engine Room Recordings.
Check out Tom Hamilton's Truth: Blues
Preface:
To me‚ a life in music is a never-ending quest for knowledge. The goal is to learn the tools that can express the hurt or happiness in this life that words alone could never do justice. A mix of talent‚ expression‚ vulnerability‚ and will that cannot be calculated but is immediately felt and understood.
Some people flip through scripture to help find meaning and guidance. For others‚ it could be family or financial success. For me‚ it's time spent flipping through records and scrolling through playlists. Once in a while I'll be fortunate enough to find hope‚ love‚ and/or understanding in a three-to-four minute segment. These are my moments of very real‚ undeniable truth.
They come in many different styles‚ and I am here to share them one genre at a time.
The Truth: Soul
I came to this genre of music much later than I would have liked. About three years ago‚ a good friend burned me a mix CD. It knocked me flat on my ass. Immediately‚ I went digging for more‚ and what I found was music that was firing on all cylinders.
Soul was first seeded in pop culture with the recordings of Ray Charles‚ Fats Domino‚ and Little Richard in the 50's and came into it's own in the 60's with the emergence of Motown Records and Stax Records as well as the by-this time-established Atlantic Records. These labels gave us Marvin Gaye‚ Stevie Wonder‚ Otis Redding‚ Al Green‚ Aretha Franklin‚ Gladys Knight and countless other chart toppers that burned Soul into the very fabric of American popular music.
The catalogues are so vast and deep with intricacies. The songs are brilliant. Every hook is permanent after the first listen. One can (and I'm sure already has) write a thesis studying the subtle differences between the studios that made these records. The players and bands. Arrangements and recording techniques. Motown's polished orchestral wall as opposed to Stax's much more raw approach. The Chicago take on things from the cooler-than-anyone-could-ever-hope-to-be feel of Curtis Mayfield.
This music exemplifies my philosophy on music: "It's not what you play‚ it's how you play it."
From the obvious (Otis Redding's vocals at the end of "Try a Little Tenderness") to the peripheral (the tambourine work in "Signed‚ Sealed‚ Delivered" starting at the 1:10 minute mark) every note is played with swagger‚ love‚ and most importantly‚ soul.
There are endless layers so I suggest you start peeling.
Here are some tracks to get you started:
"Bring it on Home to Me" - Sam Cooke
"Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
"Think" - Aretha Franklin
"Signed‚ Sealed Delivered" - Stevie Wonder
"Workin' Together" - Ike and Tina Turner
Video: Yellowbirds - "The Reason"May 9, 2011
Here's the next stop motion animation video from Sam Cohen of Yellowbirds. This time he collaborated with artist Michael Arthur‚ taking 10 years worth of drawings and stretches and turning it into this video for his song "The Reason."
Here's what Sam had to say about stop motion animation in our interview:
"One thing that I love about doing the collage stuff is that it allows me to combine different time periods and different styles, which is what inevitably happens with the music. The background, the cut-outs and everything, that would be like the raw influences. And how they're put together would be an analogy for what my music does with those influences.
And making collages... it's like my friends who DJ and make completely new shit out of already existing albums. Collage is sort of the same way -- here's a photo that someone else took, it's done, it's beautiful. That's why mine looks good [laughter]. I'm just doing something different with it -- it's just one ingredient."
Check out "The Rest of My Life" video:
Tom Hamilton's Truth: BluesMay 3, 2011
Check out Tom Hamilton's Truth: Soul
Preface:
To me‚ a life in music is a never-ending quest for knowledge. The goal is to learn the tools that can express the hurt or happiness in this life that words alone could never do justice. A mix of talent‚ expression‚ vulnerability‚ and will that cannot be calculated but is immediately felt and understood.
Some people flip through scripture to help find meaning and guidance. For others‚ it could be family or financial success. For me‚ it's time spent flipping through records and scrolling through playlists. Once in a while I'll be fortunate enough to find hope‚ love‚ and/or understanding in a three-to-four minute segment. These are my moments of very real‚ undeniable truth.
They come in many different styles‚ and I am here to share them one genre at a time.
The Truth: Blues
Here is a mighty mountain to climb. The blues are the foundation for Rock n' Roll as we know it. From Elvis to Zeppelin‚ Dylan to Guns n' Roses‚ the ripples can be felt everywhere. Some of the most iconic and influential bands to come out of the 20th century cut their teeth as a young blues band. The Beatles‚ the Stones‚ and the Grateful Dead found their footing perfecting the "one‚ four‚ five" progressions and 12 bar blues.
The history here is way too deep for me to sum up in a few paragraphs‚ dating back to the late 1800's to present day‚ so I'm going to talk about the guys who absolutely kill me and were my foundation as a guitarist and songwriter.
In the mid-80's‚ there was a Blues festival every summer in Philadelphia that my parents always went to. Only being 7 to 10 years old‚ this meant I would spend those days being babysat by my grandmother or something else not nearly as cool. One year they took my older brother and when he came back it was all he could talk about. This led me to ask my old man what the fuss was and‚ needless to say‚ he was happy to oblige with an explanation.
We started with "The Kings." B.B.‚ Albert‚ and Freddie King were all monumental in the development and popularization of post-war‚ electrified blues. I found B.B. to be a bit too tame for my tastes‚ but Freddie and Albert blew me away. They managed to make their guitars cry and wail. Even as a very young boy I was able to feel that power slice right through me. I had heard Clapton‚ Garcia‚ and the Allmans by this point and LOVED their stuff but hearing The Kings made those guys sound so insincere.
Over the years since that initial talk‚ my Dad would continue to sit me down to make sure I'm "still listening to the right guys." Bringing Buddy Guy‚ Albert Collins‚ Otis Rush‚ and just recently‚ Luther Allison into my world.
This is just the tip of the iceberg‚ but if you are fans of Derek Trucks/The Allman Brothers‚ Stevie Ray Vaughn and whatnot you should start digging into it.
Get started with these:
Freddie King -- "Ain't No Body's Business"
Albert King -- "I'll Play the Blues For You"
Buddy Guy - "Damn Right I've Got the Blues"
B.B. King -- "You Left Me for Someone Else"
Ariel Pink at Coachella - Hipster Don't Want to Sing? Fuck HimApril 28, 2011
But while I watched this video all I heard in my head was George Carlin's comedic take on Anorexia: "Rich Cunt Don't Want to Eat? Fuck her." Hipster don't want to sing? Fuck him.
If you're going to have a meltdown‚ go deep and go dark. Let that ego fly like a motherfucker. Take Keith Jarrett‚ for example. He's already proven his music is worth listening to -- people will consistently pay good money to see him play‚ and he'll come right out and tell you it's your privilege to hear him. He's always pushing the envelope with his douchebaggery:
Also‚ he's been known to stop performances because someone was coughing in the audience -- read about it here.
Here's another example: go Trey at Coventry. Before the last song of your band's career‚ do a bump of oxy and drool on yourself during the jam in front of 60‚000 fans -- now, that's a meltdown! (I think Ariel Pink's music is mixed in with this video too)
Reminder: Surprise Me Mr. Davis is AwesomeApril 26, 2011
My friends at Royal Potato Family recently posted this Surprise Me Mr. Davis gem from a few years back at High Sierra (shot by Karina at Shine A Light Productions) with the following sound description: "Every now again we have to go back and watch this... hit the reset button... and remember the point of all this in the first place." "Fat King of Gods" is the tune‚ and one of the finest from their arsenal.
The lead up to SXSW was an overload to my inbox -- hundreds and hundreds of emails the month up to the event from publicists‚ labels‚ bands hyping all the happenings. It came and went and one of the only genuine residuals from this year's festival was about Surprise Me Mr. Davis. Apparently‚ they pwned it. Here's a nice video by Jesse Lauter from SXSW of Davis getting dirty during "Sissyfuss." The band will most likely tour a bit this summer and are confirmed for Liberate in August.
Tom Hamilton's Truth: SoulApril 20, 2011
Check out Tom Hamilton's Truth: Blues
Preface:
To me‚ a life in music is a never-ending quest for knowledge. The goal is to learn the tools that can express the hurt or happiness in this life that words alone could never do justice. A mix of talent‚ expression‚ vulnerability‚ and will that cannot be calculated but is immediately felt and understood.
Some people flip through scripture to help find meaning and guidance. For others‚ it could be family or financial success. For me‚ it's time spent flipping through records and scrolling through playlists. Once in a while I'll be fortunate enough to find hope‚ love‚ and/or understanding in a three-to-four minute segment. These are my moments of very real‚ undeniable truth.
They come in many different styles‚ and I am here to share them one genre at a time.
The Truth: Soul
I came to this genre of music much later than I would have liked. About three years ago‚ a good friend burned me a mix CD. It knocked me flat on my ass. Immediately‚ I went digging for more‚ and what I found was music that was firing on all cylinders.
Soul was first seeded in pop culture with the recordings of Ray Charles‚ Fats Domino‚ and Little Richard in the 50's and came into it's own in the 60's with the emergence of Motown Records and Stax Records as well as the by-this time-established Atlantic Records. These labels gave us Marvin Gaye‚ Stevie Wonder‚ Otis Redding‚ Al Green‚ Aretha Franklin‚ Gladys Knight and countless other chart toppers that burned Soul into the very fabric of American popular music.
The catalogues are so vast and deep with intricacies. The songs are brilliant. Every hook is permanent after the first listen. One can (and I'm sure already has) write a thesis studying the subtle differences between the studios that made these records. The players and bands. Arrangements and recording techniques. Motown's polished orchestral wall as opposed to Stax's much more raw approach. The Chicago take on things from the cooler-than-anyone-could-ever-hope-to-be feel of Curtis Mayfield.
This music exemplifies my philosophy on music: "It's not what you play‚ it's how you play it."
From the obvious (Otis Redding's vocals at the end of "Try a Little Tenderness") to the peripheral (the tambourine work in "Signed‚ Sealed‚ Delivered" starting at the 1:10 minute mark) every note is played with swagger‚ love‚ and most importantly‚ soul.
There are endless layers so I suggest you start peeling.
Here are some tracks to get you started:
"Bring it on Home to Me" - Sam Cooke
"Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
"Think" - Aretha Franklin
"Signed‚ Sealed Delivered" - Stevie Wonder
"Workin' Together" - Ike and Tina Turner
new to state of mind
Shows: moe.
Shows: Yonder Mountain String Band
Shows: Grand Point North 2014
Shows: Catskill Chill 2014
Shows: moe.down 15
Shows: Gov't Mule
Shows: Umphrey's McGee
Shows: Newport Folk Festival 2014
Shows: Widespread Panic
Albums: Phish - Fuego
Shows: moe.
Shows: Yonder Mountain String Band
Shows: Grand Point North 2014
Shows: Catskill Chill 2014
Shows: moe.down 15
Shows: Gov't Mule
Shows: Umphrey's McGee
Shows: Newport Folk Festival 2014
Shows: Widespread Panic
Albums: Phish - Fuego
random awesomeness
Blog: Jeff Tweedy & Friends with Barack Obama
Shows: The Flaming Lips + The Black Keys
Blog: Yura Yura Teikoku - Photos of My Favorite Japanese Rock Trio
Albums: Avey Tare - Down There
Shows: Ozomatli and Jay Nash Band
Albums: Arthur & Yu - In Camera
Albums: Rubblebucket - Rose's Dream
Magazine: State of Mind - September 2005
Shows: Of Montreal
Albums: Anti-Pop Consortium - Fluorescent Black
Blog: Jeff Tweedy & Friends with Barack Obama
Shows: The Flaming Lips + The Black Keys
Blog: Yura Yura Teikoku - Photos of My Favorite Japanese Rock Trio
Albums: Avey Tare - Down There
Shows: Ozomatli and Jay Nash Band
Albums: Arthur & Yu - In Camera
Albums: Rubblebucket - Rose's Dream
Magazine: State of Mind - September 2005
Shows: Of Montreal
Albums: Anti-Pop Consortium - Fluorescent Black