Jazz Musicians or Rock Stars

After watching the movie in class, I had one question going through my mind. Since when did Jazz musicians become rock stars? I am over 50 years removed from the pentacle of the jazz era. But I have always viewed jazz as a calm musical genre. I never thought Jazz musicians had groupies, were drunks and had sex in the back of their car. I mean understand that the swing era was just one big party but how much of a party could it be. They are playing saxophones. Next I will be hearing that Faith Evans and country music is hardcore.

The Industry

My whole life I have had a passion for expressing my feeling to others. Whether it was through acting, writing poetry, public speeches or just arguing with someone about whom the best basketball player in the NBA is. When I was about 16 years old I decided to start rapping and turn my passion to express into music. I had been writing poetry for as long as I could remember, so rapping was nothing more than poetry with a beat. It’s been three years since I decided to become an artist. My dream would to get sign by a label put out an album. But after watching the movie in class I find myself questioning if the industry is something I truly want to get into. Music industry is all about making a dollar and not making artist happy. Also, now in today’s industry artist have also deal with the internet song leaks and illegal downloading. The lifestyle showcased of the artist in the movie did not reinforce my dream of being signed. The artist were depressed, did not have sable relationships and abused drugs. Its sad how the artist we praise are so unhappy inside. On second thought made I will continue at University at Buffalo.

Justin Townes Earle

A couple weeks ago, we were discussing the absence of traditional-sounding country music on the radio. And while it might be true that "country-pop" has replaced true country in the mainstream, some artists are still clinging to a more traditional sound.

On Tuesday March 2nd, Justin Townes Earle will be playing at the Mohawk Place in Buffalo. His father is country musician Steve Earle, and he is named after Townes Van Zandt, so it's safe to say he knows a little bit about country music. He has released three albums since 2007, and was named Emerging Artist of the Year for 2009 by the Americana Music Association.

Having seen Justin Townes Earle perform once before, I can say that he is definitely worth checking out. As I said, he will be playing one of Buffalo's best and most important venues, Mohawk Place. But even if you can't check out his show, I would highly recommend listening to one of his albums. I don't listen to a ton of country music, but I definitely feel that Justin Townes Earle is one of the better new artists in the genre.

King of rock

The movie cadalliac Records has shown me that a lot about the history of music. I had always thought that the king of rock and roll and the person who started it all was Elvis Presley. After watching that movie i think my opinion on who the king of rock has changed. Chuck Berry i believe now is the king of rock and was the first to popularize rock.

I don't know weather it is the color of his skin is too why he is overlooked. In the movie it shows how he plays rock and roll music and how its a big hit. But then he gets arrested and maybe people just forgot about him. Before this movie i had never heard about Chuck Berry but after listening to his music i think he is the inventor of rock music aka the king of rock. Even the Beach boys copied his tunes which is kind of messed up, but there was nothing him or anyone else could have done about it.

Local Bands

Depending what your music tastes are, this spring may be a great time to see a bunch of bigger concerts in Western New York. What excites me the most is that I'll be seeing some Buffalo-based bands who have enjoyed at least moderate success. The first is the local hardcore band Every Time I Die, who hardly receives any radio play but has made a name for themselves with energetic live shows and clever lyrics. The band is proud of their Buffalo roots and includes references to the City of Good Neighbors in song titles and lyrics. They'll be playing in Syracuse on Wednesday March 10 with Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, and Trapped Under Ice, and I'll be there to see them. The second Buffalo-based group with a tour, and a local show coming up, is electronic band Passion Pit, whose lead singer Michael Angelakos once sang for local ska band CherryBing. Passion Pit is currently on the European leg of their tour, but they'll be playing on March 28th at the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls. The show was originally scheduled to be held at the Town Ballroom in downtown Buffalo, but due to overwhelming ticket sales the venue was changed to the larger Rapids Theatre. So not only am I excited to see some good bands play live in the near future, I'm excited that they were born and bred here in Buffalo New York.

The Power of Music

Many people from my home town in Cuba, New York listen to country music, because most of them are rednecks without a doubt. Yes it is a stereotype that rednecks like country music, but my town proves the stereotype to be true. The lyrics in country music are usually depressing, and it is statistically proven that people who listen to country are more likely to be depressed, at least thats what I learned on the history channel hahaha. I know you aren't supposed to believe everything you hear on TV, but it IS the history channel, which uses the scientific method to prove the theories it proposes on its programs.

I think that it is very interesting that country fans are more likely to be depressed and this shows the power that music has over people's emotions. This also makes me wonder what other emotions that other genres are most likely to evoke. Metalcore music has very positive and optimistic lyrics about progressing through life (contrary to popular belief) but uses minor key signatures and low tones in the music, making it sound either sad or angry. I wonder which has more power over your emotions; the lyrics or the music? Country lyrics and music are sad, so we cannot determine the answer to this question by using Country as the subject. I think it would be fun to do an experiment using Metalcore music to determine the answer to the previous question.

Fall of Chess Records and 2120 South Michigan Avenue

For having such big names of revolutionary artists such as Muddy Waters, I was surprised at how ChessRecords seemingly fell apart after the death of Leo Chess. I imagine that the fall came mainly for the failure to adapt to a new sound. The imprisonment of Chuck Berry, their biggest client probably changed the course and sound of Chess Records. The imprisonment during the beginning of the British invasion was not only devastating for the record company but music in general especially given the influence of Muddy and Chuck Berry on the Brit Pop Bands.

The Rolling Stones for instance was heavily influenced, probably more so than any other major band. The scene in Cadillac Records where Mick Jagger and crew met Muddy Waters was awesome. I looked into if that encounter actually happened and it did (maybe in that account). The Stones recorded an EP (Five By Five) at ChessRecords. One of their songs was fittingly 2120 South Michigan Avenue, the address of Chess' major recording studio.

Inaccuracies in Ray/Cadillac Records Movies

I thought both Ray and Cadillac Records were fantastic movies especially the latter because of Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry are just plain awesome. I ended up spending hours on wikipedia looking through each individual character (after I got to finish watching the movies of course).

I noticed some inconsistencies with some parts. Little Walter for instance did not die in Muddy's Arms or Leonard's Chess' relationship with Etta James which is seen as fictional. For Ray, there was small things such as the time of Margie Hendricks death. Not that any of these took away from what was excellent film making.

Trot

In Korea, there is music genre called "Trot". I think other East Asia has this kind of genre. But I couldn't find in any other country. I don't know why other countries doesn't have it. Some people said trot is similar to country music but I don't think those two musics are similar. Trot is originated from foxtrot. It is not traditional music, it developed in 1920s. This music is usually popular among old people like over 40s. So almost singers are old too. Unlike country music, young people usually dislike Trot. there is no taylor swift like singer in trot genre. Japan also have trot like music called "Enka". It is very similar to trot, I think because Korea was under controlled by Japan so Japan might inspired us. Here is youtube clip about trot, which is hit song in Korea, I hope you guys enjoy this clip, even though I don't like it that much. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF1qT0Fccbc

Music

i think great lyrics really define the quality of a song. But it seems that these days, nobody really pay much attention to lyrics anymore. Its not really about relating to the song, but more because it is catchy. I find lyrics nowadays really cheesy and don't make much sense, sort of like the book twilight, horrible content but appealing.

Walk the line

i'm really excited about the movie 'walk the line' this week! my dad is a fan of johnny cash and i'm a fan of Joaquin Phoenix, so we watched the movie together. My dad told me a lot of the crazy things Johnny did before and after i watched the movie, i thought i could understand a little about why he was so troubled. My dad didn't like the movie very much because he thought the film over emphasized about love and had too little depiction of Cash's other events and he thought Joaquin just didn't quite feel like cash. But it is after all a Hollywood film so i thought it did a good job.

Neo-Soul

Lately, I've been using Pandora as a music source instead of my iTunes. One day I noticed that alot of the music that I really liked was actually not R&B but Neo-Soul. I had never heard of the term before. So i did some research and found out that Neo-soul is actually a sub-genre of r&b. One of the main differences between neo-soul and r&b consumed on a mass level, is that neo-soul is very ethnocentric and the artists tend to be well informed on politics and world culture.

Neo-Soul was coined by Motown in the early 1990s in order to categorize the music of artists such as Maxwell and Erykah Badu. Eventhough some of the Neo-Soul artists have been very popular, most of the music is still considered underground because unlike most popular music, the lyrics have a deeper meaning and a purpose. I think it will be interesting to see the evolution of Neo-soul and see how the major recording labels handle this sub genre of music.

"Borrowing" music

I have always been a huge fan of Elvis Presley. My parents love his music so I grew up listening to him. However, I was very surprised to learn that he "borrowed" his music from African American musicians. It made me see Elvis in a completely different way, and it made me almost lose respect for him in many ways. I agree with a previous post that a song should be written by the person who performs it simply because it makes the song more genuine. I think that cover songs are the closest thing we see to this today, but covers are often good because they make the song popular again. Glee is a perfect example of this. All the songs the cast performs are covers and I think that it is opening the songs up to a younger audience who wouldn't normally listen to these songs. Obviously, the major difference between "borrowing" songs and cover songs is that the artists are paid royalties. It is very sad that African American musicans weren't even acknowledged as the creators of the songs, and that audiences just assumed that the person performing the song was the composer or lyricist. It makes me wonder how many other famous songs were stolen from other musicians who were never given credit.

Ertegun

How tragic, that a guy who had countless contributions to artists who all placed in hall of fame since the beginning of the 90s, crashed his head to concrete during a Rolling Stones concert in 2006 and died after a painful year in hospital . I wish there could be more attention from all around the world to his ceremony in Uskudar, Istanbul. I was there, since a friend of mine, who is a bright hot prospect musician, with his unique style was dealing about making an album with Ahmet Ertegun. Thats how I lernt about him, and soon we heard that he is dead. Besides the unluck of my friend, I was so sad about his death too. He played a big role on very important musicians and bands ' carreer, such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, but he was still working on finding new young musicians. It is a duty to respect and admire him, he never chase to earn a lot of money, because he cared about music, his spreading of wisdom brought us very important consequences. If he was alive, maybe I even would have chance to meet him, he would change my life too :P I don't consider myself a highly intellegent musician, but he was like a magician, so who knows what would happen :) I am proud that he is Turkish.

Cadillac Records

I really enjoyed the movie we watched in class. I didn't really know a lot about Chess Records before this class; about its importance, who the label represented, etc. Since the beginning of this class, we have discussed how the music that African Americans created was stolen by white musicians who then turned it into something popular. However, the movie kind of put faces to the names and watching the actors who were portraying the musicians really made me realize how hurt and disrespected they must have felt. I thought all of the actors were very talented, especially Adrian Brody who played Leonard Chess. I really enjoy watching movies that relate to the topics we discuss in class because I think they connect everything and make what we discuss a little easier to understand.

"Cadillac Record"

After I watched some parts of movie, "Cadillac record", I thought it's pretty interesting and watched whole movie. Overall, this movie was good and interesting. It is about Chess records, and the musicians who had contract with Chess records. I think this movie more concerned about Muddy Waters than other musicians like little Walter, Etta James, etc. I wasn't know about anything about these artists and Chess records. But after I watched this movie, I could learn something about them. I also like this movie which related to historical background too. This movie showed how society treated African American in middle of 20th century. I shocked when I showed the scene that white police officers hit little Walter for minor reason. Ironically, many white people loved African American musicians' music, but they were not exception from radial segregation. They couldn't get right credit for their contribution about music in that time. Also they had to just see some white artist stole their songs. It was so tragic.

You Ain't-A Nuthin' But A Hound Dog

With my spare time I like to write songs. It's an excellent way to vent out frustrations. The other night I had a dream that I began writing songs for musicians, but wasn't getting any credit for it. I woke up the next morning with a strange feeling. I felt like I had a part of me stolen away. It made me think about how many white musicians during the 40's and 50's stole black songs. I mean, Elvis Presley has and always will be a music icon in pop culture. I grew up referring to him as the king of rock n' roll. The fact that one of his most famous songs wasn't even his gave me a whole different perception of him.

Chess Records

So prompted by the movie Cadillac Records I decided to do some good ol' fashion stalking. . . I looked up the record company and Etta James. . . Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. I must admit Etta James may have very well become my favourite female singer. At least when it comes to one liners. She was reported to have said of Beyonce, "She needs to learn how to climb because Etta James ain't no angel." Or something along those lines. I also learned how deep Mussy Waters's influence runs musically. I have a friend into Noise and he and I were talking about Muddy Waters and he suprised me by stating that Muddy Waters influenced him. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with the musical genre of Noise. . . well it can best be described as the sound a tape player makes when you rewind it. I'm not a fan but kudos to those who are. It's not something that you would think Muddy Waters to have heavily influenced (Timothy Leary maybe) I guess he does get around huh? Also, on a unrelated side note. . . has anyone listened to REM lately? All I can say is this. . . if you're a fan of them. . . DON'T!

R.I.P To The King. Mr. Jackson

I was reading about what they were going to do to his doctor and how much time he was going to get. I am still shocked at how he could do such a thing. how he could treat a human being as if he was a lab rat. no one deserves to die because of someone else's decisions. From looking at movies and reading articles on how him and his sibling grew up they didn't have it easy from start but they made a life for themselves and i great one at that. when i seen that family together on television at the funeral you could just tell that the love that they had for each other was real. I know a lot may not agree with what I'm about to say because of what they have heard in the media about him but i believe him to be a good man. never met him before although i would have loved to but he seemed like a sweet caring man who just was taken advantage of because of his kind heart and the fact that he cared. I know a lot may believe that those children aren't his because of the color of their skin but to Micheal that did not matter. he loved them even if they weren't his.

Some may call him weird and crazy because of how he lived his life but to me he was just Different and Special*

Bad Script, Awesome Music

The soundtrack to Cadillac records was absolutely stunning. I felt the movie really captured the soul movement during the 40's and 50's. Beyonce's performance especially was powerful. It has been a unanimous decision among movie critics and elites that her portrayal of as Etta James deserved an oscar nomination. The nomination, however, was taken away from her because the movie itself did not receive the best criticism. Cadillac records was quoted as "a rushed mess of a movie" due to it poor script. It attempts to portray the black emerging culture and the motives behind it were noble. I enjoyed the movie, but I do think that some of it was a bit of a blur. It was hard to keep track of what was going on and who was being signed. Regardless of the script, the soundtrack is untouchable with its soul-stirring style.

School work vs. Music

So, I've been thinking about this since I've been attending college, but now that the situation has come up, I've been thinking about it more.
A quote Jameson wrote in The Spectrum the other day really inspired me, it went along the lines of "Don't let school get in the way of your education." I have never had a night class and I refuse to. I have also never missed a day of school since I started three years ago. (minus the couple of days in the emergency room -- with a doctor's excuse) I do this because I can't miss out on concerts if a good one is coming to town. One of my favorite bands is going to be in Cleveland in a few weeks on a Monday. I might have to skip out of my classes. I will probably feel incredibly guilty and have a heart attack if I have to. I also received a perfect attendance award the last couple of years in high school. I don't know since when or why school and going to classes is so important to me, but I'm always stuck in between going to a good show or attending my classes. Undoubtedly, I'm going to beg my ride to come get me at 2:50, perhaps 2:30 if I can get out early and if not, I'm all in. We don't know what the future holds and how many more opportunities you will have to do something, so you may as well take advantage of it.

Elvis was not the King

Elvis was the King of promoting himself and living off the songwriting talent of others. He did not write his own songs?????? how is this man a legend????? A great performer...yes...a great musician....well no..... he was the king of cover or karaoke . To stand on the pedestal he occupies i think that you should at the very least write, record and perform your own songs.

Cover Songs

While we were talking about Elvis's "Hound Dog," which was essentially stolen from Big Mama Thornton, I started to think about how artists have been able to use cover songs to garner radio play and gain mainstream popularity.

Covers today are obviously not being stolen from the original artist, but it is still interesting how some artists have had more success on the release of a cover than they have on their own singles and albums. For example, The Ataris received very little attention prior to their cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer," despite having released four LPs, two EPs, and four or five singles. The cover jolted their popularity, receiving significant airplay, and even allowing them to play at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago prior to the 2003 MLB All-Star game.

Personally, I enjoy covers, especially live, but I find it strange when the mainstream media pays little attention to a band's original music, and then picks up on a cover song. If I was in a band, I would definitely play a cover or two (probably not on a record), but I don't think that I would really want my band to be defined by our cover songs.

Alan Freed

I believe Freed is a real tragic figure in rock n roll. Here you have a true pioneer in his field of broadcasting and a guy who helped put the genre on the map. He is basically black listed for having a tv show in which frankie lymon is seen dancing with a white girl. Freed managed to work in radio here and there after the incident but never made it back to the top. He died of alcoholism when he was just forty four.

Cadillac Records

Props to Darnell Martin for putting out a movie that gives audiences a realistic look at the music business, especially that of the artists on Chess Records. One of the most important aspects of the film, in my opinion, is the temptations artists face when they gain almost instant superstar status. Etta James and Little Walter find themselves turning to substance abuse and crazy lifestyles after they get the means to sell records and the money that comes with it. Drugs and alcohol aren't the only problems they face though. They struggle to get the royalties they deserve from their hard earned success, and become distrustful of Chess as he becomes more vital in steering the direction of their careers. This is a very common problem in the music industry today, as artists come into clashes with their record labels over financial and creative control.

I also liked how there was a focus on white musicians stealing the music of black artists. Chuck Berry particularly had big problems with white artists covering his music and giving him no credit where it was due. This was a big problem for musicians in the middle of the 20th century, and it was important that it was highlighted in "Cadillac Records."

Mambo Craze

I wanted to comment on the Mambo Craze. I was very happy to hear the song "Mambo Italiano" in class because i always heard that song in movies but never new what it was. Also, i thought it serves its purpose of ramping energy up on the dance floor because it ramps my energy up when i listen to it. I also liked the Lou Begga cover of Mambo number 5 from a few years back, im lookin forward to when Mambo number 6 comes out in thirty years.

Mambo Craze

Cadalac Records

I enjoyed this movie very much. I thought the performances were all very well done, especially Adrian Brody. What i like most about the movie was how they showed how you can lose something just like that. First, Muddy Waters was shown in a delivery truck being poor, but then he got his chance with Chess Records. He then was driving brand new Cadalac's selling records. Then, just like that, it was all gone. He was no longer selling records, and was asking Chess for money. It goes to show you that you should always live in the moment, and enjoy every minute of it.

Caddy Recs!

The movie we watched in class was one that i found to be very interesting and exciting. I found it interesting that Mr. Chess put so much faith into his artist that he even risked his mortgage at first to build the recording studio not knowing how well his artist will do. He did something that seemed like no one else was doing! he was taking a chance. what i found exciting about the movie was that one man (Chuck Berry) could bring together races through his music. this was not the first movie i have seen where Blacks and Whites attend the same concert and are separated by a rope, strings and even lined up police men/security and all it takes is one bold person to break the barrier to show that no matter the color of the skin we are all people and we like the same things so why not enjoy them together!

There were some down parts and what i didn't like about the movie was when Miss James (Beyonce) father could not accept her because of her race. i don't think that was fair because she didn't ask to be in this world and although her mother did not live the best life a baby was created and whether black or white that man should of taken care of his responsibilities or even respected his daughter enough to try to be there for her.

Cadillac Records, behind success and fame

In the movie, Leonard Chess is an amazing man. He believed and took a risk by recording Blues music with Muddy Waters. He had an ear for this different flavor of music and this type of music eventually help develop rock and roll. It's amazing that he started from a small recording studio to a new studio with exceptional sound and recording quality. What's amazing is that Chess integrates all of his recording artists as his family. However, that was proven to be a mistake because behind all the success and fame lies drama, heartaches, and led to him to spend a fortune on booze, cars, and the high life. This movie showed that promoting this blues music took so much effort, bribery with the radio stations, cooperations with the band and the artists. Chess had to satisfy everyone in order for this to work.

It's no surprise that fame can change a person over night. Muddy Waters was not commited to one woman. In fact, the moment where his wife was holding what was supposed to be Water's "outside baby" in her hand and just crying, that was heartbreaking. When Little Walter came by and tried to take his wife, that led to the downfall of their friendship. That was unfair, he didn't learn to appreciate his wife, then what's wrong with Walter stepping in and giving what she deserves?

"Country Music Approaches the Mainstream"

This article explains the spread of country music to Europe and Asia. It wasn't a surprise that country music succeeded through the radio and broadcast in many stations. Brackett mentions some of the most popular performers did not stay at fancy hotels, instead most of them would earn hundreds of thousands of dollars would eat simple meals and sleep in their cars. Most of the Opry stars would go to one engagement after another, there was never any rest time. Their audiences ranged from dressing formal to casual mothers nursing their babies. The key ingredient was because of their simplicity with life, their lyrics represent the common lives of people. That allowed country music to sweep the world because the world is made up of common people. Hillbilly singers put their emotions and expressions out there when they're singing. Their lives had been rough and so, many people appreciate and know that hillbillies really understand what they're singing.

Ben Harper (Relentless7)

The song - My Fathers House - originally performed by Bruce Springsteen. Ben Harper did an amazing job performing this song, and all the benefits went to benefit hope and relief for Haiti. I love when artists do good things like this and try to raise money for a good cause. Ben Harper and his band now Relentless 7 is a new favorite of mine!!! GO LISTEN AND TRY THEM OUT!!! :)

movieeeeeeeeee

So I decided I wanted to write about the movie from class. I really liked this movie! I felt beyonce played a great role for etta, she has an amazing voice in my opinion! I agree with the post below me in which the main character the producer for chess records, and the only white man in the movie bascially, was viewed almost as a hero. I know in this time period that blacks were still fighting racism, but I did like how the producer didn't care about their race and gave all of these artists a chance. As for the scene with Etta and the producer making out, I was pretty mad because he obviously has a wife and I don't think cheating is right, or mixing your business with a relationship.. I want to see the rest of the movie and find out what happens next!!! Does the producer leave his wife for Etta? I don't think this is likely, my guess is that Etta realizes he is not going to leave his wife and she ends up not working with him anymore...

Cadillac Records

The only problem that I had with this movie was that the main white guy seemed to be the "hero" to all the black people in the film. It wasn't a huge surprise to me, this is usually how white people are depicted. White people are almost always the ones who survive to the end of a horror movie, while the blacks are killed first, followed by women.
However, it reminded me of early "free the slaves" propaganda where black people were carried on the backs of whites (White man's burden - see the link). We didn't see the whole movie so I can't make a judgment call on it. Someone told me before I watched it that he hoped I wouldn't take it the wrong way and see it in a negative light because it's supposed to be a positive movie. I guess I can only see the negativity in it.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/globerem/main/Judge%20cartoon.bmp

I found the article written by Langston Hughes to be very interesting. I have always been a fan of him for his because his poetry was often able to turn a difficult situation into something passionate. it was really interesting to see his reaction to white musicians stealing black music. His point of view was insightful because in a way he was an outsider of the music business looking in. I think it was important that Hughes made the connection that rock and roll wasn't the only thing that was stolen and that this was actually the normal pattern of the evolution of music.
My favorite part of the article was when he criticized some of the names attributed to white musicians. It seems like he was actually to not only discredit there supposed originality but to make it abundantly clear that they're music was second tier

Beach Boys

I knew that the Beach Boys stole older songs, but not exactly how they stole the songs. In the film today, it showed that they stole the exact guitar part from Chuck Berry's Maybellene. I wonder how many of their guitar parts were stolen. I really enjoy the Beach Boys, but now it makes me wonder how original they actually were. I'm sure this happened with a ton of other aritsts as well. This isn't right. Also I don't understand how the Beach Boys could have had the crowd they drew if Chuck Berry was playing Maybellene on the radio and live. The American people should have realized this and seen that it was not right.

Muddy and Walter

In the movie Cadillac Records we watched in class, one part that stuck in my mind was when the drunken Little Walter shot the guy who stole his name. I never finished the movie and do not know if he ever got punished for this but under the assumption that he did not, this part of the movie opened a lot of questions up. Did the police ever even find out about the murder? If they did, were they paid off by the record company to not do anything? If the police found out and did not get bribed, then did they just not care because of race? I would most likely be led to the last conclusion based on the setting of the movie and how Little Walter was beaten by the cops when he got a little cocky with them. Though racism is without a doubt still present today, I am just glad that mankind has made at least a little progress since this time.

Another part of the movie that I found amusing (also pertaining to race) is when Muddy was talking to the boss like the boss was a plantation owner. This sarcasm shown by Muddy was probably a way for black people to mock the white people, but the white people during the time most likely took it as the black people being "respectful" towards them and this irony amalgamated with the sarcasm provides a nice comic relief to compensate for the tone of the seriousness that is portrayed in the rest of the movie.

post #7

So i think i missed a post...but life goes on and i should just go on with it. So in respect to class, i really like Cadillac Records. It's an epic movie and the acting is great. But i can see how although these musicians were extremely famous they did have a hard life. It wasn't all about money and Cadillac's they still had TONS of troubles to face. Like the financial problems with Muddy, the cockyness of little Walter really got him into some bad stuff, the drug habits of Etta. It seemed like Leonard was just playing mother to all of them because they i guess couldn't handle everything that was coming to them. But hey, it is a movie and some stuff it probably really blown out of proportion but from what I've seen in the movie that is what seems is going on. Leonard is so worried about his musicians he doesn't even care about his own family. Once again it is a movie so some of it was probably made just to add affect? or effect? still don't know which one is right. but as i said earlier life goes on and i should just go on with it.

My dingaling, my dingaling, I want you to play with my dingalingggg!!

Well I must admit I loved the movie!! Of course Adrian Brody is quite attractive. . . but I digress!! There was such a difference between Ray and Cadillac Records. Even the way it's filmed!! For example, the portion of Ray we watched was more brightly lit and the feeling was more that of overcoming as opposed to the. . . crumbling feeling of Cadillac records. Most of the scenes in Cadillac Records were more dimly lit, thus giving the viewer a "bluer" (ignore the Pun) feeling. I liked however that famous stars came in to play the also famous roles.It gave an interesting perspective into the famous music we all know. Also, the fact that smack was as big of an issue then as it was now. Aside from the popular drug users of the mid 20-th century, It's typically seen only as a problem in later bands and almost synonymous with modern musicians. I loved the role of Muddy Waters. Side note- Chuck Berry is essentially epic although I think he's got to be a piece of driftwood now or the Crypt keeper's stand in (80+ years old). I wanna see him do the duck walk now!!

American Studies

Taking this American studies course has been very interesting to me because of all the interesting things we have been learning about have really opened my eyes up. I always thought music was strictly for people who liked to party. Music and the way it plays a major part in our society has been very interesting to me. Music and beats that were made decades ago are still being blended into today's version of certain songs by musicians of today. This course has really made me compare & contrast the styles of musicians and also the business aspect of the music industry For example (Tin Pan Alley) I have also taken another American Studies course that interested me; therefore, I am really considering minoring in American Studies. Because it teaches me about American ways and society as a whole. Overall this course makes me aware of past issues and how to perceive things that have gone on in America and things that are currently going on in America.

Cadillac Record movie

Taking AMS 209 has been one of the greatest decisions i have made. Signing up for this class i had no idea about the history of music and culture of music. Since day one i have been learning about all different kinds of music and have found it really interesting and fun. The movies we have watched during class have great and i have since purchased both Ray and Cadillac Records.

Last class, while watching Cadillac Records i found it really interesting to learn about Muddy Waters and his rise to fame. From singing on plantations to having number 1 songs, rags to riches. Chess so far in the movie has been a real great mentor and boss to Muddy and crew. He took a lot of risks putting things on the line to succeed. Even though he gets all the profits he takes care of all his performers giving them whatever they need. Not to mention he gives out Cadillacs out like candy. Im looking forward to watching the rest of the movie tomorrow....

I'm not sure if anyone else has been following the Olympics but there was a controversy over costumes and the dance performed by the Russian Ice Dancing team and it reminded me of when we were talking about Minstrelsy in our class. The skaters were supposed to perform a folk dance so some countries chose country western dance, the US chose to do dance inspired by India and they all tried to be as authentic as possible but when Russia performed the Australian Aboriginal dance it was as if they were making fun of it. The dance moves they did were not Authentic and their costumes were offensive to Australians. This reminded me of how whites would do blackface and how offensive it was to blacks, this just goes to show that there are clearly still issues like this in the world, especially if they are demonstrated on an Olympic floor.

Rip off the Indie's

Article #20, "The Growing Threat of Rhythm and Blues," discussed how black rhythm and blues artists would create songs and they would not be mainstream, then eventually working their way up into popularity. Once the song became popular enough, the song would be covered and claimed by a new artist. The artist who covered the song would get it played all over the radio and people would love it. Often times, the cover would be more popular than the original song. This still happens today. It takes lesser known bands awhile to make a name for themselves. The Kings of Leon didn't get known until their current album, which I believe was their fourth album. The text says "most of the artists and repertoire chiefs frankly can't recognize a potential r&b hit when they hear one." It takes people awhile to realize an artist is good. A band on the rise that Bruce Springsteen has performed with in the UK is called The Gaslight Anthem. They are coming out with a 3rd album this June. Another band, Wilco I feel is big among Wilco fans, but beyond that, they are unheard of. They have out 8 albums and put on a killer live show. Also in the hip-hop world, K'naan is becoming pretty big due to his single "Wavin' Flag," which I heard on the radio for the first time a couple days ago. K'naan also rewrote "Wavin' Flag" to be one of the official songs of the World Cup coming this June. His new version is more upbeat and fits into the atmosphere of a football stadium during the World Cup. There are plenty of artists out there just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes when bigger record companies pick them up, they get big, or if they come out with a somewhat mainstream song, they get big. Most times the song that gets big is not as good as their other stuff on the albums.

muddy waters

i got great satisfaction today when Muddy Waters was mentioned. my dad is huge into blues so i grew up on Muddy Waters and he is one of the great american artists that gets over looked many times. without Muddy Waters almost every guitarist (especially american guitarists) would have a completely different sound. i am very excited to watch cadillac records because we get to see a more in depth look at Muddy Waters.

while i'm talking about the blues; Buddy Guy is going to perform at CFA on April 7th. if you even remotely like the blues/guitar i recommend you check him out. he has just much influence as Muddy Waters. it should be an amazing show

The Radio Tax: My Response

Since I'm short on ideas for a second blog post for the week, and I didn't want my first post to turn into an overwhelming wall of text, I'm going to cheat a little and use my second post to respond to the proposed "Performance Rights Act."

In my opinion, the Performance Rights Act seems as much like a bailout for the major record labels as it does an honest attempt to compensate artists. As I wrote last week, the major labels are struggling immensely, and this seems like another attempt to pass the expense off to someone else rather than try to fix their failed business model.

Additionally, I'm not so sure the artists really need to be further compensated. According to opponents of the act, the free promotion provided by "terrestrial" radio stations results in an estimated $2.4 billion dollars of additional record sales for artists and labels. This doesn't account for any additional money made off concerts and merchandise, which is undoubtedly substantial.

While I don't listen to the radio that much to begin with, this act will only serve to decrease the already mediocre quality of radio. Even the smallest stations, including college radio stations, would be forced to pay some minimal royalties. It seems likely that this will force some stations out of business, reducing the variety of music available on the radio, and eliminating jobs in local markets.

It's tiring to watch the major labels continue to act as if they are victims of the digital age, when in reality they are nothing more than failures who never quite managed to adapt. If this bill passes, the effect will be similar to that of the government bailouts on certain other industries. The major labels will be rewarded for their inefficiencies and shortcomings, all while being allowed to continue feeding consumers a sub-par, watered-down product.

So, I'll repeat what I said last week: It might not be the worst thing in the world if one or two of these major labels were to fall. Personally, I would much rather see the demise of an EMI or Warner Music Group than see the burden of their poor management be shared small, local radio stations.

Read more: http://www.noperformancetax.com/

The Radio Tax

Last week I wrote about how major record labels needed to make a change in order to prevent futher losses and remain viable in today's music market. Well, apparently help may be on the way:

The Performance Rights Act a.k.a. The Radio Tax

Currently, the Performance Rights Act has been proposed to the House of Representatives by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, and to Congress by Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Under the act, radio stations would be required to pay royalties based on their revenues, with radio stations making under $1.25 million required to pay a flat fee of as much as $5000, while those making over $1.25 million would be taxed a yet-to-be-determined percentage of their revenues, or a much higher flat rate.

The bill is being promoted as a way for artists to be compensated for the use of their songs on public radio stations. Under the act, however, 50% of the royalties would go to the record label, while the featured artist would receive 45%, and non-featured artists would receive 5%.

As of now, radio stations only pay royalties to the composers of the music they play, but not to the performers. Also, satellite and internet are already required to pay royalties to labels/performers, and are "taxed" at a much higher rate than is proposed for "terrestrial" radio stations. Similar systems are already in place in other countries, including England, France, and Canada.

For more info: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-848

(I just want to add that it has been just over a year since this bill was first introduced, but it was only recently brought to my attention, so I thought it was worth mentioning.)

We Are The World

We are the world was a song written in 1985 by Michael Jackson and Lionle Richie. The song was created for charity to raise money for the African Famine. Now 25 years later, Lil Wayne, Justin Beaver, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Fergie, Wycelf and a bunch of other artist gather to remake the record to support Haiti relief. At first I was skeptical about the remake of song because of the inclusion of artist that do not naturally sing such as, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Will.i.am and Busta Rhymes. Those artist are rappers and producers. How can the be on a song full of singers and make it work. Well it worked and it was great. The song included a segment where a group of rappers rapped a verse together. As well as another segment where Kanye West and Will.i.am rapped back and forth. The song was very well done and I’m sure Michael Jackson is smiling down from heaven.

If you didn’t get to hear the song and listen to the video heres the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

Swing Dance

While learning about the swing era and swing music, I began to realize that how interactive the music was. When I was watching the video on jazz I noticed at that during the performances members of the audience would have battles and dance offs. Swing music was a reflection of the times and partying of 20’s. The best know dance of swing was called the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that was originated in Harlem. The male partners would swing the female partner in the air. The women would huge puffy dresses to bring an artistic affect to the dance. Swing music was fun, simple one big party.

But where is that interactive fun in today’s music. There really isn’t any genre of music that has the same dance floor energy. Maybe the reggae music or even to some degree Soulja Boy and his crank dat dances. But nothing really captures the energy of swing music. I wish I had a time machine, I want to party.

Two-track to Multi-track

In 1948, Bing Crosby gave Les Paul a "reel-to-reel tape recorder" that he configured into the first two track recorder. The two track recorder did exactly what the name implies; recorded two tracks at once, at this time onto a tape. This allowed for one singer to sing into two microphones, creating a "stereo effect". The stereo effect helped to give a fuller and more even sound to the recorded.

Today, there are multi-track recorders that can record up to 48 tracks that record in all digital, as opposed to the tapes that Les Paul and Bing Crosby used. Not only are they digital, but many have a built in CD burner so you can record and burn the CD right from the recorder. More tracks means more control over sound, which makes the music sound better. These new technologies are essentially the same thing as the two-track recorder Les Paul made with only two notable differences; digital recording instead of tape recording and 24 times the amount of tracks able to simultaneously record. Yes, these new multi-track recorders would be awesome for any musician, but there is one problem. Do you have $5,000 to spare?

Swing's Cross Genre Influence

Swing's influence went much deeper than just as it's own genre and dance craze, various sub genres cropped up due to it's intense popularity.

Western Swing is a style heavily influenced by Swing and is an amalgamation of rural, cowboy, polka, folk, Dixieland, and blues blended with the jazzy syncopation of swing music. It's most featured difference was the use of steel guitar. Western Swing was still had a home in dance halls, and formed as a outgrowth of jazz and is often compared to Gypsy Jazz. Popular performers included Bob Willis and the Texas Playboys, Bill Haley and the Saddlemen, The Lee Bell Band, and Kitty Williamson. The genre influenced artists such as The Jazzabillies, The Ditty Bops, and Willie Nelson.

Another genre influence by Swing was Rock n' Roll, where artists took Swing standards and re-popularized them. Examples include Fats Domino's "My Blue Heaven" and Elivs' "Are You Lonesome Tonight.

Also, not exactly a genre crossover, but Swing saw a revival in the 90s with bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Brian Setzer. This is more of a hybrid swing that combines elements of 30s and 40s swing and 90s dance music for a more rockish/dance version called Superswing. Along with this musical revival came the revival of Swing Dancing that can still be seen by the standard of most collages or communities having swing dance clubs or events.

Cannabalism? Really? Really?

Did anyone catch how rediculous some of the criticisms of swing music were? Some bishop was quoted as calling swing music, among other things, cannabalistic. I found it hard to draw the link with that one. I guess if there had been an incident where someone had been eaten on the dance floor, i could see this statement having some sort of rationale, but as of yet I am unaware of such an incident. Although its common for religous nutsos to make irrational and unfounded claims on occasion, especially in regards to music, this little doozy didnt go unnoticed.

Live Radio?

While reading about swing music, I became aware of the fact that the big swing bands of the day would perform live for radio stations to broadcast across the country. Am I the only one who thinks that this is a good idea for up and coming bands to do to get their name out nowadays? I know some radio stations do this once in a while, but i mean for some radio stations to do this all the time. While radio stations couldn't afford big names, they could provide exposure to the many very talented unknown bands, especially local bands. This would provide a lot of exposure for these bands as well. I could actually stand to turn on the radio once in a while if i didnt have to hear the same drivvle day after day, year after year.

post #6

One question....did people actually follow those movie guidelines during WWII? I don't understand how one could actually make a movie with those guidelines. They are flabbergasting!! 1) Will this movie help win the war....so crazy. Movies don't end wars man people do! I didnt spend 5 months in the trenches so some artsy movie director can sit back in his production studio with his hand rolled cigarettes, bottle of wine and intellectual friends and tell me how a war should be won. Ha. anyway....
It's really not the movies that don't tell the truth though. It's the news man. Propaganda all up in that piece. But no seriously, the movies back then could have told the truth about tings that were going on. Probably more than now-a-days. That's because no one cares enough to make a real movie instead we are all watching the hangover and step brothers, soaking up some cosmic rays...brew in one hand, babe in the other just gettin' healed by nature man. SWEET. and on that note..............

Music During Wartime

The music that was written during wartime has reflected the general feeling about war in general. This can be seen for the last 300 years. During the Baroque period in Europe, symphonies were written about the glories of countries and their conquests during wars, and being a soldier was considered an honorable thing by most Europeans. During the American civil war, there was an even mixture of both sad songs of Americans fighting their Southern kinsmen and songs about the enduring glory and might of America. During WWI, war songs reflected a general consensus that America should aid France, and that the war was generally a positive thing. Music during WWII seemed to only serve as a reminder of American values and to raise troop morale and get through the war, but not that the war was of great interest for American involvement, paralleled in American resistance to join WWII. Vietnam saw a majority of it's anti-war activism through music and the attitudes of Americans after the advent of televised war. This set the precedent for the war music of the coming decades but the strong activism petered down until it became the general apathy that consists of many people's feelings towards the current war that some people forget that we're currently in. On reflection I realize how boring this post is, but it's just an interesting trend I noticed about how the public opinion is reflected in the music of the time, or at least how the public opinion is observed by those who were not a part of the events.

Media and propaganda

I think media has important role to spread political propaganda. After Korean war, South Korean government supported directors to make anticommunism movie, especially against North Korea. Also some composers made music too. It wasn't just for pop music, also children's songs too. All of songs and movies are about North Korea and other communist countries are evil, we should fight against them until Korea becomes unity. So even people did not mean to watch or listen stuff about anticommunism, the people usually contacted anticommunism before they realized it's political propaganda.
In 1960s, there was Vietnam war, and many South Koreans volunteered for army. This time, Korean government used media to spread their propaganda, anticommunism. So it aroused many people to against communism. As a result, South Korean government could send many soldiers to the War. After 1980s, the government didn't make movies or songs to spread anticommunism. So young people don't hate communist countries, even North Korea or care about that countries.But old people still don't like communist countries, because they went through the era, when government brain washed people by media.

electronics in music

I read someone's previous post about music becoming more and more electronic. I definitely agree with that, it is especially prevalent in hip hop, pop, techno, and various other genres. Whether or not it is a good thing or a bad thing, it opens doors for many artists. Young or underground artists have taken advantage of many recording softwares that are out today. For a young rapper or pop artist it is very convenient to be able to produce a beat or song by yourself on your own time, without musicians to keep around or pay. These softwares are very easy to use if you get comfortable with them. Garageband is a software that comes with Mac computers. It is very user friendly and almost anyone could use it. I use it myself, and constantly write my own music. I tend to stay away from the software instruments as i play guitar and bass, but i still use effects and other electronic tools to enhance the music. In that sense almost all music has electronic parts to it. For example, Rock has changed incredibly from when it started out. Early rock musicians had little to play with other than their guitar and an amp. Now their are so many effects pedals and other electronic equipment for musicians, it is easy to see how electronics changed music.

Song Covers Pre 1950

A couple of weeks ago we listened to a short sample of "Anything Goes" written by Cole Porter but performed by someone else. The original version (performed by Cole Porter) I think is excellent, given the context of the song and Cole's almost comical voice I think it fits perfectly, although admittedly most of it makes no sense to me. This got me wondering about covers pre-1950's where means of distributing music was still in its infancy.

I wonder if covers were more prominent earlier on? I recall in the movie "Ray" we see Ray Charles get his start playing Nat King Cole before finding his own sound. Even than, "Georgia on My Mind" one of his more famous songs is a cover . Also it seems like every singer with a voice covers "Summertime" by George Gershwin (even Duke Ellington covers it). I wonder how many big bands covered Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" or "Little Brown Jug" adding their own personality to it, adding new instruments and making it their own.

I imagine that the prominence of clubs having live music/performers meant that at one time or another each famous artist of the time was requested to perform someone else's piece. Today, a band will usually play at least one cover song but they don't seem to go into recording as much as what seems to be the case pre-1950.

Swing kids

The movie, "Swing kids" is about German teenagers who expressed their feeling through swing dance. The background of this movie is in Germany, some around late 1930s to 1940s.They were under control by Nazi. That period, Nazi banned swing music and dance. I think because swing implies freedom or disobedience against Nazi. Also swing music is originated from black's music so it wasn't fit to Nazi's propaganda, Germanic people is the best. The main character, Thomas, and his friends were swing kids, they loved swing dance, even though it banned. However, Thomas and friends joined HJ, and Thomas were getting brainwashed like Nazi. In the end, he retained his pure mind about swing music.
This movie was very interesting to me, just not because of young Christian Bale. When you see this movie, you can listen many swing music, and also see dynamic swing movements too. It was very nice to see and listen. However, the most impressive scene was the last part when Thomas and friends shouted "Swing hail", because it was little bit awkward..but overall, it was good movie.

Queen of Swing, Norma Miller

i came across Norma miller on youtube, and at age 90, she's still touring! anyway...she's really awesome so i thought i'll just share some things i found about her. Born 1919 in Harlem, she started her dancing career at the Savoy ballroom which was oppsite to where she lived in the early 30s at the age of twelve by Twistmouth George.She was one of the Whitney's Lindy Hoppers and performed in movies like A day at the races, hellzpoppin. She later did a number of films and tv shows, like Stanford and son with Redd foxx.

Film Guidelines during WWII

The guidelines handed out during class do not seem very unusual to me. The first rule: "Will this picture help win the war?" pretty much sums up the rest of the rules. I'm sure even today, especially post September 11th that similar "guidelines" were sent out by the government or radio parent corporation. Not in a sense for censorship or propaganda but because of how effective multimedia has become at spreading a message to millions of people in minutes.

Although I can't find much on it, I'm curious on how strictly these guidelines were followed in WWII. I'd imagine in following wars (Korea, Vietnam) these guidelines became less enforceable as civil rights became a more dominant issue to Americans. Looking at the list of Allied propaganda films you can see just how large of an influence WWII had on the film industry. As mentioned in class, no doubt the music industry felt similar influence. Given that radio is still the most efficient medium exchange at the time (one that troops can listen too) than I'd imagine the influence was even larger.

I recently read a quote accusing lady gaga of being an illuminati puppet. I think people are so critical of musicians that it is ridiculous. Whether it be an individual artist or a genre, people look into blaming them so much that they see whatever they want to see. When rock was starting to emerge people called it satanic. Today its hard to believe how led zeppelin could be called satanic. Metal music received the same connotation and was also attacked for its harsh lyrics. In 1985 Metal was made an example of when Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister was singled out by the PMRC in a senate hearing. After that hearing the explicit lyrics label we all know was mandatory on albums with explicit lyrics. I just think this quote about lady gaga is hilarious. I actually looked into this accusation on the internet and some people have some pretty good points about it. It just seems silly to me though and a little outlandish. I guess criticism is easy to come by in hollywood. I couldn't find who the author of the quote was but if you look up the topic online their are plenty of peoples pov's.

"The symbolism surrounding Lady Gaga is so blatant that one might wonder if it’s all a sick joke. Illuminati symbolism is becoming so clear that analyses like this one becomes a simple exercise of pointing out the obvious. Her whole persona (whether its an act or not) is a tribute to mind control, where being vacuous, incoherent and absent minded becomes a fashionable thing"

Film Guidelines

I am really suprised about the film guidelines that were used. In my opinion these guidelines are really weird, i feel like when there is war they should have made film towards things that would keep peoples minds off of war. I can understand why they would make films about the other countrys being the bad guy so they we can win or own over. I also think that we didnt tell the whole truth when it comes to make film but who would when they are trying to make themselves look like the good guys. When it comes to war how can you really tell the truth. Also it one of the guidelines is will it help win the war? How can a film help win a war unless they mean win the peoples vote towards war. If it was me i would want to watch a film that would keep my mind off of war because war is a very stressfull thing.

In watching the Ken Burn's documentry on Swing I thought it whe was really entertaining to see the way people "swing" danced, I wish that people still danced like that today . So much of today's music anc dance has evoloved from this era it is amazing. You see traces of swing dance in break dancing and hip hop and you can hear how the sound of swing music has leaked into some of the leading bands today. It is unfortunate that many of the black performers were not really appreciated at the time that they were making their music but I think that their influence and talent is recognized more today and it's great that we can look back now and see what was really going on.

Swing era fashion

i think one of the most important development that the swing era had brought about was the liberation of women. Until the 1920s, women were forbidden to dress a certain way, but looking at historical photos, we can see the rise of cosmetics and glamor in young women. i especially like the long full skirts with pleats, very flattering when one was dancing. i think vogue did a spread on 1920s fashion...amazing stuff....

Electronic music

I went to an electronic music concert at SUNY Fredonia Friday night and the composer, Alexandra Gardner, talked to the audience about the change in music styles, and in particular, how music is beginning to become more and more electronic. She was talking about how instead of using actual musicians to perform their music, composers are using software equipment to make computers play their music. For some composers, their concerts consist strictly of a computer on the stage that plays their compositions, and often alters the instruments' sounds. I thought about how much of a change this was to the jazz, swing, and Big Band era. The whole appeal of this era in music was that the band was interactive with the audience and people would flock to places like the Cotton Club to hear the music, but also see the performers. The whole experience involved going to a venue and listening to the music acoustically, without any manipulation of the instruments' actual sounds. However, Gardner mentioned that the change in music styles isn't bad and that composers should see the "glass as half full" because the whole point of music is that it always changes and if it stays in one place for too long, it is detrimental.

Celebrity action during WWII

I think its amazing that so many athletes and entertainers had active roles in WWII. Glenn Miller actually died in a plane crash while serving for the US. Major League Baseball was basically shut down during the war with superstars like Ted Williams in active duty on real missions, in real danger. Can you imagine any celebrity giving their life in service for our country now a days?

Blatant sexuality of swing dancing

As a community, I believe that certain taboos and negative attitudes toward sexuality have slowly been broken down in our country. It has been a slow progression and there are certain eras that can be pointed out as turning points for changes in societal attitudes towards sex. The swing era qualifies as one of these times, not as important as the sexual revolution of the late sixties and early seventies, but still closely related to music as a means for wholesale change.

Happy Black History Month

In the Ken Burn's special on Swing Music there was a lot of mention that Benny Goodman was the "King of Swing" but this title was only given to him because of the fact that he was a white swing musician. Many people believe that the title should have went to Duke Ellington instead but although black musicians were listened to at this time, they were not as well respected as they should have been. They were used for their talents and then pretty much kicked to the curb (they could play in a hotel but could not stay in that same hotel).

While watching this video I was reminded of the fact that February is Black history month (yes I know I'm about 3 weeks late!) and this is a time to celebrate the achievements of African American inventors, activists, politicians, pioneers and of course musicians! It amazes me that people with such great talent were treated so poorly throughout history. But I am so proud of the fact that these African Americans that we celebrate had the ambition to keep doing what they were good at despite all the negativity they faced on a daily basis. I hope my generation can leave behind such a powerful legacy!

Why Does The Good Go Unoticed?

While laying in my hospital bed this past week, being that the hospitals are so cheap that they only give you basic cable(but that's another story) the only thing that i really watched and that really kept me going was the music videos and that's only because I'm not really a television watcher I'm more of a music listener but any who it seemed as if every time a rap song came on the younger kids knew every word for word hook for hook and probably could even tell you who wrote and produced the song if you asked them but back to laying in my bed, i met this younger girl who grew on me she had to be no more than three (yes I'm a big baby so i went to children's hospital and that's where i stayed lol) but she would come to my room and every video that came on i tell you no lie she knew every word for word. so one day my niece came to visit and she said "Auntie let me sing you my ABC's" so i allowed her to i ask the little girl that was visiting if she wanted to sing hers to me and she couldn't because she didn't know them.
Why is that parents let children engage in the bad such as helping them learn rap/r&b songs and and just ignore the good...ignore the things that will help them succeed in life such as having them sing their ABC'S. i don't mean to sound like an old bitter women but instead of buying Cd's buy your child a leap frog (learning device) help them to move further and better themselves.

Film Guidelines

I think popular forms of culture such as films,can have a big influence when it comes boosting morale or spreading political propaganda. It can be seen by many people and either boost moral or make a person second guess a subject. I was not surprised by the guidelines at all. I knew that the military and the government would do everything in its power to discourage its troops or shed light on certain situations. During war times it is a great method to boost morale because the troops are fighting for their lives everyday. It is best to have a soldier with a better moral then a soldier that is depressed, it makes them better soldiers.

A song that comes to mind when i think of spreading propaganda is "Testify" by Rise Against the Machine. The bands lyrics portray their opposition of the war in the middle east. The song is about how the US is over in the middle east for oil and how lives are being lost over it. The quote "Mass graves for the pump and the price is set And the price is set" from the song explains it all and it is asking the president to testify. The power of music to spread propaganda is great. Rise Against the Machine is a very popular band and it they have influenced many people, shedding light on topics.

Winging It

So I don't know about everyone else, but I happened to really enjoy the episode of Jazz we watched in class today. I felt for the first time I could relate to a different type of music genre besides rock. The episode made me realize that it doesn't matter what type of genre you listen to or what time period it may be - pretty much all teenagers have the same battles and frustrations. I know for myself music has been a huge part of who I am today. It has gotten me out of the toughest situations I've faced. I think if anything jazz music and the creation of the radio created an outlet for teenagers who didn't really know who they were and it's pretty awesome to say that music still plays the same role in teenagers today. There was something one of the speakers said on the episode that really hit home for me. He said something along the lines of that the music you listen to now will stay with you for the rest of your life and get you through anything that stands in your way. I couldn't agree more with what he said. It keeps me optimistic about the future to know the music I grew up with will stay with me where ever I go.

the princess with the clarinet

once upon a time, there was a young girl. she loved to play music. her favorite instrument was the clarinet. she went to classes everyday and practiced all night because playing the clarinet was her passion. whenver she had a performance in her music school she would always come in 1st place. one day she went with her friends to a nightclub in Chicago, it was called Smooth. She heard an amazing band playing nothing like she never heard before. She ran home to tell her parents about the music she heard at the club. Her parents responded by saying "lea you need to stick to classical music, playing that music in a club is no place for a women." She didn't let her parents discourage her. She heard about a band in need for a clarinet player. when she went to audition, the band leader laughed at her and wouldnt let her audition. she convinced the band members to just listen to her play. When she finished playing they were astonished at her ability but told her she couldnt be part of the band officially but maybe they would be willing to let her sing on some records. However lea couldnt hold a note if her life depended on it. after that night's audition she never tried to play that awesome music again. she stuck to classic music and after a few years she began touring around the world with a renowned orchestra.

obviously this is a completely made up story. i was just wondering why there were no women in swing music.

swing is in the air

Swing seemed not only to be a release from the pressure of the war but also the pressures of society in general. it gave the youth an opportunity to venture out on their own and actually let loose from the strict morals of society. It provided a place where people were allowed to be themselves and meet people that they may never would have met. This can been seen from in the movie when all the teens rushed to manhattan to see Benny Goodman
Eventhough swing was controversial because it went against morals found in coutry music, it became part of popular culture. its triumph over criticism suggests that society was more ready for change than they would like to have admitted

Music from when you were 14 15 16

This post has to do with the clip watched in class today (2/19). There was a guy on the movie that we watched today that said everybody has an urge for the music from when they were 14, 15, or 16. Depending on how it is interpreted, I agree with one interpretation but not the other. The first way it could be interpreted is that everyone has an urge for the music that they listened to when they were 14, 15, or 16. I agree with this because listening to the music you listened to when you were younger brings back memories, and sometimes invokes very strong feelings of sadness from missing the "good ol' days".

The second way this could be interpreted is that everyone has an urge for the music scene that was popular when they were 14, 15, or 16. I completely disagree with as much emphasis on completely that can possibly be put on that word. When I was that age, I listened to music from the '70's and '80's, even though I was born in '89. The "music scene" that was popular when I was the ages mentioned above was rap, hip hop, and the likes of that [stuff]. I have extremely negative feelings for this music for the simple fact that the people who make this "music" (if you can call it that) do not need to even know how to sing, because 99% of the time they use Pro Tools to keep them on key and on time. I have no respect for that, I do not and never will long for that. Not to mention the promotion of the misogynistic views they portrayed through their lyrics and million-dollar music videos, which I find ironic because a large portion of the audience is female (and not just females, but females who speak against misogyny). Sadly, this is still the most popular music today, and the computers are used more today than they were in the '90's, but no one cares. I thought lyrics were supposed to have subtle meaning so that they can be interpreted different by everyone, and therefore allowing the song to relate to a wider audience, not to be crude and blunt. Another problem with this is that most of the people who listen to this junk have very high moral standards, which completely contradicts the music they listen to. Alright I'm done ranting now hahaha

Age, Race and Random Thoughts

Upon watching the film in class today, it surprised me how the older people in the film were open about things that we (or at least, I) don’t expect them to be, especially when it comes to topics of race. Older people are usually seen as conservative and backwards and in turn, aren't usually respected. Again, this is coming from my own personal experience -- I'm not trying to generalize all people. I also know that there are many exceptions to the rule. Being involved in activism, it's difficult when you're trying to talk to people of an older generation and they don't understand what you're talking about. My grandmother asked me what Global Gender Studies was (one of my majors) and when I explained it to her, she just didn't understand. I think I am just being ageist, but who knows.

It shocked me to hear one of the men in the film say that jazz can be played by anyone, white or black, and it doesn't have a specific sound to it. When I took my second AAS class (intro), we listened to Jimi Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner and the Black National Anthem and were asked to compare which one is more "black". Obviously, this matters to some people a lot more than others.

Efforts made during WWII

On Wednesday's lecture, I was surprised to know that celebrities made such an effort to help promote war bonds, set up celebrations in Hollywood Canteen, and provided entertainment all for GI's passing through the towns. Even Broadway and Hollywood were involved with presenting musicals incorporated with war themes and depicting several escape films and movies portraying Pearl Harbor. There were also V-discs known as victory discs that consisted of big time artists and were sent straight to the soldiers to enjoy.

In another book Katie was telling us to check out, I learned there were Hollywood stars who visited the military and the injured soldiers and had a difficult time because they were expected to sing , tell jokes, and fight back the tears. The American soldiers didn't want to be pitied. The stars tried their best to provide free entertainment not only for the military but also for the families these soldiers came from and hopefully tried to liven up the dull and depressing moments people faced.

Swing/War Era

During the wartime period, jazz had developed into a new form of style called swing. This development brought forth a 180 turn to American popular music and the energy and rhythm that came from swing were enjoyed by many Americans. They felt a sense of freedom, levity, and enjoyment. Swing music required dance halls, and ballrooms to fit with the theme and style. Therefore, numerous ballrooms were built to keep up with the pace of this new form of music.

Like hillbilly music, swing music was largely dependent on the radio to promote its songs. There were live radio broadcasts and the swing bands appeared on many scheduled programs. This type of music provided people a sense of escape, escape from the war, and feelings of despair they were facing at the time with all the negativity and depression. When I think about how people could pass through these difficult times, music was the obvious answer. It can bring you into another realm where it can emotionally "release" your mind and soul and allow you to think about something else.

War music

I was very interested in the war music discussion. I was very fascinated by the way music spread a sense of nationalism across the country. Also, it was interesting to hear how soldiers were so inspired by the music because it reminded them of home and what they were fighting for. However, we are in a war now and I feel as if the soldiers don't have that same sense of inspiration through music as they would in World War II. Every so often, I hear about a musician traveling overseas to perform a concert for the soldiers, but music doesn't seem to provide a source of inspiration and a sense of home that it did in the second world war. It seems as if the war gets longer and longer, the American public begins to forget about the troops more, which didn't seem to be the case during that era. Also, in World War II, musicians and celebrities did a lot of charity work to help support the troops and the American war effort, but I rarely see anything like that happening anymore. Some even went so far as to enlist in the services. I feel as if that kind of support has disappeared. It is very disheartening to know that the troops today aren't given any inspiration or support from music or musicians.

War music and swing

Music during WWII was one of my favourite slides on Wednesday. Did anyone else have to listen to Rosie The Riveter in high school US history? Every time I think of music during WWII I think of Rosie the Riveter and that sound of riveting. It was made to inspire women into working in factories while the men went out to fight. With her cherry red bandanna tied up flexing a very buff arm, Rosie was the epitome of empowered womanhood. I also think of "Snoopy's Christmas". Unlike Rosie the Riveter it was meant to instill a sense of Christmas and joy into the hearts of everyone. Snoopy and the Red Baron put aside their differences in order to enjoy the Crimbo message of "Peace on Earth and good will to men" I enjoyed the video we watched and I have to admit. . . swing dancing looks like quite possibly the most intense work out ever. Watching the dancing was like watching a 5 minute bollywood video where you're pretty sure if you had to dance like that for that period of time you'd pass out. It was high energy. . . addicting. . . and well, crazy!! The one song in the video was in a movie (one of my favourite) called "Lady of Burlesque" starring Barbara Stanwyck. I can't exactly pick out the point in the video we watched in which the song occurred, but I'd heard it before in that movie!!

swing era

The swing era is a perfect example of how music can affect people's lives. In the middle of the Great Depression, swing era reached it's peak. I think the reason for that is because people wanted a vacation from life. They just wanted to get away. Swing music was a perfect way to do that. Going out to a club and enjoying yourself moving to a fast beat, opposite of the economy's slow beat. It made people get away from their worries. I would not be surprised to see a different type of music like swing music make rise again, if the economy should fail as badly as in 1929.

swing dancing

i was amazed at watching the swing era clips, mostly because of the dancing. I can't dance today, i can't imagine how i would do back then. The way they are spinning each other around in the air and all the little leg movements, i thought it was pretty crazy. And when we saw clips, everyone is doing it, and seem to be good at it. Maybe their was somethin different in the water back then

World War II Propaganda

Here's an interesting page of racist political cartoons from the 1940s drawn by someone we might not expect: Dr. Seuss!

http://www.who-sucks.com/people/dr-seuss-sucks-7-racist-cartoons-from-the-doctor

Music as Pro-War Propaganda

I can't say that I'm exactly suprised that the U.S. government created the Office of War Information during WWII, or that they made pro-U.S./pro-war propaganda a major priority in the 1940s. The specificity of their Film Guidelines for movies produced during that time was pretty crazy though. The fact that the government was able to take such control over popular media is almost a bit scary. Yes, the rations and constant news broadcasts were to be expected with such a massive war effort being put forth. But the manipulation of the film industry to benefit the war? Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. What I am really suprised at is the shift the film and music industry have undergone since the time of World War II. While it seems that back then, all efforts were made to use popular media outlets to create a sense of nationalism and support for the military, popular film and especially music from the 70's on has been geared toward anti-war sentiments. A prime example is the widely unpopular Vietnam War, which was essentially the impetus for a new genre: folk protest music. However, it's important to note that the shift from pro to anti-war expression in popular culture did not abolish the use of propaganda. Just because a movie, song, or band isn't pro-America or pro-war like during the 1940s doesn't mean that it is not propaganda with an opposite point of view.

Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You?

http://www.6thcorpsmusic.us/

I just came across this website. It has a bunch of songs that were played during WWII. I listened to a few of them and I wanted to highlight one song in particular. It's called Pearl Harbor Blues by Peter "Doctor" Clayton. Here are some of the lyrics:

"Yes the Japanese is ungrateful, just like a stray dog on the street. Well he bite the hand that feeds 'm, soon as he get enough to feed."

Unfortunately, this was not the only song to have prejudicial slurs written into the lyrics. In fact, it was extremely common in many songs during the WWII era. People wanted vindication after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Songs like this created a sense of nationalism and reminded the American people and the American forces what they were fighting for. Music at the time was also used to attract enemies to propaganda programs (or so wikipedia says). Along with this class, I am taking a Music In Film class. It's very interesting to see how the arts played a role into WWII. Beethoven and Wagner were some of the few approved musicians in Germany. Erich Wolfgang Korngold, one of the most praised composers in the history of the entertainment industry, was highly frowned upon in Germany (mostly for his association with a Jewish family member). This censorship stirred up ethnic hatred among the Germans. In fact, several countries in the war used film and music to evoke a sense of hatred for the opposing sides. People were easily influenced with propaganda messages form radio and sound films simply because of how new the technology was. I mean, if you're only medium of news about the war came from a talking box you'd believe every word it said right?

Guidelines

I found that reading the motion picture guidelines put forth by the Office of War Information was interesting. In the movie Inglorious Basterds, one of the significant characters is the director of propaganda for the Nazis, and I think shedding light on the propaganda being put forth by the Americans is necessary. It seems like throughout world war II as well as during the cold war era, the government was involved in the business of promoting its interests. Whether those interest be promoted with film guidelines, or by investigations into Hollywood by HUAC. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this post but, I like that we as Americans can look back on our past and realize just how far this country was willing to go to protect its interests.

Here is something funny I thought everyone might like since we were talking about Ray Charles last week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bt9xBuGWgw

Ideas in the Music Industry

While going through lecture slides and reading the slide on race records I noticed that two record companies Paramount and Columbia Records who were still operating and producing Grammy winners such as Maxwell and Beyonce. In my eyes Race Records recordings of performances by black musicians has given ideas to television stations like BET and MTV. These television networks used Race Records ideas and started producing videos for top songs on charts.Videos have made millions of dollars for these businesses. These two television networks has the music video industry on smash therefore, makes me think about how Race Records was multi-talented and also had innovative business skills in the music industry. Also I was amazed at how blues music was made and who it targeted in society. Classic blues was targeted towards the black middle class. I believe blues puts you into a good feeling towards your progress in whatever you are trying to accomplish. The beats are nice and mello. It doesn't have the hard core style of music which in my opinion makes you kind of think about stressful things that are going on in your life. Lastly I was surprised at how singing blues music could set the rhythm for men at work.

When reading chapter seven the author talked about how when songs were first recoerded on 78's they could only fit three to four minutes of recording on each side so that was where the notion that songs should not be longer than three to four minutes and that sticks even today after technology has moved forward. I think that is interesting I never really thought before why most songs are are only that long and I glad that I know now. I think it was a fun interesting fact.

Swing

In our class discussion monday we were talking about how there were 2 different kinds of swing. one is what swing became famous for, and then there is one that was made to cater to rich white folk. and this is just a trend that just starts with swing. even to this day, music labels do this. look at hip hop, it started off as a politically charged way for people in urban settings to get their message through. and now almost 15 years after hip hop's hayday has come and passed, hip hop has turned into 3 and a half minute advertisement flaunting people's money and material possessions.

And this is just a couple examples of how the labels take african american music and take true passion out of it to cash in on the white mass audience. so i guess the only question is, why are white people so unoriginal?

Today's Class

Because we didn't get a chance to talk about the discussion questions during class today, I thought it was an interesting comparison between the music played in the United States and in Germany during World War II. I've taken a Holocaust History class and we were shown the propaganda films. Obviously, if they were shown in the United States, they wouldn't have the same effect. It didn't seem like either of them represented a fair view because they were so one sided and the same is probably true with films shown in the U.S. and this goes along with the first question of the OWI guidelines "Will this picture help win the war?" If they are showing biased films, it is going to be more effective.

I'm glad Bebop was mentioned in the presentations today because I have frequently heard this term and I had no idea what it was. I figured it was a type of dance or something referring to Betty Boop, I had no idea it was music.

Film Guidelines

After our group discussion being cut short today, I figured I would write about what I would have spoke about. 1) I definately felt that forms of popular culture, such as film could definatley be used to either boost morale or spread political propaganda. My group and I discussed about how back then they didn't have TV's and that radio/films were the major way of advertising and getting the word out about war, etc. Films definately were used to form ideas about the way people thought. 2) my reaction to these guidelines was that they were crazy! I was not surprised that these were the guidelines, but I did not necessarily agree with the guidelines. The guidelines were all in support of the war and making sure the films helped people support the war. Nowadays we felt that most people are anti-war, but back then films were promoting the war, and this was not really a good thing, in my opinion. :)

SWINGGGGGGGGG!

After watching those clips last class of the swing dancing, I definately wish it was still popular today! That kind of dancing looked like so much fun and such a good workout! I wonder if people used swing dancing just for a form of good exercise! In order for these people to throw each other around they must have been in tip-top shape! Swing dancing, and this whole western country is very interesting to me. Like we were talking about last class, country music nowadays seems more like country pop music, not really old school country. I feel it should still be called country but be specified into more of a country pop theme. I wonder if there is any swing dance lessons around here? I would love to drag my boyfriend and try to learn! :-p

post #5

Well as i finished typing the first version of this post i hit the backspace button and guess what, POOF! it was gone. SOOO time for round two. Could it be that Mr. Owney Madden made the Duke change his bands name for a racial reason? Namely to point out his own views of African Americans but being able to do it in a way that it doesn't actually seem like he is? I know it was to fit the jungle theme but who knows? you know? Just a pondering thought floating around in my busy head. Anyway, Swing dancing seems like it would probably be the most tiring thing a human being could do ever in his or her lifetime (that is the average human who isn't a professional athlete or something like that) i've been to my fair share of dance parties and i get pretty tired but I'm coming no where close to throwing my dancing partner in the air and flipping her upside down. Maybe if swing dancing was popular now-a-days we wouldn't be the fattest country in the world. but hey you can't win 'em all.

Gunman on Campus

Hi everyone-I'm sure you've heard, but in case you haven't there is a gunman in Lockwood library. That's all the information there is now-they have not commented on whether or not they have caught the gunman. Either way-please stay off campus if you can. All classes and activities for tonight have been canceled. Be safe my wonderful students!!

"Hot" and "Sweet" Swing

There was obviously a lot of controversy surrounding swing music from it's advent. Soon, offshoots of "hot" swing (the "wild," "jungle-like" style played by Duke Ellington) and "sweet" swing (played by bands like Benny Goodman's to appease tightwad white audiences who were frightened by the high energy and sexuality of this new style of music) were spawning to target different groups of listeners. However, swing music wasn't the only kind in which white artists took a black musical style, dumbed it down, and "made it their own" in order to sell it to white people too afraid to be a part of the true culture of the music. This trend continues today, and I have a perfect example: The Beastie Boys.
Now I'm not saying that they're not a talented group (though they might not be), or that people shouldn't listen to their music (because I sometimes like to). All I'm saying is that the Beastie Boys took the genre of rap music, which originated in the everyday struggles of poor black artists spreading awareness of their hardships, and made it full of silly pop cultural references and the rhyme scheme of a 6 year old. And white people love it! I understand that their lyrics are supposed to be comical, but the Beastie Boys definitely turned rap music into a joke (and not in a good way).