On a cool friday night a couple weeks ago, I made my way down to The Bitter End to check out the latest offering from Stephanie White and The Philth Harmonic. It was the CD release show for their second studio effort, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, the follow-up to 2007’s Knee Deep InSanity. The band was on, the horns were hopping and Stephanie was wailing. All in all it was a great night and I couldn’t wait to get home and listen to the full album. Unfortunately, since I had about 8 million things to do that weekend, I completely forgot about it until Sunday afternoon when I was getting ready to leave for my 3rd big event of the weekend. Needless to say, it was a long weekend and by then it was starting to get to me, so I definitely wasn’t leaving the house without my ipod or my new CD. I had a long drive ahead of me and this CD was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits and get me in the mood for the evening’s festivities.
Beginning with an introduction that sparks your curiosity by foreshadowing what’s to come and continuing throughout with taunting, exciting, and heartbreaking songs of love, loss, and self awareness, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things grabs you from the start and leaves you wanting more. Selfish Fool is the first track on the album and our first taste of Stephanie White’s clever songwriting and powerful vocals. “Watch me drown, but tease me with air … and keep me close by I’m the world you can rule, but don’t fall in love, you selfish fool” she sings to a would be suitor, in frustration with his behavior towards her.
The next offering is a more upbeat tune from the pen of the drummer and second part of the songwriting duo, Robbie LaFalce, Jr. As with most of the songs on this record, Figure It Out features quite a few instruments, both acoustic and electric, but the balance never suffers. I think that’s one of my favorite things about this band, especially on this album. I love how they use each instrument so effectively to enhance, but not overwhelm the overall sound and feel of each of their songs.
One of my favorite moments from Knee Deep InSanity is towards the end of Sustain where there is a musical interlude of sorts leading to the bridge – the piano and saxophone, with a little help from the guitar, build into the bridge where the French Horn comes in with this great solo that, when paired with Stephanie’s vocals, just gives me chills. The Philth Harmonic continues to impress me with moments like this on …Nice Things, especially on Teardrops whose fairytale-referencing storyline is improved immensely from the previous version* by the addition of the full band, saxophone and piano in particular. Just as impressive and interesting is the final track of the album, Emerald City Blues, which, according to Robbie, is one of their most ambitious songs yet. I love the contrast created by the woodwinds and distorted guitar here, as well as the microphone choice for Stephanie’s vocals. In order to give her voice a feeling of antiquity, the band was thinking about using modern mixing techniques until they found an “ancient” microphone that gave the exact effect they were looking for. It gives you the feeling that you are listening to an old record or hearing her on the radio 50 years ago.
Other highlights from This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things include the crowd pleasing Cheat On My Bffl; Can’t Get You Outta My Head – which Stephanie said at the release show, may be the only happy song she ever wrote 
; and Fill Your Head with it’s awesome horns and lyrics to which I think most of us can easily relate.
As you can tell, I’m a big fan of this album and if Emerald City Blues is any indication of what Stephanie, Robbie, and the gang have up their sleeves, I can’t wait to hear what’s next!
For more info on Stephanie White and the Philth Harmonic, including upcoming events, head over to myspace.com/philthharmonic
*on Knee Deep InSanity
Feeling Strangely Fine
It’s the title of my first favorite CD and a pretty good description for my current state of mind. If you don’t recall the CD, I’m sure you know the “one hit wonder” that came from the album that got me out of my musical theater phase and began my obsession with “popular music” (or in some – maybe most- cases music that is far less popular than I think it should be). Closing Time was a huge hit for Semisonic, one of my all time favorite bands. And while I do love that song, it’s not my favorite song from that album, in fact it might even be my least favorite. 
The reason I love this album so much is because it is a perfect mix, there is not one song that I want to skip or repeat more than any other, although I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve listened to the whole thing. (At this point, I feel I have to send my apologies to my younger sister who had to share a room with me when I was obsessed with this and worse, in the previously mentioned musical theater phase when I listened to RENT on a loop for probably a good six months.)
Anyway, I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other in my collection, because no matter how long it’s been since I listened to it and no matter how many times I’ve done so, I can always go back. Which I think is a testament to Dan Wilson’s songwriting, he remains one of my favorite songwriters and a couple songs from his solo album have even made it to my Repeat Offenders playlist. But back to Semisonic and Feeling Strangely Fine, for me it’s a source of comfort and reassurance in the really tough times, never ceases to put a smile on my face and can broaden one if it’s already there. Which, I guess, leads me to the point I wanted to make with this post.
Why am I “feeling strangely fine”, you ask? Well, it’s kind of a long story and while I thought I was prepared to give some account of here, it just didn’t come out right. So, I’ll just leave you with a little thought/piece of advice and the option to contact me for the back story.
I know in the world we live in it’s sometimes hard to trust people and even to trust your own instincts about those around you. We definitely need to think about our surroundings, be on guard, and stay alert and all of that, for our own safety. But with that said, I just want to encourage you to try to keep your eyes and your heart open – you never know when someone will come along and change your life, even in the simplest of ways.
BTW, still listening to the Repeat Offenders playlist and Jolene just came on – Dolly, I’m sorry I haven’t been listening to you all my life – this song is amazing.
Repeat Offenders
I have a playlist with this title on my ipod/itunes, it’s a home for those songs that I can’t listen to just once. You know, the ones you have listened to hundreds of times, but every time they come up on the shuffle or as you’re listening to the album they are a part of, you have to listen at least twice before you move on. I added a new song to this playlist today (Ian Axel’s Afterglow) and as I was listening to it for like the 100th time, I stopped and took notice of a great little piece of the song that I never fully appreciated before. It’s towards the end of the bridge when the chorus comes back in, but bared down to piano and Ian’s vocals in 3 part harmony and it just sparkles, exactly as it should and makes you stop and really listen to what he’s saying. Which then makes you want to listen to the song again if you weren’t really listening to the lyrics before.
Anyway, that discovery got me thinking, all of the songs in this playlist have something like that: Michael Buble’s version of Feeling Good has this great orchestra complimenting and really creating a duet with him and I’m Your Man is just pure passion in musical form; Marc Broussard does this crazy sigh thing in Come Around and there is something about the piano and the way the lyrics roll into one another in Robbie Gil’s Stumble In(n) Love that just hits me every time as if I’m hearing it for the first time. I could go on, but suffice it to say, I could probably give you 10 reasons why each one of these songs has earned a spot on this playlist. Some are heartbreaking and some are amazingly uplifting, and some of them just got to me at the right time in my life for me to fully appreciate what the artist was trying to say.
In thinking about why I can listen to certain songs over and over and again, I came upon a “chicken or egg” type question, do i listen to these songs because of the little intricacies that I notice and love about them or would I even have noticed those things if I hadn’t listened to the song so many times? For now, I’ve decided that I wouldn’t have listened to the songs so many times if something didn’t grab me from the beginning, but I think it’s still interesting (and pretty cool) that after hearing something numerous times I can still find something to make me appreciate it even more.
But enough about me, what are your musical Repeat Offenders?
P.S. Afterglow is from Ian Axel’s EP im on to you., which is really crack in the form of awesome piano driven pop. So, if you appreciate that statement at all, I suggest you find a copy and allow yourself to get caught under his spell. 
Have a great day everyone!
I went to see my good friend Josh Dion play at the Bitter End on Saturday night. For those of you who haven’t seen him play, you really should. “Pure energy” is probably one of the best ways to describe one of his shows. I don’t even know what else to say except that the man is ridiculous, awesome drummer, songwriter, and just a force of nature. And for me, inspiration as well - if he can give that much on stage every time, why can’t I give a little more to my art each day? It’s not just in that way that I take inspiration from Josh, it’s also from his lyrics and of course, the melodies that drive them. One of Josh’s new songs is called Get Out, which continues on as get out of your own way. Now I know this song is about a particular person/situation for Josh, but I think it’s an easy concept to relate to. I think a lot of us can be our own worst enemies at times, I know I can. I procrastinate, I get stuck in my own head, bogged down with pointless worries, or just too lost in my plans of what I want/have to to actually get those things done. So, for me, this song is just good reminder to step back and just “do it.” That’s another one of his new tunes, which has one of the most perfectly simple choruses i know, “figure out what you wanna do and do it, that’s all there is to it…” It seems so simple, and I guess it is, but if you’re at all like me, you really do have to “get out of your own way” to make that happen. You know what you have to do, or at least you have an idea, so stop dawdling, or feeling depressed because you haven’t done it yet. There’s no time like the present – Go out there and make it happen!
Why do we do it?
Create art and make music, that is. I’ve been reading and really enjoying a blog by a new friend of mine. It’s called Before The Lights Come Up and it’s written by a fellow music lover, Sam Teichman. Each day, Sam chooses his Lyric of the Day to explore and shares with his readers how that lyric has affected him that day, week, month, year, or throughout his life. In his “Liner Notes” he expresses his wish to “know why and how musicians create what they do. What inspired them to start, how the lyrics are conceived and crafted, the way in which the music comes alive, what they draw from creatively, and especially where they hope the music ends up, in our lives and our souls.” If you read my first post here you probably won’t be surprised to find out that this is a topic that is fascinating and dear to my heart as well. However, being a musician, as well as a music lover, I’m interested in adding my 2 cents in response to Sam’s queries.
For me, at this point in my musical journey, the why is a bit easier to elaborate on than the how, but I’ll try to tackle that one too. I can only fully speak for myself, but as these hypotheses apply to musicians in general I’ll probably be using “we” in reference to musicians/artists as a collective group. Anyway, why do we do it?
I think art is innate in all of us, but there are those of us who are just born with a need to create. To share our thoughts and emotions with others in a way few things can. It’s a need to express, to be heard and most importantly, to connect – with the music, with the universe as a whole, and most importantly, with other people. There is no feeling quite like performing for a live audience, whether it be 1 or hundreds. Even without an audience, just letting the music flow through you is a magical experience when you’re in the zone – you know the piece like the back of your hand and it’s become pure emotion and energy. Although you may be on your own, there is a feeling of connection to the composer and work you are singing or playing. For those of you who haven’t had that experience, it’s not unlike seeing live music. You know, when you hear your favorite artist singing your favorite song and it feels like he’s singing it just for you, it’s sorta like that. For me the rush is almost the same, but when I see someone I really like live, it makes me want to get up on the stage with them or go home and sit down at the piano with my notebooks and start writing, playing, singing, or all of the above.
Which leads me to the how. As more of a performer than a songwriter at this point, I can tell you that while there is a great deal of preparation and skill involved in executing a performance, there are certain aspects of performing that just can’t be taught, you either have it or you don’t. As with everything, there are levels of intensity and energy of performances, but you’d better have enough to engage the audience. As far as writing goes, I’m still in the early parts of that journey and right now I usually just write when inspiration strikes. Or when new lyrics and/or melodies come into my head and I have to get them down. I really consider it a gift that the melodies just flow sometimes. Now, I have to apply some perseverance and build those new melodies into full songs. I’m still struggling with this part, especially since I had a great partner to work with on my first full tune, but I’ll keep trying on my own and bouncing ideas off of my musician friends and eventually I’ll get there.
What do we hope our audience gets out of all this? A little joy, perhaps some camaraderie. It’s just nice to let people know that someone else has felt the same way you do or had a similar experience. And it’s really a symbiotic relationship, as musicians we feed off of their energy, the applause and appreciation of the crowd, letting us know that they get it too.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on the topic. And make sure to check out Before The Lights Come Up too.
Ernie Halter is fun
“This week’s video request goes to Caden. My biggest littlest fan. “See You Tonight” Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana. You’re probably thinking, “oh no he didn’t”… well, i did.” – Ernie Halter via youtube
In my quest for more Muse music, I got distracted after discovering their youtube channel and decided to look up another youtube channel that I’ve known about for years, but never subscribed to. Needless to say, I fixed that right away and came across this gem in the process. Now, as you may know, I’m a big fan, in general, of people who just seem cool, don’t take themselves too seriously and are just fun to be around. And when they happen to be musicians, a lot of fun to see and hear. Ernie Halter is one of those people. If you’re not familiar with him, let me fill you in a little. Ernie is a soul-influenced singer-songwriter from L.A. who used the internet and social networking to his advantage in order to build a fanbase. He is now signed to Rock Ridge Music, which, among other things, provides worldwide distribution. Pretty cool, huh?
Anyway, back to the video. This is where I admit to a guilty pleasure – I totally got sucked into this song when it came out and was getting all that airplay. I love a catchy tune every once in a while. And although I don’t remember who it was at the time, I definitely had someone I just couldn’t wait to see again in that teenage crush sort of way. So, here’s my one (hopefully not of many) posts mentioning Miley Cyrus. So, how did Ernie end up doing this song, you ask? Well, I don’t know the full story on this particular one – you’d have to ask him. I do recall him asking fans to request covers a few years back, from which he would then chose one to post on youtube each week. And I’m pretty sure they’re all still there (in case you were wondering ). This one, I’m guessing, came from a very young fan based on Ernie’s video description. Anyway, I found this the other night and thought it was great so I had to share.
I thought, however, in all fairness to Ernie, that I would post one of his originals as well. This one is called Played and I love it because I think it’s so funny and so true. Who hasn’t been attracted to someone they knew would break their heart and still wanted them, maybe even more-so because of it? Love it!
Muse – Uprising
I’ve been hearing a lot about the new Muse album at work lately. I have yet to pick up the whole album, but I’m definitely liking the first single from The Resistance. In fact, I was having a little too much fun cutting it up a bit at work the other night. (yeah, I bounce around my studio a bit when I get to work with good music. )
Anyway, the other day, a coworker was completely befuddled as to who this band was upon hearing all the hype for the new album. And I thought, “really, you’ve never heard of Muse?“ I guess I just know a few people who were really into them at one time or another and I know I must have listened to Time Is Running Out about a million times when it first hit the airwaves back in 2003. And then I thought, well, I’ve always liked Muse, but I never really got into them, I don’t own any of their albums, I may have had a single or two at one time or another, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. So I think it may be time to remedy that situation and delve a little deeper into their music. So, as I find some more Muse tunes mull over, why don’t you take a look at the video and let me know what you think of their new single?
I’ve had Put on Your Sunday Clothes from Hello, Dolly! in my head on and off since I saw Wall-E for the first time last week. Hello, Dolly! was the first musical I performed in. I was in 7th grade and I was just a member of the ensemble, but I think it was the first time I really felt like I fit in somewhere, felt like I found something I was really good at. After all, the director of the Drama Club asked me to join. Then again, I did go to a bunch of rehearsals and do a decent amount of production work for the show the previous year
Anyway, once I found out that the club was doing Hello, Dolly! that year, I found the film version in my Grandpop’s collection and watched it about 100 times. I loved the character of Cornelius Hackl and Michael Crawford for playing him so well. Most people remember Michael Crawford as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, and I will say that his version of Music of the Night is one of my favorites in the musical theater world. But for me, he will always be Cornelius.
In Hello, Dolly! Mr. Hackl is a wide-eyed young clerk in Horace Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed Store in Yonkers, New York. When Dolly Levi comes to town to meet Horace and make plans to take him to New York City, Cornelius sees it as his chance to get out and see the city too. He convinces his friend and fellow clerk, Barnaby, to accompany him to New York, see the stuffed whale at Barnum’s museum, get into trouble, and he sings, “we won’t come home until we’ve kissed a girl.” Corny, yes, but kind of adorable nonetheless. It’s all about taking risks and exploring all that life has to offer, a theme I think we can all relate to.
I know so many people who have great ideas or talents. Some of them are the true go-getter type, they know what they want and aren’t the least bit shy about going after it and when their energy is focused in the right way, things really work out for them. On the other hand, I also know people who have great ideas and are otherwise motivated, but can’t seem to take that extra step to get that new project off the ground. I find myself somewhere in between these two most of the time. And sometimes, as much as I hate to admit it, closer to the less motivated side. There are so many things I want to do in this life that sometimes I have a hard time figuring out where to spend my time. And then I see a movie like Wall-E with a song that is so reminiscent of that childhood spirit and “you can do anything you put your mind to” attitude that I can’t help but be motivated. How long the feeling will last is anyone’s guess, but lets hope it stays for a while.
That’s one of the great things about the performing arts for me, there is always a message, whether it be motivational, political, romantic or, as I discussed in my last post, just that idea that someone else out there has been where you are now. And maybe it’s just my thing, you know, that thing, that aside from your friends and family, your world pretty much revolves around.
That brings me to another question, does everyone have such a thing? And if so, what is it for you?
I think I’ll leave you with that thought for now, feel free to leave your thoughts on the topic. – What is your thing?
Wait, why do I like this song?
Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about why I like certain music. And, while I haven’t come to a full conclusion on the topic, I’ve had a few interesting ideas.
For me, it’s all about truth and energy. And in a lot of ways they go hand in hand. If you don’t have the energy to get your point across in an interesting way, you’ll have a hard time getting people to pay attention. On the other hand, if what you’re trying to say doesn’t really mean anything to you, no one will believe you. And then there’s the really interesting situation of being able to convey your message in one medium verses another.
For example, I recently had the experience of seeing an artist live, liking what I heard, subsequently downloading the most recent album from said artist, listening and (aside from a couple songs, which I’m still on the fence about) being left rather disappointed. I have to confess, during the performance, the artist didn’t have my full attention as I was keeping somewhat focused on my mission of selling merch for one of the acts. However, I heard enough to interest me and leave me wanting to hear more. While listening to the album, the lyrics and I think, to some extent, the delivery of those lyrics, left me seriously questioning the sincerity of the artist. The lyrics I’m thinking about are really corny and for one reason or another, I just didn’t believe that the singer really meant to say them.
I find this so interesting because there are other singer-songwriters who have lyrics that are on the corny side that I completely buy into – hook, line and sinker. I’ve seen them play live numerous times and still can’t wait to go back for more. Now, most of these artists also have something intelligent and interesting to say when they’re not being all sappy and whatnot, but still, you get the idea. Why can some people get through to us, while others just don’t ring true?
A friend of mine suggested that I feel this way because I’m a singer and I need to believe other singers in order to appreciate their songs. I definitely believe that, but I’m wondering, is it just singers who feel this way? I’ve always felt that there is a connection between artist and observer, it may not always be what the artist intended, but the way I see it, the artist has done his or her job right if they find an audience who sees something of value in their work. In most art forms, I believe this comes from that connection: a feeling of someone having expressed something that you’ve thought or felt in a way that perhaps you couldn’t or wouldn’t even think of doing. And even if they don’t use words or get to their meaning very vaguely, you know it as soon as you see or hear it. It’s almost as if the piece were created just for you. While, for the most part, that’s not the case, it’s great to know that someone else has felt what you are feeling or thought what you are thinking.
My current example of relating to art in such a way is my reaction to a song by Gavin DeGraw. It seems unlikely that a song titled Medicate the Kids would affect me the way it has, I’ve always been more into the love or unrequited love songs, but nonetheless, there it is. I came about a year late to the party on this one, as the album it comes from was released in 2008 (better late than never, I say). However, I have to be just as enthusiastic about it as if it were just released.
The song, if you haven’t already guessed, expresses a strong opposition to medication for behavioral problems in children. I’ve always been opposed to the all too common diagnosis and subsequent prescription of medication for ADD/ ADHD and other similar issues, but I never would have thought to write a song about it, nor do I think I could have expressed the hypocrisy of it as clearly and intensely as Gavin has. So, for me, it’s a great feeling to know that someone feels the same way and has expressed those thoughts so well. Not to mention having a chorus that makes me want to, and feel like I could, take on the world. For me it takes on multiple meanings and even serves as a means of inspiration for accomplishing my goals. – I’m pretty sure that has more to do with the tone of the song and its chorus than anything else. Regardless, listening to this song just makes me feel great. I can’t get enough of it!
There are so many songs and other works of art that I feel the same way about and I’m looking forward to sharing some of those and other ideas about music and art. So, with that, please feel free to share your thoughts on the topic and let me know what you think of this first post.
(I’m including a link to Gavin’s website where you can listen to the song and read the lyrics, for those of you who are interested in further exploration )
