Rock Music

In a bit of a break from the usual, I have more than just music in mind tonight. Lately I’ve been seeing on DVDs a lot of commercials that try to discourage downloading and burning movies by pointing out that it is a crime. I haven’t seen so much effort put into preventing this kind of “theft” for quite a while, if ever; CDs and VHS have always had the silent warning on the case and at the beginning of movies, but never with this attempt to guilt-trip young people. It makes me think, though – is it really a crime to copy these things? There are the normal arguments – that the artist or producer or whatever is not paid for the illegal copy, etc. And as a writer, I think about my own copyright concerns. My concerns, however, have more to do with the fear of my work being “stolen” – meaning not being attributed to me – rather than it being “stolen” – meaning not getting my pennies. Realistically, though, I’ve never written anything that didn’t earn a base pay, so perhaps it’s not the best comparison.

What I do know is that as our technology improves, information – of all kinds – gets easier and easier to “steal.” Perhaps the problem isn’t the “theft” anymore – perhaps the problem is our tendency as a society to cling to outdated notions. Back when putting something in print was the only way to get it read, the expense of doing so probably made copyright issues more serious. However, we are now trying to regulate information that is published instantly and world-wide – and for free. Is this really feasible? I think the laws will eventually be forced to change with the times, but until that happens we should continue to respect others’ rights, just as we would wish ours to be respected.

Music serves so many functions… One of my favorites is stress relief. I had a really stressful day, so I decided that I wanted to listen to some good, relaxing music, and write a little. Choosing music to relax by is a delicate process – it has to be easy enough to soothe frazzled nerves, but definitely NOT anything that would be even more depressing. No sad music allowed, but nothing overly upbeat or – God forbid – angry! (Save the angry music for when you need a little boost of courage or motivation to help you follow through.) So tonight I finally decided on a CD called Dreamcatcher, by a new age artist called Secret Garden. (Some of you might recognize their music from the Pure Moods CDs.) The Celtic music is very pretty and soothing, but it’s basically happy music – contentedness would be a good way to describe it, I think. After the day that I had, it’s a perfect way to de-stress. (And much more beneficial than my first impulse – which I didn’t follow through with, thankfully – to get plastered.) If you like using music as a remedy and a comfort, then I highly recommend Secret Garden!

Now this is getting ridiculous.

Megadeth lead singer David Mustaine filed a lawsuit Monday against former bassist David Ellefson for using the band’s name without permission in an ad for a pedal tuner.

And how was the sacrosanct name of Megadeth unlawfully used? Ellefson simply listed it, along with names of the other bands in which he has played, as a sort of resume for those who might not know who he is.Can you believe it? A person can get dragged into court nowadays for including their resume in an advertisement! I don’t think Ellefson is exploiting the name “Megadeth” anymore than a former Microsoft worker exploits Bill Gates when listing his former employer on a resume.

The purpose of the constraint, which reads: “Ellefson shall not use, or authorize anyone else to use, the work or mark `Megadeth” to advertise, market or promote any person, band, company, organization, product or services without Megadeth’s prior express written permission” would seem to be to prevent Ellefson from misrepresenting himself as a member of Megadeth.

I don’t believe the ad in Bass Player magazine indicates that Megadeth advocates the use of this particular tuner, only that Ellefson, a former member of Megadeth (among other bands) does.

What do you think?

Demeter’s slutty single “Pleasure Island” comes out in England today with a matching video that could ignite the sauciest trend in lingerie fashion since Madonna started wearing her underwear on the outside of her clothes. “These girls are easy,” the lyric promises…and the video confirms it. Formed a year ago by Seattle-born singer Anna Mercedes and London bred techno-baby Andy Chatterley, Demeter are candy for the eye and the ear. With Finnish guitarist Tony Haimi, Spanish drummer Juan Toni, and bassist Puter, Demeter’s sound is grinding new wave techno-pop, and their intention is to stick a fork in the electric socket of your libido. The album is due out this fall, but the video is on view right now.

For a look at the hottest sexflash in the London Underground, check out music videos on BOTW: http://www.video-c.co.uk

Since I have developed a habit of listening to the CDs I already have, and not keeping up on all the new music – a confession that will probably date me by the music I talk about – music has become primarily a set of associations for me: an assortment of keys that unlock my memories. My childhood was rather music-starved, so my first CD – bought in late 1995, just before I got my first boom box – is one I’ll never forget. Back then, the radio went through a brief sting of playing “Runaway” by the Corrs. For some reason, they quit playing the song after only a month or so, so I asked for the CD – Forgiven, Not Forgotten, by The Corrs – for Christmas. I must have made absolutely everyone sick of that CD, but I loved the combination of Irish-sounding violin and rock. Listening to the songs now brings back the feelings of my adolescence… Well, listen to the music, because it pretty much sounds like the lovestruck high school junior I was back then.

The Corrs haven’t gotten much attention since then – their second CD, Talk on Corners, was largely ignored, although “Breathless,” a song off their third album, made a bit of a splash. I was rather surprised when, not so long ago, I heard their song “I Never Loved You Anyway” in one of my favorite bars. I guess I’m not the only one who remembers those days.

Lucinda Williams has just placed herself up there with Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. “I feel like I’ve caught up with a few people I used to really look up to. Of course I still admire them, but I feel like I’m reaching their level of artistry,” she claims. Now here is a woman who knows her own worth, and I admire her for it. With 36 new songs to choose from for her new album, I would say she has more on the ball than the increasingly lazy Dylan, who hasn’t put out anything since his minstrel album “Love and Theft,” on 9/11-01, as well as Springsteen, who has just released his second attempt to remake Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin;.” As for Joni, her most recent accomplishment was a two-disc orchestral arrangements of archival material. So Lucinda may soon find herself without any competition at all. Unless, that is , you count those of her peer group she neglects to mention – Emmylou Harris and Tori Amos are just two who come to mind that Lucinda will never touch. And then there are the young ones like Dido, Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado, Natalie Imbruglia, and Neko Case, who came out of the gate with more than Lucinda ever had. So Lucinda might have caught up with Bob, Bruce and Joni…..but in a race that has already been run. If she wants to keep her position, she had better look to see who is on the ticket in the sixth.

Sometimes the best discovery is a local band or singer. I never would have guessed that Sara Smith, the trendy young lady I met through work, was a singer. When one of her co-workers told me she had a CD out, I asked her if I could hear it. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was amazed by how good she is! Sara’s CD, So Many Reasons, combines a sexy voice and the flavor of R&B with the catchiness of pop music. As a young woman of about the same age, I can identify with the things she sings about; as a literature student and a writer, I can appreciate the vivid imagery contained in her lyrics. Sara’s music is the kind that can appeal to different tastes and levels of appreciation.

Note: The CD was produced by Synergy Records of Vancouver, Canada, but the website appears to be down at the moment. If you are interested in hearing Sara’s CD, feel free to email me at writer@katharineswan.com, and I will get you in touch with Sara.

Eric Apoe is that rare songwriter whose musical spectrum is as large as his world view. With “Book of Puzzles,” his fourth release on Soundtrack Blvd Music, a cornucopia of romance, dissent, and speculation spills out into a galaxy of musical saws, pipes, and whistles…where string quartets and klezmer groups speak softy in the corners of international rock clubs and jazz dives.

“Come go with me / And you will see / The day before the end” ” Apoe invites on the opening track, “Russian Roulette.” I suggest you take him up on the offer, for it is a journey with unexpected perils and delights. On this day before the ending of the world, Apoe sets out to discover why the human race lost the bet against the firmament. He follows this with “There’s A Pill,” an appealing blend of jazz and punk rock that brings the Rolling Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper” into the narcoleptic present day. “Times of Trouble” is a protest song for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Singing of the “tears of war,” he pays tribute to Phil Ochs without dating himself. Irish great Tom Creegan’ s pipes and whistles give the song a timeless quality.

Apoe’s invitation becomes one that cannot be refused on “Tinfoil Mardi Gras,” in which an unconscious humanity is fried by moonbeams. Alicia Allen’s violin accompanies the mournful death dance of “a world where no one has a choice.” Flash back to a nostalgic portrait of a lost world in “Old Part of Town,” a deceptively simple piece of country folk given a ghostly chill from Mickey Raphael’s echo harp. Other styles touched upon include the blues (“Bluebird” and “Dark Side of the Moon”), reggae (“Book of Puzzles”) and jazz ballad (“Brokenhearted Blackbird”, with Apoe deconstructing Billie Holiday against Joanna Hood’s gorgeous string arrangement.

Apoe’s humor is in full effect on the sardonic “Mind Control Waltz,” in which he sings of Orwellian victims whose tongues are “swollen with delight ‘cause their heads were so light.” Olli Klomp’s drums laugh along with the singer; he sounds like he is leading a parade of zombies along streets lined with unresuscitated corpses.

After the book of puzzles is closed, a special treat remains in the form of a secret track that is a rare home recording of Apoe and his friend, the late Ron Davies (writer of songs such as “It Ain’t Easy,” “It’s You Alone,” and “Lay Down Your Burden”) performing a lovely song they wrote together, “Stranger in Your Own Hometown.” The sweet innocence of this recording stands in stark contrast to the tears cried by Apoe’s troubled universe.

For song clips, go to ericapoe.com

Is this an act, or is Billy Corgan off his nut? After his solo show in Seattle, Billy came out and apologized to the crowd for delivering a mediocre show, then promised to return at a later date with the Smashing Pumpkins. The show wasn’t all that bad, even if Billy looked like he was trying to share his nervous breakdown with his fans, who didn’t even come close to filling the small Moore theatre. Was he just upset that he wasn’t packing them in like he used to, or was Billy sincere about it being an off-night? Or maybe it was an off-tour. “This is it for us,” he said, as if glad to be rid of a less than lucrative tour package that was designed exclusively to promote his solo release, “The Future Embrace.” Personally, I like the songs on the new album, but think the arrangements are crap. While I don’t care about hearing a greatest hits Pumpkins revival, it sure would be cool to hear these new tunes with James, Darcy, and Jimmy. What I wonder is whether Seattle was the exception, or was Billy unhappy with the whole tour? Did he come out and apologize to everybody in every city? Who was there? What are your thoughts about Billy’s solo tour?

When I was in high school – and we’re talking about a decade ago – I had a rather unique freshman English teacher. Mr. Stough had us keep a daily journal, as many English teachers do, giving us ten or fifteen minutes to write in it each day. What was different was the way Mr. Stough handled our journal time: every day he played a different kind of music, and I mean different… One day we might listen to something new age, and the next it’d be the Beatles. As I recall, Mr. Stough himself proclaimed his intentions of broadening our appreciation of music. That was when I first learned what the word eclectic meant.

My childhood had been notably void of music; I had only discovered a year or two earlier that the radio played anything other than my mom’s oldies station. Perhaps for this reason, Mr. Stough’s lessons in music appreciation (even more than his lessons in English and literature) impacted my own tastes in music. With my entries in this blog, I want to continue the exploration of music that Mr. Stough started for me.

With this in mind, I am currently listening to Kitaro’s album Kojiki, perhaps the first bit of music that made a strong impression on me in Stough’s class. Kitaro is a new age composer (don’t think Yanni!) who is Japanese. He has been making music for quite some time, and has many albums available in the stores; however, Kojiki is probably my favorite, and I don’t think it’s just because this is the first one I’d heard. The music is basically a soundtrack for Japan’s creation story, and each of the nine tracks matches up to a chapter of the story. The liner tells the story of Kojiki, and if you read it while listening to the CD, you can hear the story in the music. It’s also music that is highly conducive to writing or journaling, as listening to it seems to stimulate creativity. Your local library probably has several Kitaro albums, and I suggest you check this one out if you can find it.