My thoughts on myself and music

I have always been the type of person that has wanted to try every creative outlet possible. I have painted, drawn, written, played music...but it has always stopped at writing music. Because I am a writer I think the words wouldn't be that hard, but every time I try to sit down and write actual music, I hit a proverbial wall that will not fall down.

The picture I chose for this post is pretty odd, and most people would not understand it, so I shall try and explain. My open wound that I will continue to feed with vinegar is live music. I have loved music since I was very small. I sang up until I graduated high school, I played piano for six years, I have tried to learn various other instruments since then. I love music. I love the process. I love the notes, everyone of them. I myself, cannot make it. The picture above is probably one of musical idols which most people would probably cringe at, but I think there is much to be said about him.

To me a song is usually made of simple aspects put together precisely to make it come together. There is a melody, a harmony, a bass line of some kind, a rhythm. But Sufjan Stevens does something I can only wish I could do. He is more of a composer I think. I have admired him from a far for a good four years now, and finally last November I hoped a plane and decided to go see him live in person. This was not just an ordinary show that I went to either. He had orchestrated and taped a whole movement for his love/hate relationship with the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. The creativity from this man just showed itself all over the room.

The second half of the show was of his own songs that he had recorded along with the whole orchestra from the first half. You could hear a pin drop in that theatre. It was the most surreal moment of my life. I looked around only to see people staring in awe at this person. I know most everyone in that place knew some words to his music, but not a one was uttered. It was fabulous.

So this brings me to the fact that I could not even come close to something like that. As much as I have tried to plant myself at a piano for at least an hour to come up with something, I could never do it. So instead I surround myself with talented individuals that can write songs like I only wish I could. Many people ask me why I go out so much, and my simple reply is "I love music, I have to be around it". I would not live without it. It as much a creative breathe in my lungs as writing is, even though I am not the one doing it. And that is my wishful thinking that maybe one day I will be able to sit and write music for myself.

Sunday Night Drinking Contest at Barley House

I have attended the Drinking Contest for almost the whole running. Dave Little is pretty much the organizer of the whole thing. He invites various Dallas artists to play a few songs and they usually intermix with each other. I have seen many artists play including: Dave Little, Danny Balis, Camille Cortinas, Billygoat Brink, Eric Neal, Chris Holt, Stu-dicious, Chad Stockslager, Ryan Hamilton, and so many others.



Last night was a bit different than most other Sunday evenings. We got there thinking it was only Dave Little and Nick Durham would be playing and that Chris Holt might make it. To our pleasant surprise more people showed up and it ended up being a wonderful evening. Some people took the drinking contest a little too seriously but it was still fabulous to see people there.

So for the rest of August come to Barley House on Sunday night for some really fun and intimate music from great local musicians.

08/08/08

Today has been odd. I started my day at work realizing how truly odd it was that I worked at a hospital and that I had done it for so long. It has been 2 and a half years since I started and I can remember how scared I was of what I would see. I remember thinking "how will I ever make IV's when I am super scared of needles?" I remember how scared I used to be to look in rooms, and how scared I was to see a dead body. This all faded, and actually to my surprise quite quickly. I got used to holding a needle, even though I would occasionally have bad thoughts of it piercing my skin. I almost always look in rooms now, even if I wish I hadn't, like when I saw the old man's penis. I still have a hard time with a dead body thing, but I have seen a few now...actually some in their last moments of life.

What I can't get over, no matter how long I have worked in a hospital is the aspect of loss. The actual process of dying. The tragic stories, the tear-filled eyes of family members that I see in the hall, or like today, the thought of someone so young not getting their chance to live. I have witnessed lots of tragic things here and the last hospital I was at, but they still upset me. The thought of most of them bring tears to my eyes. The 8 year old brought to the lobby in his teenage sister's arms even though he was already gone. The 17 year old that I saw in his last moments after overdosing on heroine. The two children that died in a car accident and their parents surviving. The many premature babies that come in here, that can't hold onto their few moments of life. And like today, the 34 year old with cancer that went through so much pain, that it was freedom from his suffering to let go of life. It's not just the stories that upset me, it's the tear-streaked faces in the hallway, the screaming cries from the patients rooms, and the people that I hear talk about not knowing how to survive without their loved one. This is what I have a hard time coping with.

I couldn't shake the feeling I had until I got away from the hospital. I thought about it the whole way home, and how hard it must be for a parent to survive their child's death. I just couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be almost cheated of the time spent with your child. I would have questions for our Creator that's for sure. Mostly of "why"? I wonder how many of these people ask those same questions.

So that being the day I had, I felt so emotionally drained by the time to get myself ready. I also wondered how long I could actually put up with the job that emotionally drains me that often. I already want to leave as it is but when days like this happen, it becomes almost unbearable. So this is me being human. This is me admitting getting upset about something. I never thought I could handle a hospital, and that was before I realized all I would subject myself to. But here I am 2 years later, still upset about frailty of human life, and I hope that will never change.

Being gone...literally

I have been away from this for some time. Not sure who to write about and not sure if it was really even worth the effort. So today I am writing about music, but not about anyone specific. I have seen many bands in the time away, let's see how many I can remember...Airline, Billygoat Brink, Chris Holt, The Slack, Pet Hospital, Calhoun, Dave Little, The Monco Pancho, Salim Nourallah and the Noise (and solo), Fishing For Comets, Sarah Jaffe, Doug Burr, The King Bucks, The Backsliders, and I am sure many others.

The interesting thing I have noticed lately about music is that Dallas isn't really the best city to try and start a business out of music. Only few people leave Dallas with a major record deal or even their songs played on the radio. A friend of mine is in the works with Atlantic on a record deal and I couldn't be more proud and surprised. Not because these people don't deserve it, but because I know so many talented musicians that aren't getting record deals. For many years now I have dreamed of having my own radio station for these specific people. Local music wouldn't know what to do with themselves, having people know who they were and taking away from Top 40 music, which in my mind can suck it! I would just love for other people to hear the good music that I get to hear on a weekly basis. I know some might not share my enthusiasm for live music and that is fine, but I go to a very diverse group of shows. Surely someone will like one of them. There are some good advocates for Dallas music, such as the Gordon Keith show and the awards given by the Dallas Observer, but what else is really being done to help. Not a damn thing. It makes me sad.

The Slack at Barley House April 11,2008

Like many bands I have seen recently, The Slack has been on my radar for a few months now. I have seen numerous shows of theirs and thought this one particularly gave rise for a new post. To top the evening off, it was Chris Holt's birthday, which added a dose of good fortune and plenty of shots. The other jewel about this performance was they would play all night. You can't really go wrong going to see an artist that has won numerous awards in the local band scene. He is joined by Eric Neal on bass, who has also been nominated for numerous awards, and dabbles into many other bands around Dallas; Tom Bridwell on drums, who also has the most amazing studio built in his house that many area talent record in; and Steven Luthye on the keyboard. Somehow the four members work so well together that even some of the SMU yuppies that tend to migrate to the Barley House, looked like they were enjoying the music (more on that later). So for a few hours those who attending heard everything from ballads, to rock riffs, to even a nice jam sessions that lasted about 20 minutes. The Slack is always bringing something different to the table. I had never doubted their extreme talent as musicians but the jam session was amazing. It pretty much mixed all types of music into it, and most of the people surrounding me couldn't help but dance along...even some SMU people felt the need to shake it a little. The Slack is always going to be a good show to check out in my book, they have yet to disappoint. Especially when I yell out for them to play my favorite of their songs of their Wishful Sinking album, and they play it.

To check out The Slack music and dates: http://www.myspace.com/theslack

Now I get to let people in on a really funny occurrence at the Barley House. Without sounding too much like a bitter outsider, I go to the Barley House to see bands, and I know some people just go there because it is their favorite hang out. You know they have every right to be there as I do. But what I have had happen at this specific place is that these people come in herds of dresses, heels, peroxide, Polo shirts and popped collars. They roar out most musicians that play, bombarding them with silly requests and make the experience a little frustrating. It kind of is a respect thing to me. These people up on stage are doing something they love to make their money, not just to be background music to your 90210 life. And please don't be rude to the people actually trying to enjoy it. I mean honestly I want to know who taught some of these people their manners...if anyone. It is just a frustrating experience to have to live with when you actually enjoy music, as opposed to just the sound of your own voice.

I have many friends that have gone to that school and I am really trying not to generalize the group as a whole by just a select few, but most that I have come into contact with at the Barley House specifically have shown this same mold. I hope one day to be up there and have someone come up to me to ask me the name of the band playing. It just really boils down to respect really, which some people have for others, and others don't. And also about the fact that I have seen way too many SMU girls leave the bathroom without washing their hands, and trust you don't want to get me started on that.

Collin Herring and Airline at the Cavern April 5, 2008

I showed up a little late for Collin's set, but have seen him play before. The last show I saw him play was at Opening Bell in the South Side building. During that show he played solo and went through about fifteen songs, new and old. At that show I purchased his old album, The Other Side of Kindness, as well as picking up his not yet released new album called Past Life Crashing. I thoroughly enjoyed both albums, but was quickly drawn more toward the more recent one. So in hearing he was coming back to Dallas (since he now resides in Austin), I decided to check him out again, hoping to know more songs and hopefully see other band members in tow.

As I said before, I showed up late to his set and as I walked up to the Cavern to pay my cover, could hear none other than one of my favorite songs off his old record. I was quickly intrigued to also hear the pedal steel being played. After reading a very in depth article about Collin, I found out he had battled with stints of alcoholism and was curious to see if that changed his music any. Very quickly I noticed the passion he writes intertwined in his songs. Most people can tell when an artist simply writes something they think people will like as opposed to something they feel, and you can hear the feeling in Collin's voice.

I only got to hear a few of his songs. He went back and forth from old and new. His band mate (pretty sure his father) was doing simply harmonization and never once drowned Collin out. At one point after tuning his guitar, Collin said, "it's not in the right key, but oh well". He pulls comedy into his shows usually bantering himself more than anything. Both musicians had a clear view of their instruments and played them well. As his set came to an end, I felt myself wishing I had made it earlier to see the whole thing, but know soon enough he should make his way back to Dallas, and I will make plans to get there to have the whole Collin experience.

After Collin played, Airline set up. There are things that I tend to notice when at shows, that most people do not. This one being the loudness of the background music while they were having their sound check. I couldn't imagine even hearing through their monitors to even know if it sounded good or not. I have seen Airline play a few times and each time I am even more impressed by the different stuff they bring to the stage. I am used to seeing lead singer and bassist, Robbie, with a collared shirt and tie, but this night he simply wore a polo.

At this show particular I found it hard to switch from one artist to the next, as opposed to their different styles. Collin played more quietly, obviously since he didn't have a drummer, and Airline brought their usual flare with their keyboard player and drummer who is not afraid to play hard. One thing I was not so happy about was the keyboard player's cockiness. He called out Collin in his mic about how he had called the group Airliner. Which to me seemed tactless. But once I realized that I should not listen to a word he says, the show was pretty good. Robbie's voice was crisp, as always, and they brought some new songs to the show that I had not heard yet. They truly looked like they were having fun on stage, which is nice for the audience to see, like Robbie playing with the keyboard player's mic, and the guitar player putting his back to Robbie's. Their sound is more rock, but some songs were softer. I really enjoyed their new song "She's Wasted". And like with Collin, I was surprised to see the set end, especially since they do a great cover of the Cold War Kids song, "Hang Me Out to Dry", which they didn't play. But the night as a whole was full of talent, minus the group of girls who decided to stand in front of our table.

Check out these two bands:
Collin Herring: http://www.myspace.com/collinherringmusic
Airline: http://www.myspace.com/airlinemusic