Posts Tagged: The Thinking Man

Music / Music Festivals — 9 Comments
30
Jul 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: 2009 Summer Festivals

The Thinking Mans Take On: 2009 Summer Festivals music
Well even though summer dragged its feet in getting here this year, we’re undisputedly in the midst of that warmest of seasons, which means one thing for music fans: Festivals.

Festivals represent almost everything that is good about live music – a wide variety of genres, open air concerts, congregations of rabid fans, exposure to unheard acts, good value for your dollar, and the chance to potentially make out with a stranger even though you haven’t showered in days. Sure, festivals have their downfalls – crowds, expensive foods, hot sun, STDs – but the pros outweigh the cons in almost every case.

From their bloody genesis in Roman times, Festivals have evolved steadily to their current state – an excuse to go hang out in a field/gorge/park for three days. Also, the only reason you’d ever want to visit Manchester, Tennessee. The packing list is simple for these festivals – clothes you don’t care about, sunscreen, and a water bottle will pretty much cover 95% of your needs. The advice is simple as well: plan your show schedule in advance, don’t worry about sleeping, and jump in the mudpit. Just go with it.

So in the vein of keeping it simple, here is a quick and dirty rundown of the big festivals (both past and present) of 2009. I left some out – sorry Bumbershoot, Tanglewood, Telluride, Bumbleride, and Lilith Fair – don’t shoot me. I also went through and stripped away all the surroundings to give you the important stats: Arbitrarily Chosen (by me) “Big Names” and “Smaller But Mighty Names”, as well as the official tagline (not true) of the Festival. I hope you find it handy. Continue reading →

Music — 14 Comments
14
Jul 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Supergroups

The Thinking Mans Take On: Supergroups music
In the past few weeks, I’ve heard the term “Supergroup” bandied about a lot more than usual. There have been debut releases from Dead Weather (featuring members of White Stripes, Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, and The Kills) and Tinted Windows (featuring members of Hansen, Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne, and Cheap Trick). There have been announcements about the formation of new groups like Drummer (featuring members of Black Keys, Beaten Awake and Six Parts Seven) and The Almighty Defenders (featuring Black Lips, King Khan, and BBQ). There has been a Broken Social Scene Reunion (featuring members of Stars, Metric, Feist, Do Make Say Think, Apostle of Hustle, Green Day, Naughty By Nature, Bono, The Brazilian National Soccer Team, Color Me Badd, New Kids on the Block, and Barack Obama). But I’m here to set the record straight. These are not all supergroups, no matter how many times Pitchfork uses that word.

See somewhere we got confused. Someone accidentally said “Supergroup” instead of “Side Project” and everyone got all mixed up – we thought supergroup sounded better, more legitimate. So we dropped side project (except when referring to Spencer Krug), and substituted a name that implied that these bands could fly. False.

There are certain criteria that a supergroup must meet. As usual, I’d like to give my two cents about what really makes a supergroup super.  Super. Continue reading →

Feature — 7 Comments
23
Jun 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: EPs

A couple weeks ago I talked about the concept of the album in this space, and somebody by the handle of “Knatterjak” shared the tidbit that “The EP is the future”. That got me thinking – is the EP the new album? Is orange really the new pink?

EPs, loosely defined, are short albums. Strictly defined, Extended Play records are records made up of 4 songs (plus alternative versions) or 25 minutes of music. This strict definition, however, is often subverted – specifically through artists adding the letters “EP” to the end of longer releases. Autechre, for instance, released “EP7”, a collection of more than an hour of music divided into 11 tracks. They were permitted to get away with it because they are Autechre, and they are just weird like that.

EPs, like most good things, originated during the vinyl era, when singles reigned and people gathered around the phonograph to hear the latest tunes from bands that were “the bee’s knees” and “the cat’s pajamas”. They were developed in direct competition to the 45” single, with narrower grooves making it possible to fit more music onto the same size record. Since those golden olden days, however, the EP has taken on a life of its own, morphing into distinct forms that serve a variety of purposes. Just for funsies, I thought I’d outline the different types of EPs that I’ve seen, along with my favorite examples of each type. I’m almost undoubtedly leaving some types out, or ignoring some classic EPs, so please feel free to mock me ruthlessly. Continue reading →

Music — 5 Comments
3
Jun 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Opening Bands

The Thinking Mans Take On: Opening Bands music

epic TV on the Radio photo by chasingfun.

I have a pretty awesome week of music coming up this week. On Wednesday I’m off to see Here We Go Magic and Grizzly Bear play at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, followed by a Dirty Projectors and TV On The Radio show at the House of Blues on Thursday. Doesn’t get much better than that, I’m psyched.

But this isn’t a column about my imminent back-to-back-night face melting. Well, not entirely at least. It’s mostly about opening bands. Because I think one of the most exciting things about these two upcoming shows is that I’m not just pumped to see two amazing bands in two nights – I’m pumped to see four amazing bands in two nights. I’m no mathematicist, but I’m pretty sure that almost double the rock.

Being an opening band has to be one of the hardest gigs in the world. It’s like singing the national anthem at a sporting event. Your job is simple yet impossible – be great, be engaging, and get it over quickly. Occasionally, opening bands are able to break that mold, to stretch their set out and win over the crowd. More frequently, however, they turn up the amps too loud, play too many songs, and generally overstay their welcome. Either way, it can’t be easy. Or can it? I feel like in other ways, being an opening act is one of the easiest gigs in the world. Let’s settle this.  Continue reading →

Feature — 16 Comments
27
May 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Transient Modern Music

The Thinking Mans Take On: Transient Modern Music feature

I’ve talked to a lot of my music loving friends recently about transformations that are going on in music – a topic that I find completely fascinating. There are so many changes happening at such a rapid pace that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with where music is let alone where it’s going. But we know for sure it is going – CDs are nearly dead, digital formats are taking over, and vinyl is experiencing an oddly timed resurgence. Everything is all a-flutter.

But the shifts go beyond the physical media of music. They lie in the very essence of music – the way we experience it, interact with it, approach it and understand it. We no longer buy an album a month at the record store down the street. Our mindset and understanding of music has become warped, thrown in fast forward, and swirled around. But will it blend? Regardless, the eventual product is a radical shift in our perception and connection with the songs that soundtrack our lives – the permanence of music is irrevocably altered. Continue reading →

Feature — 2 Comments
12
May 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Celebrity Spectacles

In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes. - Andy Warhol

"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." - Andy Warhol

Did you see Amy Winehouse on YouTube? OMG, she was all, “warble warble gibberish” and then the crowd was all “AMY! AMY! AMY!” and then she was all staggering around stage and showing too much skin and bumping into the microphone. That girl has a problem, man, somebody should get her some help. But first you should watch the video.

SHE’S A HUMAN! (ah! ooh!) What you don’t realize is that [Amy] is making you all this money and all you do is write a bunch of crap about her.

LEAVE HER ALONE! You are lucky she even performed for you BASTARDS!
LEAVE [AMY] ALONE!…..Please. (credit due here)

Seriously, though, here’s my question: where’s the line between performer and spectacle? When do we stop watching someone while hoping for an amazing performance and instead start watching someone while hoping for some sort of breakdown?

In light of the most recent celebrity/internet fiascos, I believe the question is, Do we force celebrities to bare it all in the hopes of publicity, or do they do it on their own out of boredom and sheer because-I-can-ism? Continue reading →

Feature / Music — 16 Comments
28
Apr 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: The Album

As promised, this week’s Thinking Man article is all about the album – in fact, most people a couple weeks ago seemed to ignore the whole singles debate and move straight on to this topic, so it should be an interesting one. Sorry for the delay – I was in Puerto Rico soaking up some sun and catching up on good tunes that I’ve missed over the past 15 years. But now I think I’ve heard them all, so we’re good to go.

Let’s start off with the biggest, broadest, and most impossible question – Is the album dead? There are about a million ways to answer this question, and none of them are right. If you say the album isn’t dead, there are a thousand people at the ready to jump down your throat, citing Flaming Lips, Streets, and Prefuse 73’s who are all using the album format to the fullest extent possible. If you say the album is alive and kicking, crowds of hip hop and pop fans will laugh in your face. Haven’t we heard enough filler skits (not to mention filler songs) to convince us that albums have fallen by the wayside?

The reality is that the album is in the middle of an identity crisis – schizophrenic and multifaceted though it may be. In today’s music environment there are competing factors fighting for and against the album as a concept, as a product, and as a medium. Let’s take a look at the forces hard at work shaping the bifurcated future of the record. Yes, I said bifurcated. Continue reading →

Feature — 7 Comments
7
Apr 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Singles

The Thinking Mans Take On: Singles feature

This past week’s publishing of the Absolute Best Songs of 2009 (.25 of the way through) got me thinking about music releases today – particularly about the role of singles. Depending on who you talk to, singles are either dead, dying, or stronger than ever. So what’s the deal? Where do singles fit into this blogosphere?

This topic hints at about a thousand other topics – it’s like one of those Russian nesting dolls: Where do singles fit into albums? Where do albums fit into the blogosphere? Where does the blogosphere fit into modern pop music? Where does modern pop music fit into Music in general? But for today let’s just tackle singles. Next week I’ll take a look at the state of albums these days – for now, let’s spin the hits! Continue reading →

Feature — 6 Comments
31
Mar 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Twitter

The Thinking Mans Take On: Twitter feature
I feel like, with all the press that has been gathered, I would be remiss not to write about Twitter. Twitter, in case you have been living in a cave for the past month/year, is a way that you can tell your friends what type of sandwich you’re eating for lunch without addressing an e-mail to them. It allows you to follow the day to day actions of strangers. If you’re vigilant, it’ll tell you where to find Shaq at all hours of the day.

You’re probably thinking “I can find Shaq? What a magical tool!” but I assure you that not all is magical in Twitter land. In fact, the service has come under fire from a lot of different angles – it promotes overexposure, it doesn’t make any money, and it has limited policing making it difficult to distinguish between DarthVader and iamdarthvader. Jon Stewart called it a gimmick, Doonesbury author Gary Trudeau mocked the need to maintain constant Twitter relevance, and NPR lamented the loss of editing. For a service so tiny, it has certainly caused a big commotion.
Continue reading →

Feature — 25 Comments
24
Mar 09

The Thinking Man’s Take On: Concert Crowds

The Thinking Mans Take On: Concert Crowds feature

I had the pleasure of catching Cut Copy and Matt & Kim at the newly reopened House of Blues in Boston this past weekend, a great show to be sure.  But there was one drawback – the crowd.  Not the whole crowd, though.  Specific members of the crowd who were seemingly there with the sole purpose of annoying music fans.  I’m sure you’ve been at concerts full of these people.  It’s awful.

Crowds at live concerts vary wildly depending on where you are and who you are seeing perform, obviously.  New York fans are savvy – often bordering on jaded – and knowledgeable.  Philly fans are dancey and ragey.  SXSW fans are bloggers.  And Boston has grown a unique breed of concertgoers, too old to be hipsters and too drunk to be polite.  But everywhere you go, really, the people who bring the crowd down are the same. Continue reading →

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