[editor's note: all pix are old. very old.]If you've been looking at some of the other "links" available on this site, you may have noticed a new area I've added called IMPORTANT NOISE. Over the last few months, I've found myself getting more involved in the world of music out in the myspace universe. Aside from the countless people sites out there, which I've never participated in, I was surprised to find what a large music community was out there. Not just never-before-heard artists with home studios, but also some of the biggest names in music. I was first made aware of this network through communications with good friend HAWKINS (bluesausageinfant). After a bit of time, I finally decided to take the plunge and resurrect some of my own musical ambitions, past and present.
You'll now see some links to what I consider to be some of the more interesting artists producing music in recent years. I'm not talking about mainstream. And I'm not even talking about music with vocals. Heck, a lot of it isn't even in the old verse-chorus structure. This is abstract. Emotional. Spontaneous. Some loud. Some soft. There are a lot of incredible artists out there trying to redefine musical boundaries. Some of the artists have been around for decades. Others much newer but no less ambitious. I'll be adding more over time as I continue to network with various artists.What I decided NOT to do was use this as a forum focusing on past efforts. My history of rock and alternative rock goes back to about 1985 or so. And, at least for the time being, it's had its day. I have nothing but great memories from those efforts. But I elected to use this music area as a way to break away from my past and focus on more of the experimental work I've dabbled in the last few years. It's not all polished. It's not all concrete. But it's all me. It's not radio-ready. Some take time to develop. Some don't develop much at all. It's music for music's sake.
Anyway. There are 6 tracks out there on the reanimation link currently (myspace limit). They are likely to change over time. The first 3 are recent solo efforts. Just spontaneous compositions based on a small foundation. RISORGIMENTO, MELD, and THREE MARTYRS OF ATSUHARA are just me and a little bit of free time. A lot of fun to create. Heck, THREE MARTYRS was spawned entirely because I couldn't get the rhythm of our old clothes dryer out of my head. In fact, the intro and outro sounds ARE the dryer! The last 3 songs do pay homage to my past, as I have to, for the time being, show where it all began. The tracks here aren't necessarily the big hits (well, one is), but are there because of what they mean to me. CANVAS was early Every Part of the Animal and one of the highlights of the days as a trio. I NEVER SAID was the college radio "hit" from latter-day EPOTA and, to this day, is the best pop/rock effort I ever wrote. Radio-ready in almost every way. AFTER ALL was a solo effort that eventually was recorded with the other half of my first band, Quixotic. Not a radio hit, but a song I've always loved. 
These aren't for everyone. Can any music be? I certainly don't apologize for the efforts. I enjoy the art and hope that some of you might elect to share in some of the experience. And please take a listen to some of the other artists out in the community. There are a lot of exciting results being posted out there and you're not likely to hear much of this through everyday music outlets.Enjoy. Maybe? Play Loud!
5 comments:
Good stuff, mate.
And it's the more personal music which I respect the most: As a fellow graduate of the '80s "home taper" culture of DIY recording artists, the more commercial musical path was never an option. And while it means we were all doomed to obscurity, the music and the creative satisfaction were much, much greater.
It is truly 'music for music's sake', and hooray for that.
And it's also a great way to burn away the bugs in the brain. So get thee settled house-wise and get that studio fired up. I for one can't wait to hear what comes out of it...
Intangible - Thanks for the reply. And you're right on the money about the link between the non-commercial music path and obscurity. Rare are the artists who have managed to pull off both. So the rest of us at least take pride in the fact that we enjoy what we do -- whether 10 people or hundreds here it.
But our humble origins still produced entirely different early paths. Your musical influences and networking put you on the experimental path early on. And the results have always been astounding to me.
My path, on the other hand, was affected by being surrounded by those more influenced by classic and semi-alternative rock. So early efforts were to produce more cliched rock results. The move from Quixotic to EPOTA started to open the window of creativity more and more. And the last years, void of any rock "restrictions," have allowed me to go more with my gut or heart without worrying about developing the perfect "hook" for radio (not that we hit it too many times...).
I'm still learning to trust my instincts. But I'm happy with the early results. And knowing that there are those folks out there likely to take a listen or two makes me more willing to share the experiences.
Intangible - Thanks for the reply. And you're right on the money about the link between the non-commercial music path and obscurity. Rare are the artists who have managed to pull off both. So the rest of us at least take pride in the fact that we enjoy what we do -- whether 10 people or hundreds here it.
But our humble origins still produced entirely different early paths. Your musical influences and networking put you on the experimental path early on. And the results have always been astounding to me.
My path, on the other hand, was affected by being surrounded by those more influenced by classic and semi-alternative rock. So early efforts were to produce more cliched rock results. The move from Quixotic to EPOTA started to open the window of creativity more and more. And the last years, void of any rock "restrictions," have allowed me to go more with my gut or heart without worrying about developing the perfect "hook" for radio (not that we hit it too many times...).
I'm still learning to trust my instincts. But I'm happy with the early results. And knowing that there are those folks out there likely to take a listen or two makes me more willing to share the experiences.
Wow... Thanks for the hair pics! All we need now are some sound bytes to go along with them!!! :-)
~Brian
Brian -- Thanks for visiting. Now read a little deeper into the copy and find the part about the links on the right side of the page that link to ... SOUND BYTES!
Heh-heh. Click on the REANIMATION link to go to a music space I set up. The summary on this page does give a little background behind what's happening with the experimental music these days.
Hope to hear from you again!
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