Category: Writing

February 5, 2013

Everything and Nothing

“Everything and nothing” is my new favorite way to answer the question, “What’s going on?”

Good Lord, I’ve been totally avoiding my own site. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time for updates. So I threw up a new theme design (hope you enjoy it) and said, “I’m going to write something, dammit.” So here we are.

Goodbye 2012

I want to have a quick look back at 2012. The band and I played many a gig, and many a GOOD gig! I have to not only thank the band members but also everyone who came to the shows and supported me. It really is the most important thing when playing a show. Playing to an empty room is no fun at all. Playing to a room full of people, familiar or otherwise, who are into it and singing your words back to you on cue is a euphoric experience that I can’t explain.

We had many great shows at places like Crossroads, Connolly’s, National Underground and wrapped up our year with a great gig at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. I’ve gone to many a show there and was thrilled to be able to be on that famous stage. Being from NJ, I think we take that place for granted a bit but there’s lots of great music history there and I’m glad to say I’ve played there. Thanks to my friends in Bradykynin for offering the slot to me.

This year I want to try and keep to at least one show a month, so I hope to see you out there. Our gig at Hat City Kitchen in January was AMAZING. So many great people and so much good energy. Thanks to our friends in Test Pattern for giving us a slot and recording the show. You can hear the audio bootleg here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN-l3msgLRg

I think my biggest achievement in 2012 was The Code of the West. Writing and recording a concept album is a very ambitious feat and it is not easy to pull off. I’m used to working quickly but this record really forced me to slow down a bit. There was months of on and off research (most about the old west, guns, and so on) and there was a lot of writing before any notes were played. Taking this thing from concept to fleshing out the story alone was hard work. Then I had to actually record the music and hope that it all made some kind of sense.

While the songs still have that “demo” quality (it was all done in my garage) I have to say I’m proud of the whole thing and there are some very different and interesting things on there for me. I went into areas I didn’t know I could and came out a better musician. Please give it a full listen if you can and let me know if the story works for you.

We’re going to start breaking in some of these songs live very soon. The first will be “This Gun is Now My Life” and we’ll follow that up with some of the more rocking tunes like “On the Run” or perhaps “Keep on Moving West.” I’d really like to play the closer, “It’s Finally Time to Sleep” at some point also. Please give me some feedback when you can.

The Band

I’m happy to say that the band is doing well. When you’re a solo artist, it’s quite hard to find people willing to come in an be the backing band, especially when there’s little to no pay involved. I’m sure Lenny Kravitz or Bryan Adams can hire whoever they please. Lou Tambone has to take who he can get.

You have to find people who love music so much that they don’t really mind what they’re playing or why. They play because they love it. I was lucky enough to find a batch of musicians like this. For some odd reason, they are happy to come down and play my songs to people for next to nothing and I appreciate this immensely. So much so that I want to give individual shout outs to them.

STEVE SAVONA plays bass. I’ve known Steve for what has to be around 20 years now. He was the first person I asked to play and he agreed right away. I never, ever, have to worry about what he’s doing or how he’s playing things and he has a humble attitude that’s refreshing. He’s laid back, but tight and in the pocket. A pleasure to have next to me, even though he towers over me and makes me look even shorter. I’ll have to invest in some platform shoes, I guess.

DAVE WILSON plays lead guitar. I remember auditioning Dave. We were really going through the ringer auditioning guitarists and none of them were working out. I’d give them songs to learn and they would hardly bother with them. Dave was one of maybe two guys that actually listened to the songs and learned them. He came in prepared, played the songs, and left with a handshake. That’s pretty much how he got the gig. Plus he could play. He’s good-natured, easy to work with and very accommodating.

ROB SILVERMAN plays drums. Much like Dave, he was a drummer who came down prepared to play and knew the tunes well. I was pretty impressed at how he picked up on a lot of my little drumming quirks or chops and was able to repeat them. He’s a funny guy with many a story to tell. He puts in the time and it shows on stage. As busy as he is, he always finds the time to get to rehearsals and gigs. He smokes electric cigarettes, which to me is cooler than smoking real ones. Now I’ve said too much.

That’s the core band, but as you might know, sometimes LIFE happens and someone can’t make a show for whatever reason. Sometimes they’re away for work or on vacation. Sometimes there’s a family event. These folks are doing me a favor by playing in my band so I always tell them that family is first!

That said, I’ve started to try and make sure I have alternate players available so that when there’s a gig someone can’t make (or a last minute replacement is needed), I don’t have to cancel the show. Booking gigs is not a pleasurable experience for me so when I book them, I like to keep them.

As of now I have two alternates, one for bass and one for lead guitar. When there’s no drummer, we’ll just have to go without… or maybe I’ll play some live drums one day… who knows?

HANNAH HAREL plays the bass and is my good friend. We have played together in another band and had lots of fun. For some reason, she seems to really like playing my songs. I think something must be off in her head, but it works to my advantage so I go with it. When Steve can’t make it, she’s my go-to girl. You’ll see her in some of the youtube videos. I can’t say enough good things about her. We always have a good time.

ROB FERRARO plays lead guitar. He and drummer Rob Silverman, along with myself and another bass player named Anthony Capricuso are all in another original band called Radio Therapy. He’s going to be filling in for Dave at our NYC show on April 6th. This is a real sweetheart of a guy and once again, I’ve lucked out. He also played on the track “On the Run” from my Code of the West recording. He’s a great player.

I’m still auditioning keyboard players but I think I’m close to someone. Keyboard players are a tough breed! If I find one, you’re going to start seeing some cool stuff happening.

Music Stuff

I have all kinds of ideas. All the time. Getting those ideas to a place where you can see/hear them is a project unto itself. Some things make it, others don’t.

There will be new songs/music this year. I’m determined and have lots of drum tracks recorded. Once I have the drum tracks down, that’s usually a good indicator that the songs will actually happen. If I can eek four more drum tracks out, that’s enough for a new record and that will make me very happy. Stay tuned to the site and my Facebook page for updates on new music.

I’ve been seriously considering trying out this whole crowdfunding thing. Sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo seem to be doing well for musicians. The only X Factor is people. Running one of these campaigns is like a part time job for a month. You really have to get behind it, make a video, plan out all kinds of rewards and make sure people know where every dollar is going. I’ve already done most of the work but I haven’t made a video.

Here’s my thinking. Right now, I have three “albums” of material that I’ve recorded mostly alone in my garage/home, playing all the instruments not counting the occasional guest spot (sax, steel guitar, lead guitar parts, etc.) All of these recordings have a home demo feel to them. I’d like to have an album available that is studio quality. I don’t expect people to shell out money for my current home recordings. They’re not sonically up to snuff and I don’t have the money to record in a real studio.

If I could raise some money through crowdfunding, I could cherry pick 10-12 songs from my first two albums and make a “real” album of studio quality songs that I feel good about handing out to people or selling on the internet or giving to clubs to get better gigs/time slots or selling at gigs, and so on. Since I could play music, I’ve always thought it would be a funny idea to make a first album and call it Greatest Hits. I have no idea why. When I started doing more recording at home, I broke that rule with Damaged Goods. However, those are really demo-like. This could be a real studio record and it would be my first solo one. So Lou Tambone’s Greatest Hits may see the light of day if this whole crowdfunding things works out. I’m still on the fence about starting it though. Part of me thinks, “What have you got to lose?” and part of me just wonders if it’s worth it. If no one donates, I’m back at the drawing board.

Please leave me some comments if you can. Have you done it? Would you do it? Have you donated to other people’s campaigns? Would you donate to mine? I’m considering it but not totally sold.

Previously, I mentioned another original band I’m in called Radio Therapy. It started off as a cover band but that quickly fell apart and we all decided that original music was where it’s at. Team leader Anthony brought in a bunch of his songs. I donated a few more. Rob F. gave us one finished song. The rest came out of joint writing sessions with the three of us. The songs are really good and we’re about ready to play live so look for updates to the Calendar here and on Facebook for the gigs.

***

Look, I could ramble on all day but I feel I’ve done my duty here. Thanks again for a great 2012. Hope to see you all at a gig in 2013. Please leave me some comments about whatever you want. I promise I’ll try to update more! See ya!

Lou's News / Music / Writing

May 24, 2011

I Call Them Albums

Here’s my latest definition of feeling old: Speaking to someone under a certain age about music, referring to a collection of published songs as an “album” and then subsequently being looked at as if I had suddenly lapsed into Greek. “What’s an album?” they usually ask.

It happens a lot more often than I’d like. I was talking to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law not long ago. They’re not young enough when records were never part of their lives but they’re apparently not old enough so that using the word “album” or “record” is a hard habit to break. My sister-in-law actually laughed out loud and said, “Who calls them albums any more, Lou?” Well, a lot of people I know do, but I guess it all depends on who you hang around with. It was such a weird moment that it stuck with me. The fact that she found it so funny also stuck with me. Was this something I should change? Should I not be using those words anymore? It got me thinking.

I’m one of those children of the 70’s who remembers and owned many of what are called LP’s. The LP stands for Long-playing. These typically vinyl discs were placed on a turntable, spun around, and read by a stylus – or what we commonly referred to as the “needle” which resided at the end of a long arm. This needle delivered the sound to your speakers. Wild.

Cassette tapes came along at some point (as did the relatively short-lived and not discussed here 8-track cartridge) and while it was cool that they were more portable and you could record on them, they were never quite able to knock LPs out of the market. People usually referred to them as “tapes” but it was still acceptable to call them albums at a higher level. They lived side-by-side in harmony for quite some time.

I worked in record stores (<— there’s that word again!) for a long, long time and I don’t recall a time when someone said, “Do you have that new tape by Some Artist?” Usually they’d ask for the new album and we might say, “Do you want it on record or tape?” and that was that. I’m sure there were some people who used the term on a regular basis but they were not the majority then. I’m also pretty sure that saying the word “record” was as taboo as I’m led to believe it is today. In retrospect, I think it’s because the LP format was not totally wiped out yet, which leads me to my next example: The CD or “compact disc”.

I remember when this wonderful monster came along. I was working at a store called “Crazy Eddie’s” (His prices are inSANE!!!) here in Northern New Jersey. I was there for the whole CD revolution. I watched the format hatch and grow commercially. I unpacked the first shipments and put them out into retrofitted bins. At first they came in what were called “longboxes” which contained most of the cover art. Some labels got creative while other cheaper labels simply packaged the CDs in long, clear plastic “blisters” with the booklet up top and the CD with tray at the bottom. They sat in the bins just the same as the ones with the longboxes so browsing the bins would not be a problem.

I was also there, working in those same stores, when we started emptying the LP racks completely and converting them into CD bins. I distinctly remember noticing that two CDs in their boxes, next to each other, took up the same amount of space as an album. For a long time, CDs sat in the bins two columns deep with nothing dividing them. Why I remember this stuff, I couldn’t tell you but as memories go, they are sort of fond ones.

It was fun for a short while in the interim, positioning CDs, tapes, AND record albums all together in a Top 10 sequence according to a Billboard chart. The tapes were in these long plastic “shucks” that were supposed to prevent theft. People usually just broke them, but they looked nice when you put them on the front wall because they became the same height as the LPs and CD longboxes. Working in those stores in the old days was a lot more fun. Try going into a music store today (if you’re around my age). It’s a whole different experience.

Remember, this was all pre-internet, pre-downloading, pre-mp3s, and all that stuff. We’ve come a long way since then and the CD is still around while cassette tapes have gone away. The LP suffered for a long time and was just about to be counted totally out when some nostalgia for the format began to resurface. For all intents and purposes, however, the LP was pretty much thrown to the curb, at least commercially.

I was originally talking about naming conventions but as you may have noticed, this little side-trip down Memory Lane actually serves a purpose. It gives you a little insight as to why someone like me might still say, “Did you hear that new Lenny Kravitz record?” which my sister-in-law seems to find so funny-bone tickling funny. I guess it just comes down to plain old conditioning and/or force of habit. When you grow up saying or doing a certain thing, then that said thing sticks with you.

I have thought about this a lot more than I care to admit and I’ve always come to the same conclusion. I just can’t bring myself to change the way I refer to popular compiled published recordings. Over the years, I’ve made many other changes in the way I speak based on changing times, but for some reason I can’t let go of using the terms “records” or “albums”. It’s just so hard-wired in my brain that I can’t undo it. It just doesn’t sound right to me.

I think younger folks are used to it and accept it more because they weren’t around when albums were in full force. All they’ve ever seen are CDs so it’s natural to them. I suppose the relevant comparison for me would be television. I was born in 1970. TVs were around for years but in 1970, there were plenty of people around who remembered when TVs became commonplace after World War II (even though television had been around years before that). The 1950’s saw the TV boom; the 1980’s saw the CD boom. I personally don’t ever remember a time when radio was king, when phone numbers didn’t fully consist of actual numbers, or milk was delivered to your house in the morning by a “milkman”. Well, that milkman part might be a stretch. I remember being 5 or so and having an insulated metal box on the front porch that actually said “milk” on it. I never saw milk IN it, nor do I remember ever spotting a “milkman” but I think you get the idea.

I think the term is making a slight comeback though. They have these “Record Store Days” now where people are supposed to go to record stores and get all nostalgic and stuff. I’ll be honest and say I don’t really have any interest in that. I practically lived in record stores for years and had some fun times but all in all, it’s just another business. The idea is to make money. It was the PEOPLE that made the record stores fun – not the job. No money = no rent = no more store.

I’ve seen music on iTunes referred to as “iTunes Albums”. Some labels are still referred to as “Record Labels” which is nice. (I am lumping the terms “records” and “albums” together, please note.) To be honest, I hear lots of people saying, “Did you get that new CD by [insert pop name]?” and I’m not even sure that really works anymore with all the digital hoopla. Are they going to start saying, “Did you get that new download yet?”

Maybe I’m not as out-dated as I fear I might be.

Times change and society adapts for the most part. In this case, however, I’m relatively sure I’ll go to my grave calling these musical collections “albums” regardless of the format they reside on.

I’m secretly longing for the labeling convention of “CD” to go away (or at least have the same stigma as “album/record”) so that when I talk to my sister-in-law and she says she mentions the new CD from some artist, I can laugh and say, “HA! Who calls them CDs anymore? Gosh!”

Lou's News / Writing

December 6, 2010

Inspiration

There are many ways to write a song. Writing a song is not all that difficult, actually. Writing a good song is a little more challenging, but just writing a plan old song is a very simple thing. Small children do it all the time without even thinking about it. Some people have to be inspired to write a song, others can just craft something on a whim. While I’m not completely unable to perform the latter (and have at times), I’m definitely a creature of inspiration when it comes to songwriting.

Like most people, I can be inspired to write by just about anything from news headlines to songs by other artists to films to novels to real-life experiences, and so on. Inspiration can hit anytime, anywhere and that’s the rub. I would estimate that 90 percent of the time I get wildly inspired is time that I’m nowhere near musical instruments. Those of us who like to write songs know that sometimes if you don’t write something down when it comes to you, you’re apt to lose it forever.

I’ll always try to put something down electronically and then e-mail it to myself, should inspiration strike while I’m not home. Sometimes, I’ll just send myself a test message with a bit of lyrics or notes about song. Other times, I’ll take a break at work and go sit in the park with a notebook and pen. Most times, however, I’ll just open up a text file on the computer and type away as the day goes on, sending it to myself at the end of the day. I have a great number of text files floating around with full songs or song ideas. When it’s time to record, I’ll usually look in that folder and pick a few to begin recording.

Many of the songs I’ve written in the last few years have been written sitting at my desk at work. I’ll be in the middle of something and then all of the sudden – BAM! There’s a song knocking at my brain’s front door. I have to quickly stop what I’m doing, open a text file, and write down whatever it is. Maybe it’s just a phrase. Maybe it’s only a song title. Maybe it’s an idea for a concept album. Maybe it’s a good idea for a movie script. It could be anything, but I’ve learned that when the idea comes, I need to get it out of my head and onto something I can read and process later or else I’ll risk losing it. I find I’m OK if I just write down a line or two and come back to it later to finish it up. As long as a fragment is there, my subconscious will bring back the rest somehow. That way, I can get back to work and not have to worry about losing a good (or crappy) idea.

For me, the tricky part about this unorthodox method of songwriting is remembering the melodies that pop into my head as I’m writing the lyrics down. I’ll try to make notes about the songs as I go. I might write something like “Fat groove – mid tempo” or “Funk vibe – party song” or “Slow acoustic” or “Bluesy rock”. Each song is different. Luckily, I have a tendency to attach a musical progression to the lyrics I write so that when I go to record the song at a later date, I can still remember how it goes without having worked it out on an instrument previously. I’ll sing it to myself before I record, and then write down all the chords and changes. This is probably not an ideal way to work, but it’s been pretty successful for me.

Even when I am home, though, sometimes inspiration just isn’t there. I may have as many as four songs currently being worked on at any given time (I usually don’t like to work on more than that at once) but I can’t get myself motivated enough to work on them if the inspiration isn’t there. This is a different kind of inspiration. I call it “Phase Two”. “Phase One” would be the spark that prompts the moment of conception. This second phase is more like the follow up to that first phase. It’s the execution. It’s taking the idea and moving it from the head to the real world and making it tangible. To do this, I absolutely have to be inspired. If it feels like work, I don’t want to do it. If the time is right and no one’s home and I’m feeling musical, I’ll hit those tracks fast and hard.

Inspiration is personal. It’s different for everyone. What inspires me might not inspire you in the least bit. Embrace that which inspires you because there isn’t a much better feeling than when that spark of inspiration hits you and you act upon it.

Do you have a funny story about inspiration? What methods have worked for you? Please feel free to share in the comments section below.

Lou's News / Writing

May 20, 2010

My First Tattoo

I’ve been tattoo shopping for a while now but could never make up my mind what to do. I talked to a lot of people and ran many a design past them to gauge opinions. The usual stock answer was always something like, “You have to pick it because it has to mean something to you.” Sure, that’s true. But a little help is always welcome. I had picked out a few designs that my wife cringed at or my friends would say were too cliche and generic.

I was at the diner one night, probably a year ago or something, with my friend Jim. We went to grammar school together and he has a really cool Jaws tattoo. We started talking about ideas for me and all of the sudden he just lights up and says, “I got it!” He knows I’ve always been a big fan of The Police. The band, not the law enforcement agency, though I have nothing against them either.

Anyhow, Jim suggested the cover of The Police’s album called Ghost in the Machine . It’s the one with “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”, “Spirits in the Material World”, “Invisible Sun”, and some others. I always loved the cover of that album (which was designed by a guy named Mick Hegarty) because at first glance, it looks like just a bunch of weird seven-segment display symbols or digital runes or something – but they’re clearly not numbers.

Now, the seven-segment display had been around a while but it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the LED thing really went mainstream. If you’re like me, you remember when “digital watches” came out. These used that seven-segment display where you turn on or off any number of those segments to create numbers or letters.

In 1981, when Ghost in the Machine came out, the digital thing had been around a while but I don’t recall if it was ever used in “pop art” the way it was used on this album cover. There are no letters or numbers here and the segments are customized as if the design incorporates a strange hybrid of traditional seven-segment display and the more versatile sixteen-segment character block.

In any case, what you’re really seeing on the album cover are three faces of the three members of the band, The Police (Andy Summers, Sting, and Stewart Copeland). Look again – it’s them. In fact, I’m pretty amazed how many people have never noticed this…but more on that in a little bit.

So I carefully considered this as an option for a long time but I really wanted the first tattoo to be something with my kids’ names on it. I even put together a little something in Photoshop with two guitars crossed at the neck with banners on each side with the names on them. On top, there’s a winged heart with some music notes. Pretty nice, but pretty big, pretty expensive (I assume), and probably not a one session job. So I figured I’d keep saving until I got up a bunch of money and get that done one day.

Then, last week, I went to Las Vegas with my high school buddies because we all turned 40 this year. While walking around on Sunday night, I spied a tattoo shop and the bug hit me again. I knew I couldn’t get that huge thing I wanted but at the same time I felt like I should go home with more than a key chain or some other souvenir. I wanted to say, “Oh this? I got it in Vegas with my buddies!” I figured it would be small enough so it wouldn’t be too expensive and I could probably have it done in an hour or two. The guys were all going to see a show so the plan was simple. While they were gone, I’d meet up with an old friend of mine who lives out there and she’d drive me over to the place to get it done.

That’s pretty much how it went down. I even talked the guy down a little in price. There was no one in the joint on a Monday night so I guess he didn’t mind helping me out, which was nice. The whole thing took under an hour to do.

First he went online for a better photo than the one I had saved on my Crackberry. He printed one out and made a bluish stencil, which is sort of like one of those temp tattoos you put on kids. just slap it on the arm, peel it off, and there’s a light blue version of what’s going to end up on your arm. Then he started working on outlining the segments in black. When that was done, he filled in the rest with red. Pretty simple!

I have to admit that I was really braced for a painful experience because sometimes you hear these horror stories that make you nervous. Whatever this guy did, though, he did it well because it hardly hurt at all. It doesn’t feel like needles. It almost feels like scraping or light slicing or something like that. You’ve probably had worse in a doctor’s office. People’s tolerance to pain varies, I suppose. The guy was done before I even knew what happened. He just said, “OK, get up and take a look.” and there it was. No major pain, no tons of blood everywhere, no fuss, and it looked great!

He covered it up for me, said to leave it on for an hour and then just gave me some final tips and pointers for taking care of it. I was in and out in no time. It was a very pleasant experience, I’m glad to report.

Oh! But I forgot. Talk about feeling old…

When I showed the design to the tattoo girl at the desk (who was all of about 19), she had no idea what it was. I talked her through it. The artist who actually did the work on me, however, didn’t look like a young guy. I was guessing him in his 30’s. I was a little shocked to see that he also didn’t know what it was. I explained and even after that he held it up and said, “Does it go like this?” I replied, “Uh…no…that’s upside down, dude.” Am I really that old now?! He was a good guy though. Very friendly and no-nonsense at the same time. Plus he had a Mohawk. You gotta love a guy with a Mohawk.

I remember him saying to me, before the first needle touched my skin, “Welcome to your new addiction.” I won’t be one of those people that covers my whole arms or anything, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get my original one done (with the kids’ names on it) some time in the future, probably on the other arm.

So when we got back, we started playing penny slots (to waste time and get free drinks!) while waiting for the guys to get back from the show. The cocktail waitress asked what happened and I was tempted to go into this story about being shot for a second, but she realized what it was before I could say anything. I showed her the picture I had on my Crackberry and of course she said, “What is that?” I explained, “You know the band The Police? Sting? It’s an album cover.” She liked it more after that.

The guys got back and we took off the patch. They liked it too. From that moment on, however, it seemed that no one could recognize this design. Now, in a way, that’s kind of cool if you take my meaning. It’s a conversation piece now! I can dig that. I’m kind of interested to see who can recognize it.

We were playing roulette at one point and I noticed the pit boss looking at me. This went on for a while. He finally walked by and said, “I’m trying to figure out what language that is.” I talked him through it. He liked it after that, too.

So the night went on like this but at one point, at a poker table, two British fellows walked up and before they even sat down, one looked at me and went, “The Police!” I was so excited! I had to tell him what album it was but still, that was cool. He was the only person in Vegas to recognize it.

I posted the photo up on Facebook and about 3/4 of the comments were to the effect of “What is that?” Only some of my musician friends got it, of course. Nothing wrong with that though! I’m enjoying explaining it to everyone.

In the end, I’m happy with it and I’m glad it’s starting conversations. In fact, while I was still in “thinking mode” last year, I went on the net to see if I could find anyone else who had the same tattoo done. Believe it or not, I could not find one photo. That most certainly doesn’t mean I’m alone but if you search for something like a yin-yang or a winged heart, you’ll come up with lots of results. So, that’s pretty cool, too.

I have a tattoo that I like, inspired by music and a good band, and I have a fun story to tell. Mission Accomplished, I say.

Lou's News / Music / Writing

April 15, 2010

Can We Ever Be Genre Free?

I was thinking about music during my commute to NYC today, as I often do, and the notion of genres came to mind. When you tell someone you write music, the next question is almost always something about what genre or what kind of music you play. Music is music to me. It’s a hard question to answer. More on that in a bit.

Let me just say that I think genres are (for the most part) pretty lame. I mean, what exactly is “Americana” or “Indie” anyhow? What’s “Alternative” or “Grunge?” I’ve heard the term “Progressive” attached to anything from Todd Rundgren to Genesis to Rush to King’s X. The “Country” genre is almost anything but country these days. All you need is a little twang in your voice. It seems that as times change, new genres come and go. What was once “disco” moved on to “dance” and then eventually into things like “freestyle”, “trance” and “electronica” and what not. Before Disco, the term “dance” would have probably referred to something akin to Ballroom Dancing. Then there’s the whole “World Music” thing which I’m not sure what to make of, genre-wise.

Who can keep track of all this? The whole thing confuses the hell out of me and while I reluctantly attach a “Rock” genre to my material, you’ll definitely hear other elements in there. I guess this is the real problem I have with genre, actually. Once you’re pigeon-holed into one of those categories, the moment you stray outside of one, you might get attacked or looked at with a cocked eyebrow as if to say, “What are you trying to pull, buddy? How dare you!?”

That’s partly why, as I’m writing new songs, I’m trying to be as diverse as I possibly can. While I sit comfortably in the “Rock” genre (or some might call it “retro rock” or whatever), I stretch out into other areas as well. I don’t do this consciously, for the most part. I do it because I like many different kinds of music and they all influence me and my writing. There are times when I say, “Hmmm. I’d really like to write a reggae-influenced thing…” but this is not because I’m thinking about being pigeon-holed into a Rock genre. It’s just that old reggae-induced rock tunes by bands like The Police and early Joe Jackson influence me. It’s the kind of music I love and whatever chemicals are released into my brain that make that music attractive to me are also swimming around in my skull when I’m writing or thinking about writing something. It’s influence. It’s inspiration, and it doesn’t have to come from any given genre. It can come from anywhere, anytime.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I like to cross these so-called genres. Songs like “Tonight I Ride” and “Number Two” are a little like something the Foo Fighters might put out. I guess you’d call it “Hard Rock” or something. “Corporate Robot” has a slow funk vibe. “Hello Blue Sky” is very “Beatle-ish” for lack of a better term. “The Walking Man” and “Did You Tell Your Man” are straight up blues. Songs like “Mall Girl” and “Crackberry” are stabs at humor with a bit of Lenny Kravitz thrown in for good measure. “The Luckiest Man Alive” even has a twinge of (dare I say) country in there. If you like that 70’s classic rock thing, then “Will We All Be Friends at the End of the World?” is for you.

Future songs that I conjure will definitely keep moving against the genre grain. As I mentioned previously, the reggae-rock fusion thing has been on my mind lately. A genuine funkified Prince-like jam has been rolling around in my noggin for a few weeks now. I definitely need some more acoustic-based ditties to round out the sound. My buddy Doug and I have been talking about a larger piece that we might work on together some time. It’s a bit of a concept piece. Filling out the space in between all this are countless other songs I’ll put together when time allows. Nothing can be forced; it just has to come.

Answering that dreaded “genre” question (when people ask what kind of music you make) is sort of like when a woman asks you if she “looks fat in this outfit.” What do you say? The truth isn’t what the person wants to hear. The lie makes you feel like you’ve done a disservice, in a way. I usually default to the lesser of the two evils and say, “You know… rock stuff.” It’s sort of a non-answer and a little vague but what else can I say? “A little of everything” might work. I don’t know. I despise that word eclectic for some reason. There are too many C’s in that damn word and it just seems overused to me when referring to people’s taste in music. It’s become the standard answer these days. “I have eclectic taste.” That’s actually a good thing but I can’t stop myself from thinking that most of the time when people say this, they’re really just full of shit and listen to top 40 radio all day mistakenly thinking that it’s eclectic because it goes from the latest Rap artist with a hyphenated name to some pop chick that plays piano.

I suppose the big problem I have with the whole thing is that people feel you “have to” fall into some predefined genre to be legit at all. I don’t agree. Where does someone like Prince fall? Is he Rock? R&B? Funk? Easy Listening? Soul? One of the things that initially drew me to Prince (and this was before Purple Rain, kids) was that he was so diverse. 1999 and Controversy were my first two Prince records and they were both heavy in funk but rich enough to include many other styles of music. That was something I could wrap my head around, even as an early teen.

I suppose genres can be helpful for some people and there’s really no way to avoid them entirely. Hell, I’ve utilized them in this very article numerous times, making myself sound hypocritical in a way. I worked in record stores for years and sure, it’s nice to know all the “classical” stuff is “over there” somewhere. I don’t know how many times a day I was asked, “Where’s the _____ section?” People are used to genres. They like to browse by genre. Maybe by doing that, they’ll discover something else they like. That’s cool. I guess it’s all in the context.

Books and other media can also be applied to this line of reasoning. Stephen King is known as a “horror” writer. What is horror, though? In film, you think of Freddy and Jason ripping limbs off terrified kids and slashing their way through 2 hours, which is very fun! King does not write like this (most of the time) and he’s written well outside the “horror” genre, so to speak. I’m not a betting man and I don’t know Stephen King at all, but I’m guessing he’s not thrilled (no pun intended) about being called a “horror” guy all the time.

I will not condemn genres. They just don’t interest me anymore and I certainly don’t want to be dropped into one. But it’s unavoidable, I suppose. People like to throw labels on everything. It’s human nature. We even do it to each other. Black, white, gay, straight, asian, indian, redneck, etc. I’m just as guilty in that aspect but it’s so hard to break out of that habit when you’ve grown up with it in your face every day. I’m not talking about racism, here. I’m just talking about how people tend to put people or things into categories, which can sometimes be different. Don’t misread me. I’m simply making an analogy.

Wouldn’t it be nice to all be known as just human beings? Yes, that would be very nice! Will it happen? Probably not. But it’s nice to think about, isn’t it?

🙂