Music

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

At one of Andrew Blair’s recent shows, I made the mistake of inquiring how he goes about marketing his passion project. I should have known better, I suppose, but I went ahead and asked anyway. The look I received in return was one of honest apathy. One of those “Are you kidding me man? I just want to make my music and hopefully enough people will listen to it so I can make more” kind of looks.

Now, more than ever perhaps, artists like Andrew cringe when the subject of marketing is breached in relation to their work. The proverbial mountain of musical prominence has never been taller, and the trail toward the top has never been steeper or more crowded. Getting people to sit down and listen to your album above the din of Pandora, Spotify and the rest has never been tougher, and the idea of a consumer paying for their music is almost considered obsolete.

Yet despite all the obstacles laid down in front of creative types these days, the beat continues to go on, no matter how hard record deals are to come by.

On March 3rd, 2011, I found myself seeking shelter from the Polk Street Drunken Storm, when I poked my head inside the Red Devil Lounge. Andrew Blair was on stage with his childhood buddy Ross Warner, Blue Ribbon Beer was steadily flowing, and the crowd was hearty by folk-indie-bluegrass standards.

I’m no professional music critic, but judging by the undivided attention paid by the smartphone carrying crowd, it was clear Blair and Warner were onto something. The sound had feeling, depth, complexity, and the lyrics were clear, compelling, thought provoking. It wasn’t Bob Dylan in the Greenwich Village in 1962, but it was most definitely Andrew Blair at the Red Devil Lounge in 2011.

Fast forward to 2012 and I (shamefully) still haven’t paid a dime for Andrew Blair’s music. I probably should have by now, especially when one considers how much time I’ve spent soaking in the lyrics of “Live at Red Devil Lounge”. The 12 song album is chock full of ballads that challenge the listener to follow along with the poignant lyrics while letting one’s mind wander among an array of folksy sounds. If my iPhone’s ever-dying battery could be traced back to a particular culprit, streaming “Live at Red Devil Lounge” would most definitely be it.

I may never be able to fully recreate that spring San Franciscan night, but this live album certainly gives justice to the live version. Between-song banter by Blair including comments such as, “It’s like a giant living room in here.” “Good enough for government work.” And a sarcastic “Oh yeah, we have all kinds of merch in the back,” seem to add a degree of realism to an already real collection of songs.

In “Anchor”, the second song on “Live at Red Devil Lounge”, Blair carries out an acoustically riveting 70 second instrumental before the first lyric is uttered. Then the lyrics take hold and the acoustics mesh beautifully with Warner in the background and Blair’s vocals at the forefront.

“Pack the glances in the mirror in a suitcase tight

Blowing smoke rings under water as the heat sits still

Look hard at the ones who left, and the ones who will

Grab an anchor and leap overboard, but do it right

This empty ship is sinking, hold on tight,a long hard night…”

“The Lost and I” is my favorite track on the album, even if Blair forgets the words in the middle of the song. He hums the forgotten verse more than adequately, wrapping it up with, “The words. Have lost. Me.” The song is upbeat throughout, arguably the most jovial on the album. This doesn’t stop Blair from lamenting toward the end of the track.

“For the last two weeks I’ve had strangers say to me, ‘Hey you look tired.’

I stare down at my feet, fold my tongue and barely squeak, ‘Well maybe so.’”

“Mask” again highlights Blair’s talent as a singer-songwriter. A favorite of the Red Devil crowd, the song opens with the harmonica, a harmonica that stays relevant throughout the heartfelt song. Blair extends his vocal range toward the end of the song, drawing a well deserved uproar in applause from the Polk Street Faithful.

“She sat back down, and brought her eyes, to the bar. Condensation drips down the glass

Oh dear god I felt like I’d come so far, conversations happen so fast”

“And then I stumbled, and brought my hand down in the sun, my stomach grumbled

And a fire began to burn, it burned along the wall, I’d built up so tall

Douse that fire with black cats and kerosene.You laugh, but you all know exactly what I mean.”

Other songs on “Live at Red Devil Lounge” that leave a lasting impression include “Animal”, “Tampa to Tulsa”, and “Cry a Lake”. All three bring original sounds and memorable lyrics. Says Blair in “Cry a Lake”, a song written by friend Adam Yas,

“You’re never gonna believe, my self-fulfilling prophecy

I dream that it happens and it does

I’m on my last four legs, not breathin’ but I’m your friend”

Blair’s songwriting prowess revealed on “Live at Red Devil Lounge” successfully laid the groundwork for his new musical venture, a band called “We Became Owls”. Still accompanied by Ross Warner ( a multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire who plays the mandolin, accordion, harmonica, lap steel guitar, electric guitar), the pair have added a collection of musical talent to create a more dynamic sound. Robin Ward (cello), Scott Manke (banjo, dobro, percussion), Sigal Sahar (stand up bass), and Katie Schlesinger (piano, banjo, vocals) have all hopped on board and will be rotating their talents onto the stage for “We Became Owls”.

Their first EP features old favorites “The Lost and I” and “Please Surrender” coupled with new songs:“Suitcase” and “I’m Done”. Illustrated perfectly by the ending of “I’m Done”, the added instrumentations and musical talent on stage give Blair his fullest sound yet.

An Oakland resident and avid A’s fan, Blair hopes 2012 still has some magic left to propel his latest project, and what will hopefully be an indefinite musical journey. He may not be capable of strategically marketing you to death, but he’ll be making the rounds of trusted Bay Area music venues, offering up his sounds and stories for less than an arm and a leg. Do yourself a favor and get out to see the poetry in motion. The Revolution will not be televised.

(head over to this site to read a longer, in depth article on Andrew Blair: http://joshtribe.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/bourbon-beans-for-breakfast/)

(Click here to see upcoming show dates and venues)

By C.h. Smith (themusicprecedent.wordpress.com)

Let me begin by saying, I am not a music critic – I am the complete opposite – I am a music lover. See, a music lover is someone who allows themselves to get caught up in the spell of music and get swept away in the tales surrounding the music…a critic can’t do this. To me, there is so much more than just the notes on a piece of paper or knowing the level of difficulty inside the music being played — I’m also one who appreciates a good back story. Would Stevie Wonder’s music sound the same if you didn’t know he was blind? Or would Bon Iver’s debut album sound the same if you didn’t know he recorded it while in seclusion at a winter cabin somewhere in Wisconsin?

Recently, this idea really hit home for me when I was reading a review where the writer wrote something along the lines of: “When deciding and critiquing the quality of music, you can’t use someone’s personal back story as a measurement in evaluating their work.” In my head I was screaming “YES YOU CAN!” And while I can sympathize with that statement coming from a critic’s mouth, I have no way of relating to those words. What do I know about “bar structure” or “advanced chord progression?”

Critics act like judging music is like judging someone’s school work, like you can’t give out 5 stars to a band just because you’re more fond of them. But I do think that! Not to say that it’s essential in liking music — if that was the case no one would listen to Guns N’ Roses — but enjoying the experience of listening to someone’s musical work can very much be influenced by whether or not you can connect with it on another level. And how could you not, right? It’s the same reason you can’t just allow 12 citizens off the street to be the jury of any criminal case… But luckily for us, appreciating music isn’t like going to court, and judging music isn’t like grading an exam.

It’s our easy access to music that allows us to become closer to each other. With one click we can dive into anything from American Jazz to Swedish Techno. But most importantly, it is through our access to these artists, their stories, and their songs that allows us to better understand their audiences who in turn let us discover new cultures, new ideas and develop roads toward new experiences. In the year 2012 I have traveled to Poland with indie classical composers, to New Orleans where I discovered a new unique style of folk, to a gray underworld where minimalist electronic musicians rebelled against the spastic world of maximilist electro-pop, to Hollywood with Father John Misty and Lana Del Rey and to Iceland with Sigur Ros and Nico Muhly, to loud metal bar rooms and to progressive Hip Hop streets. Beyond what just sounded good, I became interested in the community and the ideas surrounding the music, more than I have ever have been before.

The list below, “Favorite Albums Of 2012″, are records that excited me, that turned a light bulb on in my head or opened my eyes to an issue, that challenged me musically or emotionally, that were unique and compelling to listen to — and most importantly, they were records that interested me.

#48 Cloud Nothings --- Attack on Memory

In 2012 we were blessed with countless accessible punk records (Japandroids, The Men, Converge, Jeff The Brotherhood), but it was Cloud Nothings lo-fi masterpiece, Attack On Memory (engineered by Steve Albini),that was able to leave the most memorable impression on me. It is clear that Cloud Nothings are trying to accomplish much more than simply putting out a record filled with catchy pop punk hooks with fuzzy guitars, they are now in the business of crafting tasteful records which is in turn - with the intention or not – is pushing the indie rock boundaries further and further out. A concept album? not quite – but Attack On Memory does comfortably teeter on the edge of art rock and just good old fuckin’ rock and roll which will ensure you coming back to it again and again.

Spotify: Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory Buy The Vinyl: Click Here Key Track: “Wasted Days”

#40 Joey Bada$$ --- 1999

Growing up I was fortunate to have an older brother who shoved “Real Hip-Hop” down my throat – Black Moon, Boogie Down Productions, Erik B & Rakim, Mos Def, Pharcyde, Boot Camp Click, DJ Premiere, Tribe Called Quest, Big Daddy Kane – music filled with stories, incredible sampling, poignant poetry, playful attitudes, neck-breaking beats, political insight, intelligent compositions – Hip Hop was my first great discovery in music. It was Hip-Hop that let me realize that rap music has the ability to be everything and anything all at once. And the incredible music coming out of New York in the 90′s was just that, it was Rock, it was Soul, it was Blues, hard and soft, aggressive and beautiful. So, in todays Hip-Hop world of 2012, where Rappers and EDM stars team up to make arena-filling radio hits, you wouldn’t expect a young 17-year-old kid, who goes by Joey Bada$$ and his rapping collective Progressive Era, to come out with a debut that pays homage to 1990′s NYC Hip Hip and to its unique styling of beats & rhymes. 1999 is as much as trip back in time as it is a refreshing reminder of all that Hip Hop can be.

Datpiff: Joey Badass – 1999 Key Track: Survival Tactics (Feat. Capital STEEZ)

#29 Carla Morrison --- Dejenmne Llorar

I owe NPR and their amazing team of music geeks my sincere appreciation for turning me onto Carla Morrison, a Mexican folk singer who fuses indie pop folk rock with a perfect amount of Latin flare. Her latest record, Dejenmne Llora, reminds me a lot of when I first heard Seu Jorge or Manu Chao – it’s world music that is also western music – it was like I had heard it before and it was completely new to me…all at once. Morrison’s music, despite whether I understand everything she’s saying or not, captivated me unlike any other record this year.

Spotify: Carla Morrison – Déjenme Llorar Key Track: “Eres Tu”

#26 The Lumineers --- The Lumineers

Usually when a band rises to the top out of no where, fans and critics become conflicted on whether or not they still want to love the band that they once adored with only a handful of other people. But with a band like Lumineers, no matter how successful they’ve become, they haven’t run into this problem. People from all walks of life adore The Lumineers music – from young teenie-boppers to old farts, from hipsters to radio-blaring divas. It’s always wonderful when a band like The Lumineers can unite music lovers from across the board and all it took was Wesley Schultz’s ability to simply write a collection of straightforward, relevant, and delightful folk songs.

Spotify: The Lumineers – The Lumineers Vinyl: Click Here Key Track: “Dead Sea”

...For C.h. Smith's full list of his 50 Favorite Albums of 2012, head over to his comprehensive music blog: http://themusicprecedent.wordpress.com/