My Son; A Musical Prodigy

I'm a music fanatic, yes, but that doesn't mean I imposed that fanaticism upon my 3-year-old son.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic when he began to take on the role of musical prodigy regardless.  What do we wish for our children?  We wish happiness for them.  We wish for that happiness to arise from them doing what they love.  If that happens to come from what we love as well, what luck we have!  We can impart our wisdom and information we have gathered on the subject.  Parent and child can come together in harmony over a shared pastime.

My son, Ben, has been gravitating toward music over the past few years.  I didn't push him, but I did provide him with the tools.  He was already adorable.  Then he started singing.  Today he ran about the yard picking flowers (read: weeds) for me today.  As he did so, he sang Taio Cruz's "Dynamite."  "I throw my hands up in the airs sometimes," he'd sing as he gave his very allergic mother a bouquet of weeds, "in the a-yoooo, in the a-yooooo."  He hasn't quite mastered lyrics yet.



When he was about two I was playing his toy piano and he came over entranced.  I moved his hands and playfully smashed on the keys to make him laugh.  To my surprise, he moved my hands away and started pressing keys softly and thoughtfully.  "Ben, play a C," I joked.  Please imagine for me my face when he played a C on his first attempt.  "WHAT? PLAY AN E!"  He hit F.  Close enough for me to continue my excitement.

His fascination with instruments has held over.  He'll barge into the room where my guitar is and start to strum it.  A few days ago he did so wildly.  "Ben," I said, "be careful please."  "Wow," he countered, "this would make a great instrument!"  Yes.  Yes it would.

Now on the verge of four, he makes demands about the songs he wants to hear as the family navigates Long Island.  After Whitney Houston passed my mother ran out to buy her latest album, "I Look to You," the only one not in our collection.  I was pleased watching my son growing up with the music I'd grown up with.  It's a strange and lovely feeling.  Imagine my surprise when he started to sing one of the songs in full, riffs and all!  Below is a video of Benjamin singing "I Didn't Know My Own Strength."  The only thing deterring him is a bit of camera fright.

In the years to come I will see where his musical love leads.  Perhaps he'll venture to sing and play and listen like me.  Perhaps he'll decide to tackle other children on the football field.  The only thing that matters is that he is happy.  As far as passions go for me, I must say that his happiness rivals even music.

Do Lyrics Matter?

What matters more to you - lyrics or instrumentation?  I once had a boyfriend who pronounced during a leisurely drive, "The lyrics just don't matter as long the actual music is good."  Something in me went off, and I realized he might not be the one for me.  He is now an ex.

Hey, I certainly value instrumentation.  The composition of a song, whether it has lyrics or not, is one of my favorite things to analyze.  Lyrics aren't all important - but they are important  If there are words over that beat I believe they should be factored into the quality of that song.

Note that it is also in my opinion that if it is in the nature of a song to be silly, the lyrics can be a bit silly too.  For different genres there are different types of lyrics, and that is perfectly respectable.  Lady Gaga, for instance, is one of my favorite artists.  She has written various verses and choruses with odd phrases - remember "bluffin' with my muffin?"  It works for her.  It helps that she's written some great lyrics with substance as well - "Speechless," for example.

Check out musician and YouTuber Alex Day analyzing Lady Gaga's lyrics for "Telephone."

To those who say lyrics today are worse than in the past, I beg to differ.  Many of them simply mean pop music lyrics are worse than they were in the past.  We have more options in what we listen to today.  You can't complain about the quality of our lyrics if all you're listening to are the current charters.  You may have to go looking for the well-written choruses, but they're there.  What's more is you don't have to rule out Top 40 radio either!  Gotye and Adele lyrics will tear your heart out, in a good way.

So keep in mind the genre you are listening to when you get discouraged by less than stellar wording.  We haven't lost our talented singer-songwriters.  Great lyrics are still alive; lyrics that resonate with you, lyrics you can belt out and cry to, lyrics that change you.  And if you're having difficulty finding them in today's music...well, there's always the classics to restore your spirit.

Who knows?  Perhaps you'll even write some yourself. 

Music for Your Commute

You've had to deal with this; the religious zealot screaming on the subway, the loud phone conversations on the bus, the drunken frat-boys in your train car. What better way than to tune this out than by plugging in your headphones and pumping up the jams? Commuting via public transportation supplies you with valuable time to discover new music and listen to new favorites. Pandora makes this simple and joyous. As a seasoned commuter, allow me to make a few suggestions for Pandora stations to drown out the noise to.

For the Weary Worker - It may be six in the morning, it may be six in the evening. Either way, you're exhausted and there's still work to be done. Try waking up with the Duran Duran or Tears for Fears station. You need those alternative 80's pop to shake your system into gear. You'll struggle to keep yourself from bopping to the tunes in public. It'll wake up your body and your mind. Plus, you just may smile away those under-eye circles.


For the Pissed-Off Patron - Did you just wait for your respective mode of transportation twenty more minutes than you'd planned? In the freezing cold? It's natural for it to get on your nerves, even if it is the nature of the beast. Turn up the grunge and hard rock sounds on the Alice in Chains station. Heavy music will suit your heavy mood. Hopefully the listening will get some of your tension out before you snap at a co-worker or your significant other.


For the Multitasking Maven - You only have this ride to get a paper or a work project done. Hey, we've all been there. You want to write to music, but you don't want to get distracted by interesting lyrics or lulled to sleep by simple sonatas. Try the Clint Mansell station. You might remember him as the composer of the haunting score in Requiem for a Dream. You need some instrumental music with intensity behind it to drive you as you get your work done.


For the Restless Rebel - Your body and mind get annoyed staying in the same position for a while, whether it be on a bus or in life. Cheer yourself up with upbeat music that's both angry and lighthearted at the same time. The AWOLnation station provides you with that convenient balance.


For the Moody Miss/Mister - It's raining outside. The weather seems to be reflecting your soul. Okay, maybe things aren't that dramatic, but you are at least feeling a little down. Turn on the soothing and compelling sounds on the Doves station. It's the perfect soundtrack to look out the window as the drops fall. Search the gray with your eyes and people watch as you listen to thought-provoking music. It just may take your mind off of things for a while.


For the Different Dreamer - My friend Maria is an art student who travels back and forth to class on the train for about an hour each day. She recommends dreamy sounds to get you from A to B. She suggests the My Bloody Valentine station. Tantalize your thoughts with these daringly different tunes and look out the window. You'll catch something new on every trip. Or you could just close your eyes and let your imagination run wild. This music just may foster creativity.



I hope these trips come in handy, fellow travelers. I've included a playlist so you can sample the mentioned artists.  Happy trails!

Chopin Flowers

The Spring Break Music Fix

For me, relaxing and music go hand in hand.  So, naturally, I spent quite a bit of my spring break using the art to lull me into as relaxed a mood as I can get into.  Here are a few highlights from the week, and, no, Coachella isn't featured.  This New Yorker has stayed on her own coast, catching the desired performances on good old YouTube.

 

 

Grunge Beginnings

Me with Eric Erlandson of Hole

The set-up in Brooklyn's Book Court

Mark Yarm's book

Eric Erlandson and Mark Yarm discussing grunge topics

I'm a grunge woman.  By that I mean some of my favorite bands of all time hail from the era, and I love to wear plaid.  So when my fellow grunge-loving friend asked me if I'd like to go to Brooklyn to see former Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson discuss his book Letters to Kurt (yes, that Kurt), I presented her with an enthusiastic "Yes."

The crowd at Book Court in Brooklyn Heights was modest but filled with a palpable energy.  Mark Yarm, former senior editor for Blender and author of grunge-stars story filled Everybody Loves Our Town, soon introduced Erlandson. They began by discussing Letters to Kurt, a book of prose poetry inspired by Cobain's suicide twenty years ago and the grunge scene.  Yarm then questioned the rocker-writer about his lifestyle in Hole and his lifestyle today.  Yarm and the audience threw around the questions concerning the "real" Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain.  Erlandson, now a practicing Buddhist, replied sweetly and humorously to these questions.  "Do you really want to know what Courtney's like?" he responded to an audience member, and we in turn guffawed.  He chose to focus on her high points, like her being an example of a strong woman storming through the business.  We could tell that she very well is probably what we'd expect her to be like.  A few days later, we were treated to news of her latest Twitter madness.

Eric Erlandson and Mark Yarm inspired me with their ability to combine passions for music and writing, passions I share.  I must mention that they were both very pleasant men to meet as well.  The night was definitely a successful venture.  I look forward to reading both of their books.

Below, I present you with a quick grunge playlist I put together of just some of my favorite songs.  I would encourage music-lovers to listen to the entire discography of these bands.

 

Spring Cleaning

Okay, so perhaps it isn't the most relaxing event, but sometimes a break is the only time you have to clean house.  What better way to get it done than by singing your little heart out as you do?  This isn't Cinderella.  No birds were coming along to help me scrub the floors, but jamming out does seem to help the time fly by.

One of my prime artists to clean to this break was Nerina Pallot.  Never heard of her?  Do yourself a favor and listen to as much of her catalog as you can.  The British singer-songwriter's music is well-constructed and catchy.  Her lyrics are effortlessly beautiful, and she can do some wonderful things with her gorgeous voice.

I hope everyone's spring break was as relaxing and musical as mine was.  Now it's back to the grind.  There is work to be done...and there are albums to be listened to!

  

Music- Even Better with Friends

One of the greatest things about my relationships with my friends is that we all share a passion for music.  Depicted in the podcast and slideshow above is one of my greatest musical adversaries, my friend Jess.

Jess and I have been friends for a number of years, and one of the components of our friendship I treasure most is our love for music. We sing together every chance we get.  We sing  in the car or during full blown friend sing-a-longs with harmony and guitar.  We go to shows together, like the Duran Duran show Jess and my friend Maria surprised me with for my birthday.  We also hit up local shows of every genre, including the musical theater variety.

Feeding off of Jess's love for music has allowed me to broaden my scope of musical appreciation.  We tell each other of new music we've discovered.  She began throwing disco-themed parties and increasing my love for that genre. 

Jess is one of the many friends that I know shares my passion to a great extent.  We support one another's musical ventures, and we will continue to do so until we perish.  I love the girl, and I know fellow music lovers would too.

The Mash-Up Minute

Here is the result of my first venture into the world of podcasting!  Needless to say, it didn't go as well as I originally fantasized, but it was definitely a fun experience.  Not to mention it was an opportunity for music, which is rarely a bad thing.  Let this serve as an example.  You may not be able to perform to the best of your abilities at a designated time, but that's no reason not to try!  If anything, you've produced music in your own "voice," and that is worthy of your self-praise.  


Play on, my musical minions!