Podcast 2...Jonsi

This Podcast is about the artist Jonsi, his works, and his influence on me as a musician.

Jonsi Podcast

Jonsi...A different kind of music Icon.

Jonsi is the lead singer of an incredible band called Sigur Ros out of Iceland.  They have had one of the biggest influences on me as a musician despite the fact it's not the music that I exactly write.  I still draw a great amount of inspiration from his music.  Both Jonsi and Sigur Ros are underground international starts of sorts.  He doesn't have a household name, but odds are you've heard some of his music whether it be from a movie like Vanilla Skies or in a car commercial.  

Jonis is best known for using a cello bow to play his electric guitar in the band Sigur Ros.  He's also known for his unique use of a falsetto voice to carry melodies.  The cello bow on the guitar is nothing short of amazing.  The sound it produces is an ambient but cutting sound that is unmistakable and truly unique.  Matched with Jonsi's unique vocal delivery and you're given something completely pure and different from other music out there today.  He can use falsetto throughout the entirety of a song and still make it relevant eight minutes into the tune.  The fact that he has been so successful in a more non traditional rock band says a lot about his talent.  He is currently succeeding in a solo career and works on scores for many people and projects.

Having been to a few of Jonsi's live shows I can actually tell you first hand that his visual effects at live shows are actually innovative as well.  Using a custom made screen with dream like visuals where the screen looks so real that you think it's in the very room with you.  He even utilizes smells during his shows with incense and other organic smells to enhance the listener and viewer's experience.  It's the first show I've personally scene to match all that stuff with the music.

As a professional musician it drives me to improve every day.  To create something not only good, but unique.  As a performer it also teaches me that shows are more than just about sounding good live.  It's about what people see as well and the entire "experience" they have.  That's what truly brings people back to your live shows.  As a producer and engineer it makes me strive to find unique sounds as well.  He found his through the use of a bow on a guitar.  What other interesting ways can we discover new sounds?

I am performer and writer foremost in our industry.  What Jonsi does for me is makes me realize that as a writer it's okay to go different directions.  I've tried writing "hit songs" for so long now that I almost forget to write and see what comes out.  Have no genre or goal in mind other than what comes out, let it stand on its own and see what happens.  In five years I'm almost sure I'll still be performing music.  I love it too much.  But I'll be one of the top entertainers in the U.S. at that point with all the knowledge I've gained from seeing so many great people live and taking just a little bit from everyone and making it my own.  As a writer I see myself having a huge collection of songs that range from country to pop that will ultimately have me writing for some major label artists when I'm not on the road!  Big goals?  I think so, but very achievable in my mind.

Francis Grasso...Electronic Music Innovator...

Francis Grasso passed in 2001 at the mere age of just 51.  But not before he left his mark on electronic music.  He is best known for inverting the technique of beat matching.  This technique is still widely used today in techno and most dance electrics music.  As a DJ our of New York, Grasso became the first DJ outside of radio that required headphones for his shows.  This was so he could utilize slip-cueing and it allowed him to preview the next song.

With computers and technology so ever changing now it's easy for someone to get their hands on an electronic drum kit inside a program on their computer.  This is why we see so many remixes of songs now where beats are slipped into songs you never expected them to be in.  A huge influence on that had to be Grasso's work as a DJ.  He completely changed how we can actually listen to music almost on a never ending reel.

Through his innovations and ability to program music he gave musicians ideas of sequencing better and thinking more for the future of what someone will hear instead of what they are just listening to.

Grasso's innovations are big for our industry.  Especially now where programming is such an integral part of so much music.  Although he was DJ he was still able to impact how we both create and listen to music.  He changed nightclubs forever.  It inspires me to find new ways to hear things.  To not just listen to things straight forward, but maybe sometimes we have to turn them on their sides before they sound how we want them to.  It also teaches me to think about each section of a song as the listener and what would you want to hear next from it.

Kraftwerk...Electronic Music Innovators.

Kraftwerk are known to be electronic music pioneers.  It's what they are undoubtedly known for, and that became their image as well.  With such an electronic sound it was easy for them to take on the clean cut, somewhat nerdy look to create their image and sound.  They were "mad professors" of sorts.

Beginning in 1974 is when Kraftwerk's vision really came to fruition with the release of Autobahn.  They were able to successfully bring electronic music to the masses with this release and became instant pop stars for their brand new vision.  These were also the first recordings they chose to have vocals on where they chose to use a western influence like the Beach Boys to create a "German sound."  They soon followed it with a succession of electronic albums that are known today to be highly influential.  Albums like Radio-Activity and Man Machine also saw hits with the songs "Radioactivity" and "The Robots".  This only worked to enhance their image and new sound.  It helped to solidify them into history as innovators.  It also helped to shape the music of the 1980s which saw a huge explosion in electronic sounds in the U.S.

The first instantly identifiable things about Kraftwerk is the their sound.  Their synth work, drum machines, and overall electronic vibe you can still hear in the beat oriented, synth blasting sounds of the top 100 songs today.  Artists that comes to mind are ones like Lady Gag, Britney Spears, and all the major women in pop music who rely heavily on the beats and sounds made for them.  They are part of the hooks along with the melody and the looks of the women themselves.  They've also paved the way for huge electronic bands such as the Killers, the Cars, and Coldplay.

Lyrically they were simple and made it easy for people to understand concepts and what they were trying to achieve in a song.  Techno still does this almost frequently today which is no coincidence.  Simple repeated words are a common trend in today's music still.

Having access to so many sounds today, Kraftwerk inspires me to turn the dial on every one of them.  Don't accept something because its a "stock sound".  Find your own sound.  It's just as important to do that as it is to write your melody or lyrics.  They help mold us as musicians and producers.

Peer Comments...

PEER COMMENT 3
I commented on Barry Brooks' blog post about Bizzy Bone.

Barry,

I think your post here is great! Good info on an artist you love and it shows. I actually work with the guy who engineered for Bone Thugs for a few of their songs including "Crossroads" and he talked a lot about Bizzy and how talented he is. I agree his lyrical content has only evolved as his career has gone on too. I like when you can see artists mature and grow into what we knew they had the potential to be. It means he's doing something right too because of the success he continues to have. Good pick! 

On a dise note, I found your video very inspiring as well! Keep doing what you're doing man!

PEER COMMENT 2
I commented on Jonathan Greer's post about Kraftwerk


Jonathan

Love your post here.  Very informative.  I like that you can navigate through it easily and find some great info on Kraftwerk.  I also like the mention of the patent that they had for the electronic drum kit they basically built from scratch.  That's the kind of innovative stuff that I think inspires artists today.  There's something to be said for people that can create things from their bare hands and turn it into something inspiring. Ralf and Florian were certainly capable of doing that.  Nice post here.

PEER COMMENT 1
I commented on Christopher Bezold's blog about Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" album.

Chris,

I enjoyed your blog on Marvin Gaye and his album "Whats Going On." You make some valid points about him being a compassionate person even before the album. I think it's good you brought up his background in church as well because I think you can really hear that influence on this album. My only addition to that would that I think this album changed him in a way from what he had been doing. He was same in many ways, but this album gave him change as well. It allowed him to go against the grain of Motown where none of it's artists had really done before. It gave him a little more of an edge for an image because of it.

I also agree with your take on the album. It's quite soulful to say the least. Gaye's delivery on vocals cut through each track and almost whisper into the listener's ear pleading that they hear his message of love. It's inspiring as a musician the power that we can create with our own two hands and a piece of paper or an instrument.

Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"

Marvin Gaye was always known to be as somewhat of a rebel, but before "What's Going On" he had more of a clean cut image still from his prior work.  With the epic song came a new image including a rougher look with a beard and a more focused wardrobe dawning his new rebellious rebirth. Controversial by nature, his boss Mr. Berry Gordy was not fond of this new Gaye image and did his best to thwart Gaye's new public image, but to no avail.  

The lyrical content was largely influenced by Marvin's brother's accounts of the Vietnam war that he served in.  Marvin's brother would write him letters from overseas and his words had a great influence on Marvin and ultimately lead him in the a different direction musically.  The co-writer of the "What's Going On" Ronaldo Benson also found himself wondering "what's going on" when he gained knowledge of the violence that ensued in San Francisco amongst protesters at Berkley and police.  This sparked him to start on what would be a hugely successful and influential song for generations to come.

Put simply, Berry Gordy hated the song.  And when the boss hates your song, it doesn't see the light of day usually.  But not only Gordy didn't like the song, his panel of experts didn't like it either.  No one gave the approval for such an outspoken song.  Controversy was not something that Motown wanted to be involved in, and this song would certainly stir some of that up.  So it took great patience on Gaye's part and an ultimatum to finally get the tune released.

Motown was known for quality but not for "rocking the boat" lyrically.  This album was a complete departure from that.  Gaye takes on several issues from war to slavery to the inner city ghetto.  He ultimately challenges the listener that if we don't love now, then we will suffer greater consequences than we already have.  

The instrumentation differed a lot from any Motown album as well.  Gaye brought in a big band drummer and several percussionist.   Along with bringing in Eddie Brown on bongos which are a highlighted instrument on this album.  He also used the old piano from the "Snakepit" to help add some extra grit to the sound he was creating.  It wasn't as polished and Gaye liked that for this album.  Especially because anything out of Motown was to that point was definitely polished.

As an industry professional this record has great significance.  It shows true musicians coming together for a common purpose to make a record that speaks to the masses about things that are important.  It shows us that music can not only move people, but motivate them to change their lives.  It also reminds us that music always outlasts us.  It will be here long after we created it, listened to it, critiqued it, and enjoyed it.  It also shows us the importance of lyrical content.

Beatles "Revolver" album PODCAST

Beatles "Revolver" PODCAST

Originally published as a new page of my blog and still available there as well.

The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground and Nico were indeed before their intended time.  Perhaps that why their music wasn't well received upon release, but would come to be appreciated down the road.  Their image was the first thing that may have scared off some listeners.  They were combining art, fashion, new sounds, and music that people simply weren't accustomed to.  They looked as though they would were just as likely to sing you lullaby as they were to bite your head off.  And by that I mean they just looked unpredictable to people and that can make people uneasy.  They used psychedelic imagery and portrayed to people that they simply didn't care about what they thought.  It just didn't matter to them because they were going to do what they wanted  to do.

Lou Reed and John Cale were the driving forces of the band and primary songwriters.  Reed moved to New York in 1964 and was a songwriter for Pickwick Records.  He soon started a band called The Primitives that included John Cale, and their relationship bloomed from there.  John Cale really began his musical experimentation early in the 1960's with his project the Dream Syndicate.  This was a heavy influence on when he would later join forces with Reed to form the Velvet Underground.

Andy Warhol was the Velvet Underground and Nico's producer and promoter amongst many other things.  He was undoubtedly their biggest supporter.  Being a pioneer for the pop art movement he was able to help mold the Velvet Underground into a form of visual music.  Through their image, voice, instrumentation, and visual imagery created for the band he was able to help create something the world had not seen yet in the music world.  Though considered a failure at it's inception, the project has become an important staple in rock history.

The most obvious part of the Velvet Underground that stood out was the visuals they had to compliment the music.  They were both odd and intriguing.  Nico was known for singing on stage with a whip as the band wildly thrashed about and moved in ways the public was far from used to.  They were known for going off on tangents to where it often left the listener and spectator somewhat confused until they were reeled back into each song.  Putting the visuals together with the music though made a loud statement.  It was wild, unbridled, but loosely controlled.

The music itself though set the band apart from that of the typical 1960s music.  There was experimentation going on but not to the extent that the Velvet Underground took it.  They took it so far as to make their own three stringed violin that had it's own distinctive sound.  They even make feedback, a common foe of musicians, a part of their music which was something that had never been done before.  The best way to describe their music was the brink of chaos held together by string and a stick of gum.  At any moment it could fall completely apart or it would hold up and create something unique.

For me as a listener I'm mixed about the band.  I certainly see where they were a huge influence to the punk movement.  Their lyrical content in particular was darker than normal and more aggressive leading to that more aggressive sound of punk.  They were certainly before their time in that aspect. But on the flip side they simply don't impress me as musicians.  In fact they're mediocre at best.  I get that they were going for the whole "amateur" sound, but there's a reason it's called amateur.  That's because it's not professional, and that's kind of how I view them for the most part.  I respect what they did, but just not a fan.

The Beatles' "Revolver"

The Beatles, much like the Beach Boys, were heralded with a squeaky clean image both in appearance and in their music.  "Revolver" thankfully though was a departure from this image.  In many ways it was the Beatles growing up as both men and songwriters.  Prior to "Revolver" songs like Harrison's "Love You Too" would have never seen the light of day.  The song was just too "out there" for the early part of their careers.

Contributing to this new "out there" kind of sound was something the Beatles openly admit to using.  LSD attributed to "Revolver" much like a new ingredient to a meal you've made 1,000 times.  It was noticeable, but depending on your taste, it made the meal a lot better or too messy.  Personally I feel as though the experimentation, although dangerous, was a complete success for this album.  For a group of guys who were already highly successful in songwriting it helped to deliver them a different avenue and perspective to write a group of songs they had never imaged before.

What was great about "Revolver" as well was their use of the studio.  No artist had really shown the studio side of the business until this record.  On the opening track "Tax Man" you hear Lennon count the song off in the studio giving listeners a glimpse into what it actually takes to record a song.  Martin was genius as well using cymbal sounds in reverse and making incredible use of panning so that particular aspects of songs stood out.  A good example of his panning use was how he panned the entire drum set to the left on "Yellow Submarine" and the vocals all to the right.  Not a normal or convectional practice, but it works magnificently as he lets the unconventional  tracks shine in the center.  These were ground breaking ideas at their time and are still used today.

Instrumentation was a hugely different process for the Beatles on the "Revolver" album.  On "Eleanor Rigby" there's not a single Beatle playing on it!  Martin made the strings so rhythmic that it was unnecessary to cloud the track with any more instruments.  On "Love You To" the Beatles even go so far as to experiment with the Indian sitar and make it shine.  You even notice more use of brass instruments than before on such tracks like "Yellow Submarine".  They Beatles were venturing far from their normal four piece to reach far beyond to another side of their songwriting.  The instrumentation was even a little more darker than usual on some tracks.  "I want to tell you" in particular has this mysterious piano sound going that is a departure from the super clean image they had before the album.

Listening to "Tomorrow Never Knows" tells you two things.  One is that the Beatles were definitely using LSD.  Ha!  Two is that they were experimenting with sounds as well.  You can hear the speeding of the tape reel and phase sounds that they had never dreamed of using before.  I commend Martin for joining in the Beatles' experiment because he could have chose to reel them in, but instead chose to let the songs progress naturally.  Another staple song for new sounds on this album is in "Yellow Submarine".  From clanking glasses, to flutes, to brass, to wild commentation, it's all there.  It was obvious the Beatles did not want to reproduce their previous songs.  They wanted a new sound that was uniquely their own.

Though "Revolver" was made before my time it still has a huge influence on me.  Being a huge fan of pop rock there is almost no better example of the genre than this album.  The Beatles for the most part invented pop rock for me and this album was a staple of that sound.  Through their use of melodies, harmonies, instrumentation, and experimentation it shows me just how creative we can go within ourselves to find something unique.  It's a inspiration for me as musician.

"Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys...

The Beach Boys have and always will be known more as the "west coast sound" of the 1960's.  That is simply their staple image and was so before the release of their legendary record "Pet Sounds."  What that entailed though was being the "perfect guy" as well.  Clean cut, overwhelmingly nice, accessible, and always being in the public eye was a part of their daily lives.  It wore on the band and was a contributing factor why Brian Wilson had to take a break from performing with the group and solely focus on writing.  But it also gave him time to write the epic "Pet Sounds."

Brian Wilson in short was the Beach Boys.  He wrote, arranged, produced, recorded, and performed in the iconic group.  Where the Beatles had the luxury of three song writers, Brian for the most part was on his own in that department.  With the success of the Beach Boys the pressure only continued to mount to top not only their last record, but now to top the Beatles as well.  This helped to fuel Wilson's creativity for "Pet Sounds."

There was widely known, but friendly, competition between the Beach Boys and the Beatles.  You simply couldn't turn on the radio without hearing one of the two bands.  It seemed everything they touched turned to platinum.  The Beach Boys hit the top forty 22 times while the Beatles enjoyed 27 number one hits!  It was only natural that the two powerhouse groups vied to outdo the other.  Out of that friendly competition though, Brian Wilson was able to find a new kind of inspiration that allowed him to rethink the sound of the Beach Boys.  Pet Sounds was the result of it.

What was great about "Pet Sounds" for the Beach Boys was how different it was from their previous material.  The content and lyrics in particular.  Wilson wrote music that appealed to a broader audience. One thing I personally believe he learned from the Beatles was how well their songs about love sold.    On tracks like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" he shows a direct focus on that.  He ventured away from the cool, easy sound of the beach that he was so used to writing.  Wilson stretched his creative arms to a broader and more mass appealing subject like love.  And it was a great move.

What I notice most about the album when listening to it is its sonic quality.  Wilson was very particular about the rooms he used for recording in and I think it really shows on this album.  Its so much bigger sounding than anything at that time.  The instrumentation feels like it "other worldly" with the use of reverb and recording techniques Wilson implemented.  What's great about it though it that the instrumentation leaves this nice bed for the vocals to sit in and really be noticed.

As a listener and a fan of the Beach Boys I love this album.  I still listen to them and this album in particular for harmony ideas for songs I write.  Its hugely influential to a lot of song writers.  But what's cool about it is that though it was a departure of sorts for the Beach Boys, it still has their staple sound in there too.  It's the best of both worlds in a way.  It melds the Beach Boys natural sound with Wilson's vision.

WELCOME!

Welcome to my blog!  My name is Matthew "Alex" Wheatley and I'm a musician from the Cincinnati, OH area.  I'm always a Kentucky boy at heart though.

Some interesting things about me?  I was born blind, but now I"m not.  I couldn't play guitar, piano, drums, or bass so I taught myself all of them.  I write, perform, produce, mix, record, eat, sleep, breathe, MUSIC almost 24.7.  It's who I am, and it's what I love doing.  But I'm still trying to make it my career too.

I currently play in a band called The Getaway based out of here in Cincinnati.  We just released our second album and I think it has great potential to garner some major label attention.  But you can judge for yourself!

Check it out!

Alex Wheatley