A little while back I wrote a post on embracing your musical influences, and how I don't believe you need to live in fear of sounding like an artist you're inspired by. No music is created in a vacuum, and as such you will be influenced by other artists, and in one way or or another end up sounding like something existent. That being so, you may as well embrace the process, and be more deliberate about the influences you assimilate.
In the time since I published that post however, I realized that my initial post didn't tell the... Read More
- Posted on: December 30, 2012
In the spirit of year end retrospection, I’ve decided to compile a list of some of the albums released in 2012 that I’ve enjoyed spending time with. This isn’t a ‘best of’ list as such a list would require more diligence in listening to as many 2012 releases as possible. I generally try to keep abreast of cool things coming out, but missing some great albums is always inevitable. These albums are merely the ones I’ve happened upon, have spent some time with, and have had an emotional impact on me.
If one of your favourite 2012 albums is missing... Read More
I bought my Nord Electro 3 (73 key model) about two years ago. The impetus for this purchase was my desire to apply my piano skills to the broader realm of keyboard instruments, and expand upon my current musical experience. I’ve always enjoyed various great keyboardists such as Jimmy Smith on the Hammond B3; Garth Hudson on various keyboard instruments with The Band; Roger Hodgson’s famous Wurlitzer playing with Supertramp; and John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood on every vintage keyboard ever, at the same time – just to name a few.
I was playing almost exclusively jazz piano... Read More
It's a commonly heard refrain: " isn't bad, but they sound just like ", or the somewhat comical variation "Why listen to when you could just listen to ?" I've heard songwriters tell me that they like a song they just wrote, but don't plan on performing it as it sounds too much like a such and such famous artist's song. As music consumers and creators, this expectation that we hold, that music be entirely unique, and free of discernible influence, is absurd and destructive. This mindset limits... Read More
Streaming services like Spotify and Rdio erode musicians’ ability to support themselves and sustain their musical careers. In order to earn a US monthly minimum wage, an artist would need to sell 143 self-pressed CD’s a month, 155 CD’s on CD Baby, 1,229 album downloads on iTunes, or get 4,053,110 track plays on Spotify . Lady Gaga is rumoured to have made a mere $167 from over a million plays of her song “Poker Face”, the most popular song on Spotify during that period of time . If Lady Gaga, the number... Read More