Just have to give it up once again for the city of Long Beach for putting on free concert series on Pine and Broadway this summer. It’s called the SAM ( summer and music ) festival, and though I know a lot of cities do this type of thing, I have yet to come across one that this good. I know they are out there so let me know… But this past Sunday they hosted ALO, Money Mark, The High Fidelity DJ Dennis ( whoop whoop) and a really fun kickin band The Boogaloo Assassins! Talk about gettin the party started! I had sooo much fun spinning my 2 year old in the street and dancin to that latin beat as the sun set behind the street.
http://www.myspace.com/theboogalooassassins
I just love that shows like this are around to bring attention to the talent that is in a cities backstreets, neighborhoods and alleys. Another jem is Deep Sea Diver, I through a clip of a very scaled down version of the song “Hangin On”, which I just love. Reminds me of the ol buskin days… if you like that check out their studio stuff. Can’t argue a voice like hers…
http://www.myspace.com/deepseadivermusic
You can also check out more upcoming FREE shows in downtown LBC
http://www.summerandmusic.com
“Spanning from June to August, and running the gamut from jazz to funk to pop, Summer And Music (SAM) will be the first to feature local musicians and a variety of creative curricula for free on the streets of downtown Long Beach.”
My friend just sent me a pleasent email where he quoted a few artists. He said he was drawn to them by their lyrics. Surprised as I was, that someone had really paid attention to the lyrics of a song, I was also touched by his sentiment. Aren’t we all just looking for that type of connection in our music?
I know that life has kicked into high speed nowadays, and everything is going at such a fast rate, often we don’t take the time to sit down and really listen to what a song is saying. What about subtext, what was going on in that person’s head at the time? We might think that we don’t have the time, or are being interupted by one of the many stimulus of the day, yet isn’t the message the very core of songwriting?Isn’t that a big part of what makes a song special for us?
At the end of the day , there is a need that needs to be met in the process- a need to communicate, to express, to get off one’s back. It’s always been that way for me-otherwise it wouldn’t mean so much.
E is back on the scene. The Eels have a new record coming out here in the next week or so. I always am impressed with what they put out there. And this new record Hombre Lobo does not dissappoint.
I ran across this old video of Billie Holiday singing “Strange Fruit” tonight and I was just blown away. What a rare treat to just be able to look at her singing this song. It almost seems as though she is conjuring up spirits and casting them out. Now this is the power of music.
By some rediculous stroke of luck, I just happen to work right next to one of the coolest record shops in Long Beach, Fingerprints. I knew of one of the guys that works there because I have been going to his funk / soul club , The Good Foot for many a year. As well as being one of the funkiest DJ’s I have ever had the pleasure to get down to, he also turned me on the fact that he is also a bassist in the mind bending band Free Moral Agents. It started out as a brainchild of Isaiah “Ikey” Owens, from Mars Volta. So far, I have only begun to scratch the seemingly infinite surface of their imaginations, but I can’t wait to discover more. You should probably just check them out for yourself, I am not very articulate in describing why I like things , I just do. What I will say about it is this- I think it’s perfectly ok to listen to something and appreciate the fact that you will never be that good. It’s best to leave some things up to the people who know what they are doing. I’m happy to just make those kinds of people a tea latte, know what I mean?
So I was eating a sandwich with my daughter today at Subway, listening of course to “Subway Radio”, when I heard a Natalie Merchant song. It reminded me of the first song of hers that I absolutely loved, Trouble Me. What an amazing talent she is, and that voice!! I love that weird black and white video she did for that song where she was riding on a bike, helping out an old lady and talking about friendship. How refreshing is that?! I think it’s so cool that in that time period of grunge and angst, which still exists today in a lot of popular music, she was able to write something so beautiful about giving, not taking. She is a person who dares to extend herself not constrict herself, and she isn’t afraid to bring that message to the world. So much value is put on things in the music world that are so self centered and short sighted. I don’t want to come across as self righteous here because I know I am guilty of wallowing just as much as the next person.. I’m just wondering, with all the power that music possesses, how much of it is uplifting me and how much of it is just trying to bring me down?
I couldn’t find the video, but here’s a live performance of the song:
As you can see, a few musicians have made their way onto this page. It’s such a beautiful thing when you find a band that speaks to you , expresses for you where you are at that exact moment, saying the things that you can’t say for yourself. That’s when music turns into something bigger. That’s when it stops being a cool song on the radio and starts becoming a vital piece of your life that you can not live without.
To say any music of mine is an completely original idea would not only be hugely self inflated, it would also be a lie. Admittedly, I tend to stick to the music of yesteryear that capture the angst and passion of my life; Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, Jimi Hendrix, Ani Difranco , Bob Marley. Still I am always open to new and exciting music that I have yet to explore. I think the single biggest influence for me will always be my brother Dave Knudsen. I remember he would come home from college with his acoustic guitar and I would play along on my casio keyboard and sing harmonies at the ripe old age of 7 years old. He was my hero and still is for the amazing and artistic life that he has held strongly too. Some people consider themselves an artist, he is one. He has done me the honor of still letting me hang out and sing harmonies on almost every major project he has recorded. Music doesn’t get any more fiercely independent than Dave’s. He has done everything he has had to do to write, produce and keep his original material. He has volumes of songs that are full of secret melodies and poetry that the world has yet to hear.
Someday I believe we are destined to release a record together when all the stars line up. Although his repertoir dwarfs mine any day, he still let’s me believe that I am a songwriter too. To me though, I will always be his little sister singing along with him and his biggest fan . If you want to explore his world check out www.hauntedrock.com .
Bands I love, Causes I Care About | christa | 
July 2, 2009 11:06 am | 
Comments Off 
