Joining a band

This morning I went to the studio to record percussion for The Jarts, who I am now the drummer for. Let me explain...

Chris Pyle has been a musical mentor of mine. Back when I was 15 and we played in Central's worship team together, he would ask me about what kind of music I listened to, and I told him the truth - P.O.D., Linkin Park, etc. I'm not proud of it, but that is indeed what I listened to at the time. He didn't laugh at me or anything, just nodded and listened.

By the time I was a senior in high school, though, I had started exploring my musical tastes, using Radiohead's 'OK Computer' and 'Kid A' as a springboard into a whole new world of good - mostly indie - music. And Chris helped me along the way, making mixes for me of some of his favorite bands, which honestly I would force myself to like because I respected his taste so much. Now I like that stuff for real.

Chris, who owns Donkey Coffee and 3 Elliott Studios here in Athens, has been playing bass in a band for the last year or so called The Jarts. Ever since I saw them play for the first time, about 6 months ago, I knew they were one of the greatest bands in town. Playing folk-rock with cello, they had a lot of talent and great songs, written by lead singer Troy Gregorino.

Two weeks ago Chris approached me at church, saying The Jarts needed a new drummer and would be auditioning potential replacements. He said I was his first choice to fill the role. I've never auditioned for anything before, but I was really excited to have the opportunity to join a band I really respected, especially since Chris was a member.

So Chris made me a mix of four of their songs, and I practiced along to them at church to get a feel for them, while listening to them back home to really familiarize myself with them. I was nervous for the audition - playing another band's music with that band is kind of intimidating - and wanted to make sure I nailed the songs.

A week later the band held practice at 3 Elliott and auditioned myself and I believe one other guy. I went in, introduced myself and talked to the band for a while - really comfortable, they are all so chill and nice - and then headed to the drum set to play the four songs I knew with them.

Man, what an experience, playing the drums for a band I really liked and respected. It was really nerve-racking - even though the drum parts are fairly easy - because they were all paying such close attention to me and what I did; they really wanted the new drummer to mesh both musically and personally. But it felt great, and I left feeling really optimistic about the process.

Through the entire audition, honestly the person I felt most intimated by was Chris. He didn't just let my playing go, he criticized what I did and told me how to fix it. It was kind of scary, because Chris is someone whose opinion I respect very highly. But I know he just wanted me to play as best as I could; he wanted me to show The Jarts what I could do, so he pushed me to do so. And I'm glad he did.

I got the call the morning of Thanksgiving, while at my parents' house. Chris said, "Hey, if you'll have us we'll have you in The Jarts." Wow, what a feeling - the band had chosen me. I don't know how many candidates they ended up having, but they chose me. Chris said that after I had left, the band all agreed that my audition made them feel really good both musically and personally. So they chose me.

Now I'm a member of a band that I once followed. And we're (weird to say we're) recording an album, which is nearly completed. Unfortunately I didn't come in to the band soon enough to be able to record the drum tracks, but I did go in today to do the auxillary percussion. So at least I'll make an appearance on the album, which should come out early next year. Oh, and here's our MySpace, where you can check out some of the tracks.

This is such an exciting time for me. Ever since I first touched a drum set, at the age of 12, I knew I wanted to have a band. But until now, all I had to show for it was Bananarchy, which is fun but not very serious. Now I have that band I always wanted, a band I am proud to tell people I am a member of.

And I have Chris to thank for all of this.

New Music - Finals Edition

My intention when I created this blog was to inform readers what music I was listening to, give them an idea of what I like and what they might like. I realize I haven't really done that in a while, choosing instead to ramble on other musical thoughts I've had. I promise I'm going to keep talking about new music I'm getting into.

So here is some stuff I've been listening to - good, bad, and in between - lately and what I think of it. To make it easier, I'm gonna grade the stuff using the standard letter system, so you know what is truly worth it.

Here's my idea of a well-graded artist/album: I want to listen to it often, I want to listen to more of their stuff, the songs get stuck in my head, and it has lasting potential (will I listen to it in a month? A year?).

Not-so-well-graded music is the opposite of all that; basically, I can't really connect with it, I feel like I'm forcing myself to listen to it, I don't want to listen to it anymore, and a month from now it will live in iTunes obscurity.

So here goes - some stuff to chew on as the quarter comes to a close:

Band of Horses, Cease to Begin: Picked this up on a whim after reading positive stuff about it. I had some of their older stuff and liked it, but didn't intentionally listen to it much (except for their song 'The Funeral' - download now). I immediately liked this new record. It's very simple rock; they don't pull a lot of bells and whistles, they just lay it out there for you much like mainstream stuff typically does. This is far from mainstream though; it's intelligent without being cocky. Driving guitars, at times kind of heavy, with melodic vocals that sing beautiful lines like, "No one's gonna love you more than I do," and "When you smile the sun it peaks through the clouds." Very easy to listen to, nice background/mood setting. GRADE: B+

Jimmy Eat World, Chase This Light: Let me start by saying I was a big fan of their 2001 album 'Bleed American,' and I still have that in rotation. 'Futures,' which they released in 2004, was ok - I bought it out of respect for the band more or less. Now I've purchased 'Chase this Light,' which they released a few weeks ago; really, I bought it to familiarize myself with the music before I reviewed their concert for the Insider. And it's pretty bad. Honestly nothing stuck out to me; it all sounds the same, just basic pop-punk with few catchy melodies. Not even a good ballad in the mix. It's a shame - they used to be great. GRADE: D-

Sigur Ros, Hvarf/Heim: I've been a huge fan of Sigur Ros, an Icelandic atmospheric/prog band, since they released 'Takk' in 2005. Their music defines certain parts of my life - it's so moody and emotional, great for stressful quarters. And it's also incredibly beautiful, as the band uses violin bows on electric guitars, then adds actual violins and cellos to create soaring musical soundscapes. Last week they released a double EP of acoustic tracks and B-sides, which leads into their DVD release next week of concert footage from various areas in Iceland (it looks gorgeous.) The double EP is ok, but I guess I was expecting more - the acoustic tracks sound a lot like their normal, album counterparts, and the B-sides are B-sides for a reason. But it's still nice, chill stuff to relax to. GRADE: B-

Burial, Untrue: This is another album I picked up on a whim, mostly because I had tracks to spare on eMusic and this LP got a lot of love from Pitchfork. It's a genre called electronic/dub, which I'm still trying to figure out the definition of. Basically, it's electronic, but not in the annoying, nerdy sense of the word. I like it, but it's not groundbreaking to me; it reminds me a lot of Massive Attack. If you want some upbeat, mindless background music, this is a good pick-up; otherwise, I doubt it will stick in my rotation for long. GRADE: C+

I'll be adding some more stuff later, gotta go now. In the meantime, enjoy!

Black and White

Last night I attended the Jimmy Eat World concert at Mem Aud. It was a good show overall, but did not carry any special significance that is worth my time in this space here. You can read the Insider tomorrow if you really want to know how the show was.

The part of the night that did carry significance occurred as I walked through the doors of Mem Aud. As I strode through the entrance, a digital camera packed in my chest pocket and a notebook in my back jeans pocket, two security officials stood waiting for me. I've been to plenty of high-profile concerts in my day, and understood this to mean they were quickly searching or patting down everyone that attended the show.

But the two security officials just smiled at me and waved me on. They didn't ask me to empty my pockets or raise my arms - they simply let me go. I could have been packing heat and they would never have known.

And as I walked right by those officials, I remembered a concert I attended at Mem Aud last year. It was a David Banner show; Banner is a southern rapper, and I was attending the show to cover it for the Insider as well. Turned out to be a pretty good show, even though I really don't care for rap.

When I entered the doors of Mem Aud for the David Banner show, the scene was much different than last night; first we had to walk through metal detectors, then we were patted down by security officials. It was intense - I felt like I was visiting a prison or something.

And this stark difference between the two shows' security really startled me. Mind you, Banner is black, and the majority of the audience that night was also black. Jimmy Eat World is very white, and thus the crowd was too.

This reflects the still-very-prevalent racial divide in our society. Racial tension has always been in our rear-view mirrors, but when you experience such obvious discrimination as I did with these shows, it saddens you to think how slowly we've progressed. Did they expect guns and weed at the David Banner show? Was Red Bull the most dangerous substance that a Jimmy Eat World fan could have possibly carried in?

They knew what audience to expect for both shows, and acted accordingly.

And this - this is our world.

My Record Player

About three months ago I decided to take the next step in music nerdiness and buy a record player. I had been thinking about getting one for a while, mostly for the sake of having one; I consider myself an avid music fan/collector, and it only seemed sensible to have a record player. On top of that, there's something very nostalgic about record players that is calming and makes me want to sip brandy in an apartment that smells of rich mahogany. But I digress.

The opportunity to get a record player arose when my friend Tom decided to sell his turntables before he moved to Chicago. I jumped at the chance because for $225 I got two record players, a mixer, and about 100 records - a really good deal despite the fact that the tables are about 20 years old (but honestly, how many new record players do you see anymore?).

So I collected the equipment from Tom in Columbus and introduced my room to a brand-new space-filler. With Ben's help I set up the two players, with the mixer in between, and hooked them up to a couple of old but reliable speakers. It all rested on top of an old shelf I bought from New to You (which, the creepy salesman enthusiastically told me, has a growers' lamp on the underside - no worries, I stashed my records there) and set up at the foot of my bed.

At first I tried my hand at the whole turntable idea; included in the 100 records were several hip-hop and electronic vinyls, so I attempted 'mixing' and 'scratching' them. Turns out this is in fact very hard - and I am very white. It would take a lot of work to master that art, work that I, quite frankly, am not really motivated to accomplish.

So I closeted one of the record players, giving up my future as DJ Mixmaster Sam. I then raided my mom's old record collection, which had been stashed in our family barn for about 15 years. I didn't really think any of them would work anymore - that many years of humidity, dust, and frost surely warped the vinyl - but I figured it would be worth a shot to dust a few off and give them a spin.

And not only do they still work, but there are some real gems in the bunch - like, for instance, the entire Beatles catalog (oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh). And Simon and Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac, Wings, James Taylor...the list goes on. Who knew my mom had a cool taste in music? I mean, I grew up with the Beatles, but there were like 100 (mostly) cool vinyls in her collection.

So here I am, with an extensive record collection and a record player in pretty good shape. My next move was to browse Haffa's (my home away from home, the record store in Athens) for records, something I had never done before but made me feel like I'd finally risen to a 'music elite' status (watch 'High Fidelity' and you'll understand). Of course, here is the dangerous aspect of my new hobby - I spend enough money on CDs as it is; what will records do to my bank account?

To this day I've only spent about $75 on records; thankfully I've been able to monitor my purchases. New records I've bought include Elliott Smith's 'New Moon,' Arcade Fire's 'Funeral,' Explosions in the Sky's 'All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone,' and Andrew Bird's 'Armchair Apocrypha.' I'd kill to have some Sufjan and Sigur Ros records, and I'm sure that day will come, but until then I'm fasting from buying vinyl - I hope.

When I bought the new records from Haffa's, I though I was pretty cool as I pulled out the vinyl, rested it on the deck and placed the needle carefully on top as the record started spinning. This is how much of a music nerd I am.

But for a while, the records just didn't do it for me. I'd listen more and more to my iTunes and let my record player and vinyls just be a collection stashed in the corner. I didn't value it for the sound quality or anything like that - I valued it for the sake of simply owning it. I think this makes me a music snob.

Lately, though, I've been giving my record player another chance. I don't know why, maybe it's the cold weather and the fact that there's something very comforting about the thought of curling up under my covers, listening to records and drinking tea (haha ok I'm pushing the line of pansiness...sorry).

And I've had an epipahany - damn does that record player sound good. It was what I had known to be true all along but had arrogantly disregarded: records truly have superior quality to digital music. I discovered the truth as I listened to Explosions in the Sky. There was such ferocity in the low end and such clarity in the treble, such that I was hearing little things I hadn't caught on the digital version. It was a joy to experience.

Then last night Katie and I were chilling in my room listening to Elliott Smith. It was so calming, so relaxing, as if Elliott were sitting right there serenading us. It was a musical experience I don't often have while listening to my iPod or iTunes.

The truth is that I'm not going to stop buying CDs or collecting digital music - that will still be my main avenue for music. It's too easy and too cheap. But I'm excited to say that I can't wait to pursue this newfound record collection because it's given me such a new appreciation for the finer aspects of music.

Because it doesn't matter how many plays are racked up on Last.fm or how quick it is to double-click on any song or artist you want; what matters with music is how complex, detailed and beautiful every second of it is. And my records help me catch every little bit of it.

Music and goosebumps

This past summer I traveled to the beaches of North Carolina with my family. We've been going on beach vacations with my cousins ever since I was little, every two years or so. Prior to this year, our vacations usually saw me and my cousin Dave spending a lot of time in the ocean and finding fun in the simpler aspects of the beach - as you would expect two adolescent boys to do. We didn't see the fun in laying on the beach, soaking in the rays and reading a book, as our families would do. That was way too boring.

This year was different, though. Dave and I are both adults now, along with the rest of the family. So, as the adults always did, we spent a lot of time merely sitting on the beach, passing the time by reading and whatnot.

And I found that I gained a new perspective of the beach. Whereas I used to have to occupy my time with the small, tangible aspects of the beach - the water, seashells, creatures, etc. - I occupied a lot of my time on this summer's vacation merely drinking in the setting as a whole - the sound of the waves, the clouds towering above the horizon, the soothing breeze. All of these elements of the beach came together to produce a chilling, unreal sensation of complete and utter beauty. This setting made me love God's creation more than I have ever experienced before.


I had a companion this whole time: my iPod. Though I realize that sounds so commercial and tacky, my point is that I had a soundtrack for the whole week, specifically a 250-song playlist I had created prior to the vacation and set on shuffle. And this playlist helped me appreciate my surroundings all the more, because the beauty of the music reflected the serenity of the world - that is, the emotion drawn from the music was heightened by the emotion drawn from my surroundings, and vice versa. And it gave me goosebumps.

Goosebumps are a peculiar sensation. We get them in a variety of situations, like when we're cold or scared, but I've found that I get goosebumps usually when I disconnect myself from reality and let go of all worries of the world. I get goosebumps when I remember that God is in control and I'm here to appreciate His creation and live to the fullest the life He has blessed me with.

You can probably see where I am going with this, so I'll come out and say it: I usually get goosebumps when I'm listening to music. I get them when I experience the beauty of the world too - as I did at the beach this summer - but for time's sake, I'll discuss the music.

I've mentioned before how I can see God through music, but I'll say it again: there is something very perfect about music, very unique and beautiful, that reminds me we were created by a God who loves us and who wants us to appreciate life. The fact that I find music so sensational implies that God created it to be that way - He made it so that people could love and understand it. And music can describe every single emotion we can feel as humans; there is literally a song or artist for every mood.

This means that I have music for when I'm angry, music for when I'm tired, music for when I'm energetic, and so on. And I find that there is some music that does nothing more than remind me how beautiful the world is, no matter the emotion or mood I am feeling. This is the music that tends to give me goosebumps, that gives me a disconnection from reality.

Today I was walking to class and was listening to my iPod when one such song came on. It's called 'Guyamas Sonora' by Beirut. As I listened and the goosebumps rose, I started thinking about what elements of a song made me feel this way. I also thought about what other songs do this to me.

I really don't know what to say about the song elements; is it the lyrics? Is it the melody? The hook? The instrumentation? I finally came to the conclusion that I don't know what exact thing it is, that it must simply be the combination of all of those things. And I think it's OK that I don't know - maybe it just is this way because it is this way. God allowed me to find these songs beautiful just because.

Lame answer? I don't know, you tell me. But instead of hurting my head while trying to pinpoint the solution, I choose to just accept it as another one of God's wonders and mysteries.

Here is a playlist of other songs that tend to give me goosebumps:

1. 'Saeglopur' by Sigur Ros
2. 'Síðasti bærinn 5' by Kjartan Sveinsson (that's spelled right; it's Icelandic)
3. 'Scenic World' by Beirut
4. 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark' by Death Cab for Cutie
5. 'Carry You' by Dispatch
6. 'Song For the Angels' by Great Lake Swimmers
7. 'Beautiful Life' by Gui Boratto
8. 'Half Acre' by Hem
9. 'Faded from the Winter' by Iron & Wine
10. 'Nowhere Warm' by Kate Havnevik
11. 'All My Friends' by LCD Soundsystem
12. 'Gone' by M83
13. 'Cataracts' by Andrew Bird
14. 'For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti' by Sufjan Stevens
15. 'Oh God, Where Are You Now?' by Sufjan Stevens
16. 'Come Thou Fount' by Sufjan Stevens
17. '2 a.m.' by Thee More Shallows
18. 'With or Without You' by U2
19. 'The Air Near My Fingers' by The White Stripes
20. 'Twilight' by Elliott Smith

3 of the best shows I've ever seen (in just 10 days)

I don't have a lot of time to see good concerts. Living an hour and a half away from a metropolitan and committing as much time as I do to school and such, trips to see my favorite musicians play are few and far between. Honestly, before college, the biggest show I had ever been to was Creed. I don't tell a lot of people that. Not something to brag about.

Since I came to college, though, I've been to a ton of great shows - they just don't happen often. Obviously I go to local shows every week, but I'm not talking about those kind of shows (though they can be just as fun.) I'm talking about national artists, the kinds of shows that are 2 hours long and are not just a performance, but an event. You know, the kinds of shows where you can say, "I actually saw (band name) play live!" to all your friends and some day your kids.

The first such concert I attended like this was Green Day, whom I saw in Dayton in the fall of 2005. The show was the last on their 'American Idiot' tour, and I had secured a press pass so I could review the show for the Insider - which was actually my first story for them. So here I am with my simple digital camera and a pass that puts me in the photo pit with guys who have cameras three feet long. It was kind of intimidating, but when the band came out and Billie Joe Armstrong stood on top of the amp I was crouching beneath (I could have literally touched him), it was like everything was suddenly right with my world. The band went on to put on a 2-and-a-half hour party of a performance. Great stuff.

I've seen several great shows since - especially now that a ton of great bands are actually stopping in Athens - but the stretch between October 5th and October 15th of this year may prove to be the most amazing, definitive week for me my infantile, concert-going habit.
It started with my attendance of the Arcade Fire concert in Columbus on Oct. 5. LCD Soundsystem opened, and were surprisingly amazing - good enough to have me dancing by the end of their set. Then Arcade Fire played, and, as advertised, they were absolutely breathtaking. Their performance was impeccable and entertaining - about as perfect a show as they come. I really don't know how else to describe it. Seriously.

Four days later, Athens was treated with a performance by up-and-coming rock (?) band Man Man. I'd heard some of their stuff - it's rock, but with a sort of circus-music edge. I kind of liked what I had heard, but I knew that their live show was supposed to be a blast. And that was no lie. Though the crowd sucked - drunken, belligerent idiots pushed to the front, I ended up in the back - Man Man didn't just put on a show, they put on a production. Seriously, their music, which includes a ton of percussion and other fun instruments, was precise as hell, as if they've practiced the set a million times. It was an intense show, but was so much fun I bragged about it for days.

My 10-day concert foray ended on Oct. 15 with the Andrew Bird show (which I had mentioned before because I interviewed Mr. Bird a couple of days before his performance.) Bird played at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, which I had never been too but which really blew me away with how clean and nostalgic it is (not to mention the acoustics are phenomenal.) I literally sat frozen for the whole show; Bird played it solo, but he might as well have had a 20-person orchestra. He looped his violin to create such a huge, intimate sound that I was speechless after the show. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Now here is the thing about all of these shows, the reason why they were the best shows I've seen. Including local shows, I've been to a ton of concerts in my day, but never have I seen such sheer talent as I did in these 10 days. It started with Arcade Fire; the band would rotate instruments between songs, so that most band members played 3 or 4 instruments total - and played them perfectly. Then with the Man Man show, the members did the same - everyone played multiple instruments, and played them to a T. Finally, with Andrew Bird, he only played a couple of instruments - violin, guitar, xylophone, whistling - but arranged them so beautifully you have to wonder how one man can seriously do that while standing in front of you.
I don't know how these folks are so talented, but I was honestly jealous after seeing these shows. I'm a musician (drummer, learning guitar) but I can't even conceive being able to do all of the things these musicians did, not to mention do it all so well. I don't think I could even be this good at such an array of musical instruments if I dropped out of school and focused solely on practicing.

To be completely honest with you, these shows made me feel kind of hopeless, because I wondered if I'd ever have a chance at making it big if I couldn't do the things they were doing.
But that's neither here nor there. I'll get over it. They have their talents, I have mine. And I was lucky enough to witness their talents first-hand. I just hope all of the aforementioned artists believe in God, because they should recognize their God-given skill.

I talked to Andrew Bird!

Andrew Bird is playing Stuart's Opera House on Monday, and in preparation of the review I'll be writing about it for the Insider I decided to play prestige reporter and land an interview with Mr. Bird himself. So a couple of weeks ago I e-mailed his publicist asking if this would be possible. She e-mailed back and said she would check with him and get back to me. After e-mailing her another 3 times after that, however, I hadn't heard back from the publicist regarding the possible interview.

So then yesterday I was eating at Bob Evan's with Katie when I got a phone call from someone with a 212 area code. I let it go to voicemail because I don't answer strange phone calls. I was confused when my phone buzzed that I had a new voicemail - I had assumed it was a wrong number. I listened to the message and alas, it was Andrew Bird's publicist. She said, "Hey Sam, sorry this is short notice, but I wanted to let you know that Andrew is free for the next 2 to 3 hours if you wanted to interview him."

After I listened to that message, I couldn't eat the rest of my food. I was excited, but it was startling how nervous I became. Let me clarify: Andrew Bird is one of my favorite musicians and has been ever since Madeline introduced him to me. His latest album, 'Armchair Apocrypha,' is, I believe, one of the best albums released this year. He has folksy sound, but adds classical elements to it with violin that produces stunningly beautiful indie alternative music. It is really gorgeous stuff.

The reason I became nervous is that I hadn't prepared, obviously, and I was afraid that I would come across as some stupid little jackass reporter who asked all the same questions that everybody asks. As a fan of his, I wanted to impress him, but now I only had a short amount of time to figure out how to do so.

I've had this problem as an entertainment reporter before. I let the allure of certain acts' fame overcome me, and I feel like I'm practically graveling at their feet when I talk to them (famous people I've talked to so far: Jeff Garlin, Bobby Valentino, David Banner, Vanilla Ice, Andrew Bird). I don't know why it is, but the fact that they're famous makes me consider myself inferior somehow, and I focus on how I make them like me. It's like elementary school all over again, when you're face to face with the coolest kid in school.

So anyway, I went home, prepared a (long) list of questions, called Madeline so she could come listen in, and an hour later was ready for the call. I called Amy, his publicist, who said he was ready to go, and she called Andrew's cell and put him on with me. "Hi, Andrew? How are you doing?" I said - I mean, what else could I say? "Good, how are you?" he replied. Holy crap, Andrew Bird is talking to me! This is seriously the thought that was going through my head. I kept my composure and continued with the interview.

Here's what sucked: at the time, Andrew was driving through Kansas on his way to a show in Kansas City. His reception sucked. So we had a 15 minute conversation, and half of it I couldn't even make out. We even got disconnected once. His soft-spokenness didn't help. I was so frustrated - here I am, talking to THE Andrew Bird, wanting to transcribe the interview and publish it in the newspaper, and I can hardly understand a word he says. I kept trucking through, though, and in the end got some okay quotes that I should be able to use in my review of his concert. And when I think about it, I just think, "I got to talk to Andrew Bird." That made it all worthwhile, that I talked to him, he talked back to me (even called me by name once - holy crap Andrew Bird just said my name to me!) and I can now tell everyone that I had that experience. Even though reception sucked, the experience was still one I'll remember forever.

I know now, though, that if I want to be serious about my entertainment journalism, I can't ever let myself create a superiority complex about famous people. They are human, just like me. And they can get bad reception on their cell phones, just like me.