New Original Music! (Tennessee Three)

“Bullhorn more dangerous than an AR-15”

https://song.link/AETennesseeThree

Special thanks to my daughter, GEKo2014, for her Spotify Canvas animation.

 

New Original Music! (Dunes)

"Blood on the ice and a body washed up on the shore"

https://songwhip.com/americanethnographers/dunes

Photo credit: Storyblocks via Little Red Fern

https://www.americanethnographers.com/

New Original Music! (Cigarette Days)

"We rushed forward with abandon in urgency…."

https://songwhip.com/americanethnographers/cigarette-days

Photo credit: Shari Carr

https://www.americanethnographers.com/

Review of The New Beatles Documentary

My wife and I finally finished watching The Beatles documentary, Get Back, a couple days ago. It took us seven or so sittings to get through it. (Kids, amirite?!) Here are a few relatively disjointed thoughts.

The Music

I was struck by how much of the footage is just a bunch of blokes dicking around. It seemed unprofessional, especially given their deadline(s). I've played in more than six bands since I was a teenager, and none of them, no matter how unserious, had rehearsals--let alone recording sessions--that were as unstructured this. I reminded myself, though, just how important play is to creativity. All work and no play makes Homer something something. It really does all come together on the rooftop.

I've seen many online making note of how well The Beatles seem to anticipate each other as they jam. Without being condescending, it really just strikes me as what it is to be a musician and how it is to be in a band. It's not particular to The Beatles. When John plays a I chord followed by a IV chord, it's not magic that Paul and George know that the next chord is almost certainly the V. That's just a good guess based on the most basic of applied music theory. I understand that for the uninitiated this can seem remarkable, but if anything, it's surprising that they aren't even better than they are.

I had a preconceived notion about this, which I would have been happy to have been wrong about, but none of The Beatles are great musicians. (They were really lucky to have Preston, who is an amazing musician, sitting in.) I was shocked at George's lack of chops, in particular. He talked at one point about how Clapton and others play virtuosically and laments that he can't do it. To be clear, though, The Beatles weren't bad musicians. They, all four, are undeniably great songwriters with unique voices (metaphorically). 

To me, Paul is better at piano than bass. (Don't get me started on that awful muted Hofner bass tone! Ugh.) It was interesting to see John and George playing the Fender Bass VI. It's somewhat confusing why they wouldn't just play a traditional four-string, though.

Context

At times, I found myself impatient, noting that I wouldn't watch this kind of boring shit for anyone. Why The Beatles? Most of us don't have the patience to watch paint dry--unless it were really interesting paint laid down for the Mona Lisa by da Vinci or something, which I think is what we see here. Peter Jackson is a great filmmaker, but I'm not sure if he did an awesome job with low quality stuff or a lackluster job by not having edited down much further.

The Constabulary

It was remarkable how passive the police were! Especially from the perspective of an American in 2021, the police response was just so subdued. We are so accustomed here today to seeing heavily armed and aggressive responses from law enforcement, this seemed almost comically understated. 

It's also worth noting that the main complaint from the responding constible was the disruption to local businesses, because, you know, capitalism always trumps art.

The Studio

It's incredible to see the advances in audio technology over the past fifty-some years. Most of the microphones were unrecognizable. There was a surprising lack of audio isolation between the instruments, amps, and vocals. Indeed, they were even relying on a PA system, which would be utterly unthinkable today! The norm, even if tracking live, would typically be to have each musician in his own space, either in an isolation booth or surrounded by gobos, and for each person to wear headphones for monitoring.

There is also a humorous moment when the legendary Glyn Johns recounts how he asked EMI for four monitor speakers for the control room, and they said, "Why? You only have two ears." They weren't wrong.

The Interpersonal

A lot is also made of how authoritative Paul is and how passive George and Ringo are. Indeed, George seems increasingly uncomfortable in that passivity to the point of temporarily quitting the group. Again, this is just the way bands work. It is a near-impossibility for bands to be completely egalitarian and equitable. Someone has to have an overarching vision and the boldness to impose it and others have to embrace a supporting role. Most bands, including The Beatles, break up because of disagreements about how to best differentiate creative tasks.

As a side note, Paul essentially admits in front of Linda that he'd choose The Beatles over her when he speculates that John would choose Yoko over them. Much has already been said about Yoko and her supposed role in The Beatles' breakup. Speculatively, it didn't always appear to me that Yoko's presence was voluntary, as if John was forcing her to be there.

New Original Music! (Sisyphus Went on Strike)

"...existentialist anthem and a pro-labor hymn."

https://songwhip.com/americanethnographers/sisyphus-went-on-strike

Original artwork by https://www.instagram.com/crosseyedraven/

https://www.americanethnographers.com/

New Original Music! (Terrestrial Radio)

Available everywhere you stream or download music.

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/natfreemanart/)

https://www.patreon.com/americanethnographers

http://americanethnographers.com

New Original Music! (It Ain't Christmas without Snow)

Available everywhere you stream or download music.

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/natfreemanart/)

https://www.patreon.com/americanethnographers

http://americanethnographers.com

New Original Music! (Hang, Wisteria)

Available everywhere you stream or download music.

http://americanethnographers.com

New Original Music! (Sundown Town)

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/badgerandwren/)

Available everywhere you stream or download music.

https://www.patreon.com/americanethnographers

http://americanethnographers.com

New Original Music! (Window Pain)

Lyrics co-written with one of my all-time best friends, Jeremy “Fresh” Shermak.

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/badgerandwren/)

--

Also available wherever you find music (e.g. Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc.).

--

If you are struggling, know that my world is better with you alive in it. Call (1-800-273-8255) or chat online (http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx) with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You are loved.

New Original Music! (On the Threshing Floor)

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/badgerandwren/)

--

Also available wherever you find music (e.g. Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc.).

I've made the decision to stop using Bandcamp for now. There is a great irony in the site. It was created as an alternative for musicians to more equitably control and profit from their music, but as listening habits have changed, people just aren't inclined to pay for music piecemeal anymore. This means that, as I linked to my Bandcamp site, people would go there to preview the song, listen once or twice, but then not purchase it. If I link to one of the more popular streaming sites, at least I get a few fractions of a cent for each of those listens. Ugh, late-capitalism....

New Original Music! (Farewell, Intentional)

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/badgerandwren/)

--

Also available wherever you find music (e.g. Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc.).

Check Out My Original Music! (Athens, I Love Ya [Tonight])

Original artwork by Nat Freeman (https://www.instagram.com/badgerandwren/)

--

Also available wherever you find music (e.g. Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc.).

Brad Does Cinema

Over the last several years, I've taken up a few film projects. I tend to have a lot of available screen time, riding my bike on an indoor trainer in my living room during the academic year, as I find it increasingly difficult to carve out the time to get outdoors to ride. My first project was to watch all of AFI's 100 Greatest American Films. (There are actually two lists, which amount to 123 films in total.) I completed that goal on 14 November 2013. My second, and somewhat concurrent, project was to watch all of the Academy Award for Best Picture winners. (There are 88 winners and counting.) I completed that goal on 12 January 2014. My third project was to watch a selection of films from three of the most celebrated foreign[1] directors, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini. I drew my sample from those films of these directors listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Today, 4 October 2016, I completed that goal as well. Here are those films:

Kurosawa

Rashomon

To Live (Ikiru)

The Seven Samurai (Shichinin No Samurai)

Throne of Blood (Kumonosu Jo)

Dersu Uzala

Ran

Bergman

Smiles of a Summer Night (Sommarnattens Leende)

The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet)

Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället)

Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom I En Spegel)

Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna)

Persona

Shame (Skammen)

Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen)

Cries and Whispers (Viskingar Och Rop)

Fanny and Alexander (Fanny Och Alexander)

Fellini

The Road (La Strada)

The Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria)

Juliet of the Spirits (Giulietta degli Spiriti)

La Dolce Vita

8 ½

Satyricon

Amarcord

My general assessment is that Kurosawa is a genius, Bergman is a visionary, and Fellini is a misogynist. If I were to recommend just a single film from each director, they would be, respectively, To Live (Ikiru), Fanny and Alexander (Fanny Och Alexander), and Satyricon.

My current endeavor is just to catch up on several random movies that I have wanted to see but that didn't make it on to any of my three previous lists.

--

[1] This is, of course, a very ethnocentric, and thus problematic, designation.

A Single Koch Loves *Too Many Cooks*

Adult Swim recently aired this short on the Cartoon Network without any publicity:



I think they may have just produced a postmodern masterpiece!

Oscar Has No Genitals

In the wake of last night's Golden Globe Awards, I'm thinking ahead to that other extravaganza, the Academy Awards, the Oscars. A while back, it occurred to me that there is an archaically gendered practice in all the awards shows, starting back in 1928: one award for actors who are men and one award for actors who are women. Inasmuch as acting is an artistic reflection of a culture, acting is of course as gendered a thing as any other part of life. In other words, some characters are men and some are women. We don't, however, grant the awards for the roles. Imagine if Dustin Hoffman has been nominated in 1982 for Best Actress in a Leading Role instead of Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character Tootsie! (If you'd rather, imagine The King's Men bestowing separate accolades on the guys who played male roles and the guys who played female roles.) Instead, we clearly draw a distinction between actors based on their genders and not the genders that they inhabit. It's a telling cultural fact in and of itself that we Americans have insisted on making the artistic competitive,* but beyond that, it's telling that we see fit to gender the competition.

Of course, gendered awards means increasing the chances of winning for the actors, something I'd guess those vain thespians appreciate.


* - Yes, I do know that the Ancient Greek agonos included creative contests. Not the same.

Taking License with Their Plates

Slate has a cool slideshow of specialty license plates from around the U.S. I've included several of the religiously-themed plates below. First, though, one from my own past.

In 2007, when I was in grad school, living in Indianapolis, Indiana started offering the plate below, not as a specialty plate, but as a standard plate. (To be sure, it is not the only standard plate. The other option for cars is here.)

This is one from South Carolina.

Here is one from Texas.

This proposal from Florida didn't make the cut.

Here is a playful rebuttal to the proposed plate above from Pagans in Florida.

I find these fascinating. Where is the line between church and state? Evidently, it falls somewhere beyond the tailgate of the American automobile.

--
h/t  Religion News Service

Soundtrack: "Bound Up with Me"

This is an original song I wrote in May of 2012 for my wife on the occasion of her 30th birthday. Enjoy.



Here is a song that I had posted previously, "Sounio." You can check out several more of my originals on my YouTube channel.

Reposting: On the Occasion of Thomas Kinkade's Death

originally posted on 22 June 2010

Some Thoughts on Music Appreciation

Think back to the enjoyment you felt watching a magician as a child. Even if you knew that there was something less-than-real about what was going on, you were still able to soak up the experience since you didn’t know how the deception was being carried out. In a memorable cultural moment from my own childhood, I knew that David Copperfield had not actually made the Statue of Liberty disappear, but the fact that I couldn’t explain how he made it appear as if that had actually happened was mesmerizing.

I’ve often felt sorry for the magicians, their assistants and apprentices. Undoubtedly, they all went into that profession because of that mesmerizing feeling that I experienced as a kid, but in order to become a professional, one necessarily is required to abandon the chance of ever feeling that sense of awe ever again. To perform the magic, one must understand the illusion. In effect, the curtain is drawn back revealing the wizard.

This same irony is played out in the arts as well and, for me, happened with music. I felt a similar sense of awe when engaging music. It was transcendent and inexplicable. It was expressive and experiential. It was ineffable. So, naturally, I wanted to do it. Just like the young apprentice learning the tricks, I learned to play. I learned the scales, the meter, the phrasing, and tragically, at the exact moment that I became musically competent, the magic was gone.

It is from this situation that I approach music today, trying in vain to recapture the magic. This has meant searching out music that is a step ahead of my comprehension and ability, namely jazz and metal. These two much maligned genres are in practice quite complex. Many criticize metal for sounding like noise or being too loud. Many criticize jazz as being passé or unstructured. The truth is that these types of music are among the most virtuosic and theoretically demanding. For many, this makes them too far “out” to be enjoyable, but for one who is searching for something suitably esoteric, they are perfect.

A good analogy would be Thomas Kinkade. One can find his art for sale in most any suburban shopping mall and on the walls of many a middle-class home. His realistic style and idyllic and idealized subject matter make the work easily accessible. It is unchallenging and, I would argue, boring. But, that’s the point: the requirements for inspiring awe vary by individual experience. For the typical (self-respecting) musician, a happy little Jack Johnson ditty (a tonal Thomas Kinkade painting if you will) just isn’t going to cut it, but for the average lay person, it’s likely more than enough.

Soundtrack: "Sounio"

I've decided to pull a Costanza and let my worlds collide. Here is the most recent song I've written, titled "Sounio." "Recent" is pretty relative these days for me as I'm busy having a regular job, but perhaps, posting things here will find me some motivations.