Big Blog 2: Kabuki Theater

Kabuki is a term you may have heard before in some form of media, or you might have heard of Kabuki masks. What you might not realize is that Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese theater. Kabuki theater is one of the three major forms of classical theater in Japan. It traces back to the Edo Period of Japan (1603-1868), during the Genroku era where Japan was culturally isolated by the shogun. Art forms like Kabuki were created during this time as entertainment for the people who couldn’t find it elsewhere. As you will see, Kabuki is characteristically Japanese and expressive in nature because of this isolation. 

Kabuki is all about showmanship and tends to be a very exaggerated art form. Everything including the costumes, make-up, wigs, movements, performance, music are all very stylistic and exaggerated. This exaggeration is necessary to convey the message of the play because they use an older form of Japanese which is hard to understand. This is similar to European theatre like Shakespeare being hard for us to understand because of the older version of English being used. The stages themselves are also complex, having revolving platforms and trapdoors for special effects. There is also a footbridge, known as a “hanamichi”, that leads through the audience, that the actors can walk across when their entering or exiting for an effect. Interestingly enough, Kabuki started with mostly female casts. Later, a restriction was placed that prevented them from participating in Kabuki. To this day, all of the members of Kabuki theater are male and there are specific male actors who specialize in female roles. Another unique aspect of Kabuki theater is the fact that they usually only show a part of a larger story. Therefore, it helps to know a little about the story being told beforehand. All of these elements are enhanced by the sections of traditional instruments being played to create the ambience or control the emotions of the audience.

Before learning about the music in Kabuki theater, you must know a little about the music in Noh theater first. Noh is an older traditional Japanese form of theater that utilizes an instrumental ensemble called hayashi-kata. The instruments used in this ensemble are…

The Taiko: Japanese drums, or membranophones, varying in size and played with sticks. You might have heard or seen this one before, but they are mainly used to control the tempo by keeping a steady beat or create drama by playing with exaggerated dynamics and rhythms. 

The Ōtsuzumi: Hourglass-shaped drums with very tight heads that produce a high and sharp sound. These are hand drums that are played on the left thigh of the musician. Because the heads are so tight, the players usually develop callouses on their hands that they have to treat from time to time. To produce the sound they want from these drums, the heads are made from horsehide and must be kept dry at all times.

The Tsuzumi: Smaller, hourglass-shaped drums that can produce four different sounds. These drums are crafted very meticulously, created with foal skin as the heads and using hemp chords to control the pitch, much like a talking drum. If crafted correctly, these drums can last centuries, and some players still use tsuzumi that were crafted during the Edo Period. These are also hand drums, but they are different because they must be kept moist. Players will breathe on the heads regularly during a performance to keep them moist. The four sounds produced are known as pon, pu, ta, and chi. The pon and pu sounds are produced by keeping the chords slack and hitting the middle of the drumhead. The ta and chi sounds are produced by squeezing the chords and hitting closer to the edge of the heads. These hits sound pretty much how they are spoken. 

Ōtsuzumi on the left and Tsuzumi on the right

The Nohkan: A high-pitched bamboo flute. It is created by burning or smoking bamboo pieces and gluing them together. They then cut out 7 finger holes and an oval embouchure hole that the player blows through. The high pitches and overtones produced create lots of drama and tension in the music. 

Kabuki theater initially used hayashi-kata ensembles, but later added other instruments, predominantly the shamisen. I talked about the shamisen in my last blog if you want to learn more about it, but it is a three-stringed instrument that varies in size and is plucked with a plectrum called a bachi. The shamisen is now very prevalent in Kabuki music and is used in every play. 

Kabuki music can be divided into three different categories: geza, shosa-ongaku, and ki and tsuke.

Geza: This category includes music and sound effects played on stage, behind a black bamboo curtain. It is performed at the beginning and end of an act, during scene changes, when actors enter and exit, and in the middle of their lines. Geza is essentially background music or atmospheric music used to fill in the gaps. It can be further subdivided into three more categories. The first is Uta, which is singing accompanied by a shamisen. The next is aikata, which is just shamisen with no singing. The last is narimono, which is small percussion instruments being played. 

Shosa-ongaku: This is music that is played onstage that accompanies acting and dancing. Included in this category are four music styles known as takemoto, nagauta, tokiwazu, and kiyomoto. Takemoto accompanies acting while the other three accompany dancing. Takemoto is essentially the narration parts of the play, and the actors try to synchronize their lines with the rhythm of the music. Nagauta involves singers, known as utakata, and shamisen players known as shamisenkata. The shamisenkata use thin-neck shamisen in this style to produce delicate melodies. Next, tokiwazu has reciters and shamisenkata that use medium-neck shamisen. This style is slower and more solemn than the others. The last style is kiyomoto. It is similar to tokiwazu, but it has more emotion and is spoken in high pitches. 

Ki and Tsuke: This is striking of two, square oak boards in two different ways. The ki sound is produced by hitting the boards together. The tsuke sound is created by hitting them against a hardwood board. These can either be “signaling sounds” or possibly sound effects for fight scenes. 

Kabuki theater is still popular today and most Japanese people have seen some form of it. It is popular enough to be known in surrounding nations and have some influence in foreign nations like ours. Kabuki masks, which you might have heard of, are masks made to look like the make-up used in Kabuki theater that are sold to audiences or children. Modern Japanese art, like anime, have many elements from Kabuki theater, especially the music, and continue the tradition. If you were to see some aspect of kabuki, it would likely be in some tv show or movie, and now you will be able to tell where kabuki masks come from. 

“Geza: Production and Music in Kabuki: Invitation to Kabuki.” Geza | Production and Music in Kabuki | INVITATION TO KABUKI, https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki/en/production/music2.html#:~:text=Geza%20is%20performed%20at%20the,and%20create%20on%2Dstage%20atmosphere.

“Kabuki.” Theater, https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2090.html.

“Traditional Japanese Music.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Japanese_music#Kabuki.

Beyond the Classroom: Asia and the Middle East

 I have always been fascinated in Eastern music and how the tonality of their music is much different from ours. Many of their instruments are made to sound similar to vocal tones or somewhat like sounds of nature. Much of Eastern Asian art is related to nature and our connection, as humans, to nature. Before writing this, I already had interests in three particular areas of music in Asia: the shamisen, the erhu, and mongolian throat singing or tuvan throat singing. I decided that this was a good opportunity to learn more about these things.

First off, we have the shamisen. It can also be called sangen or samisen, which all translate to "three strings". The shamisen is three-stringed traditional Japanese instrument. It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. Think of the bachi as a large pick, like what's used with guitars.

I became interested in this instrument after seeing it in shows like One Piece and Demon Slayer. Most of the time when you see it in any kind of media, the instrument is played by a geisha in a brothel or entertainment district. This is not where it came from, or was usually played at. It is derivative of the Chinese instrument called the sanxian. Some of its earliest uses and most popular use was for accompanying puppet-theatre. Puppet-theatre was very popular in traditional Japan, and the shamisen player had to especially skilled to keep up with the story. It is a very virtuosic instrument that can easily create dramatic moments enhance any experience. Another cool fact about the shamisen is that they come in various different sizes and they have always been played by both men and women. Today's usage of the shamisen ranges as far as playing for traditional Japanese plays to rock and even metal music.

Next, I chose the erhu to look into. The erhu is a Chinese two-stringed, bowed instrument. It is also known as the spike fiddle or the Chinese violin. You have probably heard an erhu before in movie soundtracks and not known that it was an erhu. I first became fascinated with the instrument after seeing a cover of a song from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was drawn to the emotional tone of the instrument and the variety of expression it had. The erhu was made to sound like a human voice, which is why it sounds so passionate and emotional to listeners. 

The erhu is often compared to the violin, but they are different in one major way. The body of a violin is all wood, whereas the erhu has a python skin stretched across the top. This python skin is what gives it its characteristic sound. The erhu is also bowed between the two strings, but the violin is bowed on top of the strings. The erhu is traditionally a solo instrument, but it has been used in many other settings now. It did not gain popularity around the world until several famous rock bands used it in their songs. After hearing this instrument, I thought that it was one of the most beautiful instruments that I had heard, and it still remains one of my favorites to listen to.

The last thing that I wanted to look into was Mongolian throat singing, or Tuvan throat singing. The story behind this one is interesting because I can actually do it, but I don't know a lot about its history. One day I heard somebody I know doing it and I thought it sounded cool, so I taught myself how to do it by ear. Now, I kind of just use it as a gag because it is somewhat loud, unexpected, and people usually can't replicate it. While writing this blog, I decided to look more into the history of this form of singing. 

Throat singing is a form of overtone singing where the singer produces and fundamental pitch and one or more pitches over that. It is meant to reflect nature and sound like something from nature, possibly a waterfall or a cave or wind. That's why there are many different forms of throat singing. It became popular in this part of the world because of the geography. It sounds really good up in the mountains, so you can just find a good spot in nature and become connected with it. Throat singing is not always low and growly though, it can sometimes be high pitched and trilled to mimic birds or small animals. Also, many people think that it will damage your voice because of the way it sounds, but it actually does not harm you. 

By the way, if you ask me to throat sing in person, I will probably do it because it sounds cool. 

“Erhu.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhu#:~:text=The%20erhu%20(Chinese%3A%20%E4%BA%8C%E8%83%A1%3B,or%20a%20Chinese%20two%2Dstringed.

“Shamisen.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamisen#:~:text=The%20shamisen%20(%E4%B8%89%E5%91%B3%E7%B7%9A)%2C%20also,a%20plectrum%20called%20a%20bachi.

“Tuvan Throat Singing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvan_throat_singing.

Music and Family

I decided to ask my dad about his experiences with music because we often talk about musical topics and all the major differences between older music and modern music. We usually joke about our generations' music and artists. He always says that most artists today are not real musicians or don't really have talent like old artists and I think that a lot of the music from his generation is boring and monotonous. I wanted to dig deeper into what he actually thinks for this project and get a better understanding of why we have these different views.

I started off by asking him to "step into my office" (the kitchen table) and answer a few questions about music that I had. I then explained the project to him and then we started. 

It went like this: 137

Me: What or who was your favorite artist as a kid?

Dad: My parents didn't let us (him and his siblings) listen to really anything other than country, especially rock n roll, but I guess my favorite would be Ronnie Milsap.

Me: They really didn't let you listen to anything else?

Dad: Yep.

Me: That sounds like a living nightmare. Anyways, what kind of music did you dislike as a kid, and why was it country?

Dad: Country music, because that's all we listened to.

Me: I figured as much. So, that pretty much answers my next question; what kind of music did your parents listen to? And did you like it?

Dad: Only country and my stepdad like Elvis, but no, I did not like the country music. Elvis was the only "rock n roll" we could listen to, so I liked that.

Me: Okay, cool, let's move on. What kind of music did you listen to as a teenager?

Dad: What do you mean by teenager?

Me: Like, high school, maybe college.

Dad: Okay, I mostly listened to Rock n Roll and some Classical. 

Me: Weren't those considered polar opposites back then?

Dad: Maybe, but I had backgrounds and interests in both. 

Me: Word. Okay, next question: Did you go to any live concerts? Who for? What were they like?

Dad: I've been to a bunch; Ronnie Milsap, John Cougar Mellencamp, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and then later when I got into Contemporary Christian, I went to see DC talk and Steven Curtis Chapman. I liked the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, it was fun. Aerosmith was good, but I didn't really like their attitudes. Def Leppard was the loudest music I had ever heard. I was doing security at the DC Talk concert because they were at my college.

Me; Oh, that's pretty cool. Okay, what or who were your favorite artists from back then? 312

Dad: Just to name a few, I would say Chicago, Journey, Boston, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and a little Mariah Carey.

Me: Did your parents approve of the music you listened to?

Dad: At that point, I didn't care what they thought about it. 

Me: Nice. Okay, what did you use to listen to music?

Dad: I couldn't afford a Walkman, so I listened to music on a boombox, my clock radio, and later my car.

Me: They had clock radios?

Dad: Yeah, that's how we woke up back then, to music from the radio.

Me: Ah, I see. So, do you still listen to the same music now as back then?

Dad: I would say about half of what I listen to is older songs, but I also listen to Classical and Christian music.

Me: Okay, so what do you think of today's popular music?

Dad: There are some that are good and obviously have talent, but a lot have little or no talent. Billie Eilish is talented, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Maroon 5, all those guys have talent and are actual musicians. Also, all these smaller groups who play mostly live music all know how to play their instruments and know some things.

Me: I see. Next question: what do you think about musicals, then and now? What are your favorites?

Dad: They're great, I like old and new ones. The Greatest Showman, The Sound of Music, Grease, Hamilton, which exposed me to music that I normally wouldn't listen to.

Me: That's great, and I know how much you love La La Land (one of my favorites).

Dad: That one's actually pretty good too, except for the horrible ending. 

Me: Okay, next question: If you could have learned one instrument, what would it be and why?

Dad: It would probably be piano, because it helps you learn to read and is very applicable to many things.

Me: I agree. Okay, so what's your least favorite genre of music?

Dad: Probably death metal because that's not really music and 70s country music.

Me: That is a good answer. Okay, last question: Which movies have the best soundtracks?

Dad: Star Wars, Jurassic Park, basically anything by John Williams.

Me: That's fair. Well sir, thank you for your time, you'll be hearing from us soon, hopefully we'll have some good news for you. 

Doo-Wop

It would be easy enough for me to give you a simple definition of what Doo-Wop is, like this, and call it a day: 

“Doo Wop is an evolution of jazz and blues, known for its vocal group harmony. It’s characterized by simple syllables, beats, and lyrics. Doo Wop often features both a cappella vocal harmonies and full swing-like beats throughout a song. It is also iconic for using the off-beat to keep time”

While this is a good definition of what the genre is, it does not fully express the depth, historical significance, importance of Doo-Wop. 

Pretty much everybody has heard of Doo-Wop or has at least heard it before and may not have known what it is called. For example, most people have heard the song “Sh-boom”, whether it be the version sung by The Crew Cuts or The Chords. 

It is important to note that there are two versions of the same song that came out close together. This was a more common thing back during the times of segregation in the United States. White artists and bands would make covers of black artists’ songs and sell them to white audiences because black artists could not sell their records at many places. The Crew Cuts, a white Doo-Wop group, made several covers of black groups’ songs in an effort to get these songs to white audiences. Back then, when two versions of the same song were released, both versions were listed on the charts. Because of this, whenever covers of songs written by black artists got popular, the original versions received the recognition that they deserved. Therefore, The Crew Cuts did play an important role in helping black artists rise to popularity and fame at the time, while also helping to desegregate the nation. By getting white people in America to listen to the records produced by black artists, musicians were able weaken the prejudices held by many people at the time. 

I like to think of Doo-Wop as that grey area of music in between the era of genres like jazz, blues, gospel, etc. and genres that are still popular today like rock, soul, pop, and RnB. It combined many of the aspects of the former and helped inspire and shape the latter. It originated at a major turn in history, the mid 1940s. It gained popularity and really picked up in the 1950s and 1960s though. Many people could tell that it was the end of the modern era, and the world, especially the United States, was starting to push toward the post-modern era. While still reeling from the effects of World War II and having to deal with the Cold War and segregation; the American people needed an escape from everything. Doo-Wop was that escape. It is simplistic and pleasing to listen to, so it makes you forget about all your other worries and just relax. Themes of love and dreams were common for Doo-Wop, and this is part of the reason they were so popular. 

One of the best examples of black artists that found fame in Doo-Wop is Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. Because of their popularity in both black and white audiences, they were one of the first black groups to perform for a live television audience. Frankie was especially popular. He was the first, black teen idol in the United States’ history after the band released “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”. This was an amazing feat at the time because black artists had to work much harder than any white artists to make as big or far as them. But that did not stop Frankie and his band or many of the other Doo-Wop groups that were determined to get their music out there. You can even see in his performance of “Little Bitty Pretty One” on a Saturday night show that the all-white audience seems to be visibly bothered and almost even disgusted by his presence simply because of his skin color. 

Despite this horrible treatment, Frankie was still able to perform with a smile on his face and leave with dignity. It is because of efforts like this, that many prejudiced white people began to accept black people eventually. Art and literature are the two things that pushed the Civil Rights movement forward, and music is a combination of the two. Therefore, without black-influenced genres of music like Doo-Wop being brought to white audiences, the Civil Rights movement might not have gained the traction it needed to make real change in the United States and the world. 

Arguably one of the most influential Doo-Wop groups was The Drifters. This group formed and reformed several times with different members, but the most popular version is the group lead by Ben E. King. Since the different versions of The Drifters has ultimately ended up having a total of 60 musicians associated with the group, it was able to affect a lot. Many of the members that left went on to work with other artists and influenced music across America. My personal favorites of theirs are “Stand By Me” and their cover of “White Christmas” (which is the best version of the song by the way).

There’s no doubt that Doo-Wop went on to influence many other styles of music and even had its own revival a couple of times since the 1950s. There has always been this romanticization of the 1950s which caused people feel nostalgic about the decade and its culture. This is apparent in the recycling of chord progressions in other genres and songs that were influenced by Doo-Wop. Still, it did go on to help create different styles of music like soul, pop, rock, and surf music like The Beach Boys. It also inspired the “boy band” model or the all-male a Capella style of music. Some major examples would be the Jackson 5, the Bee Gees, and even later groups like NYSYC and the Backstreet Boys. That’s what so cool about syncretic music styles created in the United States; genres are constantly being created by the combination of other genres, while also creating something new entirely that isn’t completely derivative of something else. 

Works Cited

“All about Doo Wop.” American Music Theatre, 19 Mar. 2018, https://amtshows.com/all-about-doo-wop/#:~:text=Doo%20Wop%20is%20an%20evolution,off%2Dbeat%20to%20keep%20time.

“Doo-Wop.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Feb. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doo-wop#Doo-wop_influence_on_punk_and_proto-punk_rockers.

“The Drifters.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drifters.

“Music History of the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Feb. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States#Gospel_and_doo_wop.

Umphred, Neal. “Why Aren't the Crew-Cuts in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?” Medium, Tell It Like It Was, 30 May 2019, https://medium.com/tell-it-like-it-was/why-arent-the-crew-cuts-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-bd7cbc1b6434.

Beyond the Classroom

 When we were learning about Native Americans, one artist that interested me was Robert Mirabal. He was mentioned briefly in one of the videos we watched in class and I decided to google him. I thought that it was really cool how he could blend traditional Native American rituals and music with modern American pop and rock music. He does a really good job of mixing the two without favoring one over the other too much. This is a perfect example of syncretism and how many people who grow up surrounded by multiple cultures can claim and be proud of both cultures. One song he has that I really like is The Dance. In this song and video, he has a plethora of aspects taken from both cultures. A few examples from Native American culture are fancy dance, vocables, and skin drums. They also have guitars, a drum set, and he sings in English in a conjunct melody. Mirabal seems to be really proud of both cultures that he claims and manages to blend them together well. 

The next example, from South America, is something we did not talk at all about in class: Bossa Nova. I have always known a little bit about the genre of music, but I have never got around to looking more into its origins and learning what it truly is. A quick Google search will tell you that it is "mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovative syncopation of traditional samba". This does not really tell you what Bossa Nova is though. A simple explanation would be samba and jazz put together. It originated in Brazil in the late 1950s and has grown and influenced different music all over the world now. Just like how jazz music grew from classical in the United States, Bossa Nova grew from samba in Brazil. The cultures and Spain and Brazil cultivated this music into what it is today.

The last thing that I wanted to research is the Djembe. The djembe is a hand drum that originates from west Africa from blacksmiths known as Numu. The djembe was able to quickly spread around west Africa because the Numu moved around a lot. Something I found cool was the origin of the name. The phrase "Anke djé, anke bé" is translated to "everyone gather together in peace". They shortened this phrase by taking the "djé" and "bé" and putting them together to make "djembe". Therefore, the djembe is essentially an instrument made to bring people together. This intention is very much true to this day. Anytime I would sit down to play a djembe, people would gather around and have fun or dance or add to the beat. It truly is a wonderful instrument that brings people together through rhythm and music. 

All of my information came from Google and Wikipedia. 

Gender in Band

As a percussionist, I've personally seen the differences in genders and how they relate to music and choice in instrument. Back in the sixth grade, everybody that joined the band class had to try out for a couple instruments, and then the teacher would assign them to what instrument they could potentially do the best at. Even then, it was very rare to see any boys try out for flute or clarinet because they are small and delicate sounding, so they were thought to be girly. It was also rare to see any girls try out for percussion because they thought of drums as loud, masculine instruments. Because of this, almost all of the flutes and clarinets were girls, and almost all of the percussionists were boys. The thing is, no one really told us what instruments to try out for, we just went for whatever we thought was cool or interesting and it just happened. 

Even before I was in band, I still had music in my life. My sisters all took piano lessons when we were kids, and when my parents asked me if I wanted to join them, I told them I wanted to play drum set instead. When you look at stage bands, you mostly see only men playing drums, bass guitar, or electric guitar. When you look at keys, vocals, and acoustic guitar, you will see both men and women on these, but I always thought it was weird that there were not many women on the other instruments. Also, on the production and behind the scenes side of music, you never see women. I have only ever seen men do the sound wiring for stages, and I have only seen men operate the mixer in the back. I'm not really sure why, but no matter what area of music you look at, men tend lean towards the technical side of music, like drums and sound design, while women tend to lean towards the more artistic side of music, like singing. 

Another interesting difference in gender in music that I have noticed is the opposing strengths and weaknesses that men and women have in percussion. Since marching percussion usually takes a bit more physical strength and endurance, girls might have to try a bit harder to build up the physical strength that most boys have naturally. Therefore, marching percussion seems to come easier to most boys in high school and college. When it comes to the concert and soloist side of percussion, you often see girls doing a bit better than boys. Boys don't want to play with touch or pay attention to more delicate styles of playing, but instead want to compete to find out who can play the most notes the fastest. As you get older, the disparity evens out a bit. People mature, boys realize that you can play challenging music in concert settings, and girls grow enough to carry a drum comfortably and keep up with the pace of taller guys. This is not to say that girls can't march a drum, or that boys can't play concert music, they just might have to work a little bit harder to keep up with what comes naturally to others. 

For example: 

The best indoor percussion group in the world is about 70-80% male. The group is called Music City Mystique (btw I played there last year), and they had never had a woman on the drum line until last year. The physical expectations are extremely high, so it is often a little bit harder for women to keep up with the large step sizes of men, or the physicality of playing (marching percussion takes a lot of arm strength and men naturally have larger arms). I'm not saying that women can't play there, but in 2017, when they won world championships, there were only two women in the whole group.

Two examples of women in concert settings that I really like are Eriko Daimo playing the solo she arranged called "Kussi", and a percussion ensemble of the piece "Cold Light" with a women playing the solo marimba part. These are women that are just as good, if no better, than most men in their field. 

My Musical Culture

 Hey, my name is Sean Giovannetti and I am a Music Composition major. I just transferred here this semester and I was a Mechatronics Engineering major at Middle Tennessee State University. I am a percussionist that has been playing for almost 10 years now. I mostly play marimba because it is the instrument that I enjoy the most. I did marching band in high school and indoor drum line every year since 8th grade. I have lived in Boiling Springs, SC for most of my life and I lived in Murfreesboro, TN when I was going to MTSU. Outside of band and school, I spend most of my time at church or binge watching movies and tv shows. My future career goal is to compose scores for movies, tv shows, and video games. Also, I have long hair now, but I don't have any pictures with long hair. 

1. Something I like right now:

I have always liked Anderson .Paak and soon after he and Bruno Mars dropped Silk Sonic, I found out that the Free Nationals, Anderson .Paak's live band, had an album they had released on their own. The Free Nationals' NPR Tiny Desk Concert is one of my favorite tiny desk concerts, so I had to check out their album. All of the songs on the album are great, but one song stood out the most to me. The song Gidget featuring Anderson .Paak and T.Nava is my favorite song on the album and it stays on repeat. It masterfully combines organic and electronic instrumentation to create a groovy Neo-funk feel. Also, when they come in with the talk box (the electronic voice thing), you can just turn the volume up and vibe.

The next song on the same album is equally good and it is called RENE featuring Callum Conner.

2. Music that is deeply important to me:

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been watching lots and lots of movies and tv shows, but I still remember the first live action movie I ever watched. That movie was Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. I had always loved Tim Burton's movies even before I watched this and Danny Elfman's compositions for his movies were always great. The Main Titles song has a super spooky feel and would always get stuck in my head whenever I watched the movie. I once even played this song in indoor drum line as a warmup of sorts. It is super fun to play because it has a lot of fast runs and offbeat rhythms. The first tattoo I ever got was also a tattoo from this movie of Adam and Barbara, the two dead main characters. 

I also really enjoy the Beetlejuice Musical soundtrack and listen it every once in a while. The story is a little different than the movie and explores the more emotional side of the story. I really like the song Dead Mom sung by Sophia Anne Caruso. She has a good voice and the song has a completely different emotion than the rest, which are all spooky or comedic. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEct4Nod2iU

3. Music I don't really connect with:

I am pretty open to all types of music and genres and as long as the music is good, I can appreciate it or understand why people like it. There are only two types of music I actually dislike, and those are modern country music and The Beatles. I might get hate for disliking these two things, but I think modern country music is so lazy and The Beatles are super uninvolved and repetitive. Most of the country songs that I have heard from the last decade are always about trucks, booze, or some unnamed girl that sounds made up. Not to mention, most modern country songs have either the same or very similar chord progressions, so once you've heard one, you've heard all of them. The reason I don't like The Beatles is because they are hyped up for releasing a slightly different version of the same song many times. Their music is just way to slow and repetitive for me to ever consider listening to casually. 

Here is a video of a guy on YouTube mashing up several different country songs just to show how similar and repetitive they are. Unless you know the songs, you really can't tell the difference. 

This is one of The Beatles' most popular songs and I can't even force myself to listen to the entire video because the song is so formulaic and derivative of older music. 

Also, I want to say no offense to anyone who likes these two things; you can listen to or like whatever music you want, I won't think any less of you because of it. This is just an opinion of mine and I won't be listening to either of these anytime soon.