Peace out, girl scouts!

I would categorize myself as someone with a creative mind. I don't like being put behind barriers and having only one way of doing something. This blog allowed me to go beyond the typical school curriculum and present my views on subjects I enjoy (like music). I like thinking critically on things, like I did with the lyrics of songs. We all have messages to send out for people to hear, but we all do it differently. People like Jack Johnson and John Mayer say what they have to say through their music. It is a way for them to relieve themselves of the issues pressing down on them. My creative mind, though, isn't the same as someone else's; this is what makes the human person interesting. I can look at lyrics and make my own interpretation, while someone else can look at it in a completely different perspective.

Through my blog I was able to exhibit curiosity. I was curious as to what some of the songs I always listen to really say. Being able to sit down and listen to them and blog about what they said to me was an interesting and fun task for me. Also, I have been able to see other people's points of view. I didn't necessarily do that with my blog (since I wrote about a familiar subject), but I read through other people's blogs on subjects I don't necessarily enjoy. I read them with an open mind and learned a lot. An example would be those who wrote on country music. I despise it but I can see why others enjoy the music and messages the songs have now. The reason I put so many videos up on my wall was because I was challenging other people's beliefs and attempted to present them with new ideas. Many people don't know of 311, for example, so I put up videos to try and get people to watch them in hopes of liking the style of music they play. Not everyone will like it but it is there to challenge them to at least listen.

What I learned through developing my blog is something I had previously touched on in this post here. I realized that lyrics are meant to be interpreted, and are meant to have several interpretations. We use music to apply to issues in our life, and sometimes a song can mean one thing one day, and another the next. That's the beauty of music; it is ever-changing. There is no "one meaning" of music. It morphs to what we see it as. Along with realizing this, I would like to thank Matthew Neylon for a comment he left on mine. My first posts were incredibly long because I felt as if it would look good if I wrote a lot. Matthew commented that sometimes less words is more powerful. A message can be squeezed to fit into less words but still retain its meaning. This is why my later posts were much shorter. I kept my objective of explaining music but without being verbose.

Well, this is it for me.... for now. Keep your minds open to music, and keep on keepin' on. The café is closing soon, so get that espresso now before the doors close. Peace.

You and Your Heart

I came across Jack Johnson's music video for his new single, You and Your Heart. JJ's style has changed a bit. He still has his relaxing and catchy guitar riffs that is recognizable in many of his songs. This song kick-started the world tour for his new album, To the Sea. This song is about the seperation that can happen between ourselves and our heart. We have to be able to trust our heart and go with it.
Cause you and your heart
Shouldn't feel so far apart
You can choose what you take
Why you gotta break and make it feel so hard

Now, along with this, let's talk about this new world tour. JJ has a contest to make the official poster art for his tour. For all of you creative and artistic kids out there, you could win this contest and have your poster used for his tour! Two free tickets and cash isn't too bad either.

Snow (Hey Oh)

So I am sitting here with my music on shuffle and this song comes on. I don't know why but every time I hear this song, I have the urge to listen to it again. There's more to this song than how drugs controlled Anthony Kiedis' life for many years. The lyrics speak of how drugs were a constant habit and would always draw him back to them:

The more I see, the less I know, the more I'd like to let it go

If you look closer at the song, the meaning of this song is about how we have to start anew sometimes in our life. This is troubling because it is difficult for us to let go of our old ways of thinking. It is a fight to become a better person and let go of the things that impacted our lives negatively. We have to find somewhere where those tracks of an old past can be concealed so we can start fresh:

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it's so white as snow
Running to the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go


It's a shame John Frusciante left RHCP....

Feeling Good

Hey, what's up? I'd like to look at someone who is becoming incredibly popular among many age groups. His last album definitely made him known to a lot of people. He has a tour coming up soon that begins in Europe. It sold out in 52 minutes. Yes you did that correct. He sold a whole tour of Europe out in 52 minutes. The song most people know him for is I Haven't Met You Yet. Yeah, I'm talking about Michael Bublé.

He seems to have mixed emotions on a lot of people though. You either love him or you hate him. People I know seem to be split between these two realms. I haven't really heard someone say "oh, he isn't too bad!" I can say that I thoroughly enjoy his music. I listen to many types and genres and sometimes some soothing Bublé is what is needed. Other times I need something a little more faster paced or louder. This doesn't take away from Michael's incredible talent. His singing ability is phenomenal. Some people think he isn't very talented because he does a lot of covers. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that his ability to singing isn't fantastic. Granted, he does do a lot of covers, but he writes his own music as well. For example, let us look at the song most people know him for, I Haven't Met You Yet. This is no cover and a song he wrote himself. Look at how many people enjoy it. To go off what one of my friends at Marian said, "he makes grocery shopping sexy."

I came across him only last year but since then I have procured all of his albums and have listened to them all. He definitely deserves the popularity he is receiving with talent like what he has. I mean he was even in the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics! He was able to show his heritage as a Canadian, as well as show the world how talented he is. I urge you to listen to him if you haven't. If you don't think it is your type of music, you may be mistaken. I know I fit that category. I have a new-found respect for him. He's taken the genre of jazz and contemporary music and has brought life back to it and made it popular among the hoi polloi once again. Enjoy his wondrous voice, people. Peace.

Omaha Stylee

When you think of bands, where do you typically think they are from? Answers usually vary from the West coast, East coast, the South, or Europe. These seem to be breeding grounds for bands and talent. Just think of where certain genres were born. Grunge has its roots in Seattle, punk appeared in California, and country began in the South. I'd like to talk about a band that isn't from these areas. Let's move to the Midwest, in the grip of cornfields as far as the eye can see.

Nick Hexum was born on April 2, 1970 in Madison, Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter, his family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where he attended high school. While in high school, he discovered a passion for music. He tried moving out West to find a band, but went back to Omaha. Two of his high school buddies, Chad Sexton and Aaron Willis, joined him to create one of my favorite bands. This band is 311. 311 grew into a very popular band and has been kickin' since 1988, releasing tunes varying from rock, punk, reggae, ska, and jazz fusion.

My father originally got me to be a fan. I used to hear them on the radio as I went to grade school. He had a few songs that he had on his computer that he would play at home. I kept on listening to them and eventually procured all their albums. The diversity of their music is what I like about them the most. Rather than moving from genre to genre, they tend to fuse several together to give them a unique sound. Their talent is impeccable. Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez are great lyricists and vocalists. Their differing tones and back-and-forth singing style also add to their uniqueness. Tim Mahoney is one of my favorite drummers, one of the reasons being that his drumset is tweaked to have a very different sound then most. It's very percussion-orientated, with loud, blasting snare hits, but a powerful bass drum. The musicality all five of the members possess has allowed them to cruise to popularity. An example of how popular they are is on 3/11 of every year. Rightly so, they have named it 311 Day. Every year, the band plays at a large venue, from places in New Orleans to Las Vegas, and plays a day-long concert averaging about 60 songs.

Their popularity seems to vary, though. I would rate them as something mainstream, but many people haven't heard of them. The thing is, most people have heard their songs; they just don't know it was 311. The fan base seems to lie more in the college students range. Ever since their arrival in the world of music, they have grown stronger and have gained an even greater fan base. Have a listen and see if you like their music! Peace.

Traffic in the Sky Part II: Belief

The next two albums are where the two artists hit it big. Almost every single song on In Between Dreams (Johnson) and Continuum (Mayer) is popular and gets radio play. This acclaim is what these two albums hold in common. The first time I heard Continuum, I was blown away. I could not believe someone could ever come out with an album as brilliant, in all aspects, as Continuum was. Waiting on the World to Change, Vultures, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Gravity, and so many more. It marked a definitive transition into a different style of music for Mayer. He moved from a rock style to more blues and rock orientated style. Mayer remarked that it contains his most important song to date; Gravity. In concert in 2005, Mayer said:

"This is the most important song I’ve ever written, it's a time capsule song. I will listen to it every day of my life if I need to. It's honest to God the most important song I’ve ever written in my life, and it has the fewest words. . . Umm, this is a song about... making sure you still love yourself... making sure you still have your head on, making sure you still say no the way your mom would say no. And I will need it every day of my life because it's easier to mess up than it is to stay here."

I had not listened to Jack Johnson until a few months ago, but I had been an avid fan of John Mayer. I received some Jack Johnson tunes and became a fan ever since. In Between Dreams, while not my favorite album of his, holds the same aspect as Continuum, in that it has a ridiculous amount of hits; Never Know, Banana Pancakes, Good People, and Staple It Together to name a few. The title can be seen as eluding to his direction behind the album. Johnson wanted to give people his thoughts and dreams, which he gave through his songs. The album reflects his chill attitude, especially with a mango tree on the cover. Listening to this album makes me feel like I am under a mango tree relaxing to his music.

Finally, we are on to the last studio albums both artists have come out with. The albums are Sleep Through the Static (Johnson) and Battle Studies (Mayer). The two albums deal with much more deeper topics, and are at times even sad. The self titled song, Sleep Through the Static, is protest song on the Iraq War.

Who needs sleep when we’ve got love?
Who needs keys when we’ve got clubs?
Who needs please when we’ve got guns?
Who needs peace when we’ve gone above
But beyond where we should have gone?
We went beyond where we should have gone
---------
Shock and awful thing to make somebody think
That they have to choose pushing for peace supporting the troops
And either you’re weak or you’ll use brut force-feed the truth
The truth is we say not as we do

This song specifically says how we went way above what we had to do. Now people just sit back and watch it from their televisions and "sleep through the static." The truth comes from what we say, not what we have to do; in this essence, fighting will not bring peace.

Battle Studies is probably the saddest album I have ever listened to. He responded to interviews saying it wasn't even his best album. However, it still gets his point across. Mayer said that, "The album is called Battle Studies and that's because it incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations, and a little bit of advice. Like a handbook, like a heartbreak handbook." You only have to go so far as listen to the first song, Heartbreak Warfare, to understand the direction of this album:

Clouds of sulfur in the air
Bombs are falling everywhere
It's heartbreak warfare

Once you want it to begin
No one really ever wins
In heartbreak warfare

If you want more love
Why don't you say so
If you want more love
Why don't you say so

This album delves deep into Mayer's true emotions and reflects the darkness he has in his life right now. This song portrays the battlefield that is his emotional life. Heartbreak is something no one can win and does nothing but damage us.

Hopefully you have enjoyed relaxing in the café this evening with your drink with smooth melodies and jazz playing. Come back soon for some new chill readings. Peace.

The Traffic in the Sky Part I: Clarity

What's up!? Typically, late at night, I sit and think about things, usually music. Late Saturday night, I sat and did this with Tony Traina and Matthew Neylon. Tony mentioned a strange commonality between John Mayer and Jack Johnson. We got into a discussion on how Mayer's and Johnson's albums seem to have similar characteristics. We related it to how their first albums relate, seconds albums relate, and so on. This late night conversation led me to research this thought we had and elaborate.

In 2001, Jack Johnson and John Mayer both had their debut albums. They are Brushfire Fairytales and Room for Squares, respectively. The style of music in both is very similar. They both included playful lyrics, portrayed through a medium-paced style of rock. Bubble Toes (from Brushfire Fairytales) is an example of these playful lyrics:

Well, I was eating lunch at the D.L.G
When this little girl came and she sat next to me
I never seen nobody move the way she did
Well she did, and she does and she'll do it again

When you move like a jelly fish
Rhythm don't mean nothing
You go with the flow
You don't stop

The song is about his wife, whom he met at the DLG, a dining area on campus at UCSB (University of California, Santa Barbara). The title is a playful nickname he gave her.

To go along with this, No Such Thing (from Room for Squares) is a perfect example of Mayer's playful lyrics:

I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the
Top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you got to rise above

I am invincible
I am invincible
I am invincible
As long as I'm alive

This song is about how we are alive, we should do what we want. We should have fun and not care. He was young at the time and related closely to his high school fans when he wrote this. Their next albums would take a new direction in their style, and make them become even more famous.

The next album Johnson released was On and On, and Mayer's was Heavier Things. Mayer's album title is a subtle hint to the direction of these two albums. Both of them moved in a direction towards more serious topics, and, as the title says, heavier things. Personally, On and On is my favorite Jack Johnson album. His style is so chill, yet emotional. The song that best describes the heavy things Johnson is speaking about is Taylor:

Such a tough enchilada, filled up with nada,
givin what you gotta give to get a dollar bill.
Used to be a limber chick n' times have been a tickin,
now she's finger lickin to the man,
With the money in his pocket, flying in his rocket,
only stopping by on his way to a better world.

If Taylor finds a better world, then Taylor's gonna run away.

This song is about a girl named Taylor, who is searching for herself and desires to find a place where she will have no sadness. Many people can relate to this. People are always affected by stress in their lives, and wish to find a place to go to. We just have to know everything is going to be alright.

On to Heavier Things. Mayer's second track of the album is Bigger Than My Body. The lyrics of this song are pretty much a definition of who John Mayer really is:

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be something much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for

Why is it not the time?
What is there more to learn?
I've shed this skin that I've been chipping at
And I've never quite returned

Mayer has been looking for that something to make him big. He speaks through his music and he tries very hard to be the best he can. Why can he not get what he deserves? He knows he deserves the acclaim he should get. He has put in very much effort and he knows in the future he will soar to the success he has worked so far for. What he probably didn't realize was that his next album would be that time to soar he was looking for.