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.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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.
"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.
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.
Waiting on the World to Change
Welcome back. Today I would like to talk about who my favorite artist is. He goes by the name John Clayton Mayer. John Mayer, in my opinion, is one of the best lyricists, guitarists, and all-around musicians in the world of music today. He has become incredibly popular among all ages, and has done so in a short amount of years. He is only 32 and has reached multi-platinum status and won several Grammys. He has also had a taste of several different genres, starting with rock and incorporating blues and soul into his music as well.
Let's start with a little history to start out. John was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He never really had a passion for guitar or music until he saw Marty McFly play the guitar in the movie Back to the Future. What an ironic way to become passionate about music, huh? From there on out, he was consumed by his guitar. His parents even wanted him to see a psychiatrist because of his obsession. He began to write lyrics when he was in the hospital for cardiac arrhythmia, a condition where the heart beats uncontrollably. After high school, he went to the Berklee College of Music. He left after two semesters to form a band in Georgia with a friend of his. This is where it all took off at.
One of the most amazing things about John Mayer, in my opinion, is how great he has become without ever taking vocal lessons. Look at all the other world-renowned artists from any genre. The fact John Mayer is up there with them is incredible. His music, personality, and humor make him an all-around great guy. His music just speaks to me, though. All of his albums are fantastic. Personally my favorite in Continuum. I have never seen an album with as many hits as Continuum. Waiting on the World to Change, Belief, Gravity, Vultures, Stop This Train, all of them. They are all incredible. You can feel the emotion he is giving out through his lyrics, as well as his guitar. His intricate and also simple notes also make you hear the emotion he feels. This is why I like him so much. His passion comes not from only his music, but through his playing as well. I was fortunate enough to see him in concert in March and it was phenominal. He played several intros and solo pieces and it made his show flow. You could feel his emotion in his songs more so than how you hear it on an album. There is something about being at a concert that makes the feelings more real.
Tell me, what's your favorite John Mayer song or album? Sit back, relax, and enjoy to Waiting on the World to Change, live in LA.
Let's start with a little history to start out. John was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He never really had a passion for guitar or music until he saw Marty McFly play the guitar in the movie Back to the Future. What an ironic way to become passionate about music, huh? From there on out, he was consumed by his guitar. His parents even wanted him to see a psychiatrist because of his obsession. He began to write lyrics when he was in the hospital for cardiac arrhythmia, a condition where the heart beats uncontrollably. After high school, he went to the Berklee College of Music. He left after two semesters to form a band in Georgia with a friend of his. This is where it all took off at.
One of the most amazing things about John Mayer, in my opinion, is how great he has become without ever taking vocal lessons. Look at all the other world-renowned artists from any genre. The fact John Mayer is up there with them is incredible. His music, personality, and humor make him an all-around great guy. His music just speaks to me, though. All of his albums are fantastic. Personally my favorite in Continuum. I have never seen an album with as many hits as Continuum. Waiting on the World to Change, Belief, Gravity, Vultures, Stop This Train, all of them. They are all incredible. You can feel the emotion he is giving out through his lyrics, as well as his guitar. His intricate and also simple notes also make you hear the emotion he feels. This is why I like him so much. His passion comes not from only his music, but through his playing as well. I was fortunate enough to see him in concert in March and it was phenominal. He played several intros and solo pieces and it made his show flow. You could feel his emotion in his songs more so than how you hear it on an album. There is something about being at a concert that makes the feelings more real.
Tell me, what's your favorite John Mayer song or album? Sit back, relax, and enjoy to Waiting on the World to Change, live in LA.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Welcome, come on in!
Welcome to the J. Skibs Café. My café is an aesthetically pleasing and soothing environment to relax, enjoy good music, and have a nice cup of coffee. The J. Skibs Café is a place for you to sit back and read what I have to say on contemporary music of today. I am excited you have come to join me on a fantastic voyage into the world of music. Peace.
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