achalsey

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Member Since:November 5, 2007
Last Login:About 3 hours ago
Location:San Francisco, CA
Birthday:February 18
Music means to me:an arguement waiting to happen
Other Distractions:alcohol

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achalsey's Journal

Festivaaaaaaalll!
Fri 4/11/2008 11:28PM
    What makes a festival a festival.  I used to think it was about the music, but bonarroo fucked that up a few years ago.  I've been to All Good the past three years and I didn't realize how much better  music was live.  People think thats its all about the festival but they get too into it that they dont' realize that listening to music might have more importance than just getting fucked up.  I've seen it in my girlfriend and her best friend.  Is music about dancing these days or is about the band.  For me it is much more about the band.  We've got P funk playing in the background and it is the shit but I cna't hear enough  of it, sorry...
Narrowminded
Thu 4/3/2008 9:17PM
    I tend to get into arguments about music.  Generally it happens more often when I've imbided some sort of substance, it tends to make me less tolerant of what I don't believe in.  I believe that I have a very open mind to music.  My biggest problem with music, and therefore my friends, is there is a lot of shit out there.  I love real music.  What is the difference between Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block and the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Panic or any other band playing real music.  There could be many technical differences; one playes instruments the other doesn't, one writes their own music...but what is the fundemental difference.  Brittany Spears has probably sold more CDs, but the Dead or Panic has much more of a live following.  That might have something to do with the innate difference between the two kinds of music.  But what does that have to do with anything.  There are plenty of amazing musicians that don't get the recognition they deserve.  The most prominent Jazz and Blues musicians are some of the best you'll ever hear, but most of them you've never heard of.  Granted, Jazz and Blues are not popular types of music these days, but what does that have to do with anything.  Isn't it about the music, or is it about what is popular?  God, I feel like a fucking sex and the city writer except based in a muddy field and talking about goofy kids and weird bands.  Has the music industry gotten as bad any other public industry gotten?  Can kids not find out about underground music anymore?  And no, "jambands" that are considered "underground" do not count.  Unless you see an amazing band with 30 other people around it does not count as underground music.  One of the biggest problems, I believe, which is not so much of a problem, is that we are having a resurgence of what the late 60s and very early 70s should have been.  We are getting a great amount of the good music that emerged in the late 60s, which began in the late 80s and, with the emergence of Phish, Panic, Gov't Mule and other musicians, brought back the idea that music should be the most important part of playing music.  This got a little fucked up towards the last 6 or 7 years of the Phish dynasty, thanks fans for that, but even so has continued.  It is interesting to watch the transformation from a point of view that missed the reformation of great jamband music and changed into the era of livetronica.  I believe we are in a very transitional period between different types of music.  I've seen by far the worst show I've ever been to (and not that its very substantial but I've been to atleast 50 different shows) in Fort Collins, CO at a Lotus show.  Conversely though, I just saw Jeff Austin and friends and it was one of the best shows I've ever been to.  All I can say is that we are in a precarious time.  It seems like history is repeating itself in the new type, granted a little more live and possibly more exploritory, but still a type of 80s techno.  Lotus, Particle, Sound Tribe, PGroove and lots of others have been playing the electronica kind of sound with the help of computers and synthesizers.  This is where I don't have any argument anymore.  I'm getting tired of writing.  I hate repetitive lines of music, trancy type of sound, I don't know how else to describe it but my goddamned roommates put on Lotus all the fucking time and it makes me phyically feel uncomfortable inside.  It is so bad that it phyically makes me feel bad.  I don't know why, this is where I just get pissed and why I wrote this, I was trying to calm down when we were beginning to talk about this.  Anyway, nobody is going to read this, but it was a little theriputical (?) thanks jambase, you're the shit.  Fuck Jamtronica.  Sorry, had to ge tthe last word in.

P.S.
I missed the serious E decade when many of my friends older brothers and sisters took a lot of it when it came around more or less for the first time, and I've done my fair share of most substances but, until looking at it recently, I've never found anything that will actually make a band or sound better.  The Music sounds the best without any type of substance, if you need it, you are not really into the music.
Bonnaroo
Wed 2/6/2008 12:58PM
I have to say I've been a hater of Bonnaroo since day two.  I tried to go two years in a row, 03 and 04, I think, and both times, for one reason or another had to sell my tickets.  I love music more than anything but one of my biggest pet peevs is people.  Granted I'm a little bit of a music snob, personally I think I'm fairly eclectic but many others would disagree with that.  I hate any type of hip-hop, jamtronica, and country.  Oh, pop and mellow singer/songwriters who somehow found their way into the good music scene, ie. Jack Johnson.  But besides that, I love blues, especially love bluegrass, southern rock, classic rock, funk, jazz and the somewhat hated term "jam" bands.  But back to my original point, I don't think I could stand Bonnaroo.  There are a lot like me starting to hate because of Metallica and goddamn Kayne but to be honest the most of the rest of the line is steller.  Therefore the biggest problem would be the kids.  I hate seeing people there, saying they're there for the music and generally enjoying the music but one of the main drawing points for them going is the party.  I've been to All Good three years running and had a blast.  It was low key, relaxed and had some great music.  I can't believe that with that many people at Bonnaroo everyone can honestly say they are there for the music.  Anyone who says they go so see everyone is lying to themselves.  I'm not denying that these people enjoy the music, but they're there to dance and party with the music in the background, they're not there solely for the music and thats the only thing someone going to see LIVE MUSIC should be looking for.  Shows like !!!, what the hell is that, and even My Morning Jacket, how have they gotten so big in this scene.  They're pop music, my 12 year old sister listens the them.  But that being said, there are some amazing shows to be seen, even though I'd be willing to bet they'd be a whole lot better playing somewhere else.  I've gotten off a little bit of a rant here so let's move on.  Bottom line here is that Bonnaroo is a very commercial (which is deadly in this type of scene), and therefore very popular.  This is a double edged sword for many bands as well as fans.  I hate to use the term "jam" band scene, but for lack of a better word we'll throw it out there.  This jam scene is, to me atleast, a very special place.  It is all about the music.  This is, now-a-days atleast, the major venue for some of the greatest artists of our time.  They are able to thrive in this setting, playing how they want and when they want.  To them it is about the music and thats what it should be about for the fans too.  There in lies the problem with getting too popular.  The fact that they are good is almost their downfall as far as the "scene" is concerned.  More and more people start to show up, many of whom enjoy the music, like dancing to it, but aren't really listening.  Case in point, I was at Ski Jam a few weeks ago, in Steamboat Springs, CO and we were running late but all my girlfriend and everyone else wanted to do was drink.  They couldn't go unless they were drunk enough.  Saying the entire time, "I can't wait to DANCE!"  This made me think, and made me a little angry.  You don't go to a show to get or be fucked up, and you don't go to dance.  You go to a show for the music, and if that music makes you want to dance and you feel the need deep in your soul then all the more to you, but going especially to dance or drink or take drugs is not what going to see live music is about.  Which brings me back to my original point; Bonnaroo is more than likely to have a large percentage of these kinds of people.  The Bonnaroo "scene", among other things of course, is one of the reasons Phish broke up.  There weren't enough people going for the music.  Sure they enjoyed the music, but for a lot of people it was also about the pre-gaming, and tailgating and chilling in the lot getting crazy.  This is a large part of the fan base who go Bonnaroo and its sort of sad, but inevitable I guess.  Anything this good will eventually get out and slowly be diluted from its pure form.  Oh well, there's still All Good
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