In 2005, I discovered a band called Lucero. They were featured on a compilation album I purchased on a whim and have loved ever since (Atticus: Dragging the Lake, Vol. 3). This album introduced me to a few new bands, and some new songs by bands I already loved, track six was one that stayed with me. The song was "Bikeriders" by Lucero. The raspy voice, the mixture of genres choosing none in particular, the words...this song was one I wished I had already known, but also wished I could hear it for a first time again.
I looked more into this band and could not find (and still have not found) a song of theirs that I didn't like. The more and more I heard from them, the more and more I liked them. Looking back I can tell that they fuse more of my life than I'd like to acknowledge. In my teen years I denied the country music I was exposed to as a child through my parents preferred radio stations. I see now that there are parts of this music that have stuck with me, the parts that Lucero and artists like Ryan Adams and Ben Kweller take from it, and add to rock, punk and whatever else influences them at the time of writing.
I choose not to have a favorite band or artist. I am open to any kind of music, but do have strong opinions sometimes. I'm not very fond of country music, although some of it I can stand, but prefer to avoid. I think the reason is that it lacks the dirt, grit, honesty and pain that it has held in past generations. Now it seems that country songs are written with things you expect to hear, then have a sheen applied to them. It's strange to think now that country music used to be for the rebellious kids.
I am drawn to musical artists who don't reside in genres. They bend and break them and make something more original. They keep the heart, honesty and emotions in them. I enjoy hearing the crack in a voice ridden with pain. Music brings about a wide array of emotion in us, whether it puts us in someone else's shoes, or shows us someone else has been in ours. Sometimes it cheers us up and gives us energy, sometimes it comforts us.
If I were to list my favorite artists right now, they would be all over the place because of my eclectic tastes. The thing that would be constant in most of them are the pain and honesty, whether sad or happy. The painful experiences we have make us stronger and build character; sometimes they make us better though they don't seem like it at the time.
We've all felt some pain in life, and sometimes it leads to great things like music, literature and art. A lot of artists seem to lose their edge when they get out of their funk; Ben Nichols seemed to keep his somehow with the latest Lucero album (it's been out since 2009).
I am in one of the positive points in my life right now, and I don't plan on it ending.
Strive for better. Enjoy the journey.
"He not busy living is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
As I've told you before, I totally agree with you. I've never understood how a music artist is supposed to express different emotions and moods while remaining within a "genre". That's one specific sound. Music tends to express one end of the emotional spectrum or the other (love or hate). So lyrics are often tied to expressing a story that conveys one of these feelings.
ReplyDeleteBut with the actual music you can do so much more, and I don't understand why more artists don't experiment with more instruments and sounds for each individual track on an album. Most artists, in my opinion, do this... With one song they paint the Mona Lisa. With the next song they paint the Mona Lisa again, but this time they add a tiny mustache to her. And that's supposed to be a different song. I don't think you're an "artist" if you keep using the same brushes and same canvas every time.
Unfortunately what frequently happens is when a band or musician decides they want to go in a different direction they do it all at once and a whole album sounds different from their previous work. They get labeled as "sell outs" or "traitors to their fans". If it's known up front that you're a band willing to experiment with all kinds of sounds then you will never be seen as turning your back on your fans. They may not like what you've recently created, but they'll be willing to stick around to see what comes next.