n5MD Streaming

Recently found this on one of my favorite but long lost music sites, n5MD.com, which offers a great streaming music track you can put in iTunes. Check out the blog, their music, follow them on Twitter, see if there are any events near you. Enjoy.

Art? Art! Art.

Image from KennethMoyle

I grew up listening to and playing classical music–mostly cello. I considered this music to be art. There was craftsmanship and tradition in making the instruments, there was precision required for the music. Subtle things could change how a piece was played and if it was successful.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I consider most types of music and instrument playing to take skill and talent. But what has happened to the appreciation for a sort of pure, mathematical, precisely preformed music  produced my men of extraordinary intellect that has been refined to the point where it will remain for centuries? It seems pop culture and consumerism have killed this to an extent. Sure, talk to a Metallica, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, or even a Nickelback fan and they will probably give you a detailed description of why the music works for them and why they don’t like certain other bands. Music has an aesthetic that way. But classical, orchestral, “high” music seems to be suffering for the fact that it can’t entertain the way these performative bands can. I think this is absurd. Why? Movies.

Next time you go to, rent, buy, or watch a movie listen to what’s going on in the background. There’s more often than not going to be some sort of orchestral score going on during scenes that are meant to convey a strong sense of urgency or emotion. This kind of movie prompts responses from the audience even though they aren’t there for the music. For me, this just proves that music has to have some sort of performance attached to it to get an audience to notice. The passion for the music itself without a direct viewer/consumer interaction is almost gone. This is sad and I think it needs to be brought to the public’s attention more often. Now, I don’t expect a whole lot to change, really. But next time you dial past NPR or hear of a orchestral concert, don’t be so eager to pass it up or fall asleep. Listen, watch, see what passions and emotions come up. You may be surprised.

Here’s musician and speaker Benjamin Zander talking about this exact thing during a TED talk; finding a passion for music again.

World Concerts

Recently I’ve come across a few sites like Tracks on a Map that allow users to listen to streaming music by location [city] of production and genre or interest. The music content itself seems to be uploaded quite frequently by the artists themselves. Right now I’m listening to a track by Cassette Kids (originally from Australia) uploaded one hour ago from Nova Scotia . I didn’t know music was produced in Nova Scotia.

Picture by: whothehell.net

For someone stuck in the depths of a Midwestern February these finds are interesting. But outside of a specific time and location, they allow publics to converge and begin a conversation over that experience. For instance, I may now look up some more Cassette Kids and related music using Pandora.com or viewing related purchases on iTunes. I may suggest the discoveries to friends. Once again the internet has enabled a sharing community [that is legal] and allows for the spread of artistic knowledge and discourse.

It’s interesting to think that two decades ago local music was only circulated on mix tapes and experienced in bars and such. Now with an ever expanding media culture it’s possible to become a part of a specific music scene without physically being present. This is certainly at the artists’ advantage.

Posted via web from repurposed