Students also have to take at least one semester of music class… which went over like a pregnant pole vaulter at our house. Leah had never had a single music lesson in her life prior to choosing her musical weapon of trumpet. Practice isn’t always pretty… in fact sometimes it sounds like an elephant is being tortured:
But it’s a prime example of “practice makes perfect.” They may not put in the 10,000 hours required to reach Malcolm Gladwell’s “mastery” but they certainly become quite proficient by the end-of-semester concert. And the kicker is they wind up liking it. After completing his mandatory class, Peter wound up signing up for another semester of music of his own volition. So no matter how practice sounds to other folks, it’s music to my ears.
It’s like ol’ Bill Shakespeare said “If music be the food of love, play on”
This weekend I went to see the same band two nights in a row. I’d never done that before, but for this particular band the concerts were a decade in the making… and well worth the wait.
I went to the Woodward Theater to see the Ass Ponys, a Cincinnati band that formed in the late 80s and had a brief brush with national fame in the post-Nirvana wave when major labels started paying much more attention to indie rock artists. They went on hiatus in 2005 and this past weekend marked their first full-length shows since then.
Probably the most apt adjective that can be used to describe the Ass Ponys is “eccentric.” They were a classic Donnie & Marie band: a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll. Their lead singer, Chuck Cleaver (yes, his real name), looks like a refugee from a biker bar in the bad part of town, but often sings in a sweet falsetto. And their songs were unique, to say the least. They exposed and even celebrated the weirdos, the freaks, the outcasts, the underbelly of society. In other words, my kind of people. What other band can boast of songs about bed wetters, the morbidly obese, craft-crazy grandmas, wall-eyed girls, $25 death cars, people with polythelia and parrot-hating, pickled-egg eaters who die of indigestion?
And the songs weren’t novelty songs, they were damn good. 10 years later, they still sounded damn good.
In a better world, Ass Ponys would never have broken up. But when your band name is Ass Ponys and the first single off your major label debut is “Little Bastard” you’ve really limited your chances for broad appeal. Chuck Cleaver is now in the band Wussy, so obviously he doesn’t put his band names through focus groups. But the bottom line is both Ass Ponys and Wussy are brilliant.
Here’s a sampling of their catalog, in chronological order. Their entire recorded output is well worth repeated listens.
I really like Michael Franti and Spearhead. They’ve gotten a decent amount of airplay and notoriety over the past few years with songs that radiate a positive message. Songs about hugging people…
and sunshine…
But I remember Michael Franti from back in the early 90’s, when he was part of a group called The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprosy. Back then, I still liked his music, but the message was a bit more strident. The song “Television, The Drug of the Nation” still rings true to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xu45pTNUec
They even reworked the Dead Kennedys song “California Über Alles” with some caustic lyrics for then-California governor Pete Wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwYJJ-KKcmY
There’s part of me that still loves the anger and aggression of those songs. But I do like the fact that Michael Franti has evolved, and his positive message is more likely to win fans. It’s like the old saying “you catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.”
A week and a half ago, my wife and I went to see Brandi Carlile at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati, along with two of my co-workers who are in a local band togther and their respective spouses.
I’ve blogged about Brandi before – I think she’s a fantastic singer and songwriter. So I went into the show expecting great things. She far exceeded those expectations. The concert was off-the-charts great. Brandi and her band—especially twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth—are simply amazing. And you probably won’t see too many artists go from piano ballads to raging rockers, and cover artists like The Avett Brothers, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin.
If you get a chance to see Brandi on tour, by all means, don’t walk, run. If not, this will give you a feel for what she can do in concert.
Dave A. went to Berklee College of Music in Boston because he was a stellar musician. For the past 15 years, he’s played guitar for the band Reckless Kelly, who put on a fantastic show in Newport, Kentucky on Friday night.
It was the worst of times:
Dave K. went to Berklee College of Music in Boston because he was a stellar musician. Over the past 5 years, he’s had two battles with Lymphoma.
Dave A. and Dave K. are friends from their days at Berklee… they were also buddies with another guy named Dave, but that’s another story. Dave Abeyta from Reckless Kelly stopped by Dave K’s house on Friday before the show. Dave K. recently got out of the hospital after chemo and stem cell transplant procedures, so he couldn’t make the Reckless Kelly show due to fatigue and a weakened immune system. Hell, he can’t even eat fresh veggies because they might carry some nasty microbes that could cause a setback.
Friday night, Dave A. played on a stage to hundreds of adoring fans who were cheering him on. And he deserves the applause. But so does Dave K., who has faced cancer head-on twice with courage, determination, faith and dignity. Two rock stars, playing different stages.
Is there a moral to this tale? I don’t know. I do know that the line between happiness and heartache is razor-thin, and we never know from day to day which side of the ledger we’ll wind up on. All we can do is give it our best shot and keep on rockin’.
Kevin Sullivan on Life advice from a man who lived it: “A good one Damian. Bring our lens into focus after the long weekend or our long life journey.” Jul 7, 09:38
Thomas Kuhl on We’re alive, because nothing happened.: “That is why we should celebrate every day when our feet hit the floor. Another to enjoy and share with…” Jun 25, 04:33
Thomas Kuhl on We’re alive, because nothing happened.: “This simply explains why we should celebrate every day our feet hit the floor. Another day to enjoy and share…” Jun 25, 04:31
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