Music Written for Others

My friend Heather recently posed this question to me: Can music written for an artist by someone else be performed as passionately as it could be if they had composed the piece themselves? I think there are several determining factors when you pose a question like this. What is the relationship between composer and performer? Producer Linda Perry has written several songs for Pink, but they have developed a close relationship over the years that stemmed from Pink's devotion to Perry's music as a young woman. Pink felt an emotional connection to Perry's music and lyrics long before they ever collaborated together. Our emotions and experiences shape who we are, and that often translates with music, as well.

Perhaps, as a performer, you're given a piece of music that was not written by you. By putting your own heart and soul into singing and playing the piece, it in turn becomes a part of you.

On the other hand, when you see a teenager perform a love song that was clearly written by an adult, it can often be hard to swallow. The tween Disney group has yet to experience anything resembling love. There is nothing wrong with that, but they also don't have the experiences to draw upon, thereby making the performance difficult to believe.

What do you think?

The Superawesome Blog Riffing Challenge

So, chatting with a friend tonight, I lamented that I'd missed several days of music blogging due to horrific illness. I wasn't feeling particularly creative, and I asked him to give me a topic. The only requisite is that it be music-related, as this is a music blog.

His topic? Lisa Loeb.

So, when "Stay" came out, it was 1994 and I didn't have the slightest clue as to what it felt like to be in love, or date a guy, or even what it was like to kiss a guy. (That'd be 1995, in the interest of full disclosure)

At the time, my tastes were all over the map, musically. I was just starting to discover music that wasn't what my parents listened to. I didn't really like female singers much, but this chick had a neat voice, and the story behind her song was ok. Further more, I wanted a few girl songs I could sing along to. That summer, I made a mixtape (Yep, remember those?) that included Warren G and Nate Dogg "Regulate", Madonna "Take a Bow", and Soundgarden "Burden in My Hand".

How's that for an interesting, if random, mix?

"Stay" was also on said mixtape, and to this day I sing it sometimes when I do karaoke. It's not usually my first choice, but every once in awhile, there's good ol' reliable Lisa Loeb.

So there's my story, and here is my call to you: I'm opening up my blog this week to topic suggestions. You can give me just a name, a genre, a song, a concept...anything music related. I have to riff on it, whether I like it or not.

Ready? Go.

TV Talk Show Bands

With the recent announcement that Kevin Eubanks may be leaving the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, I began to think about talk show hosts and their musical sidekicks. I've never been a Leno fan, with the exception of Headlines, which actually write themselves. Long before it was cool to shun Leno because of the Conan debacle, I was completely uninterested.

Eubanks is bland at best, and his music is not my thing, either.

Conan has (had?) Max Weinberg. Max has personality and musical talent. Add to this the unique fact that the bandleader is a drummer, and you have a winning combination. The rest of the band is fun, too.

Dave Letterman has Paul Schaffer. He may have an annoying voice, but this guy has a kick ass rolodex and can learn just about any song in popular music on the fly.

I tuned in to Jimmy Fallon's first show just to see The Roots and how they would be incorporated into the show. Several months in, Fallon has gotten less awkward. The only good thing about that first episode was The Roots segment "Slow Jammin' The News".

Who is your favorite late night talk show musical personality?

New Music is Good For You

Like taking your vitamins and brushing your teeth, new music is good for you. Too often, we don't look beyond what is presented to us in the mainstream in terms of music. It pays to dig deeper than what is on the surface to find something with a little more substance. You will put forth a bit more effort for it, but it is always worth your time.

Last summer, I discovered a music website called lala.com that allows you to listen to entire albums from any genre one time. After the initial first time, you can purchase downloads for a reasonable fee, and create your own playlists. The feature I utilize most is the "New Releases" tab, which lists the week's new album releases in every genre.

I recently found the new single for Atlanta-based band The Constellations. They opened for RJD2 in Orlando last month, and put on a funky live performance. Scrolling further down the list, I came across a band I'd never heard of, called Speak and the Spells. They're a London-based garage punk band, and I really like their sound. I was flipping through the pages of the most recent issue of Spin magazine today, and happened upon a review for a band called Carolina Chocolate Drops. I took to Lala to listen to their unique, old-timey southern sound.

What bands have you recently discovered, and what resources do you use for finding new music?

Supergroup or Super Joke?

Former Gn'R and Velvet Revolver axe man Slash has recently been quoted in a Rolling Stone interview as saying Velvet Revolver is looking for a lead singer to replace Scott Weiland. Slash says he wants the new front man to be "someone who is really good that hasn’t been recognized by the whole country as being amazing". So let me get this straight, Slash. You're looking for a guy that no one's heard of to be in your supergroup? Correct me if I'm wrong here, buddy, but isn't the whole point of a supergroup to be, well, super?

To be fair, I've never been very good at math. But I'm going to attempt to break this down:

3 guys from Guns N' Roses

+ 1 guy from Suicidal Tendencies

+ 1 random frontman =

Awesome band? How 'bout NO.

Looks like it's time for Slash to go back to his solo albums that no one cares about, and the rest of these guys to fall into touring musician obscurity.

Sunday Brunch at The Downtowner

Some of my girlfriends and I have been making the effort to have a Sunday brunch once a month, to catch up face to face and just have a fun, relaxing time. Today we went to The Downtowner in Fort Lauderdale, where they have an excellent buffet and $3.00 mimosas. I highly recommend the eggs benedict with fresh crab meat, but I digress. This is still a music blog!

Along with a fantastic Sunday brunch comes live entertainment. I'm not sure if it's the same every week, but today we were treated to J.P. Soars, an extremely talented blues guitarist.

J.P.'s music was the perfect soundtrack to a peaceful Sunday afternoon with good friends.

Hear some of his tunes at: http://www.myspace.com/jpsoarsmusic and scope out tour dates to see him and his band, The Red Hots, live.

Hit, Play!

In lieu of a regular blog today, I share with you some new local music. My friend Gaston's band is called Hit, Play! This is their song: http://soundcloud.com/hitplay It's called Progress, I Think?

Enjoy :)