Films & Folk

Does it offend you, yeah?

masonjars — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:55:41 +0000

Just listen, thats all you need to do. it is glorious, glorious fun

They are “Does it offend you, yeah?” A electronic rock british band from Reading, Berkshire.
Exceptional dance beats, and a unique sound.

Sounds like: Bloc Party(in a couple songs), Daft Punk, and Justice I’d say.

Counting Crows: go back… but not all the way!

Joel — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:14:45 +0000

I hear people rave about the counting crow’s most recent release or their classic “august and everything after” but i never hear much about my favorite album, “recovering the satellites.”

To be honest, i have a nostalgic dog in this fight. I went to see them when they toured with the material from this album and the live experience was an incredible and indelible moment in time. I don’t have much to say except that i encourage you, if haven’t before, to give it a listen; if you have, revisit and glory in the electric guitar work, the layers of strings, the duritz beatnik head shaking vocals and the poetry that makes them a band worth listening to past the melodies.

i’ll share with you “angels of the silences,” one that i have a hard time not moving to. Listen!

Republic Tigers. growl

masonjars — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:04:19 +0000

I nod my head in agreement at the greatness of this song: Buildings and Mountains

Formed in Kansas City, Missouri, The Republic Tigers create a wonderfully majestic sound with their driving beats, and exceptional vocals. Lets clap for Kansas City. Listen to them. thats all I have to say for now

Republic Tigers Band Members:

Kenn Jankowski – Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
Adam McGill – Guitar, Vocals, Samples and Production Elements
Ryan Pinkston – Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Auxiliary percussion
Marc Pepperman – Bass, Keys, Accordion
Justin Tricomi – Drums

Click below for lyrics!

We’ve been waiting all our lives
For things we’ve always had
But have no eyes to see
Somethin’ new is going to happen
The most natural thing
But nothin’ we’d expect

(chorus)
All these buildings and mountains
Slowly they’ll arise
Before our eyes

How do cities understand?
We drink our wine and wonder
Why we’re really here
What’s the point of even asking?
You take the good and bad
And make the best of it

All these buildings and mountains
Slowly they’ll arise
Before our eyes

Have you watched the cities move?
Does nature fall before?
This age of industry
For today I’ll let it go
You’ve been good to me
Have I been good to you?

All these buildings and mountains
Slowly they’ll arise
Before our eyes

Ari(el) Neufeld’s abandonment of fear…STOMP.

masonjars — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:21:17 +0000

(I stole this photo from your Myspace Ari, sorry!)

I had the privilege of watching Ari Neufeld perform at Cafe Du Soleil around 5th and Commercial Drive last weekend. I had heard his music before on CD because I work with his father…and I was impressed, but I wasn’t crazy about it. Then I heard him live.

Ari Neufeld is an experience. A breathing instrument, and a fearless, energetic performer (although I get the distinct feeling that he’s not “performing” but living.) He brought with him 3 other musicians. A Cello player, a singer(his brother I think), and an accordion player. Together they are an extraordinary folk machine.

To my surprise, they started with a cover of “Frozen Man” by James Taylor. I am quite skeptical of covers, but I was blown away by the warmth and the way he skillfully captured James’ guitar riffs while making it his own at the same time.

They then began playing their own songs, many of them love songs, and far from what you would expect, and full of the honesty of being man.

Ari had with him a “Stomp box” with a microphone under it, and he shamelessly shuffled, stomped, jumped, danced, and tapped to create his own driving beat. No need for drums. Each song is unique and has a life of its own. They range from driving, and woodsy to summer porch tunes filled with memories. With Ari’s great guitar skills, and his haunting beautiful voice, I was drawn into a trance for nearly an hour and a half.

My hope is that Ari will really break out onto the main scene so that many people can hear his music. He is the kind of musician we all envy because he refuses to be anything, but who he truly is. No masks or holding back under the fear of man.

If Ari was here, i’d definitely give him a dollar. he’s that cool. (although I did buy two of his CD’s, so I guess I gave him 20 dollars. flip)

Have a listen:

Dondet (For the River People)
Album: The Medical Tapes Vol. ll- Wonderful and Folky. My favorite Album.

Armour Down- A favorite, full of movement and love :
Album: A Pretty Good Logging Road (planet of the) tapes vol. lll

Insatiable Moon- If you are in a bit of a slower mood with a side of pensive. This one skips a bit..but only in the beginning.
Album: Love Songs by a Boy (For a Girl)

Empowered :)

masonjars — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:04:11 +0000

This isn’t some wonderfully unknown, hidden musician or song..you’ve probably heard it on the radio billions of times..cause whenever i’ve turned on the radio..there it’s been..

but i can’t deny it..thats the truth.

I have a strange smirk on my face in this moment
This song makes me nod in time..snap and move my hips. heck yes!

A Strong voiced woman known as Sara Bareilles. Catchy, moving piano bass chords..and a silk voiced lady speaking her true feelings. It makes me want to stand up and say “Amen, sister”

I strangely relate being a musician…and she puts it so well. so I will say no more, and let the music speak for itself…with the lyrics a long with it.

Head underwater
And they tell me
To breathe easy for a while
Breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me; but it’s too soon to see
If I’m happy in your hands
I’m unusually hard to hold on to

Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you see
I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s
Make or break in this
If you’re on your way
I’m not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leavin’,
Imma need a better reason
To write you a love song today (today)

I learned the hard way
That they all say
Things you want to hear
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and
Your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry

Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I’m trying to let you hear me as I am

Promise me that you’ll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
’cause I believe there’s a way you can love me
Because I say
I won’t write you a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you see

I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s make or break in this
Is that why you wanted a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you see
I’m not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it’s make or break in this
If you’re on your way
I’m not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don’t want it for a minute
Babe, I’ll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There’s a reason to
Write you a love song today

Sun Kil Moon: Damn!

Joel — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:00:11 +0000

Mark Kozelek, formally of Red House Painters, started Sun Kil Moon in 2003 and has released 3 interesting albums since that time. His vocals and song writing are strong points; instrumentation is simple and production is quality enough but not over done (i like it scratchy myself). The most amazing thing about Sun Kil Moon is their ability to write and play a 2 chord song for 11 minutes and for it NOT to get old; i don’t get it. To me as a songwriter, that kind of quality and longevity is the like the holy grail (yes i will fight indiana for it!) He is also a master of simple guitar based melodies that fill out the musical space inbetween singing. I would recommend the 1st and third albums, Ghosts of the Great Highway and April (released this month. Their second album i was ambivalent about, then i found out it was completely covers of modest mouse and that made sense; i don’t like them generally (as people, just kidding). So mark and his gang of distortion totin’ misfits are a wonderful compliment to long drives, long nights, cooking with someone you love, and any kind of creative activity. They also prove their musicality by the fact that many of my friends have said that sun kil moon brings back verdant memories. I take this to mean more than that they listen to them all the time but that they easily connect the life you’re living to their melodies and let you store that memory away with a soundtrack, now that’s good music! So check them out, start with Ghosts, skip Tiny Cities, and then buy April ( I would have posted a sampling but i don’t know how on this blog) enjoy!

here you go Joel-
I uploaded Gentle Moon

joel

Ode to James.

masonjars — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:50:48 +0000

Musician: James Taylor.
Album: New Moon Shine(1991)
Song: Copperline

I figure the appropriate second post would be a favorite and a folk song. Now mind you…not every music post will be folk music, but thats the main genre that I grew up in, and I hold it close to my heart.

Here he is my friends:

To Paraphrase all my Father has told me about why James Taylor is so special…

James Taylor takes the ordinary, and makes it colorful, sweet to the ear, unexpected, moving, memorable, and of course anything BUT ordinary.

While many artists (like myself *wink*) are satisfied with straight strumming chords, one of the things that sets James apart is how he moves from chord to chord, emphasizing the base notes and creating full bodied sounds in the process.

Like a true musician, he has written all of his own songs. He has covered some of the greats (Carole King), but never paid anyone to write for him, and I respect that deeply. He’s been on the scene since about 1968 (40 years now) and he is an honest lyricist, writing stories from his childhood, stories of recovery, gratefulness, loss, and victory.

I have listened to his songs from childhood years to now, and I still remember the words even if I have only realized what he’s been saying in the past few years.

If you don’t do folk, give him a listen…let his silk smooth voice roll its way into your heart

Music Adjectives: Warm, Folky, Pensive, Relaxing, Autobiographical, rhythmic, moving, and acoustic.

Other songs worth checking out:

1. Close your eyes
2. Shed a little light
3. Frozen Man

The first Element..

masonjars — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:56:21 +0000

Where else to start? But at one of the best movies of all time.
Now, my bias may shine through here, as I am an avid Bruce Willis fan.
The only movie he’s done that I haven’t liked..was Hostage.

The Fifth Element is basically a story based in the future about the end of mankind as we know it.
That destiny falls into the hands of Washed-out taxi driver Korben Dallas
[Bruce Willis] literally…when a mystery girl named LeeLoo [Milla Jovovich]
falls onto his taxi..flying taxi.

The Fifth Element is packed with amusing, exciting action
reasonably good graphics for the time it was made (1997)
The story line is creative, and fun, and i love it each time I watch it.

Chris Tucker plays the sexually confused TV host Ruby Rhod, and he brings
lots of timely comic relief and just that bit of ridiculous panic that
we love in all the Die Hard films.

Now, depending on when you were born..maybe you won’t appreciate this movie as much as I do..
but WATCH IT. its worth it.

Director: Luc Besson
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Romance, Thriller.
Plot keywords: End of Mankind, Futuristic, Destiny