Passing the time this morning and looking through the new offerings on iTunes, I noticed that there is some new act that Radio Disney is pushing called "Aly & A.J.". I managed to catch part of an interview that they gave (My son is an avid Playhouse Disney fan) on the Disney Channel, so I decided to see if there was some substance behind the "style".
One of the best parts of iTunes (according to me) is the Celebrity Playlist feature, where artists give a sampling of what's on their iPod and comment on the tracks. I find this to be very revealing, since when we give an accounting of the music that we are passionate about, it is a bit of a window into the soul, if you will pardon the cliche.
Delving into their "playlist" I saw very little music beyond what is relatively current. As a musician, I find this odd, since musicians/artists are generally VERY into their influences and love to share those with others, which usually include some unknown or classic artists from ealier periods. With these two, nothing. Their comments were as vapid as their musical depth. "This one has a good vibe to it." Having said this, I will be completely surprised if these two wrote any music that they perform, since their musical taste seems to go back a few months, if that.
One artist that is the polar opposite is John Mayer. I want to add that I am no huge fan of his music, but this young man knows his stuff. He writes a monthly column for Esquire magazine in which he shares his knowledge on songwriting, musical influences, and random thoughts, and for a person of his age, the depth of his musical knowledge is amazing. It gives us hope for the future that not all artists will be the musical equivalent of corrugated cardboard. If you have the time, go to the Esquire website and search out some of Mayer's articles. You will be pleasantly surprised. And additionally, some of the music may have a good vibe to it.
One of the best parts of iTunes (according to me) is the Celebrity Playlist feature, where artists give a sampling of what's on their iPod and comment on the tracks. I find this to be very revealing, since when we give an accounting of the music that we are passionate about, it is a bit of a window into the soul, if you will pardon the cliche.
Delving into their "playlist" I saw very little music beyond what is relatively current. As a musician, I find this odd, since musicians/artists are generally VERY into their influences and love to share those with others, which usually include some unknown or classic artists from ealier periods. With these two, nothing. Their comments were as vapid as their musical depth. "This one has a good vibe to it." Having said this, I will be completely surprised if these two wrote any music that they perform, since their musical taste seems to go back a few months, if that.
One artist that is the polar opposite is John Mayer. I want to add that I am no huge fan of his music, but this young man knows his stuff. He writes a monthly column for Esquire magazine in which he shares his knowledge on songwriting, musical influences, and random thoughts, and for a person of his age, the depth of his musical knowledge is amazing. It gives us hope for the future that not all artists will be the musical equivalent of corrugated cardboard. If you have the time, go to the Esquire website and search out some of Mayer's articles. You will be pleasantly surprised. And additionally, some of the music may have a good vibe to it.
posted by Archeron at 6:54 AM
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