I love it when bands deviate from the generic themes, and talk about weird experiences. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is one such song, and it’s beautiful in it’s own way. It narrates a story, a creepy story might I add.
The original is by Warrant
The interesting thing is, when songs do this, it gives you room to make up visuals in your mind. Papa loves creative freedom. It’s almost like you get to live the song. In this case, it’s me and my nephew spending quality time in the woods (I can see a cabin-life for me in the foreseeable future), and my nephew is bound to see weird shit like this happen.
I have never listened to a more powerful album. I wish everyone knew this band existed. I highly encourage people to read a little about this artist to get their backstory, and what they sing about. It is mindful, masterful, it is very very peaceful.
I have a dream, a simple, revolutionary dream. I want to make music. I want to see people become happy when they listen to my music. Unfortunately, I do not have the talent to realize this dream on my own. I need a team(in the words of the great Deadpool, “a super dooper fucking group”). I’ve been trying to put together a team for the past one month. After several auditions, I finally got a bass player and lead guitar player. I explained my dream to them. I narrated it in Morgan Freeman’s voice. I put forth the idea like Steve Jobs explaining a business idea. I did everything I could. Yet those fuckers want to pursue a more “people-friendly” genre rather than taking a chance with me. I respect their musical interests. So now, I travel for an hour every weekend, play drums to fuckin “Foo Fighters” at a recording studio, come back home and eat till the depression fades away(Domino’s wins again).
I met a family who lives inside the studio’s premises. Here they are:
This is going to be a very negative one. So skedaddle outta here if you don’t want to ruin your day.
A few months ago, I got to live my dream of playing in a professional rock band. Initially it started out great. I was overwhelmed by the amount of talent in the band. People from different walks of life came together to make music.
There was a finance analyst, a school teacher, a videographer, an audio engineer and myself. It was amazing to see how each member of the band added their own personal touch to the music. It was like, there was a little bit of each of our personality in every song. I was enjoying every second of it. The band and their friends were like family to me. More importantly, I could be me for a change. I didn’t have to put on a mask to be socially acceptable anymore. I was free to be my weird self. All that was until today when I got a call saying, the band was dis-banding due to scheduling issues. My heart broke. I’ll be honest. The last time I felt this bad was when I got dumped! I was carrying groceries when I got the news. I felt like throwing it onto the ground and screaming. My dream had faded away.
So that happened. But now, it feels like a wake-up call. Maybe I have to do it myself. Get together a group of musicians with similar interests and make magic happen. But for that, I need to find people with that special spark, that light of creativity and willingness to consider someone else’s opinion. It will be hard but I will not give up. I will rise from the rubble. I will not fade away. Wait a minute…this is turning into a gladiator speech. Besides, I’ve got bigger life-problems to deal with. Like, the light in my bathroom is too bright. It hurts my eyes.
Yesterday, while jamming with the band I got up from the throne(kudos to the person who named the drum-seat), walked up to the mic and announced that I was not gay. Suddenly everything stopped. People stopped talking to each other, the music stopped playing, (oh I almost forgot) the clock stopped ticking. Then a girl burst out laughing. In my mind I went, “Woohoo! This is my calling. Stand-up comedy, here I come”.
I got the ‘gig’. I did it! I did it! The nerd is in a rock band. All I can say now is shit’s about to go down.
I haven’t played in that many bands but I know the feeling you get when a bus bearing your band’s name comes to pick you up for a show. Yes, I do believe in that ‘band is family’ shit. It’s a mysterious musical-interest-based-bond that refuses to go away even after the band breaks up. Enough gay shit.
After the audition was over the lead singer announced that they would be happy to have me play the drums. So naturally my first instinct was to go over to the mic and announce that I was not gay. But I held it in for a better opportunity. It also gave me a brilliant idea. I could do some stand-up when we play live. That would kill time in between songs. Also, I get to humiliate hecklers.
To quote the great poet Nikki Sixx,
“When we started this band All we needed, needed was a laugh Years gone by, I’d say we’ve kicked some ass When I’m enraged Or hittin’ the stage Adrenaline rushing Through my veins And I’d say we’re still kickin’ ass“
Everyone knows musical interests are subjective. Why then, do some people beleive that certain genres of music is garbage? There is also a tendency to think less of people who listen to certain genres of music. Does the type of music you listen to say anything about the type of person you are? I really don’t know. What I do know is that there is no such thing as BAD MUSIC.
A few years ago a friend of mine made me listen to a song that she liked. At the time I was trying to win her over so I pretended to listen carefully. I chuckled and said that her taste in music was a little weird. And that was the end of it. This so called “song” that she made me listen to was basically static noise with some kind of a beat laid in between. It was the “uh oh” moment for me. I could not understand how it could be called music.
I realized later in life that this was a major flaw in me. If I didn’t understand something, I was automatically inclined to dislike it. I came to realize this flaw in me while learning to play drums. I used to wonder how amazing rock drummers would end up playing jazz as they grew older. I was ignorant at the time(much more now). I did not understand jazz and obviously disliked it. I’ll be honest. I thought it was gay(which is another problem altogether that I will have to deal with later. One problem at a time). As I got better at playing, I slowly began to appreciate Jazz drumming. I still don’t like to listen to Jazz but I “understand” it now.
I think that in order to understand and appreciate the beauty in some things, you have to reach a certain point of intellectual maturity and understanding of the subject. Same goes with modern art. I used to wonder why the fuck are these people staring at spilt ink on a piece of paper when there is so much more going on in this world? Why waste time like this? Little did I realize that those papers of split ink were speaking to the artists. It was moving them emotionally. Almost like a new method of communication that came from another dimension. That’s the magic of art. There are so many ways to look at it. Many scientists are excited to send artists into space to show them the vast magnificence of the universe. It will be super exciting to see what they will come up with after experiencing the deep unknown.
So there is no bad music. I feel like music has an uncanny ability to invoke particular emotional responses. Its just that every individual resonates to different styles of music. Its sad that some of them are ashamed to reveal their musical interests and have to keep it a secret for fear of not being accepted by society. Don’t get me wrong. “Call me maybe” might not be a scientific marvel but it is entertaining to some and it is noise to others. If you are one of the people who dislike it, just accept the fact that you don’t get it and move on.
First of all, I would like to apologize to all those of you who clicked the play button thinking its a video. Oh! The agony! Its a screenshot of a video. Make no mistake. I have not used any filter or special effects. Apparently this is what happens when a stage light beams directly onto your camera lens. Interestingly, the picture sort of portrays my emotions at the time. I was having fun. The picture was taken at a concert. So what does the universe have to do with this?
Well, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, the universe speaks to me in mysterious ways. This time, it was through one of my all time favourite drummers, my man, Marco Minnemann. Shortly after this picture was taken, I managed to tiptoe through all hulk-bodied security guys to talk face to face with this legend. He was awesome. He was the reason why I attended the concert. It was an extraordinary experience.
Something even more extraordinary happened that day. I made friends. My dear friends, that bright light in the picture is the universe whispering to me, “Look around you. These are all people you could be friends with. I have literally brought them all together in the same spot. Don’t fuck it up”.
This post is about my musical interests. I actually do not know why I am writing this. I personally hate reading blogs about musical interests. So if you don’t like this sort of thing, don’t waste your time reading. Kids, this is what happens when you move to a new place and don’t make friends!
Why don’t you try hitting the play button while reading this?
The following are just my opinions. Everyone is entitled to an opinion after all. I respect everyone’s music preferences. I used to wonder how people could listen to death metal and hip hop. I always thought that people who liked such genres, just did it to look cool or make a statement. Eventually, I realised that they like what they like, the same way I like rock. They are passionate about their music just like I am about mine. That is why I don’t judge people based on whether they listen to Justin Bieber or Eric Martin. On the other hand, people who do bother me are the ones who ‘like’ bands based on their popularity. I also don’t understand people who ‘like’ bands just to fit in. It’s ok to like any genre of music or any artist. I believe that the type of music you like actually says something about you. It’s like one of the things that make up your identity. I don’t get people who keep their musical interests a secret . I am sure that they have their reasons but I think it is just sad. Here are a few of my interests.
Artist: Dream Theater
Album: Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
A lot of things that I think about have been brilliantly portrayed in the eleventh track (Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On). I personally do not give a damn about the lyrics in a song. I like songs for their tune. But this song! I have to say that the lyrics are just superb.
I wish to give special attention to the transition from track 1(Scene One: Regression) to track 2(Scene Two: I. Overture 1928). It is the greatest transition I have heard till date. The first track is a mere two minutes while the second is more than three. A lot is going on in the first track. There is a soothing voice, there is singing, there is soft acoustic guitar with brilliant vocals. Then there is a dramatic change as the song transitions into the second track. Just genius work. I cannot however tolerate rest of the track! I googled the album just now to write about it. After reading the synopsis of the album, I feel like this is the most depressing album ever. The story is just too damn sad and so full of bull shit! Don’t get me wrong. I ‘DO NOT’ like this album as a whole. Just a few tracks!
Artist: Rainbow
Album: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow
Now this is an album that I just adore. Each and every song of the album is worth mentioning. Ronnie James Dio could write amazing songs. He could express feelings which is what songs are meant to do. “Music is what feelings sound like” said a strange colleague to me once. Now this is an album that I like as a whole. My favourite songs are Black Sheep of the Family and Self Portrait.
Artist: Queensrÿche
Album: Operation: Mindcrime
I stumbled upon this album thanks to Apple music’s suggestions. I still think Spotify’s suggestions are better though. Pure brilliance is the phrase to describe this album. I have not listened to rock of this style. It was way ahead of its time. The guitar solos are well thought out and stand out on their own. Best of all, the album tells a brilliant story. It explains the horrors of mind manipulation. Its like a movie but you would want to hear it rather than see it.
Artist: Blind Guardian
Album: Beyond the Red Mirror
Song: Distant Memories (Bonus Track)
I like this kind of music. Operatic, orchestral, and stunning vocals. Listening to these on good speakers is like meditation to me. I live in a shared apartment now(fancy name: company guest house!). So although it is peaceful, I cannot pump up the volume for now.
Yesterday, while jamming with the band I got up from the throne(kudos to the person who named the drum-seat), walked up to the mic and announced that I was not gay. Suddenly everything stopped. People stopped talking to each other, the music stopped playing, (oh I almost forgot) the clock stopped ticking. Then a girl burst out laughing. In my mind I went, “Woohoo! This is my calling. Stand-up comedy, here I come”.
Random Thought Beam 