“Technology Today”
(1). The 50’s – Bring On the Drugs & Let’s Get High!
It’s fair to say drugs completely changed music in society (pretty much for the better). LSD, Marijuana and Acid were the three main drugs used by main artists; Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Paul McCartney, The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane which led to the development of psychedelic rock through early transitions of blues, folk rock and raga in the late 50’s. Progressive rock followed on with bands like Pink Floyd and Cream who went beyond the typical verse, chorus attribute and incorporated sounds of classical music.
The effects of LSD had completely blown 50’s music out of proportion.
The effects of LSD were mainly hallucinations, paranoia and relaxation which triggered different alter egos; some songwriters (like Paul McCartney) managed to record an entire album whilst they were completely ‘out of it’. Then again it’s much harder to constantly write music without something to keep your mind stimulated!
The main thing was LSD brought on more creativity and experimentation with the music. Hendrix adapted and used the studio as an instrument to express himself. He manipulated strange moaning and groaning sounds with the guitar and these were driven by complex uses of tonality and higher octaves. His look was all about vagrant, bright colors mixed with blurred images and this became his art inspired by drugs.
When The Beatles recorded Revolver in 1966, Paul McCartney invoked the strange, dissonant sounds of a sitar brought on to him through Indian music. He tried back dubbing and overlaying guitar parts from each song but the bad thing was this meant it was impossible for him to perform these parts live because he wouldn’t be able to remember how they were played in the first place.
(2). Mike Portnoy’s Monstrosity. (The Collaboration & the Re-Creation of His Monsters).
Over the years Mike Portnoy and Dream Theater have continuously inspired many people and drumming wonders alike.
The progressive metal juggernaut he co-founded in the mid 80’s is known for its technical proficiency and brilliant working class surrounding its instrumentalists. Funny to think once they’d taken off both Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci stated they would remain constant outsiders to the modern world, unlikely to fit in with critics and other popular bands. Looking back on what they’ve achieved with their albums…what’s your answer to this statement? Either way we simply can not argue the growing potential the band has had covering the last few decades.
The drumming community alone takes pride in the many things Mike Portnoy has achieved as a highly acclaimed musician: To some extent as well, his drum kits have become more famous than him!
The big kit idea isn’t unheard of; typically most drummers strive to have a bigger kit than anyone else. None however have embraced the idea quite like Portnoy has. Neil Peart of Rush is one of his biggest influences and he wanted to come up with his own unique way of integrating the same writing chemistry and playing concept into Dream Theater. Eventually Portnoy began solidifying the method of having two kits in one which meant he could switch between them during live performances and studio recordings. This continued to grow steadily welcoming the foundations of his side projects with Neal Morse and Liquid Tension Experiment and soon everyone became ecstatic about the whole idea!
On the Octavarium album Portnoy used the normal kit (the left hand side of the kit) and the right side of the kit which he profiled and set-up in the way John Bonham did with Led Zeppelin back in the 60’s.
Some of these songs he used the double kit concept on include:
01 - “The Root of All Evil”
04 - “I Walk Beside You”
06 - “Never Enough”
Featured underneath are some of the main kits Mike Portnoy has assembled over the years. From here on we can get an idea of the daring madness he spawned and the limitless potential he’s passed on to other drummers around the world:
(3). Dear Mr. President…Come and Take a Walk with Me
P!NK is the kind of person who cares about other people in society and she really means a lot to her fans who love her and respect her. One of her greatest strengths is her honesty which get’s commented on a lot by people who watch her interviews and music videos.
When you listen to someone like Lady Gaga who’s practically made it in the charts for nothing, most of her lyrics don’t even make sense so it’s hard to follow her act. P!NK actually writes songs that have a meaning and she sing’s them out loud in front of thousands of people not just for the sake of it doing, but to connect with her beloved fans.
The song “Dear Mr. President” from P!NK’s fourth studio album entitled I’m Not Dead features The Indigo Girls and is significantly the most important song she has ever written. Now there has been some misunderstanding controversy leading to the outcome and meaning of the song. Was it something she wrote deliberately as an anger driven threat towards former American president George W. Bush concerning the problems that we as people face? No, instead picture it like this:
“Let’s pretend we’re two average people”. “I wanna hear your thoughts and concerns and I want you to be honest with me”.
P!NK
There are probably some narrow minded people in society who would’ve disliked the song first time they’d heard it. Being gay is something you can choose to be, it’s the same with whiskey and cocaine if someone chooses to follow that road. The Dixie Chicks once sang a song that came about in the same way however people didn’t really like it because the Dixie Chicks aren’t very popular. It means a lot more coming from P!NK. She’s a singer who has a great following and sings publically with a great deal of emotion.
It takes a great deal of care and emotion to hold back and approach this song the way P!NK has. When talking about the government do we even tend to care about the matter in hand? Society is faced with many problems, some which thankfully can be overcome with music in our hearts. Too many wise people out there this song continues to share a great message and it’s a simple message, one that government needed to fully recognize and understand at the time.
It’s made such an impact on society aside from some of the naughty and damn right outrageous things P!NK has pulled off to make herself known. Thing is that’s just her style. She chooses to act like herself and persevere as a role model for British and American women whilst living her life out on the road…can’t exactly argue with that!
(4). Josh Freese’s Extreme Marketing For Since 1972
Thanks to the internet many record labels and producers have been asking the same question: “With most (if not all music) accessible and essentially ‘free’, how can people possibly be expected to pay for CDs?
This goes out to nearly every average person on a day-to-day basis. When was the last time anyone went out and actually purchased a full record? Writers and reviewers can hardly claim against the fact that they probably have to think about that question for quite some time. Usually the answer would be – “Man I can’t even remember”…or “I prefer to check out the songs before I even consider buying”.
As a result of this recent story one of the music industries most prolific drummers has come up with a very unique and ‘crafty’ solution.
Josh Freese who is currently a full-time member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, Devo, Paramore and formerly NIN and Guns ‘n’ Roses has just released his 2nd solo album entitled Since 1972 on Outerscope Records. This one comes with a bit of a twist; he’s offering it in eleven different configurations ranging from $7 to $75,000!
"It's gotten a lot of attention, which is good”. "I'm not expecting that anyone will really buy the most expensive packages but if they do I'm up for all of it!”
Josh Freese
Sounds insane…and indeed it is! Further more commenting on the fact that he seems at the right level of fame to pull a stunt like this off compared to an average band like Kings of Leon. Each package comes with its own little bundle of stuff and the more money you pay, the better the overall package essentially. Freese has created a tiered, DIY program in which the more buyers pay for the 11-song collection, the more they get for their money. For $7, fans can download the album from his website, but for anyone with a spare $75,000 kicking around, Freese has assembled a package that leaves the word "premium," well and truly cold.
Freese admitted during an interview on Indie 1031 Radio with Joe Escalante that the whole thing started off as a bit of a joke with his wife! He conceded that his unusual pricing strategy elevated the grass-root marketing ploys many musicians had previously adopted in recent years to an entertainingly absurd level. Still, the manic dream of promoting an album in such a way came to fruition quicker than Freese could have ever anticipated. By the time he’d gone and sold 600 – 700 copies of the album, it was quickly starting to feel like 7 million!
The tracks on the album show an enthusiastic high praise shout out to the pre-dominant punk rock and alt-rock (alternative rock) phase he’s been a part of for many years. As a songwriter, Freese has shown an affinity for muscular creativity and hard-rock grooves laced with crisp guitar hooks under his engaging, chipper vocals. It’s not just his musical ability that makes this record stand out; above all it’s his degradation and trade off willingly thrown out to society which keeps his career going.
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