TLM: Riis

Music is my passion. I dream music. When I hear music I can literally see the movement of the notes, the syncopation and the various instruments used play out in my head like an old silent film with a custom score. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a type of synesthesia. Music literally conjures imaged in my head. It is as much a part of me and as natural as breathing.

I began playing the piano at age 7. It wasn’t that my parents felt that all of their kids should learn an instrument. No, that story wouldn’t be nearly as interesting as the truth.  It all started because the brand new upright piano my parents bought for my older brother to practice on, sat in our living room untouched because he grew bored with the lessons he previously begged for.  I, on the other hand, was fascinated by this monstrous noise maker with the clangy black and white keys, and decided that since no one else was using it, I might as well teach myself to play.

And I did.

Slowly but surely I went from finger pecks to two-hand quad-chords. Pretty soon I was playing songs from the radio by ear. While I have never had a formal lesson,  I’ve been fortunate enough to work as a studio session musician, I’ve played in a few bands, and on good days I can play circles around as well as some of my friends who are trained musicians. I have also taught myself to play the drums, guitar and a little trumpet. Although little trumpets can be far more difficult to hold. 😉

RECOMMENDATION: Daniel Merriweather’s “Love & War”

I first got turned on to him after my wife saw the music video for “Stop Me” by Mark Ronson (who I think is probably one of the most original ultra-talented producers around today). His debut album came out a few summers ago, but once I got my hands on a copy, I couldn’t get enough of it. He’s been called the “cleaner, male version of Amy Winehouse”. But I think he brings a different vibe to the music. Definitely soulful. Definitely a good listen and worth the price for those who like this kind of music like I do.

Track Recommendations: “For Your Money”, “Change”, “Chainsaw”, and “Water and a Flame feat. Adele”

I Hate Categories

Society has an obsession with categorizing the world. We categorize people: you’re an asian, tall, old, gay, rich, southern, democrat and a nerd. We categorize film: it’s a drama, comedy, film noir, oldies, classic, talkie, sci-fi, animated blockbuster. And we categorize music: she’s a singer/songwriter, alt-rock, pop, death-metal, conscious hip-hop, trance, dancehall queen. I hate categories. Especially when it comes to music…

I find it interesting that rappers like Q-Tip, Rakim, and KRS-One (yeah, I’m a bit old school), who are/were all admittedly Muslim or simply followers of Islam, were considered mainstream, not categorized as religious artists and therefore pigeon-holed into a niche market. Whereas you have people like Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, KJ-52, FLAME, and Ackdavis who, because they are “Christian” rappers (as opposed to rappers who are Christian), get lumped into the “also ran” hip hop bin at the record store (again with the old school references). I’m not sure what it is that distinguishes the two – other than the obvious underlying beliefs – from being considered part of the same industry. But apparently, not all Hip Hop is Hip Hop.

One of the most skilled rappers I’ve ever heard is this guy named shai linne (spelled with lowercase purposely). His talent IMO surpasses most rappers out today. The key difference? His music is Christian Hip Hop. Now before you go all, “uh oh, more religious talk” on me, just hear me out. I’m setting the foundation to make a point that’s universal.

Christian Hip Hop in the past has been plagued like most other Christian music as being woefully behind the times. Quality production usually lagged by a decade or more. These artists were barely escaping the late 80’s when 2000 came and went. It was even worse for Christian Hip Hop. Some of these folks were laughable at best. If their lyrics weren’t completely cheesy and devoid of real theology, their music sounded like it was played with a wooden spoon and a sauce pan.

Fast forward to the late 00’s and music production took a giant leap forward as far as the creative process for the general consumer. This caused ProTools and Logic Pro to effectively move out of the confines of a conventional studio and into the garage or even the bedroom. This meant that up-and-coming singer/songwriters and producers could hone their skills without paying high fees for studio time or needing to commute to professional locations. This had a significant impact on both the secular and religious music industries. More time for getting over the learning curve. More time for experimentation. More time for musical expansion and genre expression.

See, I’m not a Christian singer/rapper/other label. I consider myself an artist who’s also Christian. It should be obvious to anyone who encounters me what I believe simply by the way I choose to live my life. But when it comes to music, I’m being forced into a box. One side says, “if you’re a Christian then you can’t sing/rap about love and relationships!” The other side says, “if you want to be considered a mainstream artist, you can’t include any religious references!” The absurdity of it all is frustrating. My goal with my music is to simply offer the world something I created in hopes that it will be either something you relate to, something that encourages you, or simply something that entertains you. It’s unfortunate that there exists an unspoken rule among some that my life as a Christian can not publicly include practical expressions of love, disappointment, struggle and fun.

It’s almost as if releasing a song commercially ties you to that genre for the duration of your career. Anything outside of that is considered “getting away from your roots”.  That’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. I’m simply an artist and my creations may change as often as my moods depending on what I’m going through at the moment. Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Country… if I write a song and that’s the feel of it, then so be it.

I just want to live my life outside of categorization.

There’s No Such Thing As Christian Music

I’m sure the title brought some of you here.  But before you go full-on into rant mode, allow me to explain…

Show me a definition of Christian Music that people agree on, and I guarantee it’ll be less about being “Christian” and more about the “music”. Simply stated, “Christian Music” and “Christian Musicians” are two VERY different things. The difference is that just as Christian musicians don’t exclusively write worship and praise songs, there are plenty of songs in the Christian market that are not written by those claiming Christ and salvation. So what is Christian Music? And does it exist at all?

Well, let’s look at it this way… just because someone isn’t a Christian doesn’t mean they can’t be a tool in God’s hand. For instance, the gospel group Mary Mary have a song on their 2008 album  “The Sound” that features David Banner, a well-known rapper of the hardcore variety. Now I personally wouldn’t have chosen him to feature on a Gospel album because of the distraction his presence would bring and the potential to detract from what is being presented. Still, if God can use a donkey to convey a message, he can certainly use David Banner (and no, I’m NOT equating the rapper with an animal).  Besides, you’d be surprised to learn that some of the people who’ve written popular worship songs are not in the least bit Christian. They just happen to be very good songwriters.

The popular Christmas song “What Child Is This” is sung using the same melody as the old folk song “Greensleeves“. Did you know Greensleeves describes a man pining after his lover, one who some allege was a prostitute? It’s like writing lyrics for a Christian song and choosing “Knockin’ Da Boots” as the melody.

It’s interesting that here in America religious music is segregated on the radio, while in other parts of the world you could easily find gospel or CCM in rotation with current pop and R&B music. The key is to always make sure your devotion and adoration is toward God and not simply those He created.

TILA: The Sophomore Slump

TILA = Things I’ve Learned About…

Have you ever purchased the first album from an artist and thought “Wow! This person/group is amazing! I love this album!” after listening to it for the first time? Then, you run out and purchase their follow-up album on the day of its release and once you listen to it, do you wonder “Whoa! WTH?? What happened to the unique sound? Where are the cutting edge lyrics? Who stole their music mojo??” Well, there’s a very good and logical reason for this. Allow me to explain…

Many artists toil in obscurity for many years before they are finally “discovered”. This means they’ve banked years and years of songs that they’ve performed and perfected. Undiscovered artists probably have a repertoire of a hundred songs they’ve written, re-written, thrown away, revived and remixed. These songs were birthed out of their life experiences: people they’ve met, things they’ve done, places they’ve gone and all the varying emotions that accompany them.

So how does this related to the Sophomore Slump? Well, the artist comes to the table with a list of songs that have been identified as fan favorites based on live performance response. The first album is usually a collection of the best of these songs. Most of these musical gems have had a long and arduous evolution before blessing your ears. So by the time you hear it for the first time on the radio, it is the perfected, aged version of a carefully crafted audio offering… pre-discovery.

Unfortunately, in the most traditional sense, “discovery” means an artist was able to obtain a record deal and signed a (initially very un-lucrative) contract to be developed (image reconstruction), marketed (blatantly exploited)  and/or produced (tracks, lyrics and sound pre-determined) by a major label. What this does is dilute the very thing that made the artist so groundbreaking in the first place. If it so happens that one of the tracks from the debut album rockets up the charts, you can bet your house that the next album will have songs that sound eerily similar to that hit from before.

What the major labels fail to realize is that a song may be years old and written in a period of musical exploration that the artist has long since left behind. It’s like asking a 35-year old, time-worn former gymnast to bust a triple-somersault with a half twist off the vault and stick the landing. It’s not going to happen. And the result is a deeply disappointing second album filled with mediocre retreads that fall far short of the splendor of the first album.

This doesn’t mean an artist has no more good music left to write. It’s just that the Major Label Machine is not as concerned about artistic vision as it is about profit margins. It should be about allowing creative freedom for the artist to freely explore things musically instead of trying to fit them into what the label has decided is a “winning formula”. This is why you’ll find plenty of artists who are musically indistinguishable from one another.

Sadly, with the availability of tools that allow an independent artist to compete directly with major labels, the new trend for labels has been to forgo finding an artist that brings anything to the table other than fitting into a particular marketing demographic. That is why you’ll find very few contemporary singers who have any degree of longevity. The artistry has died.