Yes, I know. Most people automatically say The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor, Aretha. And, don't get me wrong - they are DEFINITELY heroes of mine, but Robyn offers something more current and unique.
To many this pop star is known for her light, fun, edgy infectious electronic dance and hip-hop influenced pop hits, but if you dig a little bit deeper beneath the flashy clothes, the bleached out blonde hair, and the instrumental pyrotechnics that are her punchy productions, you will see a highly skilled singer-songwriter who has a real understanding of the conditions, nuances, joys and sorrows of love.
Robyn does something that I dream of doing in my music career: she writes a song that works as well on the dance floor in a 4-story EDM club in Berlin as it does in an acoustic format on a tiny stage in the middle of Kansas. That's some transcendental shit!...and a sign of real songwriting. Just take a look/listen at the lyrics of her songs, and you'll see why. I'll use her song "Be Mine" as one of the examples. I love that it works so strongly in both formats. In one, she's pleading (the acoustic version), and in the other, she's screaming the unfortunate truth (the dance-pop version). See below:
("Be Mine" - Robyn. This is the punchy dance-pop production)
("Be Mine" - Robyn. The acoustic version)
Beyond that, Robyn's just a badass...and she has single-handedly kept my cardio workout in top shape. I hope to travel to her native Sweden in the next year to perform, and it would be a dream to meet her and talk about her approach to music. You never know: anything's possible!
I always love getting suggestions of new artists to listen to from friends, from blogs, everywhere. It's a constant inspiration not to compare what I'm doing to other's work, but rather to see what is coming from other artist from the U.S. and abroad.
I just recently heard and was really drawn to the feel of the song "Stay" by Rihanna, which she wrote and performed on her latest album "Unapologetic" with an artist I had not heard of before: Mikky Ekko. I really liked the delicacy of his voice and how it coupled with Rihanna's along with the very stripped down production - something quite new and fresh from an artist know for her heavy, bassy, electronic dance club sound. It drew me to want to know more about this "Mikky Ekko" guy and how collaborations like these come together. So, off to Google, and it's interesting to see that there's not too much out there about him other than a few releases he's done in the past 2-3 years...and that he really got started with music in Tennessee, my home state! Plus, I was pleasantly surprised that he was from the U.S., since I typically find his style more from European artists.
There does seem to be one consistent thing with his style: it's very lush, and though I don't typically take this approach to my own writing, but I do love a good lush track - thus my adoration for artists like Jonsi and Imogen Heap. Who knows, maybe I'll incorporate some of these elements in one of my new tracks! Check out "Feels Like the End". Might I add, it's very beautifully shot, too.
What do you think about this artist and what the next year holds for him?
As always, go to www.hopstop.com for walking/subway directions
Hey Friends, Family, and Fans,
I'm sure you're wondering why I started out this blog post with "Show Details". As you guessed, I am playing a show - but this is more than just any show. I wanted to do something to give back, to honor and remember those families and children from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT who will never see their lives, and this time of year, the same again.
You see, when I was 14 years old, I too, survived a school shooting. On that cool, clear, November day in 1995 I walked into school just as I always did, aloof, awkward, and as happy as any other Freshman in high school, not knowing that the events that would follow in the next couple hours would forever change my life. To read the full story of the event that unfolded on that day, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richland_High_School_shooting
I was just a kid trying to go to school, to get an education, to better myself and hopefully the world around me. That morning, when I headed to my homeroom class a friend stopped me and reminded me that I had a meeting in the auditorium, so I went back down the hall not knowing that coming down the opposite end of the hall was the student who would come in with a semi-automatic rifle and shoot my homeroom teacher (she survived), the teacher across the hall, and a student/friend of mine in my class. My world was shaken to the core and my sense of safety was simply gone.
And so, I will be donating the $10 cover for my show to the United Way of Western Connecticut to help show solidarity and bring a little comfort to those families and other families across the nation who will be mourning their needless losses instead of celebrating the joys of this season. If you cannot make it to the show, I ask that you please still donate what you can. May you all be safe, happy, and remember those families.
For those of you who do not know him, Bill T. Jones is one of the most prominent & preeminent American dancers, dance choreographers, and artistic directors. To learn more about him, see his Wikipedia page here: Bill T. Jones. One of his most recent works "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray" discusses the life of Abraham Lincoln.
See Bill T. Jones discuss Abraham Lincoln & his work "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray"here:
My Audition with Bill T. Jones (August 2010):
It was the end of August 2010, and at the time I was working a full-time day job at an art company. I was performing shows at small venues around New York City, but I had had no "big breaks", and I was mainly engrossed in trying to gain more recognition around the city through my shows, honing my craft as a songwriter, and looking for that next step in my career. By this point, I had been very fortunate to get to meet and work with some great musicians in the music scene - people whom I had started performing with consistently at my shows and theirs. Two of those friends mentioned to me that there was an audition for a theatrical performance and that they thought I would be perfect for the male lead role. I literally laughed! I had taken one musical theater class in college and I didn't even know which direction was "Up Stage" & which was "Down Stage", but after some talks they told me I really should audition, if anything, to see the process of auditioning first hand.
So, they forwarded me the email they had received about the audition, and on that email were two songs attached that I would need to have learned. Now, here's the tricky part: I received that email on a Wednesday...and the audition was on Friday! So, I practically had two days to learn these two songs...which would have been okay, except they were both these long classical pieces that I would also possibly have to learn on guitar. My thoughts in general are, if you're gonna do something, do it the best you can, and if you're gonna fail, fail BIG! So, I put those two songs in my iPod and for the next 48 hours I listened on repeat, while praying for osmosis to take place. I needed those songs in my bones!
Friday arrived, and I asked to leave work early for some "blah blah blah" reason (we musicians have to be stealthy!), and I headed straight to the audition. When I arrived, there was a room filled with people who looked like they meant business - not many smiles at all. This was serious. They introduced themselves and told me that the director/choreographer, Bill T. Jones, was unable to make it to the auditions today, but that they'd be taping the auditions for his review since he ultimately would have the final say.
So, the first question I got was from the Production Manager of the show: "So, do you have the 5 songs prepared for the audition?" I froze and immediately panicked! I told her that I only received one email that had 2 songs attached, and they respond by saying that there were 2 emails, and the second email had the other 3 songs. After an awkward pause, they said that I should just sing the two songs that I know. In my mind, I'm thinking, "How well do I even know these two songs? I just got these two days ago!".
I sang as best as I could, and I looked around the room, and there were no signs of expressions of excitement or of disappointment - just blank stares. The two composers for the show and the current lead for the show then ask me to try to sightread one of the songs I hadn't received, which was also nerve-wracking since I hadn't sightread since my time at University! So, again, I did the best I could, and after I finished they told me "thank you for your time, and we will let you know if you have made the short list". In my mind, it was the classic, "Don't call us, we'll call you!'.
After I left the audition room with sweaty palms and a belly full of butterflies, I called one of my friends who told me to audition to tell her about the epic FAIL that just happened. She assured me that I probably did fine, and to not give up so easily because you just never know. While I was talking to her, I got an incoming call from an unknown number, so I took it, thinking, hopefully, it was the Production Manager calling to tell me I made the short list. Well, my intuition was right...sort of.
It was the Production Manager from the show. She said, "Hi Norman. Thank you for your audition. We recorded it as you know, and we let our director, Bill T. Jones, listen to it, and he said, "You're our guy!"" [pause] I was speechless. She then said, "Hello?? Are you still there?". I returned to reality, and responded, "Yes! I'm here!". She then said, "So, he says you're our guy. Would you like to accept the role?". Not taking into account that I could actually get the role, I realized that this was a big moment: if I said "YES", then I would need to quit my job immediately to go on tour with the company and once that tour was over, I would have to start the job search all over again - but I would have an amazing 3 week international tour under my belt, but if I said "NO", then I would be in the exact place I was in before the audition, and frankly I will have wasted my time and theirs so...
I said YES! As my dad always says, "Chance takers are profit makers". She said, "Great! Rehearsal begins on Sunday." I now had to learn about 13 songs, including parts on guitar and parts on an Irish lute instrument called a Bazuki, and in two weeks I would be on tour in Lyon, France opening the central show, our show, "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray" for the Biennale de la Danse (the largest Dance Biennial in Europe) in front of about 2,000 audience members and international press.
That Monday, I put in my two weeks resignation, and I began rehearsal with the company. That first full rehearsal I finally met Bill T. Jones, and I immediately understood why he is so honored and recognized. It's simple: he's a genius!
