Friday Flashbacks: Dashboard Confessional

I know this is not posted on Friday but the post is meant all the same.

Recently I was looking up songs to listen to online. I sometimes have what my roommate Chanel and I call "song A.D.D" where one does not know what song to play and changes it partway through each song. With other six thousand songs on my computer I get this frequently. If this is not happening I am getting stuck on one song or band and listening to them repeatedly. I wanted to change this.

I had come upon Dashboard Confessional in my search and had fond memories of listening to their music in my early teen years. They are a band fronted by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba from Boca Raton, Florida. They started in 1999 and have released six albums since. They have had one live album and five EP's.

The song I had found by them was "Stolen." In my search Internet users said it was a good love song. Interestingly enough I was going through some love song mix tapes a friend had made recently. I had not heard this song from them as I my listening to them declined after high school. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. What songs I knew fondly were "Hands Down", "Rapid Hope Loss", and "Vindicated"; the last one mostly known from it's inclusion in the Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack.

The chorus to the song "Stolen" goes, "You have stolen my heart." I can see what Internet users deemed this a love song. Chanel agreed. "Some of their songs could be love songs. A lot of songs in their genre of music is about love," she said.

They are an emo, acoustic, and alternative rock band. A lot of bands that formed around the time of Dashboard Confessional had songs in the same vein. The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, and Midtown, are just a few of them.

Watching the video for "Stolen" I did not understand it the first time through. It took one more watching of the video to get it and that was fine with me as I enjoy listening to the song. The video definitely represents the song well. Below you can see the video to hear the song and see the imagery the band put alongside it.

(c) 2006 Dashboard Confessional/Vagrant Records

I do not know what is next for this band. Their first album The Swiss Army Romance was re-released last November as a deluxe edition and Chris Carrabba planned to go on a solo tour playing the album in its entirety in support of it.

Now that I have regained interest in this band maybe their music will come into rotation more on my iTunes. Maybe they will be the thing to save me from "song A.D.D" or they will just become one of those repeated artists for a short period of time. "Stolen" already is becoming that. For now I may just listen to more of their discography and search other bands I have forgotten about since my high school days.

Musicfest NW

Many cities across the United States have annual music festivals. Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot, South By Southwest (SXSW), Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Cornerstone Festival, and Bamboozle, just to name a few. Well those are a lot of the main ones.

Another festival that happens in the United States is Musicfest NW (MFNW). It happens every year in September in Portland, Ore. As Portland's largest and most successful festival, it happens at eighteen different venues in Portland including downtown at Pioneer Courthouse Square, occurring over four days. It has become the third largest indoor music festival in the United States attracting over 150 bands each year. It was rated one of the "50 Authentic American Experiences of 2009" by Time Magazine.

“The Northwest has always been on the cutting edge when it comes to music, and here’s your chance to find out why.”—Time.com

The festival is put on by the Willamette Week, Portland's alt-weekly newspaper. It started in 1995 as a joint venture between Willamette Week and Mark Zusman and Richard Meekek, who both own Willamette Week. Up until 2001 it was called North by Northwest but was renamed MFNW when Willamette Week took it over.

In it's tenth year as MusicFest NW, Pioneer Courthouse Square became the festival's first outdoor venue. In 2010 the two main acts to play at Pioneer Courthouse Square were The Decemberists and The National. In 2009, one of the acts I saw was The Get Up Kids who played with Portugal The Man at Roseland Theater.

Currently MFNW is accepting applications at their website for musicians and bands to play at this year's festival.

Here are the eighteen venues of MFNW.


View Musicfest NW Concert Venues in a larger map

Update: Satryicon LLC closed down in October of 2010.

UP's Battle of the Bands 2011

Last Friday, April 1, was University of Portland's Battle of the Bands at The Anchor. It was put on by the Haggerty and Tyson RA's benefiting The Holy Cross Mission Center. Voting was done by students donating money into boxes labeled with each artist's name. The artists with the most donated money in their box won Battle of the Bands and a hundred dollar Best Buy gift card. I attended the event and even did some voting of my own. In the end, a familiar face to this blog, Sam Wemgan, won the "battle."

I shot videos of the performances and compiled them into a recap video. From the artists you hear, who do you think should have won?

For more videos of the event see From The Ground Down's YouTube channel.

Profile: Daytrotter.com

Website name: Daytrotter
Origin: Rock Island, Illinois
Founded: 2006

Daytrotter describes itself as: "The source for new music discovery and free MP3 downloads from the best emerging bands."

Daytrotter is a website where bands and musicians will come into their studio, The Horseshack, in Rock Island, Ill. and record live versions of their songs. They record four songs by a band everyday, releasing twenty-eight songs each week, most of them for free download. Some of their recordings are not located at The Horseshack but at music festivals South by Southwest, in Austin, Texas and Pop Montreal in Montreal, QC, Canada.

These recordings are live in-studio. The recording process is analog and there no editing or overdubbing on the songs. Each song is performed with the instruments a band has at the time and how they are on the particular day they come in for a session. It is an honest representation of the artist during the session.

The website was started by Sean Moeller, from Davenport, Ill., who writes the accompanying writings to each Daytrotter Session. The other people who make up Daytrotter are Mike Gentry, from Moline, Ill., Johnnie Cluney, from the quad cities, the Daytrotter Illustrator, and Phil Pracht, from Davenport, Ill.

Part of Daytrotter's "about" section is what inspired the description of this blog. It says, "We are not giving you songs from someone you love’s record album, thereby stealing from someone you love. We’re giving you exclusive, re-worked, alternate versions of old songs and unreleased tracks by some of your favorite bands and by a lot of your next favorite bands."

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Not many people have heard of Daytrotter but it is a wonderful website. But Daytrotter is not the only site promoting new music or a new way to showcase music. I sent out a message through my Facebook to my friends looking for new music sites they enjoy.

Emily Linstrand: http://stereogum.com/
"I like the content it has. I can find interesting info about a lot of the bands I like. Plus, the Listomania section is fun."

Shayla Behling: "There are two! I love Stereomood because it's like pandora, only organized for what I need it for. The Music Maze is awesome as well and especially good for finding new artists."

Sam Wegman [Video]

This is something a little closer to home. At my university, the University of Portland, we have a lot of on campus musicians. One of the more prominent musicians is Sam Wegman, a junior business major, from Seattle, Wash. Recently I was able to visit his house, interview him and listen to him play a one of his songs acoustically. See below to watch the interview and a clip of his new song "A Riddle".

More from this session:
Full Interview
"A Riddle" by Sam Wegman

Frank DeFeliccia [Interview]

Knowing how much some close friends of mine love music I decided to interview one of them. My friend Frank DeFelicca, who I mentioned introduced me to the band Faded Paper Figures, let me interview him. In this interview I ask him about his love for music, some of his favorite music, and what new music he recommends.

FROM THE GROUND DOWN: Why do you love music?
FRANK DEFELICCIA: Music is a release. It seems to be a way for people to express emotions in a way that they can never do in everyday life.

FTGD: What type of emotions do you mean?
FD: Any kind of emotion that somebody has because a lot of times people have emotions bottled up inside of them. They all have a way of getting it out. Some people choose music.

FTGD: Who is your favorite band or musician? Why?
FD: Well, Sum 41, just because they’re music is extremely relatable. You can listen to their songs and listen to the lyrics and understand where their lead singer [Deryck Whibley] is coming form. You can feel all the emotions in their music.

FTGD: Has any of their music related to your life? If so, what song(s) in particular?
FD: Asking to pick one song is impossible.

FTGD: Why is it impossible?
FD: It just seems that all of their recent work, like Screaming Bloody Murder, Underclass Hero and Chuck, the songs just remind me of different aspects of my life. It’s kind of nice when I am feeling certain way and I am not sure how to put words to it and I can find a song that can describe exactly how I feel.

FTGD: Are you able to pick your favorite song form the band? If so, which is it and why?
FD: “Pieces”, a hundred percent completely hands down. The song talks about somebody who tries to be a different person to everybody around them to gain acceptance. They never take the time to try and consider who they are from their own point of view. They never try to be happy for themselves. They only make the effort to please other people.

FTGD: Can you relate to this?
FD: For me personally, I spent a majority of my life trying to do things for other people, doing things to make other people happy, rather than to try and do things to make myself happy.

FTGD: Switching gears from your favorite band, is there any new music you have been listening to lately?
FD: Let me think. I’d have to say that I’ve been listening to a wide variety of music that just jumps from genre to genre

FTGD: Any bands you are particularly interested in of that new music.
FD: Mumford and Sons, Panic! At The Disco, The Starting Line, Starfucker. It’s just completely random.

FTGD: With your love of music, do you happen to make your own?
FD: I’ve only experimented before with writing songs, but only recently have I decided to seriously pursue writing music. I’m in the process of writing my first album.

FTGD: What genre your first album be? What do you hope it to sound like?
FD: It definitely has to have some punk in it. Maybe if it goes a little dark that will be fine as long as it still stays true to punk.

FTGD: Do you intend to record this album for others to hear?
FD: If I have the opportunity I would love to.

FTGD: Some musicians do not put their music out under their own name and use a band name instead. Would you be doing the same?
FD: Not a band name per se, but I would definitely have to use a stage name. With how difficult and how often mispronounced my last name is, I think I have no choice but to take a stage name.

FTGD: Lastly, what band or musician do you wish more people knew about? And what is one thing you wish more people knew about music?
FD: The Superjesus. They’re a former Australian rock band who never really got notoriety outside of Australia. [I wish more people knew] That music is something that is undefined, even though it has notes, people can play it, the thing is that it can take on any form that people choose. It is not limited to just one thing.

FTGD: Thanks for letting me interview you.
FD: No problem.

An Introduction To A Record Label

What is a record label? This a question that I have heard from many people before. In my record label profile on Sub Pop Records, my friend Steven commented, "Great to finally put a name to the label behind Nirvana's early work and The Postal Service!" Reading this I thought, not many people know what a record label actually is.

Not many people know who is behind all of the albums they love. There are certain times when a band or an artists self-releases an album of theirs but that is usually early on in their careers. As they grow to notoriety the are able to release their albums on a record label.

A record label, as Wikipedia states, is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Urban Dictionary says a record label specializes in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats. Dictionary.com states a record label is a company that produces and sells records, CDs, and recordings.

Which of these are right? Well all of them. A record label producers, manufactures, and distributes music. But not all record labels are the same. There are two categories of record labels: major and independent.

A major record label is a large corporation managed by a parent company. There currently are four big major labels: Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group. These labels are parent companies. Warner Music Group for example is the umbrella company for the Atlantic Records Group which is then the parent company for Fueled By Ramen Records.

A independent record label is one that does not have the financial and corporate backing of a major label. An example of an independent record label is the label Steven commended, Sub Pop Records, Saddle Creek Records, and Equal Vision Records.

These labels are the "men behind the music". They do not take part in making a band's music but are able to give it direction. This is the case with some major record labels. These overarching companies for bands are what give them funding for their albums, tours, merchandise, and other promotional tools.

I wish more people knew what a record label actually was. In my dorm room there are three different people in here, excluding me, and only one of them knew exactly what a record label was. My roommate Chanel was part of this group and knew what a record label was from a structural standpoint and exactly what they did in the music industry. I asked the people in my dorm if they knew what the two types of record labels and they did not.

The idea of a record label is vague to those who are not in the middle of the music industry. Knowing what a record label is can help in knowing where some of the money that is spent on band's merchandise and ticket sales are going. As Steven said it is "Great to finally put a name to the label..." If only more people were seeking this information or already knew what it was.

Profile: Sub Pop Records

Record label: Sub Pop Records
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Founded: 1986

Sub Pop Records is an independent record label with acts from the indie, alternative, and rock genres. The label was founded by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. They rose to fame when they signed Nirvana and Soundgarden. Nirvana's album Bleach, the band's first album, has gone platinum gaining the label commercial success.

Since then a number of their artists have had successful records. Flight Of The Conchord's self-titled album has gone platinum and The Postal Service's Give Up and The Shins Wincing The Night Away have both gone gold.

The label started as a fanzine called Subterranean Pop by Pavitt while has was attending Evergreen State College in Olympia,Washington. The fanzine was shortened to Sub Pop on it's fourth issue. After the ninth issue Pavitt stopped publishing the fanzine. In1986 when the record label started he started releasing compilations from underground rock bands.

In 1996 Pavitt and Poneman had disagreements about the future direction of the record label resulting in Pavitt leaving and being able to spend more time with his family. Pavitt and Poneman did not speak for seven years after the disagreements.

2006 marked the year Sub Pop became the first Green-e certified record label. The following year the label started a sister label Hardly Art. The imprint label's unofficial motto is "Quality records for quality people since very recently."

-----

I love this record label. I listen to many of the artists that are signed to the label. Sometimes I will find new music I like through the label and other times I will find new music and realize they are signed to Sub Pop. I find the artists to be an eclectic group of independent artists.

Some of my favorites from this label are: Iron & Wine, The Shins, Band Of Horses, Vetiver, The Album Leaf, and Fleet Foxes.

I've Been Persuaded... Faded Paper Figures

 (c) Faded Paper Figures

Mellow, indie, electronica, pop, experimental and soft. These are all types of music that I like, but I would never expect to find a band with these qualities from someone else. I am usually the one of my friends who gives everyone else music. I had given my friend Frank over thirty different artists since I had met him earlier this year and it surprised me when he introduced me to a band I had never heard of.

He introduced me to Faded Paper Figures, an indie pop electronica band originally from Irvine, California. The band formed in 2007 and has had some changes to the way they make music as some of the band’s members have moved across the country. The band continues to write and record all of their music bi-coastally.

I did not know their story when I first heard of them. I did not even know what album the songs I was listening to were from as Frank’s iPod does not have the album listed. I had only listened to them because Frank compared them to the band Starfucker, who we both enjoy.

After hearing them and immediately liking them I decided to hear more of their music and finally find out their album titles. Their album Dynamo was released in July of 2008. They had one video produced for the song “Metropolis”. In May of 2010 their second album New Medium was released.

The band has gained some awards in their career as well. Their song “Being There”, off of Dynamo, won Best Song of the Year in the UC Irvine Songwriting Contest. They were chosen as the Best Electronic live band by the OC Music Awards in 2009 and were declared one of the New York Post's "must have" new music of 2009. They also had a few song featured in the ABC show Grey’s Anatomy and the snowboard film Isenseven.

I was attracted to this band because they were a soft electronica band. Their vocalists John Williams and Heather Alden have soft melodic voice that pair well together against multi-instrumentalist Kael Alden’s compositions.

I plan to follow this band as it continues to grow and work from different coasts of the United States. I know I will keep up with this band’s music but it might just be my friend Frank who keeps me up to date on them. That is fine though because I have thirty plus artists to help him follow.

A point of advice: Even if you think you are great at finding all of the music you like do not hesitate to accept recommendations from your friends.

Recommended song: “Metropolis”, “North By North”, “The Cold Wars”, “The Persuaded”, and “Future Self”

Friday Flashbacks

Like the iTunes Indie Shuffles, I have decided to showcase some older music on certain Fridays, called "Friday Flashbacks". I will not do it every Friday, but sometimes I will if the right band comes up. I have four in mind currently. The one for today is The Academy Is...

The Academy Is... are rock a band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 2003 and have released three full length albums. They also have four EP's as well. Of their albums my favorite is their first album entitled "Almost Here". This was the first I had heard of the band and have always liked this album. Unfortunately, I have not followed their music since this album. Though, the songs I have heard from their subsequent albums have not interested me. So going back... there first album seems appropriate to talk about.

The album, released in February of 2005, consists of ten tracks. The three singles from the album are "Checkmarks", "Slow Down" and "The Phrase That Pays". All of the songs from the album were written by lead vocalist William Beckett and rhythm guitarist Mike Carden. Their song "Down and Out" was solely written by Beckett. Beckett also wrote all of the lyrics for the album. This album, as their others, has been released through Fueled By Ramen records, a record label based in New York City but founded in Gainsville, Florida.

I recommend this band to people who like rock music. The band states their genre is "Emo / Indie / Rock" on their MySpace. This band is recommended if you like Fall Out Boy, Midtown, or This Providence. These are some of the similar artists listed on their Last.fm profile. If you want to get into this band I would suggest starting with this album, "Almost Here", and then experiencing their newer music. They have a good natural progression in their sound. If you would like to learn more about the band you can check out their official website.

Recommended songs: "Classifieds", "Almost Here", and "Down and Out".

iTunes Indie Shuffle

This week I decided to do something a little different. I am calling it "iTunes Indie Shuffle." I have over 6,000 songs on my iTunes and most of them are from independent bands. I have had friends come to me for new music and realize they have not even heard of half of the music on my iTunes. So I decided to put my extensive and growing collection of music to good use. I put my iTunes on shuffle and the first band independent band to come up I would write about.

So drum roll... The first band of the shuffle is The Rocket Summer.

In later posts, as these "shuffles" will be back, the band name will be in the title of the post but I decided to leave the suspense up with this one.

Upon putting my iTunes on shuffle, out of my six thousand songs I thought it might just find some obscure band I have a few songs. It played "Walls" by The Rocket Summer, the project of Bryce Avary from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. I actually have all of the releases from the band as well. Somehow my iTunes does not always shuffle onto music I have more of.

Back to The Rocket Summer... They are an alternative, rock and pop band. Their music has catchy hooks and meaningful lyrics. Avary, the lead vocalist, guitarist, and pianist, also plays bass and drums. He has played every instrument on all of his albums and co-produced them as well. The Rocket Summer has released four full length albums and five EP's.

The band's most recent album is "Of Men and Angels", released in February of 2010. They also released an EP of five b-sides which did not make the cut for the album in October of the same year. There are three singles from the album, "You Gotta Believe", "Hills and Valleys" and "Walls".

Currently, Avary has been focused on touring and writing for others. He was recently approached by several platinum-selling artists who have asked him to help write songs for their upcoming albums. He helped co-write the song "Stomping The Roses", a song by David Archuleta of American Idol fame.

It is always good to listen to The Rocket Summer. It is "feel good" music to me. I am glad this is what came up first when I put my iTunes on shuffle. I did not expect it come up but it was a good unexpected moment. I hope the next shuffle artist makes me this happy.

To hear more from The Rocket summer see their official website or their MySpace page.

Vans Warped Tour

Vans Warped Tour, usually called Warped Tour, a music festival held in multiple cities across the United States and Canada in the summer. It features numerous bands for each date. Not every show will have the same group of bands playing. While at the show multiple stages are set up so different bands can play at once. If you are attending this festival you will need to plan out your schedule in order to see the bands you want to see.

I was able to attend the festival last summer when I volunteered for the Dear Jack Foundation and 11:11 A.M. The tour has started a advocacy section where tents are set up for charitable causes. The tent I was working at was for raising funds and awareness for young adult cancer.

Since the tour is in the summer, it is hot out and water is necessary. Shorts and t-shirts are recommended.

The tour has been around since 1995, making 2011 its sixteenth year in existence. The dates and bands for this years tour are being confirmed. To see them and find out more about the tour check out their website.

These photos are from my time at Warped Tour last summer.



All photos (c) Nadia Peer. The photos are of the crowds at Warped Tour, the table/tent I volunteered at, Ace Enders of I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business' acoustic show, and Bryce Avary of The Rocket Summer.

Interview: Roger Kuan

I came across Roger Kuan's music when I met him last year. He attended my university at the time. He told me of the interesting way he made music. He did not use normal instruments, such as guitars and drums, he used Nintendo Gameboys and other systems like it. He calls himself a "chiptune musician." I recently got a chance to interview him on the music he makes, when he started making music, and more.

Introduce yourself.
Hello my name is Roger, I am an independent chiptune musician. I'm not your ordinary instrument bound musician, I reprogram Nintendo systems and Gameboys to produce my whole unique style of music. Chiptune, or 8-Bit Music, is the product of hacking into an old video game console to try and make something creative with the sounds of the machine.

How did you start making music? When?
I started around my sophomore year in high school, when a friend introduced me to this Gameboy cartridge that can manipulate its own chip sounds, to different pitches, to create music. LSDJ, or Little Sound Disc Jockey, was this such cartridge, that acts as both a music tracker and synthesizer as well. He gave me a few tips to get familiar with how everything works, but the rest was all up to me. I started researching how to make music like this, what equipment was necessary for me to use, and if there are others out there with the same field of music. I came across this community of chiptune artists called 8bitpeoples, and they too create music with Nintendo products. It's all part of a new music revolution, haha!

Why do you make music? Why do you make the genre you do?
Well it dint start with video games, for the most part. It wasn't one of those things where it was like, " Oh yea, video games are my life. So I want to make music of all the video game stuff." It want like that at all. What got my hooked on chiptune was the fact that I could take something that doesn't even have anything to do with music at all, and incorporate it into something that is. All throughout middle and high school, I was always involved with the band. So it was more of a natural habit of wanting to make music. When I'm playing chiptune, it's kinda confusing for others when they ask, "What kind of music do you play?" and most would respond that they play the guitar, or sing. Awkward to say, "Oh, I play the Gameboy," which leaves them with their minds blown as if they didn't expect anyone to create such a ridiculous answer. But when they actually listen to the music, they begin to truly appreciate the sole purpose of chiptune music and not just what it once was entirely for. I make chiptune music, not because I want to be a video game programmer...I make music because I love music.

What is next for you?
I'm not sure at the moment, I plan on getting involved with a Korean magazine called Mocit-Magazine http://mocit-magazine.com/

This specific magazine features a select few of professional independent media stuff makers, that range from chiptune to techno. Needless to say that everyone on this site has a purpose to make music, I'm mostly likely featured on this site as well.

I also have a website which you can access at http://insilicomusic.bandcamp.com/ and this is basically my portfolio of all of the music I have created since my first release on iTunes in February 2010. I have been posting new music every month, even providing free downloads for special occasions. My latest release is "Paper Heart".

The Thing About Popularity

This blog post by Colin Hill is one of the reasons I do not like mainstream music. He talks about how his dislike for "popular music" is not because it is popular but because it is boring. He finds a similar trend with mainstream music: that lyricism is not as valued in songwriting. A lot of music we hear on the radio today is on the radio because of it's ability to be "catchy" and sold to a targeted audience. I am not discrediting the music but it is not new. Some songs I find have the loss of authenticity as some artists do not write their own songs. My dislike for mainstream music is rooted in the fact that the music itself is lost in the production, commercialization, and selling of it. Music gets lost in the wave of other music. It all ends up sounding the same to me. I do not know what I am listening to anymore. Colin ends his blog saying, "I don’t have a problem with popular music, I have a problem with boring music," and I agree with that statement.

Music Industry Terms

Okay, so I feel I need to define some terms for the reader's out there. I am just going to list them out.

Band: A group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music.
Solo artist: A musician who usually performs alone.
Musician: A musician is a person who writes, performs, or makes music.

LP (long-playing record): Ten to fifteen songs.
EP (extended play): Three to seven songs.
Album/record: A collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public.

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sales certifications:

• 500,000 units: Gold album
• 1,000,000 units: Platinum album
• 2,000,000 or more units: Multi-Platinum album
• 10,000,000 units: Diamond album

Record label: Companies that manufacture and distribute recorded music and promote that music.

• Independent label (indie labels): Independent companies that do not have a corporate backing.
• Major label: Large corporations often owned by a parent company.

Currently the "big four" major labels are:

1. Sony Music Entertainment
2. EMI Group
3. Warner Music Group
4. Universal Music Group

A&R (Artists and Repertoire): A division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and the artistic and commercial development of the recording artist. It also acts as a liaison between the artist and the record label.

Press Release: A written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. In terms of the music industry, record labels put out press releases for new albums or tour plans from their artists.

This is all I have for now. If there are others I will add more to this list or make a new one.

Death... For... What?

"This won't be the last you'll hear from me: it's just the start. I hope that he keeps you up for weeks like you did to me," sings Ben Gibbard on the song "For What Reason."

Some avid music fans might not think lyrics like that will go very far. For Ben Gibbard, they have. Gibbard is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. Hailing from Bellingham, Washington, Gibbard released an 8-track cassette tape titled You Can’t Play These Songs with Chords in 1997. After this release Gibbard enlisted a full band, which currently consists of himself, guitarist, pianist, and producer Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Jason McGerr.

The band’s first commercial success was their album Plans released in August of 2005 on Atlantic Records. This was the first time the band had left their longtime label Barsuk Records. On the band’s official website Gibbard stated nothing would change except that "next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums."

Plans became the defining album for the band, landing them a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album of 2005. They lost to The White Stripe’s Get Behind Me Satan. Shortly after, they achieved gold status and then platinum in May of 2008.

Death Cab for Cutie is the epitome of a "mainstream indie" band. I say "mainstream" because of their commercial success but also "indie" because of their musical and business style. The band has not changed who they were since their inception. Despite switching labels and gaining a larger fan base they have stayed the same.

This is something I enjoy about this band. They are naturally progressing as a band. Now I am not the biggest fan of their latest music and dislike the fact that they contributed a song to the widely popular book and film series ‘Twilight’, but I do respect them as a band.

Since their album Plans they have released Narrow Stairs in 2008 and The Open Door EP in 2009. Narrow Stairs has been the greatest jump in musical style for the band. They have changed their sound from their older albums. There is a logical order to this change though.

Now the band is focusing on their newest album Codes and Keys, which will be released in May of this year. In an interview with Spin, Gibbard said that the album will be more keyboard-based, which is a change from their previous guitar-based albums. This is also the first time Chris Walla have co-produced the record. In an interview with soonermusic.com Walla said that "it was time. This is our seventh record and I’ve mixed everything that we’ve ever done save for like two or three songs. It just seemed like… It seemed like it was one the right batch of songs to do it with … It just felt like the right thing to do."

Death Cab for Cutie is currently preparing for the release of this album. They are playing a few concerts leading up the release of the album.

As I wait for this album I feel like Gibbard as he sings "Information travels faster. In the modern age, in the modern age. As our days are crawling by so slowly," on their song "Information Travels Faster" from their 2001 album The Photo Album. If only the album could come sooner and not just the information about it.

For more updates on Death Cab for Cutie's upcoming album Codes and Keys see their official website.

Do you have passion?

(c) 2010 Passion Pit/Sony Music Entertainment

Have you ever heard a new band and realized you have heard them before? This happened to me when listening to the rising band Passion Pit. I had friends who liked their music but, as I did with Sleeping At Last, put them off as another band. From what I thought of their music, without even hearing it, I felt I would not like it. I should have known otherwise though because I have that same outlook with a lot of things in my life.

There was a day in mid-December when I was hoping to find new music for my computer. As I usually do, I went on to Amazon.com and listened to samples of bands I wanted to hear more of. In this search I stumbled upon Passion Pit. I decided this time to give them a chance.

The first song I listen to was “Sleepyhead.” I liked it but I was not sold on their music yet. I then picked the song “Little Secrets”. From the clip of the song I realized I have heard the song somewhere before. I still do not know where I heard it but I did like the song. With that newfound knowledge I listened to the full song.

It did not take long before I was on my way to buying the band’s album Manners and EP Chunk of Change. I listened to their music constantly. I even had my younger sister asking how many more times I would be listening to their album. I slowly found out that if I gave new music a chance I could find countless new artists. Actually, since then I have.

As much as this is a story on opening your mind to music, it is on the band Passion Pit. They are an “electropop”, or as their MySpace says “Big Beat / Pop / Soul” band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. They formed in 2007 and sound like a mix of rock guitars and synthesizers playing harmoniously as one. a lot of their music is based around synthesizers, samples, and piano. They have a strong rhythm section to back their music. Michael Angelakos, the band’s lead singer, has a prominent falsetto voice. In an interview with Rebecca Harrington of the Huffington Post, Angelakos said that he developed his high voice.

The band’s third single “Little Secrets” off of their album Manners features the PS22 Chorus who have gained notoriety from their songs on their YouTube page.  The chorus is also featured on their songs “The Reeling” and “Let Your Love Grown Tall.” “Little Secrets” is an electropop song played through a rock lens. Passion Pit plays as a rock band with more focus on electronic and pop music.

Currently the band is focused on touring but in an interview in with NME, Angelakos said he was already writing the follow-up to their album Manners. He hopes the album will come out in the spring of 2011.

I am excited for the next release from this band. Not only have I found joy in their music but optimism.

(c) 2010 Sleeping At Last

"Emphasis" by Sleeping At Last (November EP)

A Year of Sleep: When are you "Sleeping At Last"?

Think of yourself swimming in the ocean, the moonlight is overhead and all you see are dancing shadows on the low lit ocean. Sometimes I try and imagine the nature setting of the music I am listening to. I felt this way when listening to Wheaton, Illinois “indie rock” band Sleeping At Last’s song “The Ash In Our Clothes.” The song is off of their January EP* from their yearbook project.

Sleeping At Last has released a few prominent albums in the last several years. Last fall was when this routine changed. The band came up with a yearbook project where they will release an EP of three songs every month for one year, starting in October of 2010. It will give them a chance to experiment with the music they make. With this project they also have more freedom in how their music is made and the instruments they use on songs.

This idea seemed wonderful to me when I first heard it. The band, however, did not get that same reaction when I first heard of them. When I first heard their band name I put it off as a post-rock or alternative rock band I would not get into. Sometime last year a friend posted on his blog some of the music that he associates with other people. I knew he had the same music tastes as me so I read through his list.

Sleeping At Last was on the list and he spoke of how beautiful the music was and that he was grateful for the friends who introduced him to the band. I took a chance and searched for their music. I came across their song “Say” from their album ‘Ghosts’. The lyrics “Say what you really want to say / And the truest of forms will show, / Finally you'll find your soul” intrigued me. Not only did I like the sound of their music but they wrote meaningful lyrics as well. As a song-writer myself I believe in the authenticity and originality of music. The artists who are commercialized and on major record labels do not usually write their own lyrics and it adds to my dislike of them.

After listening to their music, the yearbook project came up. I knew that I wanted to support the band as they are not backed by a records label. I had bought the subscription to the yearbook project. The music is different from their previous albums but as with all music it changes over time. The music I have come across from them has been superb thus far though. Through their exploration of music and my exploration of theirs I have come across some of my new favorite songs.

Now all I wish to do is go swimming at night with the moonlit shadows dancing on the waters as I float. The Oregon coast is far too cold and a while away so I will not have that chance. At least their music can transport me there when I cannot physically be there.

Recommended songs: “Emphasis” (November EP), “Snow” (December EP), and “Land Or Sea” (February EP).

This blog’s title was inspired by their song “From The Ground Up” off of their December EP. The quote in the description is from their song “Homesick” off of their October EP.

*An “EP” is short for an “extended play” which is an album consisting of three to seven songs.

To read more about Sleeping At Last’s yearbook project see their website.

Introduction & Welcome!

What is “indie” music?

This is a question I ask myself a lot. Welcome to a place where I plan to explore that question. Many see the term indie as a genre of music, which sometimes I do, but I usually extend the word to its true form as “independent.” Independent music is music separated from major record labels. The artists in this category of music are ‘do-it-yourself’ musicians, only living off the money they may make at the next day’s show. Many times these bands are backed by a small “indie” label but a lot of them are unsigned. These bands are only known to those who either seek out their music or come across it by happenstance. They are not commercialized which is a factor in their limited exposure. These are the types of bands and musicians I listen to and are interested in finding.

Throughout this blog I hope to showcase “underground” and “indie” bands. To a select group a people the bands I show are well known but to the greater population they are relatively new. Not only do I hope others find some music they enjoy through this blog but in my search I hope I am able to do so as well. This is not me just picking music from my iTunes I find to be different. I plan to search for music I have not come across. Yes, sometimes I will post a artist I love who fits the “independent artist” description but those musicians are ones I feel need as much as exposure as they can get.

It is hard when I say bands, artists, and musicians throughout this, as it can get confusing, but I essentially mean the same thing: people who make music either in a group or on their own. I plan to post about “independent music makers”, artists in their own right, creating something different.

Now, I don’t only want to show musicians in this blog. Sometimes I may post about an independent record label. They are “indie” too. It will be as if I am taking a group of independent artists and giving that group a title. Some independent record labels are doing far more for artist’s creative freedom and support. While they may not have the profit of a major record label most of their artists find a home in the small record labels they inhabit. I feel that I cannot show musicians without showing their support and distribution structure.

I want people to learn from the music they listen to and really take the time to seek out music they enjoy. I do not listen to music on the radio or in the “Top 40 charts” but know of the music in there. It is not that I make a conscious decision to shy away from that music but that it is not music I am passionate about. Many times when searching for a band I think of the music I either like listening to or would like to make myself. This helps in finding music that parallels my tastes. I hope I can stir some musical tastes buds here and maybe someone’s new favorite band will be found.