After my original post I was sent this video.
Here is another Grenada Underground Artist.
Check L.A.B.D below, a group that is influenced by the Cash Money school.
Caribbean Underground II – TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
The Caribbean is a cosmopolitan space.
The music known both internally and externally is generally based on indigenous rhythms. However, there are some artists who do not utilise indigenous approaches.
These artists are usually part of the Underground…
So let me present the Caribbean Underground scenes II, Trinidad and Tobago.
1. Here is to my view, one of the best rock bands ever to come from the English-speaking Caribbean, the phenomenal Orange Sky.
Here is their ReverbNation page.
2. Rap is global. Immigrant Caribbean youths were at the forefront of the early Hip-Hop movement and here is a group, H.T., which pays more than just a tribute to the urban style.
3. Trinidadian Brent Anthony, a R &B singer who brings the falsetto and the beats – check him out.
4. To end, here is Brent’s family doing some explicit R&B. Make sure the kids are not around.
If you know of anymore underground groups hit me up here!
Crop Over – The Curious Case of Red Plastic Bag
Red Plastic Bag has been one of the foremost contributors to Crop Over music. He is also one of the most loved human beings in Barbados and its overseas departments in Brooklyn, Toronto and London. This love not only relates to his music, (he has won the national calypso competition more times than I can count) but also to his personality and public image. Here he is live in 2009.
I grew up a Red Plastic fan and still am for that matter. However, after outgrowing the blind acceptance forced upon me by my equally Bag fanatic family (who as it goes in Barbados was also Gabby non-lovers, which I am totally not now by the way), I asked myself:
“Why do Bajans like Red Plastic Bag so much?”
The answer to this question is really not obvious when I began to think about it. Let me show you why…
In terms of popular music, an artist’s potential fan appeal is based on a number of criteria. These are:
- Good looks and sexuality.
- Name branding
- Amazing Ability – dancing, singing, singing while doing acrobats á la Pink, singing while accompanying yourself on an instrument from a comb to a rocking guitar (Hendrix, Prince).
There are artists who tick all of these boxes and as a result are sought after commodities. So Chris Brown for example:
- is/was young depending on your point of view
- could dance and could sing.
- In terms of good looks he ticks that box as well. *under advisement
When it comes to local soca, there are a number of artists who tick these boxes as well. Edwin Yearwood for example, when he emerged in 1995, used his real name, was young and could sing and dance. Thus his popularity can be explained away easily given the normal modes of musical popularity outlined above. See clip below.
In terms of Red Plastic Bag however it becomes much less obvious and here is why:
- His name – No one would think that a guy called Red Plastic Bag would be a huge star anywhere in the world. Red Plastic Bag is not a name that one can imagine plastered in lights or in a stadium. Like most Bajans, I never thought much about this until I overheard Bag, as he is affectionately called, introducing himself to a US reporter. When she repeated it, it sounded hilarious. “Your name is Red Plastic Bag?”
- Sexual what? – Red Plastic Bag, even though coming on the scene as a young person, never emphasised sexuality in his performances. He was tall and slim then and since that time has never attempted to change. In fact, when he did expose his body, it was done for comedic effect as opposed to getting the ladies/men all warm under the collar.
- Ability? Hmm – I am sure by his admission, Red Plastic Bag would admit that he is no dancer. By dancing I don’t mean the “WOW” type dancing of James Brown, I mean the basic ability to move in time. In terms of singing, he is also not technically gifted. In fact, in live performances he is competent but no more. He is by no means an impact singer like Edwin Yearwood (in terms of range or intonation) or a rhythmically smash you around the ears vocalist like Machel Montano.
So is Bag loved because of his lyrical ability? Because no one can turn a phrase, pun a pun, meet a metaphor, save a simile like Red Plastic Bag?
Partially…
To me, Red Plastic Bag shows that there is something else going on when it comes to popularity. Red Plastic Bag constructs himself as everyone’s friend, everyone’s neighbour, everyone’s son and brother. To many, Plastic Bag is so cool because he ISN’T cool. He is not too flashy, his music is not confrontational or philosophically complicated, it doesn’t chide. He also doesn’t make non-muscle men like myself jealous, he doesn’t boast in song, instead he is just….BAG.
So my friends, if you are in Barbados and see people swooning over Red Plastic Bag, remember it is his kingdom. Also remember that you don’t have to tick all the popularity boxes to be a cultural icon; you just have to be honest and know who you are…
oh and being a brilliant lyricist and hook writer does help 😉
Caribbean Underground I – GRENADA
The Caribbean is a cosmopolitan space.
The music known both internally and externally from it is generally based on indigenous rhythms.
However, there are some artists who do not use local sounds.
These artists are usually part of the Underground…
So let me present the Caribbean Underground scenes I, GRENADA
1. Here is a charming little group called Sabrina and the Navigators who have digested the current popular style – check the “indie/jazz” voice. The quality of the recording and the video are quite good as well.
Here is their Facebook link.
https://www.facebook.com/sabrinaandthenavigators
2. Here are some gospel guys, called Soul Deep, who are bringing an American style with a hint of Jamaica.
Their link:
https://www.facebook.com/SoulDeepGnd
3. Finally on my Grenada underground list is Tammy Baldeo, who too has internalised what is up and current. Enjoy.
Her Google link:
https://plus.google.com/102205452253370730781/posts
So guys, that has been a quick look at the Underground in Grenada. Special thanks to my researcher and former student, Renee Plenty who hit me up with these links. Feel free to send me some links of other Grenadian Underground artists.
Be sure also to look out for II, Trinidad and Tobago.
5 Things (I) (Musicians) HATE to hear
Dear non-musicians,
I love you.
Because I want to keep loving you, I have compiled this short list.
In no particular order, here are 5 things I hate to hear from non-musicians (NM).
1. Heah, you must play a lot of instruments!
NM, playing and mastering one string is difficult enough furthermore multiple instruments. Instruments are not like like condoms, you do not burst the package and get instant gratification. When you hear someone playing, they have spent untold hours just trying to make their instrument coherent. People that readily tell you they play 5 instruments professionally are not to be trusted with your family members.
2. You don’t know that song? What kind of musician are you?
Dear NM, in case you didn’t realise, music has been around since Adam sung Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree to Eve. This means that there are millions upon millions of songs and since musicians are not DJs, it is highly unlikely they know all of them. In fact, learning a song is once again a time consuming exercise and in the absence of eternal life, musicians only know a mere fraction of what is out there. Although, even if musicians had eternal life, many won’t dedicate their time to learning Hit Me Baby one More time the DJ Shakukzki remix.
3. Oh, you must want to be famous!
Dear NM, not necessarily. The majority of musicians are doing gigs because they enjoy what they do and they are providing a service. Many of them are as comfortable with fame as the awkward accountants at award shows. Those musicians you see on TV are not the majority….trust me.
4. What else do you do for living?
This is perhaps the most common thing said to all artists (including me) which gets their underwear all twisted. If you admit to being a professional musician, chances are you don’t do anything else for a living because emailing, teaching, practicing, accounting, gigging and learning songs can be a little time consuming. However, I am sure NM that if most musicians gave up sleep they could fit in a medical job or two.
5. Your life must be exciting!
To end NM, let me debunk this myth. Much like the fame thing, the lives led by a few of our number distort our overall image. There are a huge number of fields within music with some being akin to sky diving off the Burj Khalifa while others are more like watching paint dry in the Arctic. So while you might be thinking sex, drugs and alcohol, most musicians are more like text, mugs and parasols.
So that is it NMs.
Avoid these 5 and let us grow old together.
Love
Caribbean Music Man
Blurry Lines – Musicians Listen Differently – Part II
“It is the same, it isn’t the same, yes it is…” Round and around we go.
Since the Blurred Lines verdict for the Gaye family the above argument has been dominating my social media pages. For those of you unfamiliar with what this whole thing is all about see below.
So Did Williams and Thicke steal from Gaye? Is Blurred Lines a smokescreen for Got to Give it Up?
Well once again, as outlined in my last blog post, it depends on WHO is doing the listening.
To show you this, let us take a look at one of my global blogging colleagues, Joe Bennett who did a fantastic breakdown of the nuts and bolts from both songs. Here is the link below:
Did Robin Thicke steal ‘Blurred Lines’ from Marvin Gaye?
So I believe that Joe shows conclusively that the songs are indeed different given his expert musical analysis. However, Joe’s expert ears were not part of the jury, instead the panel was probably made up of non-musicians whose opinions were ultimately similar to those expressed below:
“Not understanding the anger about this expected Blurred Lines ruling. Don’t blatantly copy songs, & if you do, get it cleared beforehand.” – Michonne
“‘Got To Give It Up’ is one of my all time favs, had no idea these fools claimed original production and didn’t share royalties.” J Vincennes
The two Tweeters here are absolutely convinced Blurred Lines stole from Got to Give it Up, so why the discrepancy?
Once again, as in my other post, it is because musicians listen differently. So while Joe can analyse the chord changes and bass lines to the cheques come home, to others that stuff was not even THERE! In other words, to many non-musicians the aural similarities between the two tracks are blatant, while to musicians, the songs are obviously quite different. Who is right? Apparently the musicians are NOT, at least for now. So once again, let me repeat my summary from the last time, musicians listen differently.
I therefore hereby decree an end to all social media arguments.
🙂
Musicians Listen Differently…End of story…(sort of)
Musicians generally have certain types of ears.
It is pretty important to have those ears if you deal with sound all day.
Musicians, no matter the style, have all developed awareness towards the components which make up music – melody, harmony, rhythm and texture.
For example, dance/house/electronica musicians are what I call textual bosses, in that so much of their work revolves around the ability to make sure the synthesized sounds are performing their assigned function. Check this link below.
For Dancehall producers on the other hand, it is all about the rhythm. For them the groove needs to be right. See King Jammy below.
I can go on and on and include performing musicians as well because the ability to hear and decode/work out what the hell you are hearing on stage is equally important as in the studio setting.
Musicians therefore feel justified in thinking (by their years of discussion and reproduction of what they are hearing) that everyone should hear like them. After all, what is music education other than – this is music – listen to it this way. However, given the general lack of traditional music education in many places, musicians find themselves frustrated when people do not hear music the same way they do. Watch the following link which has done the pandemic viral rounds on the Web.
If you did not hear those four chords no problem. It just means that you listened to those songs completely differently to how I did. However, Classical musicians, in whose company I do not include myself, must be saying, can’t they hear that?? Those are the same chords over and over damn it! While jazz musicians (not the pop-smooth ones) are saying that second chord could have been a lot more tasty with some harmonic tension. In short, they are all listening to it with musician’s ears recognizing what they think is musically important and what is musically lacking. But are they in fact justified? Should their (our) listening practices be more respected, appreciated or ‘righter’ than those of the ‘Average Listener’?
These are not easy questions to answer. What I do believe is that everyone has a musical opinion and what musicians do is provide different perspectives on that particular experience. I do not however subscribe to the idea that the musician’s way of listening should be the ONLY way a song should be listened to. Take this example from Gyptian.
When this song was released in 2006 it was extremely popular. However, musicians would identify some glaring mistakes in the second verse not to mention the horrible tuning of the instruments. But should this take away from the pleasure of the so-called ’Average Listener’ ? In my view, it should not and there are other factors like Gyptian’s approach and singing style that still make this a TUNE!!!
To end, the listening experience and who is ’right’ within it is not a topic with easy answers. To me this is the difference between the arts and sciences, all interpretations are valid one, even if musicians think otherwise. So don’t be ashamed when a musician gives you strange looks, we just listen differently! Just look here at Harry Connick Jnr. who is dumbfounded at the aural ignorance of Jennifer Lopez.
*There are several good discussions on this by Tagg and Middleton. Check them out.
My Track for Trinidad Carnival 2015
EDM (Electronic Dance Music) is huge in Soca for Trinidad Carnival 2015!
This is not a surprise as Soca has ALWAYS followed the trends in American Pop music! The influence this time around is reflected in the texture of the works (synth sounds, drum sounds, dropouts, build ups etc.).
My song for the season which follows this EDM trend is the Kes track, “General Don,” which tries to squeeze in house, and a little dubstep as well. This song is also considerably faster than the other Carnival songs which use the EDM fusion. Check it out below.
Although not a big hit, this piece sums up where we are now in Soca and it just cranks action!
So if you are in Trinidad and the other Carnival spaces, enjoy!
If not, remember…
“Carnival is very critical.”
Singing – Am I Really that Bad?
Singing, as most of my friends and family will say, is not a strong suit of mine.
Singing was also not an activity I was particularly interested in either.
However, as this blog generally poses questions to accepted norms, it is only fitting that I ask, am I really that bad a singer?
Actually, I think I am not a good singer but definitely not a bad one. Here is why.
To start us off here is a clip of me singing.
It is obvious that I am not a technically gifted and by that I mean I don’t have the natural ability where my voice apparatus, vocal muscles etc, creates sound that matches pitches. Of course this was no big deal before the modern recording age. In fact, many communities before modernity were communal and their music activity was centred around participation, think Amazonian or West African village life, so no matter your voice, you sang!
What modernity did though was create the professional singer. And the recording of the professional singer gave value to a certain kind of singing which in some ways eroded how people considered singers globally, this ultimately made singers like me…
BECOME BAD!
Listen to the following clips, first up is Wendy Moten then Beyonce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCcHZ2_p7MA
These songs are damn fricking hard to sing.They also have a certain history and tradition behind them that many people globally were not a part of. So for example, if a Tuvan tried to sing these, he might not succeed, even though he might be an excellent throat singer.
In other words, Wendy Moten and Beyonce are not only PROFESSIONALl singers, they are also showing a CERTAIN TYPE of good singing based on the values of their music culture. It does not make the Tuvan a bad singer. If you are unsure what Tuvan throat singing is let us reverse this now and take a listen to some Tuvan throat singing.
Here is a clip from American Idol where this guy was dismissed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU4Dd9OCH3s
The judges and audience thought he was crap but was he? They were just using the value system from their music culture which was totally inappropriate to judge Tuvan throat singing. If I used the Tuvan method, Beyonce and Wendy Moten were rubbish because they only produced one pitch, in fact where was the drone Queen Bee!!!???
In short, there are no universal values when it comes to singing. Singing is dependent like all value systems on who makes the rules. So if I someone calls you a bad singer, just ask them if they understand the discourse of power at work in aesthetics. If the look at you blankly, continue singing just like I will now…
* This post does not condone karaoke. Any suggestion that it does is just a coincidence. 🙂
My Music History Content on Slideshare and Free!
I teach Music History II at the Barbados Community College in the Associate Degree Programme in Music.
Music History II is an overview of the music of United States from the work song to jazz to popular music types like rock and rap.
Due to financial constraints, the content from the course has been published online on my Slideshare!
The link for my Slideshare is always posted here but you can follow the link below.
http://www.slideshare.net/StefanWalcott
Enjoy!
stefanwalcott.com 