Ear Foodz

[Plume]

Welcome!

To yet another music blog. But wait! This one's different. Absolutely, undeniably, totally different. For reasons why, see below:



1. It has a mildly gross name.



Aaaaandd that about sums it up.

On a more serious note, I do solemnly swear that I am up to a smidgen of good. In that I will strive to drum up an interesting selection of artists, hopefully ones that most people haven't heard of before + will enjoy, include nice pictures/vids to look at, and keep blurbs short and sweet and to the point.

Alright, enough of that already. To the Music Mobile!...

...??? :

[Plume]

C A R N E Y

So, the caption is a partial lie. Because the focus today will be on Zane, not Reeves & Zane, nor the band these two ridiculously photogenic brothers play in. Also I picked the picture cause they look good in it. Sue me.

♫ Zane Carney - Fade to Black ♫

I'm just gonna say right off the bat that Zane is not an easy artist to feature, because he's really not that well known. At least not enough where he has music videos on VEVO to showcase in high def or anything. Most of the footage (in fact I'd dare to say all) is of him live, and the quality of those are iffy at best. Hence the soundcloud.

To sum up Zane as a person: down to earth, luscious hair, could totally pass for a female if he tried, fun, comedic, prefers a quiet, attentive audience that actually listens, and never forgets to thank his fans.

To sum up Zane as a musician: good songwriter, great singer, and absolutely PHENOMENAL guitar player. I repeat, phenomenal. As in he shreds that sh*t like there's no tomorrow and every gosh darned song he plays, every solo he tears into, is so heartfelt and intense you can see it all the way from below the stage. It's crazy. Granted, his brosky Reeves gets pretty nuts too when he performs, but c'mon he's the lead singer, of course he'll flip out now and then/all the time. But Zane is a freakin' bonafide beast when it comes to his riffs. I mean, this guy is just sweating and rocking and bleeding his heart out all over his guitar(s) as his cheeks blow air in and out like he's some kind of puffer fish and his left foot does something I can only equate to a spastic donkey stomp.

Skip to 3:57 if you're impatient and would like to get straight into the action. You'll even get a bonus bit of the drummer who, along with the bassist, is solid stuff through and through. And of course the drummer's mustache too, which was shaved so now you're able to see a very endearing pair of dimples when he smiles. Okay, enough trivia. Go peek at the clip:

Honestly, this is mild compared to what he played yesterday night at the Troubadour in LA. He lit his guitars (like all 5 of them) on what may as well have been literal fire and rocked our socks so hard the only things you could hear amongst the audience were the occasional, wild whoops and the much more common, breathlessly exhaled "sheeeeezzuss!" (imagine saying that in Louis C.K.'s voice).

And of course, a musician of this caliber doesn't just rock out. He jazzes out and gets down with a case of the blues, too, so if you're into either here's another sample:

Conclusion: Do not be fooled by his sometimes easy going, feel good tunes. Zane is serious business on that guitar of his, and a mean singer at that. If you're looking for a guitarist of enormous, foolproof skill, humility, and innovation, and who isn't also six feet under cause he died before you were even born, then this is your man.

Of course, I'm not about to exclude the ladies. But we'll get to that next time on Music with Plume!

[Plume]

K A K I---K I N G

As promised, one phenomenal female guitarist for one phenomenal male guitarist.

To sum up Kaki King as a person: good humored, sweet, completely ordinary, eager to learn new things, feminine and also androgynous at the same time, frank, openly lesbian, mellow mannered, and so so very humble.

To sum up Kaki King as a musician: She's one of those people you never expect to be beastly skilled until she picks up a guitar and promptly blows your mind. Her technique and song writing definitely have an edge to them, but also bear a distinctly softer, feminine touch. And they're as naturally flowing as Kaki is completely comfortable with herself. There just isn't really a better way to describe her relationship with herself and her music; she's just so at ease, so confident (but not cocky!), despite the complexity of what she's doing, that it's almost trance-like watching her play. She just does what she does with earthly grace and zero apologies. And that focus...again, in the voice of Louis C.K., sheeezus.

The only reason I won't ramble on any further, other than my initial promise to try and be concise (hah, look how well that's working), is because I haven't had the extreme privilege of seeing this incredible guitarist live. But even if I did, I think her music speaks for itself well enough. Take a look:

But here's the deal with our music industry. It is tough for women. I mean most industries are, period, for both genders, but it's extra, extra hard if you're a solo, female musician trying to stay true to your art. Björk once wept during an interview while talking about this. She collaborated with a good friend for one of her albums, only to have every interviewer thereafter assume that her male friend had done most of the production. No, no, no! Björk did 90% of the work! She sat there in her studio, by herself, looking like a case of the Sundays hit her 10 times over, and slaved away for months. But who assumes that? Who can picture Björk in gross, baggy sweats and head looking more bird nest than bun, rather than the bizarre, wondrous costumes and intentionally wacky hairdos she usually hits the stage with?

Basically no one, especially not in the media, and then said media is trickled into our waiting face holes with its typical, insensitive aversion to truth. It's the world we live in, but it's not immutable. We can and will do something about it.

So, Mizahar, we'll do one better than a single female guitarist for a single male guitarist. Because as Björk so poignantly stated in that same interview she shed such frustrated tears for, men in the music industry say something once and everyone listens. But a woman has to say it 5 times before she is even heard. So ladies and gents, I think a 5 for 1 is in order.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Music with Plume, where we will be taking a look at a very unique rhythm guitarist who absolutely sets her guitar and fingers on fire. Your eyes will struggle, and your brain ears will coo.

In the meantime, here is an old but long time favorite from Kaki King. Surprise surprise, she writes all of her own music! Jk, not a surprise. Cause she kicks ass.

[Nivel]

This is awesome keep up the good work. I'm normally more into vocals and sometimes violins but damn that was some kick but guitar playing. Also you mentioned bjork and she's my favourite.

[Plume]

I'm glad you enjoyed them! And no worries I will make sure to do vocals and violins (and more!) in the coming weeks, I was thinking I could do themes and this week just happens to be guitars. And Bjork is quite wonderful isn't she ^__^

[Aventis]

Subbed. Love this. I don't care what you put up just keep puttin' them up.

[Plume]

G A B R I E L A -- Y -- R O D R I G O

Gabriela Quintero. Did you know this lady and her partner in badassery played for President Obama? Like wut. And yet, you just don't hear a whole lot about them, because I have no idea why.

To sum up Gabriela as a person: Smart, passionate, candid, animal lover and activist, deceptively soft demeanor, killer smile, musically philosophical, good natured, great sense of humor, and globally aware.

To sum up Gabriela as a musician: Metalhead. Yes! I'm being 100% serious, and so is she. And from that huge influence in her childhood, and Rodrigo's as well, she grew to become something of a musical sponge. Eventually she found herself playing in the streets with Rodrigo in a totally foreign country, both on acoustic guitars for wholly practical reasons, and their style began to take shape from there. It got to the point where they use guitars made specifically for them by Yamaha because of how unique their system evolved to be. Especially for Gabriela, because her right hand has to be all over the board doing crazy things.

And by crazy, I mean crazy:

If you've heard of Damien Rice or Lisa Hannigan, then you might not be too surprised to know that Gabriela and Rodrigo actually became friends with both during their 8 year stay in Dublin, Ireland. They were fed up with the limited music scene in Mexico and wanted to travel and play music somewhere unconventional. A friend then told them, "People are friendly in Dublin and really love music!" So to Ireland they went. And once they arrived, broke, not knowing English, and grappling with culture shock, they did all manner of busking and whatever humble opportunities they could find until they finally built up their repertoire and caught the attention they needed.

The one huge perk of moving somewhere super different, as many of you can probably attest to, is that it forced them to learn and grow in unexpected, new directions. A lot of people mistake their music as Latin or Flamenco, despite their Metallica and Led Zeppelin covers and traditional rock bar chords/rifts. And even then, they aren't by any means limited to either style. You can really see this fusion of culture in the Gabriela's rhythmn technique, which looks a lot like how you'd play a Bodhran. Because it is! The duo jammed with traditional Irish musicians for years, so she was able to pick up quite a bit from them and actually has a Bodhran of her own. Of course they traveled to other European countries as well, from Barcelona to Denmark, so you can imagine how versatile they were and continue to be. (Much envy!)

But enough background. She is Gab and she is fab. And if you want more RodGab/GabRod, look no further:

In the next episode of Music with Plume, we will be looking at another BA lady whose roots are just as varied, but a smidge different as well. I'll give you a hint: green as the sky and blue as the grass. You'll love her soulful sound and Medusa hair, and who knows there may be even a bit of storytelling involved

Thanks for tuning in, and until next time!

[Plume]

V A L E R I E --J U N E

There's been a bit of a trend for all of these artists thus far. They have all hit or are well into/past their 30's, and I don't think this is mere coincidence. In a nutshell, all of these musicians have worked their absolute butts off for their career and craft, and it didn't happen overnight. It took lots and lots of time, blood, sweat, and tears, and Valerie June is no exception.

To sum up Valerie as a person: Quirky, smooth Tennessee accent, vibrant, made from scratch, values traditions, crafty and creative, mellow Southern sass, thrift shopping addict, and subtly loud. As in everything she does is bold and colorful, but by no means in your face.

To sum up Valerie as a musician: Nimble guitar player, unique high-lonesomey vocals. Not as outrageously skilled as her three predecessors this week, but definitely has a style and aptitude of her own. Her music has been described as a cocktail of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. Notice that she plays mostly with her thumb, and let me tell you as someone who avoids picks like the plague because she is embarrassingly clumsy with them, I approve and am frustrated at the same time by her technique (or lack thereof? or plenty of? Wes Montgomery anyone?), because good luck trying to learn her mish mashed style. And to be honest, this is I think a good part of the appeal in Valerie. She really seems to embody folk culture. A real "yeah whatever works I ain't picky" (ah, ahah, get it...pick-y) sort of attitude. Not the hipstery, eyeglass wearing owl kind of folksy. Like the dusty, roughin' it, I'm-poor-as-shyke folksy. This is why I picked Valerie, even though she isn't as dazzling of a guitarist, or hell even as palatable for a lot of people's ears. She is instead a very real and very self-made artist, and I think she deserves props for that.

Normally I don't include interviews cause I figure if you really want to know more, it is perfectly within your power and means to do so. But this lady is just so fun to watch and listen to. Plus her song Workin' Woman Blues is played in the beginning and throughout, so two birds with one stone, and she just flatout does such a better job than I ever would explaining her background.

So as promised, it's time for a little story. If you are a guitar nut then you probably know the name Seymour Duncan. He is essentially the King of Pickups. Taught himself how to re-wind and repair pickups way back when folk like Mr. Clapton, Hendrix, and Page were just getting big. And yes, he did work on their pickups, too. Jammed with quite a few of them as well, the lucky bastard, and also doesn't use a pick because he liked eating potato chips in between sets and greasy fingers are no bueno for holding onto little pieces of plastic. Now, he and his company are based in Goleta, California. Every year he would entertain a gaggle of his buddy's students from UCSB, and in 2011 I happened to be one of them.

Seymour and his assistant MJ were very gracious. They gave us a little tour, talked about the kinds of services they did, like for instance recreating vintage pickups rust for rust, dent for dent (seriously what the hell is this man's secret? sorcery??), and even had dinner with us afterwards at a Chinese restaurant. And the entire thing would have been a perfect privilege, if not for one major turn off.

At some point Seymour, in talking about how he became such a legendary....wait for it....pick up artist (ba dum chhh!), tried to quiz us on some equally legendary guitarists. Now, our class was made up of almost purely girls. We had probably 11 girls and 2 guys. One was gay (and, might I say, a phenomenal drag queen), and the other happened to be a guitarist and music major, but even he couldn't come up with all that many big names from Seymour's time. We got down Santana, BB King, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, and other really obvious choices, but no one was a true guitar head. Fine, no big deal.

But then Seymour proceeds to say something along the lines of, "Well ladies, just know that in the future you can tell your boyfriends or husbands that you met Seymour Duncan, and they will envy you for the rest of their lives!"

His implication was loud and clear. Sorry, my bad. Implicationsss. He's old, I get it, I have parents and all that so I wasn't shocked. But I and every female in that room felt furious indignation and frustration. Because it was true, we didn't really know all that much about classic rock or blues, nor did we worship the ground upon which their biggest stars walked. But it is so unfair to assume we were ignorant by choice. If I asked him in turn to name at least 5 different classical composers from the Romantic period and then tell me the one string typically separating a violin from a viola, I'm sure he would look like an idiot too. But I wouldn't judge him for it, because it was simply not something he grew up with. DUH.

I was a little peeved. Just a little. Because even though my dad loves his two daughters very much, every now and then he'll let slip that he wished he had a son. And I had spent so much of my life trying to somehow make this up to him, ridiculous as that sounds, that it took me forever to realize the truth.

It isn't about being like or better than a boy/whatever it is you think you need to be...it's just about realizing your full potential as a human being. No more, no less. So I'm trying to make up for lost time and learn all that I can, in my own way.

Yes, it is harder for most people to think of truly impressive and legendary females in our history who didn't start wars or tempt presidents. And yes, sometimes it really does feel like a boys only club, no girls allowed. But no, it doesn't have to be that way forever. It is changing, times are changing, and with every blow that knocks us, stunned and breathless and undignified to the ground, we will get back up and fight just that much harder.

I'm not a radical or guerrilla feminist. I know a few people who are and I find them to be anywhere from entertaining to full on deranged, depending on their latest antics. Really, I think we are all equal on every level and should just learn to get along. But I know we have a ways to go before we reach that level of acceptance and understanding as a species and global community.

Phew, sorry. That came out way heavier than I intended. Light refreshments, anyone? Let's just take a moment to sit back, sip our sweet tea, and enjoy some more Miss June as we chip away at these issues, one generation at a time.

[Ssezzkero]

You just made me fall in love with Valerie June. I think I'm going to use you to update my music

By the way I really like these, really cool and well thought out.

Also, I feel like I have to edit this back in for the last part which I only skimmed earlier: Amen, sister. I couldn't have said it better.

[Plume]

Awesome! And I would be honored to be used in such a way haha. Thank you thank you, and much more to come too, I gots some good stuff in store for you guys