So for this blog I wanted to talk to my dad about his background with music. After all, he is the reason that I am into the types of music that I am now. He has been a major influence on my taste in music so I wanted to get a little more information about where Dad's top notch music taste came from. Enjoy!
Me: "What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What were some of your favorite bands?
Dad: "I listened to a lot of rock music growing up. I really loved bands like AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, Beastie Boys and Pink Floyd. I wasn't allowed to listen to Ozzy Osbourne but my mom listened to him which never made any sense to me."
Me: "Who had the biggest influence on your taste in music?"
Dad: "Probably my mom. She was always into the harder stuff while my dad was into Elvis and The Beatles."
Me: "Did you ever listen to any music that your parents didn't approve of?"
Dad: "Oh yeah. All the time! I started listening to Ozzy, Marylin Manson, and Slipknot when I was a teenager. They got really mad at me when the found out about Slipknot and Marylin Manson. Mom said they were Satan worshippers and that their music was of the devil yet she listened to Ozzy Osbourne."
Me: "Oh, wow. That doesn't really add up if she listened to Ozzy, he's pretty wild. Have you ever been to any concerts? I know we've been to quite a few."
Dad: "I went to see AC/DC and let me tell you, that's the best show I have ever been to. Your mom and I went when we were younger. We couldn't hear for a couple of days after. Obviously, you know that we've seen Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown multiple times, we've seen Breaking Benjamin, Jinjer, and The Browning too. I want to see Slipknot once the Rona goes away. Looks like they'd put on one heck of a show."
Me: "Yeah, we need to go see them before they get too old to run around stage. Well, I guess I'll ask my last question. What's your favorite song or artist right now?"
Dad: "Definitely something by Jinjer or Lamb Of God. I've been listening to 512 by Lamb of God lately."
I had fun talking to my dad and getting a little backstory from him in the music department. I wasn't expecting to hear about my dad being rebellious as a teenager, that's for sure. I hope you guys enjoyed this blog!
Hey y'all! I'm glad you dropped by to hear me talk about my favorite genre of music. I know I talk about heavy metal in almost every blog but today I'm here to talk about a certain type of metal. Obviously there are many subgenres of heavy metal and my favorite is called nu-metal. So buckled up because I'm about to rock your socks off ;)
How did nu-metal get started?
Nu-metal music got its start on October 27, 1995 thanks to a band called Korn. They had a gig in London with that caught the attention of the 800 metal fans in the crowd. The band from Bakersfield, California fronted by Jonathan Davis (a former mortuary assistant) released its debut album the previous year. They took influence from Rage Against the Machine and made their own style of rap-metal. The LA music scene was revived when bands began to follow in Korn's footsteps by down-tuning their guitars and diving into nu-metal. Another one of the founding bands of nu-metal is called Limp Bizkit. Fred Durst (tattoo artist) decided to take more influence from hip-hop into Limp Bizkit's music. The band wasn't quite metal but it wasn't hip-hop either. It was a perfect blend of the two genres and this attracted tons of fans. Static-X is another important nu-metal band. This Chicago band captured the outsider look of nu-metal with their lead singer sporting a hairstyle that made him look as if he had been electrocuted. One of the most unhinged bands from the genre is a nine-piece band from Iowa. Slipknot perfectly encompasses all aspects of nu-metal in all fields. The creepy mask wearing group were known to huff fumes from a dead bird in a jar before shows to get themselves in a dark mindset. Pretty crazy, right? Well, that's what nu-metal is about. These people don't fit in so they go out of their way to further push the boundaries of society with their music.
As quickly as nu-metal was born, Linkin Park came along in 2000 to put it to death. Their first album was an instant success as it sold 5 million copies in 12 months. The expectations were set far too high which took away the spotlight from other bands of the genre. As they were struggling to keep up with the demand, members of Korn, Deftones, and other bands fell into drug addiction. Limp Bizkit lost many fans and lost their place as one of nu-metal's leading bands. Many artists decided to leave the scene while bands like Slipknot and Korn stood strong. The 2013 Download festival singlehandedly save the entire genre with a killer line-up featured Slipknot, Korn, System of a Down, and Limp Bizkit. Since then, nu-metal has been pretty successful and you usually hear a few songs from the genre every time you turn on your local rock station.
Here is one of Korn's most popular songs just to give you an idea of what they sound like.
Also, here is a great song from Slipknot's first album.
What is nu-metal?
The majority of nu-metal lyrics deal with struggle and mental health. For example, Jonathan Davis of Korn writes about the abuse he endured as a child and his insecurities. Nu-metal artists use their lyrics to talk about all of the anger and sadness they feel. One of my favorite albums from Slipknot features songs that discuss the depression that overtook the band once their bassist passed away in 2010 from an accidental overdose. As you can already tell from the two songs I have included, most songs are very vulgar. It just adds to the intensity and helps the artists to really express their emotions.
Nu-metal is a mixture of grunge, alternative metal, hardcore punk, hip-hop, other genres of heavy metal (industrial, groove). It includes melodic vocals, guttural screams, shouting similar to hardcore punk music, and rapping. It is also common for songs to have rapped verses with screamed choruses.
Overall, nu-metal emphasizes mood, texture, and rhythm over melody. Nu-metal uses rhythmic and syncopated riffs on distorted electric guitars with down-tuned strings to create a dark and resonate sound. The drumming often consists of hip-hop, funk, and heavy metal. Double bass drumming is not very common but Slipknot is one of the few exceptions.
The bridge is often the climax of the song and sometimes it is just one line repeated over an over, getting louder and louder.
ICONIC lyrics
Nu-metal lyrics tend to show the vulnerability of the artist and it has always helped me connect with the music. It often makes the listener feel understood because they talk about very real and common problems that people experience.
Dull Boy- Mudvayne
"By the way just so you know
Always everyday this is how I feel
I'm not the reason
Its not my fault
Its not my problem
I'm not the cause
I'm not your scape goat (I'm not your scape goat)
I'm not your god (I'm not your god)
I'm not your martyr (I'm not your martyr)"
Down With The Sickness- Disturbed
"Get up, come on get down with the sickness
Open up your hate, and let it flow into me"
One Step Closer- Linkin Park
"I find the answers aren't so clear
I find the answers aren't so clear
Wish I could find a way to disappear
All these thoughts they make no sense
I find bliss in ignorance
Nothing seems to go away
Over and over again Just like before
Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I'm about to break
I need a little room to breathe
'Cause I'm one step closer to the edge And I'm about to break"
The Light- Disturbed
"When you think all is forsaken
Listen to me now (all is not forsaken)
You need never feel broken again
Sometimes darkness can show you the light"
The Heretic Anthem- Slipknot
"If you're 555, then I'm 666"
Okay, this song needs an explanation. I swear these guys aren't evil. This song is about individuality and fighting the society that we have been brainwashed into conforming with. Simply this song screams the message of "If you all are the same, then I want to be different. I want to be the one person to stand out among the crowd." This is a common theme in most nu-metal songs because this genre is the black sheep of the entire metal genre.
Suggestions
Dig- Mudvayne
(get ready for a strange video)
My Own Summer- Deftones
A Different World- Korn (ft. Corey Taylor)
I hope you all learned a lot from my blog! Let me know if you liked any of these songs!
Peace out!
Sources
Everley, Dave. “Revenge of the Freaks: the Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Nu Metal.” Metal Hammer Magazine, Louder, 19 Mar. 2020, www.loudersound.com/features/revenge-of-the-freaks-how-nu-metal-took-over-the-world.
“Nu Metal.” Metal Wiki, Fandom, metal.fandom.com/wiki/Nu_metal.
Pereira, Ansel. “100 Best Nu Metal Bands - Spinditty - Music.” Spinditty, 5 Feb. 2020, spinditty.com/genres/100-Best-Nu-Metal-Bands.
Hey guys! So for this blog I'm gonna be educating y'all on African music and culture. Go ahead and prepare for a brief section on heavy metal as usual! :)
I was really interested to see all of the different instruments used in Africa. Out of all of the different instruments I found, I thought the mbira was the coolest. It's an instrument used by the people of Zimbabwe and it consists of 22-28 keys on a soundboard usually made out of wood of mubvamaropa tree. The keys were originally made of smelted iron ore and now they are made of recycled metal from other objects such as bed springs or bicycle spokes. The mbira is usually put in a calabash resonator to amplify the sound. When the mbira is played, it has a unique buzz that adds depth and volume to its sound.
Below is cover of "Africa" by Toto on the mbira.
Also, I just wanted to include this video of "Avatar's Love" on the kalimba. The mbira and the kalimba are not the same by the way as you can tell lol.
Next, I researched the Gumboot dance. The Gumboot dance originated from South African gold mine workers. Flooding became a major problem so their employers decided to give the workers rubber gumboots to protect them from getting ill instead of draining the flood water. In order to communicate in the mines, the workers made rhythms and by stomping their feet or slapping their boots. It was a way of expressing their ethnic identities and communicating with each other. The dance began to spread outside of the gold mines into the city as a form of entertainment. The employers took their workers and formed groups to represent their companies. The workers preformed and were able to mock their employers without them knowing with their dances. Now, the Gumboot dance has evolved into Step Dancing. It involves similar moves and instruments as Gumboot dancing but it has been made more modern. The performers are more dramatic and they use their voices in their performances.
Now for my favorite subject... heavy metal! Africa was had a turbulent political history. Music is how they expressed their opinions and emotions. One band that I came across is named Terminatryx. This is a female-fronted band from Cape Town. One track on each of their albums is in their own language. They use their music as a way to protest and express their beliefs about what is currently going on in the world around them which is very common in metal music. Unfortunately, I was unable to find much information on this band. The lyrics are a little strange but here is one of their songs! (This was the only video I was able to embed into the blog lol.)
Hey y'all! I have been looking forward to discussing music and gender. I have A LOT to say about this topic so get ready. First off, society has shown that girls specifically need to listen to "girly" music. What does that even mean? To me, gender and music have nothing to do with each other. Guys can listen to whatever genre they want to and women can as well. I would just like to say "screw society" before I really get into this blog.
When I was little, I was very much into rock and heavy metal (some rap too). I was never into what other girls were doing and I was literally the epitome of a tomboy. I was judged for being into really dark music when I should have been 100% into boy bands like all of the other girls my age. Now that I'm older, I have realized that people actually think gender and music are closely related which makes no sense. Society views women as overly sensitive so we are supposed to listen to slow, sad songs. I've noticed that a lot of older folks are shocked when I tell them what kind of music I listen to. They would be even more shocked to know that I have attended several metal concerts and taught myself to scream because girls aren't supposed to do things like that. Girls are just supposed to sing and look pretty which I absolutely HATE!
I really have some beef with the music industry because if you look up "top ten metal bands" on Google, you will only see male-fronted bands. Let me just put y'all on a female-fronted band real quick. I would also encourage you to watch to this video as well. It won't let me insert the video for some reason so here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQNtGoM3FVU
Let's compare this to one of my favorite bands, a male-fronted group called Slipknot.
In my opinion, Jinjer should have just as much recognition as Slipknot. Most people don't go out of their way to listen to female-fronted metal bands because the vocals are a little strange. Once you find the right band, it becomes clear that your gender does not dictate whether you can make good metal music or not. Another great female-fronted metal band is Arch Enemy. I could ramble on for hours about how gender has absolutely nothing to do with what kind of music you can play or listen to, but it would be a million words long.
If the music makes you happy, you shouldn't let society's weird view get in your way. Go out and scream to heavy metal or vibe to some rap music, girl!
Have a great weekend and feel free to drop a comment!
So it took me a while to find somewhere in South American that really caught my eye until I ran across Brazil. These people are pretty neat in my opinion so let's get into it.
If you know me, you know that I love heavy metal... A LOT. So naturally I searched for Brazilian heavy metal because I was just curious if I could find some really really heavy stuff. Let me tell y'all something, these people take metal music seriously. The thrash metal scene is very prominent in Brazil which I found very interesting If you don't know what thrash metal is, let me educate you. Basically thrash metal is an overall aggressive form of metal with a fast tempo, crazy guitar shredding, and rad guitar riffs. It's the kind of music that makes you want to jump or "thrash" around. Some thrash metal bands are Pantera, Slayer, Anthrax, and Motörhead. Now that you have a basic understanding of thrash metal, let's talk about Brazilian thrash metal bands. I was trying to find the band name that caught my attention. A band called Torture Squad came up and it turns out that they toured with the two biggest thrash metal bands (Overkill and Exodus). The band has been around since 1990 and their music will definitely pump you up. I listened to a few of their songs but I wanted to highlight "Nothing To Declare" which is partially in their native language. Personally, I gathered that the song is kind of political and it talks about society. Feel free to give it a listen!
The next cool thing I want to talk about is the different instruments that are used in Brazil. Traditionally, they mostly used flutes, whistles, horns and rattles. Now that their music has evolved, their instruments have as well. The Atabaque is a hand drum and there are three different types. The tallest one, which produces the lowest sound, is called the Rum. The medium drum is called the Rum-Pi. The smallest of the three is called the Le. The drum is surrounded by metal rings and is covered in calf skin. Roping can be adjusted along the rings around the drum to change the pitch. Below is a video of a woman playing the Atabaque.
Finally, I have found something strange. Something I have only every seen on TV... dance fighting. It's actually called capoeira. It is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that involves elements of music and dance. It has been suggested that in the 16th century, it was prohibited to celebrate culture or practice martial arts. Capoeira was a sneaky way for slaves at the time to rebel against the law. Eventually, people were punished for practicing capoeira but the art form never died. The end of slavery in Brazil caused the use of capoeira to become more sinister. It was used for criminal purposes and criminals learned to conceal weapons used while practicing the art in the streets. The true past of capoeira will mostly likely remain uncertain but the art never died and seems to continue to grow in popularity. Below is an example of capoeira.
So to get started, I'll talk a little bit about my religious background. As a kid, my parents tried to find a good church for us to attend. I grew up in church, but we had a hard time finding an accepting one to go to. It seemed like the people in a few of the churches alienated us just because we were new to the congregation. We ended up stopping our search and started worshiping from home. Once I got into middle school, I strayed from God a little. My best friend suggested that I try to go to the youth service at his church. I finally went and the next year I got baptized. I have a lot of recent and vivid memories of some good old Southern Baptist church music. Music is a very important thing in Christianty. Christians find peace in using music to worship God and it is definitely a big part of the culture. It helps Christians express our love for God in a powerful way which is common in other religions. Not only does the music have a special meaning, but it also is used in different situations. The music played on the organ during prayer is different than the music played when the congregation is exiting the church. Different music sets the tone for each situation during the service. While more traditional hymns are used in church, I have always connected more with different Christian artists like NF, Zach Williams or Hillsong United.
I remember going to a youth service and hearing one of the older girls singing "Oceans" by Hillsong United. It may not be the most traditional Christian worship music but it really resonates with me. This song has always stuck with me because it serves as a reminder that God will never leave me. Below is a lyric video to the song.
Below is one of my favorite gospel songs that we sing at my church. Of course, we don't sing it like a country song but it's played frequently. This is a very uplifting song as it talks about the power of Jesus. It always makes me think about how Jesus is in control so I never have to worry about a thing.
Another good Christian song that is constantly on repeat for me is "Fear Is A Liar" by Zach Williams. Again, this is not your typical gospel song that is played in the middle of a Sunday service. I went to Hearts On Fire with my youth group to see this artist in concert and I fell in love with his music because it is so honest and real. He talks about his struggles and how God has brought him through them even when he was at his lowest. This song is about fighting the fear that the devil tries to put in our hearts. I find myself going back to this song a lot when I'm uncertain of the future.
I found it interesting that Native American men and women dance differently to music at powwows. The women are more reserved while the men are more active. I thought the women's jingle dress dance was very interesting. Women attach rows of metal cones to their dresses that jingle while they dance to the music. The jingle dress is thought to bring healing to those who are sick. According to an old story, an old medicine man's daughter was sick and the spirits led him to make a jingle dress for her. The spirits told him that if she danced with the dress she would be healed. After dancing, she was healed of her sickness. Jingle dress cones were once made with rolled snuff can lids but they are now machine-made. The dresses are often very colorful and flashy.
The men's Fancy Dance is very fast paced and their costumes are full of bright colors. The dance was first introduced in the reservation era. Dancers can carry twirling spinners as they dance. The outfits are made to be as colorful as possible for entertainment purposes. The dancers showcase their fancy footwork and acrobatics then they abruptly stop to pose at the end to impress the judges. No one dances the same, they all feel the beat of the music and dance along. The dance is extremely difficult since they have to keep up with the fast drum beat and stop on the final beat of the song.
The men's Grass Dance also caught my eye. The dancers wear long strands of colorful ribbon and fringe that move in the wind as they dance. They have headdresses with feathers attached as well as matching a shirt, pants, and aprons decorated with yarn and ribbons, matched bead-work, headband, wrist cuffs, arm bands, long harnesses, and a belt with side drops. The accessorizing doesn't stop there. They can add bone chokers and scarves or carry dream catchers or a fan. The dance is slower paced than the Fancy Dance and they hop and sway to the music.
