New song: “Alliel” October 13, 2009
Posted by Brian in Brian Kelley, Music, TalentTrove.Tags: bktandem, NJ
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Back in November 2007, more than a year into my relationship with my now-fiancee, Alison, I had recorded an early, instrumental version of a song for her. I had worked out some lyrics for the choruses and the first verse, but that was it.
Because Elvis Costello wrote the ultimate song called “Alison” — a song my Alison can’t stand, by the way — I just couldn’t bring myself to call it that. Hence, I constructed the name “Alliel” by combining my fiancee’s first name and her last initial. My Alison only spells her name with one l, but “Alliel” looks better than “Aliel” so I added the extra l into the song title.
Anyway, a few days ago, Alison went to a baby shower, leaving me home alone to clean and do some things around the house. Instead, I fired up GarageBand on my MacBook, finished writing the lyrics, changed/added some of the piano parts from the 2007 demo and recorded a more finished demo version of “Alliel.”
I realize my voice isn’t the greatest, but once I start recording vocals, I seem to always find myself trying to do some interesting things with harmonies. And then I added the “big vocals” at the end of the song, which was inspired by a Trevor Rabin (former Yes guitarist who does a lot of composing for films these days) solo album from the late 80s.
Anyway, I posted the song on my TalentTrove.com profile, but you can also listen to it below:
“Alliel” (4:43)
Written, arranged and performed by Brian Kelley
Revisiting my musical past: “Don’t Lose The Groove” August 17, 2009
Posted by Brian in Brian Kelley, Christian Beach, Music, New Jersey, TalentTrove.1 comment so far
You might recall that a couple of months ago, I entered a “best piano/keyboard performance” contest on a web site called TalentTrove.com. I came in second place by one or two votes, mostly because the rules said one date was the final day of voting while the voting system itself was set to end 2 1/2 days earlier.
Anyway, despite that experience, I have entered another TalentTrove.com contest…this time for music considered “electronica.”
Now, even when I was into mostly synthesizers, sequencers, samplers and drum machines, I never really considered myself in the genre of “electronica.” I always thought of myself as pop, techno or — in the early 90s — industrial.
And techno-industrial is what I want to talk about right now. As I have written many times before on this blog, my friend Christian Beach and I have worked together musically — on and off — since 1986 or ‘87, I guess. While we were in the ill-fated band TMC & The New Generation (a techno/pop/rap project that I like to describe as “Run DMC meets Depeche Mode”), Christian and I started listening to music generally classified as industrial or — in some cases — cyberpunk. In any case, we really started to get into Ministry, Front 242, Nine Inch Nails, and Nitzer Ebb, among others. Hence, our writing started getting heavier and our songs became angrier and full of more samples. At this point, we convinced our rapper that we needed a name change and we began calling ourselves Interläken Probe, which borrowed from the name of the town to the west of Allenhurst, NJ, as well as the model of car I was driving at the time (a Ford Probe). The “ä” was used to make it look European.
Anyway, one of the last things we worked on as Interläken Probe was a song called “Don’t Lose The Groove.” The phrase had been mentioned during the recording of another song, but it had always stuck with me. When I was trying to come up with lyrics for “Groove,” I thought the phrase fit pretty well in the chorus. In the context of the song, it referred to the idea of the human race all flowing with the groove, and that each of us does our part to screw everything up by losing the groove every now and then (some more than others, of course)…kind of like a record skipping when a needle loses the groove.
Anyway, despite promoting world peace and unity, the song was kind of angry and full of somewhat violent samples. Here is the original rough mix of “Don’t Lose The Groove” that Christian and I recorded around 1990.
OK…back to the present. While thinking about the TalentTrove.com electronica contest, I decided to update one of my old techno songs and submit that for the competition. But which one?
Well, that answer came to me when I stumbled upon “Don’t Lose The Groove” on my iPod. I decided to rerecord “Groove” into GarageBand on my MacBook and bring it a little up to date.
First, I tamed it by removing the samples. While keeping touches of its industrial origins, I made it a more of a dance track. I tried to actually sing the lyrics instead of screaming them like I did in the original. But it just sounded better when I screamed them…although the newer version features more restrained and refined vocals than the original.
Anyway, you can hear “Don’t Lose The Groove (2009)” below.
The Philadelphia Eagles are dead to me August 17, 2009
Posted by Brian in Michael Vick, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, football, sports.2 comments
It has been a few days since the Philadelphia Eagles — defying all sanity and logic — signed disgraced NFL quarterback, illegal drug user, alleged STD transmitter and, oh yes, dogfighting kingpin Michael Vick (aka Ron Mexico).
Upon learning of the signing during the Eagles’ preseason opener against New England, I immediately flipped the TV to another channel and proclaimed my full support to my usual “B team,” the New York Jets, by chanting “J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!”
All of this talk about giving Michael Vick a second chance is ridiculous. This is like his 10th chance. Just take a look at Vick’s Wikipedia entry under early incidents. Sure, there weren’t any convictions or arrests, but you know the saying “where there’s smoke, there’s fire”? Well, Vick seemed to be quite a hotspot.
And then the allegations and evidence began to mount that Vick ran a dogfighting ring out of one of his homes in Virginia, and that he personally took part in torturing and killing dogs in a variety of vicious ways, including hanging, drowning and electrocution.
Vick didn’t just make a mistake that he paid for by serving a prison sentence. He engaged in violent, sociopathic behavior and only stopped because he was caught, convicted and stripped of his livelihood and money. And just because he is now a free man does not mean he has proven himself to be rehabilitated.
Now, all of that being said…in no way would I deny any person redemption. I think the NFL could have reinstated Vick, but told him he had to sit out as a player for one more year. However, during that year, the league could have hired him to speak to NFL players about the horrors of animal cruelty and also work with the Humane Society, the SPCA and other animal rescue organizations. If Vick stayed out of trouble while also being a true asset to supporters of animal rights, it would have gone a long way in shedding the monster image he has bestowed upon himself.
But, no…the Eagles’ organization decided that Vick is a changed person already — despite not having done a damn thing for animal rights except for some minimal work he has done for the Humane Society of which I have yet to see proof.
And here is where my anger gets to the breaking point with the Eagles. Knowing that this signing was going to meet with controversy, the team should have been ready to communicate with local animal rights/rescue organizations (especially Utley All-Star Animals, the charity run by Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and his wife, Jennifer) and develop the framework of a strategy for using Vick as a force for good.
Basically, there were things the Eagles could have done right away to make the signing of Michael Vick a bit more palatable to animal lovers and fans like me who can’t stomach rooting for a team employing such a vile individual.
At the press conference announcing Vick’s signing, the Eagles should have done at least these three things:
- Announced the creation of a program that would raise funds for area animal shelters and rescue operations.
- Designated a number of these shelters and rescue operations and make a generous donation that would be split among these groups.
- Proposed the creation of an advisory panel that would include Vick, team officials, city and state officials, and leaders of area animal rights organizations with the purpose of communicating the evils of animal abuse to the general public and working with law enforcement in identifying and shutting down dogfighting rings.
In addition to announcing these plans, the Eagles would have needed to set a timeline for implementing these programs and ensure Vick’s full participation and cooperation. In addition, there should have been a clause in Vick’s contract stating that, upon the first instance of his non-compliance to these terms, he would be suspended without pay and released (yeah, I know…the NFL Players Association would get in a tizzy over that, but put it in anyway and let the arbiter figure it out later).
All of this, in my mind, would at least told me that the Eagles and Vick were serious about addressing the controversy the signing would bring.
But, no. The Eagles didn’t have any of that prepared. In fact, the Eagles’ lack of interest in the animal cruelty issue was made very apparent when Jennifer Utley attempted to attend the press conference to start a dialogue with the Eagles and Vick. She was turned away at the entrance to the Eagles’ NovaCare practice facility. Instead, the press conference was all about this mythical “second” chance for Vick.
Well, what about the dogs that Vick brutally tortured and killed? They didn’t get a second chance.
The signing of Michael Vick represents a big F.U. to a good portion of Eagles fans — myself included. And until I see evidence that Vick and the Eagles are going to work with the community on the issue of animal rights, they will continue to be dead to me.
And if you are interested, you can sign an online petition to boycott the Philadelphia Eagles for signing Michael Vick.
Artist to Watch: Winter Gloves July 20, 2009
Posted by Brian in Artist to Watch, Music, YouTube, iTunes, video.Tags: Canada, Montreal, WinterGloves
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Winter Gloves
Right on the heels of the post I did on Passion Pit the other day, I would like to share with you another artist to watch.
I first heard of Winter Gloves when I happened to catch the track “Invisible” from their “about a girl” CD on XM Radio’s The Verge channel. It was the catchy electric piano riff over a techno beat that drew me into the song. I hit the info button on my radio to find out the artist and saw the name Winter Gloves.
Unfortunately, I never wrote down the name of the band and forgot it hours later. Over the next 48 hours or so, I told my friend Jason and my fiancee Alison about this great song I heard on XM, but that I couldn’t remember the name of the band who performed it.
Then, while at a party for one of Alison’s friends, I checked an e-mail on my phone. It was a message letting me know that WinterGloves was now following me on Twitter. I instinctively blurted out, “Holy crap! That’s the band who did that song I heard! It’s Winter Gloves!”
So thanks to a combination of XM Radio and Twitter, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about the Montreal-based band Winter Gloves, which consists of Charles F (lead singer/songwriter/wurlitzer), Pat Sayers (drums), Vincent Chalifour (synths) and Jean-Michel Pigeon (guitar/glockenspiel).
According to the band’s bio…
Winter Gloves began as one guy’s way of figuring out how to plug himself into life in the big city. It was a single microphone and minimal equipment gathered into Charles F’s downtown Montreal apartment to piece together all the distances he’d covered since growing up in rural Quebec.
A three-song EP (“Let Me Drive”) was offered as a digital-only download and created additional buzz in anticipation of the release of the full-length “about a girl” CD in 2008.
I just bought “about a girl” from iTunes this past weekend and had a chance to listen to it a few times while driving up to Scranton, Pa., for a work-related meeting. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to catch Winter Gloves live in the near future.
Here is a video of Winter Gloves performing “Invisible”:
Artist to Watch: Passion Pit July 18, 2009
Posted by Brian in Artist to Watch, Music, WXPN, YouTube, artist, review.Tags: PassionPit
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Passion Pit
As someone who uses Pandora as a tool for new music discovery and listens to WXPN, the great radio station operating out of Philadelphia’s University of Pennsylvania, and to the emerging artist channels on XM Radio, I sometimes hear a band I like and think to myself, “You know, I wish I blogged about them sooner. Now they’re everywhere.”
But then I realize the artist isn’t everywhere…just everywhere I go for new music. So even though “those in the know” are raving about a certain artist, when I bring that artist up in a conversation about music, I’m always stunned to hear that most of the people I’m talking to have no knowledge of said artist.
So while I may be late to the party among those who pay close attention to the music industry, that shouldn’t stop me from writing about certain artists. After all, if my blog post connects just a few more people to a deserving artist, it’s worth the time to write it.
For instance, in this piece — my first “artist to watch” post in ages, I’m going to take a look at Passion Pit, an electronic group out of Cambridge, Mass., fronted by songwriter Michael Angelakos. Their first full-length CD, “Manners,” was released back in May, but there was buzz about the band after the ecstatic reception to their 2008 EP, “Chunk of Change.”
Passion Pit also has an interesting “from out of nowhere” back-story. “Chunk of Change” actually began as a four-song CD that Angelakos — who was attending Emerson College at the time — made for his then-girlfriend as a Valentine’s Day gift. The CD, however, wound up becoming quite popular on the Emerson campus and soon Angelakos was getting attention from record labels and promoters.
That resulted in the formation of Passion Pit (which currently consists of Angelakos, Ian Hultquist, Ayad Al Adhamy, Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer) and the production of the “Chunk of Change” EP, which included the original four songs on the Valentine’s Day CD plus the tracks “Sleepyhead” and “Better Things.” Additional exposure for Passion Pit came from the use of “Sleepyhead” in a Canadian commercial for Sony’s PSP game system and spots for MTV’s “What the Flip?” promotion.
Passion Pit was named one of the top bands at the 2008 CMJ Music Marathon in New York and placed ninth in BBC’s Sound of 2009 list of emerging music acts. The band was also XPN’s Artist to Watch in June 2009.
Built upon electro-pop bass grooves and punchy synth-based hooks, the tracks on “Manners” draw from a number of musical influences. One can clearly hear touches of Brian Wilson/Beach Boys (“Let Your Love Grow Tall” and “Seaweed Song”), early Prince (“Eyes as Candles”) and even U2 (“Moth’s Wings”). For a taste of “Manners,” check out the video for “The Reeling” (my favorite track from the CD) below.
But Angelakos and Co. manage to incorporate those various influences into a cohesive collection of songs on “Manners” that makes for a enjoyable listen throughout. The one issue I have with “Manners” is the sequencing. While the first track, “Make Light” is a decent enough song, it isn’t quite successful as an album opener. If I hadn’t already heard many of the tracks that were to follow, I’m not sure “Make Light” would have drawn me into the rest of the CD on its own.
But if you like intelligent electronic pop music suitable for dancing or just driving around, pick up a copy of “Manners” by Passion Pit.
More information: Passion Pit on MySpace
Vote for Victorino…TODAY! July 9, 2009
Posted by Brian in Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies, baseball, sports.Tags: #votevictorino, AllStarGame, FinalVote, MLB, ShaneVictorino
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Vote for Shane Victorino!
Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino is in a tight race for the National League team’s final roster spot in MLB’s Final Vote competition. Voting ends today at 4 p.m. ET, so CLICK HERE NOW and vote as many times as you can (there is no limit) before 4 p.m. to send Shane to the All-Star Game.
Last night, Victorino was the hero for the Phillies as he delivered a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Phils a 3-2 walk-off win. And, as the official campaign video below shows, Shane has come through time and time again for the reigning World Series champions.
Another gig this weekend… June 17, 2009
Posted by Brian in Asbury Park, Brian Kelley, Christian Beach, Music, New Jersey, arts, concert, links.add a comment
Christian Beach @ Twisted Tree Cafe
I will be playing accordion for my good friend, singer-songwriter Christian Beach, when he performs at Twisted Tree Cafe in Asbury Park, NJ, on Friday, June 19, at 9:45 p.m. The performance is part of the annual Wave Gathering Festival, which features more than 175 artists appearing at more than two dozen venues throughout Asbury Park.
Gorgo (mandolin) and Agency’s Michael Scotto (percussion) will also be taking part in the ensemble.
So if you are in the area, please stop by and take in some great local music.
Beating the Mets sounds great in any language June 12, 2009
Posted by Brian in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies, Raul Ibanez, baseball, sports, video.add a comment
Comcast SportsNet-Philly featured a chat with the lead announcer for the Phillies’ Spanish-language affiliate during last night’s Phillies-Mets game, which the Phillies won 6-3 after Raul Ibanez hit a 3-run home run in the top of the 10th inning.
After Ibanez hit the home run, CSN played the Spanish version of the call, which The Fightins has posted online (thanks!).
TalentTrove.com contest is over…prematurely June 5, 2009
Posted by Brian in Brian Kelley, Music, New Jersey, TalentTrove, contest.add a comment
Just wanted to update my blog readers on the TalentTrove.com contest I had been writing about. Although the official contest rules stated that voting would end at midnight on Sunday, June 7, the poll used for the voting was setup to stop taking votes at 11:21 a.m. this morning for some reason.
I sent an e-mail to TalentTrove.com for clarification asking about the official end date and all I received back was what looked like an auto-reply because it didn’t answer my question. Actually, it raised more questions since the message it sent back to me included this:
TalentTrove will post the top finalists on Friday May 29th 10 AM and voting will last until Sunday June 7th at Midnight. The winner will be announced Monday June 8th at 10 AM.
But the poll is still closed so I guess voting — and the contest — is over a bit ahead of schedule, which is kind of lame.
My song “Vortex (2009)” lost by one vote, but I would like to congratulate fellow New Jerseyan Dennis Crocker for his contest-winning “55 MPH.”
Thank you to all who supported me in this endeavor.
Phillies wins are good for my blog June 5, 2009
Posted by Brian in Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies, baseball, links.add a comment
Whenever I look at the stats for my little ol’ blog here, I am amazed at how much traffic I received during the Phillies’ World Series-winning run in 2009.
My blog normally gets a few hundred views per month…I would say in the 600-800 range, typically. But in May 2008, page views jumped from 707 during the previous month to 1,623. The next three months were in the 1,200 neighborhood.
Then, during the final stretch of the Phillies’ season in September, as they made their run to a second consecutive National League East title, views went up to 2,196 for the month. During the playoffs in October, my blog enjoyed its best traffic ever with 3,765 views. After falling to 1,675 in November, the blog has returned to its typical 600-800 views per month.
I don’t want to turn this into a Phillies-only blog, especially since there are so many great ones out there already, like The Good Phight, Phillies Nation, The Fightins, etc. But I should probably write more about the team than I do for the sake of blog traffic.
By the way, the Phillies won their seventh in a row last night with a 3-0 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Cole Hamels tossed a complete-game, five-hit shutout for the Phils, who now have a four-game lead over the Mets in the NL East race.
