The first song I have decided to talk about is Zari by Marina Satti of Greece! The title of the Zari is the greek word for dice. The whole song is about letting go your hardships and letting them roll of you like dice. The chorus of the song describes this perfectly. The whole song is a mix of modern themes and lyrics with traditional instrument strung throughout the song. I personally love this song, it's been on my playlist since it first came out eight months ago. I really should check out Marina Satti's music because I'm absolutely obsessed with Zari! (Europe, modern).
original chorus/translation:
(Ta ta ta….) Ki áse na mas férei ó,ti thélei metá (Ta ta ta….) Na mas férei ó,ti thélei (Ta ta ta….) Ki as eínai na mas férei ó,ti thélei metá (Ta ta ta….) Na mas férei ó,ti thélei
(Ta ta ta…) And let whatever happens happen (Ta ta ta…) And let whatever happens happen (Ta ta ta…) And let whatever happens happen (Ta ta ta…) Let whatever happens happen
The second song I decided to talk about is Jako by Ladaniva from Armenia! This song is about embracing your inner Jako, letting yourself be truly and authentically yourself. Jako is the childhood nickname of the singer Jaklin Baghdasaryan, who had been told her whole life that she didn't act like a girl. This song is about breaking the mold and is overall just so fun to listen to. This song is right after Zari on my playlist actually. I love how this song also mixes modern lyricism with more traditional instrumentals. (Asia, modern).
The third song I decided to talk about is Mestra Terezinha a traditional Brazilian song. I'm not really sure what it is about, but I absolutely adore the sound and the overall vibes of the song. I love the drums and the shakers and the vocals! They all blend together so well and I will definitely be looking into more traditional Brazilian music in the future. (South America, Traditional)
The fourth song I decided to talk about is KPENDEH a Liberian folk song of the Gola people. I also picked this song out of vibes and because I liked the drum beat a lot. There's something ceremonial about it that I love so much. I really like African music in general and this is no exception. It just feels like something you would dance to and I like that. (Africa, Traditional)
The ritual I have chosen to write about is my Bat Mitzvah! Yes I am a Jew and proud to be one. Now I don't know how many people reading this even know what a Bat Mitzvah is, so I thought I would give a quick expiation. A Bat (for a girl) or Bar (for a boy) Mitzvah is a coming to age event where a young Jew basically says that they fully embrace Judaism as a whole. It's kind of similar to a quinceanera except not just for girls and it happens when we turn thirteen instead of fifteen. The most important piece played is the Hava Nagila and is accompanied by the Horah which is a traditional dance done at celebrations. Both the Horah and Hava Nagila are performed as an expression of joy and celebration during Bat Mitzvahs and weddings. Hava Nagila literally translates to Let Us Rejoice. During the Horah people form a circle and dance around either the bride and groom or in my case me to celebrate my coming of age. Then they throw you up in the air while you are sitting in a chair. It was actually terrifying. I thought I was going to die when they did it to me. People cheer, celebrate and sing along with the song. For Bat Mitzvahs multiple people can be thrown up in the chair. For mine it was my siblings, my mom, my grandma and me. Another song is called Simon Tov u'mazal Tov which is a short and sweet song to give everyone some mazal tov or good luck. The other ceremony that uses music is the candle lighting ceremony. There are thirteen candles and different groups or people that are important to me come up and light them. Each person or group of people has a special song that is played for each of them. They pick the songs that they want be played as they light the candle. I don't really remember the songs that got played for my candle lighting ceremony, but I remember everyone enjoyed figuring out what songs the other people picked. My Bat Mitzvah was definitely something and I did really enjoy it. However I wouldn't do it again. I don't like all the attention being on me and everyone kept hugging me. Though if you ever get invited to a Bat Mitzvah, you should defiantly go!
Simon Tov u'mazal Tov
This is an example from a wedding and all I'll say is us Jew get lit
My family and I in the Synagogue
Me and my dad (Love you dad!)
Me and my mom (Love you mom!)
Me being studious and spiritual while my parents look at me with pride
Wide shot of the Synagogue
My Rabbi and me struggling to hold the Torah (It was really heavy)
My Bat Mitzvah venue, it was Greek Mythology themed (I'm a nerd)
My parents and I at the candle lighting ceremony
Them lifting me during the Horah (I was terrified)
My brother looking terrified (He's so cute! Don't tell him I said that)
For this blog I decided to interview my Aunt Sue! It was between her and my dad, but I ultimately chose my aunt. This gave me a chance to catch up with her and learn about her opinions and experiences with music.
After we chatted for a little bit about college and how life in Michigan was, I jumped right into the questions. The first thing I asked her was how she got into playing the flute since I already knew she played an instrument. She told me that she started in the fifth grade and has continued on ever since. She actually is going to perform soon at her new job. She works at a middle school with my cousin Marissa, who's the band instructor. She said she was going to play in the winter concert as a part of the faculty section. Then I told her if I were ever to play an instrument It would be a flute and she found that exciting. Then I asked her if she had an instrument she wished she could play and she said piano. She said she had always wanted to learn when she was younger because then she would've had a better foundation for music. Next I asked her what her favorite artist was when she was my age and she said it was Prince. She didn't really give that much of an explanation, she just really liked his music. Something I learned about my aunt is that she LOVES Josh Groban! Like loves him. He is her current favorite artist and the artist she would listen to if she could only listen to one forever. So Josh Groban must make really good music then. I've never really listened to him before, but I'll have to take her word for it. She has also seen him in concert multiple times and I think recently she saw him in April. Then I asked her what her opinions on modern music are and she definitely had some opinions. For one she thinks the top 40 songs are pretty good, but not what she would choose to listen to. She is not the biggest fan of hip hop or rap music; she thinks the lyrics are too vulgar and overall doesn't understand the appeal. She also dislikes country music which is kinda understandable seeing as she has lived in the Midwest her whole life. That also ties into the genre of music she dislikes. However her favorite genre is alternative which is also my favorite so it was a nice bonding moment over call. Then I asked her how she listened to music when she was younger and she went through a list of ways from records to CDs. I was telling her how my dad had said that they only had one record player in the living room that they had to share when they were younger. She found that funny and said that she remembered that being true. I then asked her if she ever dabbled in making her own music and she said no. She just performs music given to her. And lastly I asked if her and my Uncle Eric had a special song. To which she said no, they never had a special song even back when they were dating. Which I don't blame them. As much as I love music having one song that's like "your" song is a little weird in my opinion and hers.
Overall it was really nice talking with my aunt and I hope I can see her in person some time soon. It's been about two years since I've seen my dad's side of the family and it would be nice seeing them again. My aunt's pretty cool and I hope you found her opinions Interesting.
I was struggling for a long time on what I wanted to write about for this blog and then it hit me; guitars! Well more specially guitar players and how almost all of them are men. See I know about guitars, my dad has been playing for years. It was his childhood dream to learn and all it took was my brother, who was seven at the time, to even take the smallest interest in playing and my dad was set. While my brother quit three years in, my dad is still going and from him is where I learned all that I know. Even if I can't play that well. I learned that in all of the bands and solo artists my dad and I loved, the guitar player was almost always a man. I never really thought of it before, but I rarely ever saw a woman playing the guitar. Even when I attempted to learn classical guitar myself I was the only girl there getting lessons. So I thought why don't I dedicate this blog to some truly talent female guitar players that have been influential to the guitar playing world.
Bonnie Raitt: Bonnie Raitt is an American blues rock singer and guitarist from Burbank, California. She is a 13 times Grammy winner, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has countless other awards for her music. She worked closely with Warner Brothers from 1977-1988 where she was signed to their record label. Her album Sweet Forgiveness has her first commercial breakthrough in 1977 though she had already been massively successful before hand. She is very involved with activism and in 1985 sang and appeared the video called "Sun City" that was an anti-apartheid song. She also preformed in Farm Aid and Amnesty international concerts. Also she performed in the first Soviet/American Peace Concert as well as organized a benefit for the Countdown 87' to Stop Contra Aid; where she herself also featured. She is a staple in bluesy rock genre. The song below is "I Can't Make You Love Me" from her album 11th Luck of the Draw.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Sister Rosetta Tharpe was American singer and guitarist who rose to popularity in the 1930-40s for her fusion of gospel music and electric guitar. She is considered the first great recording gospel artist and the first to appeal to R&B and Rock and Roll audiences. She had a large influence on early Rock and Roll artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. She pioneered using heavy distortion on electric guitar and in turn lead to the creation of electric blues. During her time, guitar playing was considered a masculine skill and she often got the backhanded compliment that she could "play like a man". She was inevitably shunned from the gospel community for preforming in nightclubs. She was such an important figure in blues and in the creation of Rock and Roll, it's awe-inspiring what she accomplished as a queer black woman in the 1930s! The song below is "This Train" and in the video Sister Rosetta is performing it live.
Nita Strauss: Nita Strauss is an American rock musician currently the touring guitarist for Alice Cooper. Nita had her own band called Lia-Fail that she began touring with when she was a teenager, dropping out of school to pursue music full time. Though she has now worked with a number of rock and metal groups like As Blood Runs Black, Consume the Fire, Femme Fatale and Critical Hit. In April 2018 she kickstarted her own solo album that got funded in under two hours. She produced the record herself and played all of the guitars and basses on the album. She became the first ever female Ibanez (Japanese model of guitar) signature artist and who has her own model guitar, Ibanez JIVA10. Strauss is a huge Los Angeles Rams fan and has preformed interludes and riffs that start crowd chants at games. Her song "Dead Inside" hit number one on the Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and she was the first female in 32 years to do so.
Hi I'm Alex Dwyer and I'm from Temple, Texas. Though I actually lived in Greenville, SC for ten years before I moved my senior year of high school. I used to do choir for six years, but I quit my sophomore year to do other things. I also attempted to learn classical guitar, but it's really hard when the neck is wider than my fingers can reach. I plan to major in Biochemistry and minor in Environmental Studies because I want to try and converse our planet, so it doesn't get destroy earlier than it should. I just all around love music and am almost always listening to it. Finally, I hope you find my music taste interesting.
My go to music right now is a mix of two things. First, Is one of my favorite bands, Vampire Weekend! More specifically their album, Modern Vampires of the City. The song above is Unbelievers, my personally favorite from the album and the song that got into listening to Vampire Weekend. I have also been listening to Epic: The Musical, a musical concept about Homer's Odyssey. The newest saga came out last week and I can't stop listening to it! The musical itself isn't finished and there are still two other saga's that still have to be released and I'm eagerly waiting. This song is called Love in Paradise and it is full of callbacks from the previous sagas. Little musical motifs and reworkings of past lyrics. It's truly amazing!
A piece of music that is important it me is the song Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes. This song speaks to my soul like no song ever could. The very first time I listened to it I got chills and the only thing I could think of was where has this song been all my life. The whole album of the same name is a blend of autumnal and indie beats and existential lyrics that speak volumes to the human experience of belonging. The lyric, "What good its it to sing helplessness blues, why should I wait for anyone else?" Blew my mind away when I first listened to it. It got me thinking, I am in control of my own life. Why do I need to wait for people to recognize talents when I can barely recognize them myself? There is no reason to feel bad about myself at others expenses. And the big one, I am not helpless! I am not completely in that mentality yet and who knows if I ever will be. I just have to keep pushing myself to get better and this song helps me continue to do that.
A song I don't really vibe with is Waling on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox. I truly don't have a real reason why I dislike this song so much; I just do. Maybe it's the piano that doesn't resonate with me or Annie's vocal performance but I just can't get into it. And the kicker is it's one of my mom's favorite songs, so it was always playing in the car. My mom actually has really good music taste, but this song in my opinion stuck out like a sore thumb. Though I actually do think that Annie Lennox has a really unique voice, this particularly song just doesn't do it for me.
