Craig Sanders's Blog
Posted by Craig Sanders
I am sitting here on the couch right now, icing my aching back (played football this morning) and watching the Yankees/ Boston game. Yes, I have other interests besides music. Matsui just launched one into the seats, and that makes me happy.
What does this have to do with music? Nothing, but its my blog, so you'll just have to bear with me.
I am a lifelong New Yorker, born and spent my early days in the Bronx, raised across the Tappan Zee Bridge, and still there. I want to say that living here gives you a certain perspective on the world, but I really don't know cause I have nothing to compare it to.
New York has always been important to the music scene, espeically Folk Music. Leadbelly came here. Woody Guthrie came here. Bob Dylan came here. Pete Seeger is from here. I can think of a million more, (Steve Earle and Levon Helm both live here, Felice Brothers are from upstate) but I will refrain (except that I didn't).
New York was also important to the labor movement, and Labor Day is coming up. That's why I am rambling about New York.
(actually, I was just talking about whatever came to mind and hoping that something would stick. I love it when a plan comes together ;)
Folk it up,
Craig
Soon to come this week: A Review of the new Vince Bell, an article on patriotic american folk songs (for 9/11), and an article on the nest songs about New York (my vote goes to "Here Come the Yankees"*)
* Ok I realize I have to explain that. "Here Comes the Yankees" the theme songs for the Yanks, one that never gets played anymore cause it is awful, but is permanently stuck in my head due to watching the Yankees constantly on WPIX as a kid. **
** I guess I have to explain that. WPIX is a cheesey tv station in New York, famous*** for its interactive game where you shouted 'pix pix pix pix pix' into the phone in order to win lame prizes. Good times.
*** They also had Twilight Zone marathons, Romper room, the Magic Garden****, and a yule log on the screen all Christmas morning (they still have the yule log). Only in New York.
**** The Magic gArden was the greatest idea for a kids show ever. Picture, if you will, two longhaired hippie chicks with guitars, surrounded by puppets, singing songs about trees and flowers and friends and all sorts of things for kids. I honestly dont remember much of it, but i remember thinking that they were the most beautiful women in the world. I still love pig tails.
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Posted by Craig Sanders
I like trains. I don't really know why, but I have always liked them. Maybe it comes from growing up in New York City. If you don't know, NYC has the greatest subway in the world. It has to-- driving in the city is like begging for a coronary. I should know, I used to drive a limo (actually a Towne Car). Must've taken 10 years off of my life.
I did not get to ride the subway very often. I lived in Co-Op City, which is all the way in the North-East corner of the Bronx, where the trains don't run. So to me, riding the subway was always a treat. A big, rumbley, exotic, urine-smelling treat.
Anyway, there are a lot of train songs in Folk and Blues, so I thought that I might put my love of trains and of music together in a whole series on trains, hopefully which you have been reading. mostly I've been doing this for me-- I don't expect that most people are as interested as I am. But if you are, You're welcome.
I also like Neko Case, and not just cause I am a guy and she is face-meltingly hot (I also have a thing for redheads, as my long list of ginger girlfriends can attest to). Her voice could make a robin rip out its own vocal cords from jealousy. Her lyrics are dark and creepy and vague and blunt-- if its possible to be vague and blunt at the same time.
I would totally take her out to a nice seafood dinner and even pick up the bill.
Her newest album was very good, and I recommend it highly. I also recommend you read my review of it, cause it is mine, and I rock.
Till next week, Folk it up,
Craiggers
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Posted by Craig Sanders
I know that I am a bit late for jumping onto the whole “anti-Auto-Tune” bandwagon, but Auto-Tune has really been bothering me lately. So much that I am using my first blog post as Feature Writer to rant about it.
I don’t mean the whole “using it as a special effect” thing-- I kinda like that. I don’t like it when it is used on every song (this means you, Kanye), but every now and then, it is pretty cool. When Cher first used it on “Believe” I thought, “hey this is a sweet Yoko Ono effect” (just kidding, Yoko, I still love you).
What bothers me is that so many singers these days use Auto-Tune to touch up their vocals on albums. Stop it. You’re lying to your public. The voice is a musical instrument, and it should be treated as such. You would never see a guitarist or trumpet player using Auto-Tune to fix a wrong note (at least I hope not). Instead, they work on perfecting their instrument. If you can’t play your instrument, you shouldn’t be recording.
I bring this up because so many singer-songwriters and folk musicians have less than “perfect” voices. Bob Dylan comes to mind right away, but also Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Ian Felice-- from one of my new favorite bands, The Felice Brothers. Woody Guthrie wasn’t particularly known for his singing, and the entire genre of Bluegrass has that characteristic “high, lonesome sound” that turns many an ear.
It is the uniqueness --the gravel and the whisky and the whine-- that gives so much music its soul. Using Auto-Tune to bleach the sound takes the heart out of the song.
Look, I understand that not everyone can have a voice like Joni Mitchell or Tim Buckley, but it is flat out lying to pretend that you have what you don’t. If you can’t sing it, don’t sing it. Go back home and learn to sing instead or embrace the voice you have, in all of its awful, pitchy glory.
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