A Spark in the Womb

I'm dumping this old blog for a new younger one

2008-09-24T19:47:00.003-04:00

Hey friends,

My bad! I totally abandoned this blog. It was getting hard to maintain it while working on my music production and songwriting.

Actually, that's what I wanted to tell you about.

I've got lots of new music

And it's all at my NEW, IMPROVED BLOG

EricMakesMusic.com

So come over there and check out my new songs. Not only can you listen but you can download the songs and check the lyrics. And, yes, the downloads are FREE!!!

Don't, worry I won't leave you hanging this time.

Music is what I do. I'm constantly writing songs or producing for clients or collaborating with other artists. As I have songs that I can share, they'll all be posted to EricMakesMusic.com
My goal is to update it every couple days with music and other things that I'm into.

Hey....

What are you still doing over here on this old blog???

Head over to EricMakesMusic.com so we can resume our conversation :)

You'll have to resubscribe when you get over there (and I hope you do).

See ya at the new spot.

Portishead - Incredible artistry...but who is it supposed to reach

2008-05-24T13:11:00.003-04:00

About a year ago, a good friend of mine turned me on to Portishead. I had heard about them but never heard the music. I was instantly impressed. Their music skill, technical acumen and creative innovation were undeniable.

In April, the group released it's long awaited third album (aptly named "Third") which you can hear in its entirety on imeem.

I've been listening the album repeatedly. Now, normally, I like music that has commercial appeal. I'm not really into niche music created for special people who "get it". And this is not a "commercial appeal group" by any stretch. But, surprisingly, I really like it.

After some thought and numerous listens I came to the conclusion that I like them because I can appreciate them as a musician and producer. Even though they don't make standard radio playable songs, you can tell that they clearly could if they wanted to. They understand dance, hip hop and all the popular genres. However they choose to use this knowledge to create something totally different, something original, something artistic.

So the question is... who will Portishead reach? By spurning the traditions of commercial music, there are literally millions of people who will never hear of them. I can appreciate them because, as a producer, I happen to be in the class of those who "get it". But so many won't care about the intricate details of their musical production. Nor will they appreciate the way they seamlessly transition from one genre to another mid-song. No, most won't even stick around long enough past the 2 minute intro before the really cool groove kicks in (Check out The Rip below).

Still, is this just art for arts sake? Or can their art still inspire and affect people even if it's a smaller audience. If musicians are the only ones who get it, maybe one of those musicians will be inspired to create something that changes the world? What do you think?

4 The Rip - Portishead

So sorry for the extended delay

2008-05-10T19:31:00.004-04:00

So many thing happened just one after the other.

First I released a single from the solo project I'm working on. I just wanted to test market before I got too deep in the project and see what kind of reactions I could get. Well I totally underestimated the kind of guerilla marketing that would be involved even for test marketing a new song. It totally consumed all my days and evenings for a few weeks. Fortunately, the efforts paid off and my song "Thank You" went to #1 on thesixtyone.com's Hot R&B chart within a couple weeks.

Here's a copy of the song you can hear.

So the response has really encouraged me and I'm hard at work finishing up my debut solo project. I've come to see that I have my hands in a lot of jars between the music recording, this blog and the radio show. But I'll try to make sure that these don't suffer too much.

Actually, that wasn't the only reason why I've been MIA. Last week, I moved across town, just outside north east Atlanta. And I guess the combination of moving and allergies was a bit much for my system cuz I've been laid out for about a week with a really bad sinus infection or something. It's been pretty bad and I've been coughing up things that I'm pretty sure should not be inside me.

The good news is that I'm definitely on the upswing of recovery and expect to get back to 100% in the coming days.

Oh yeah. I wanna shout out Bruce Warila who writes one of my favorite blogs on the music industry. He stopped through and commented on the blog and that was a pleasant surprise. Check out his blog when you can. He has great ideas for promoting music in this new environment.

My formula for creating Powerful, Compelling Art

2008-04-13T22:56:00.004-04:00

So I've given this a lot of thought and I've come up with my own formula for creating a work of art that effectively affects people. (I really like using those two words together :)

Anyway, I think truly powerful art contains an equal portion of both Skillful Technique and Connecting Message. Yeah, that may be a simple formula but I think it's complete nonetheless.

If an artist creates a work that evokes a strong emotion or conveys a message that speaks directly to us; and if they do that while demonstrating a mastery of their craft, we are more likely to be moved deeply.

Many times you can create art that is more concerned with one of the components than the other. For example, an artist can paint a incredibly realistic basket of fruit. While doing so they can demonstrate mastery of lighting and depth and texture and attention to detail. But, regardless of the realism, the overall impact of the painting itself will be limited (although the technique alone will probably be inspiration for other artists).

On the flip side, an author can create a novel that contains a powerful vision for the future of our country. But, if the writing is poor or lacking in style, who will read it?

So my theory is that most art contains some uneven amount of both factors. But, the truly great ones that impact their times and settings, are the ones that contain the right balance of both message and technique.

I think this applies to all art forms: music composition, paintings, sculpture, film making, etc.

What do you think? Do you agree?

Over the next few posts, I going to try and find examples in various art forms that prove this. If you have some suggestions (or if you disagree) let me know.

Diego Rivera: Talent Meets Message

2008-04-09T08:01:00.008-04:00

Was searching on the internet for artists who find a balance between creating beautiful art and communicating a specific message. I came across this piece by Mexican painter Diego Rivera. I read a biography on him a few years ago and I appreciated how he and his art became more socially conscious as he grew older.

This piece is titled: A History of Medicine (click the pic to see a bigger view)

What do you think?

John Mayer - Causing & Prophesying Change

2008-04-01T07:50:00.005-04:00

In this section, I want to highlight some of the creative types who are having an impact on their world. One of my favorite current-day examples is John Mayer. John is a phenomenal artist. Many people love his singing voice and he would probably want his fans to recognize his guitar playing most of all. However, I think his greatest contribution is as a lyricist. I greatly respect his ability to take powerful sentiment and cover it with a soothing melody.

Look at 2006's Waiting On The World to Change where John talks about why the younger generation is so apathetic.

Now we see everything that's going wrong With the world and those who lead it We just feel like we don't have the means To rise above and beat it So we keep waiting (Waiting) Waiting on the world to change

A perfect description. But the timeliness and accuracy of John Mayer's message becomes even clearer now (2 years later) with Barack Obama proving that the younger generation will indeed get involved politically if they are shown that their labor will not be in vain.

Check out the lyrics to one of my favorite John Mayer songs, Daughters from his CD Heavier Things:

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change

And I've done all I can
To stand on the steps with my heart in my hand
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters too

Ohh, you see that skin
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now she's left cleaning up the mess he made

So fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters too

Boys you can break
You find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong and boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without warmth from
A woman's good, good heart

On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the God and the
Weight of her world

So fathers be good to your daughters
And daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters too
So mothers be good to your daughters too
So mothers be good to your daughters too

Check out this video of John Mayer performing an acoustic version of Daughters Live for Yahoo!Music

Why is "Good" Music so Bad?

2008-03-27T22:25:00.004-04:00

I've noticed a pattern from years of analyzing music. It seems that the music that is created in the hopes of doing the most good is often the least desirable to listen to. Sure, this is just my opinion but I think CD and ticket sales support this. Personally, I've found myself, on many occasions, singing along to a song whose lyrics I totally disagree with simply because the beat or hook was so darn catchy (see Jay Z or Little Wayne (trust me, I'm not throwing my hard earned dollars to "make it rain" in nobody's strip club - but damn if I don't sing the joint when it comes on )). On, the flip side, I've turned from many a radio station playing music with lyrics that were right on point - all because the music was just not appealing. This is just my personal experience so don't be offended but this is best exemplified by my love/hate relationship with Gospel music.

I'm a Christian who believes in Jesus and loves to read the Bible. But Gospel music just does not do it for me. As a producer, I find so much of the music dated. As a songwriter, I find many of the lyrics lacking in originality (The Bible has over 1000 pages in it people. Surely, there's more to talk about than "He's been good", "I'm blessed", and "It's gonna be alright". ) And though there are a few gospel artists like Fred Hammond that I find totally original, for the most part I find the "Inspirational" genre quite uninspiring.

And is this the way that it's supposed to be? Should I be more inspired by Jay Z then Donnie McClurkin? And why is it that I am? Is it because the Devil controls the music industry and therefore his people get all the cool toys to produce with? Are we all just pawns of the evil record labels who have trained us to love what they tell us to? Or, is there really a serious gap in the quality of "positive" and "negative" music.

Maybe it's a little of both. However, as creators of music (or other art forms for that matter) how do we ensure that our music "for good" is up to par with the worldly standard? Because it seems to me, that if we want to make music that will affect the masses, then we have to make music that will actually "reach" the masses. What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Purpose Driven Art

2008-03-25T09:20:00.003-04:00

I think it was about a year ago when the book, "A Purpose Driven Life" was all the rage. I read it a few months ago and was quite affected by it. I really like the idea of looking at our life and our daily decisions though the lens of our own specifically defined purpose.

And for me, my purpose is to make music. I know this like I know my name. For me, songwriting is not just a passion, it's my calling. But even my purpose has a purpose. Because, I could just write songs about anything. But, that wouldn't soothe the fire in me. I have to know that what I create, somehow lights another star in the dark of night. I have to believe that my works pay homage to the spirit that entrusted me with this ability.

And that is why I created this blog, to give voice to this passion within me. I do it in hopes that there are others who feel the same way. I hope to discover others who believe in their special abilities and are determined to use them to positively affect the world around them.

I should say, I'm not one of those who believe that all art must be purposed-base, or thought-provoking, or spiritual. I think there is room for the frivolous, the inane and even the vulgar. It does seem to me though, that the field is very imbalanced right now. I think this is especially the case in the area of commercial music. In fact, of all the producers and songwriters and singers/rappers that I know, I can't think of many who feel compelled to make any particular statement with their art. Most just want to "get on" and they're willing to do it "by any means necessary" (sorry Malcolm). Again, not that I blame them. It just seems that I should know more people with the right balance of both talent and purpose.

Anyway, we'll see if my little light in the blogosphere attracts any like-minded moths. I'm hopeful.

Welcome

2008-03-22T16:20:00.001-04:00

It's been long time since I've run a blog. I've been busy making music but I haven't really had anything specific to talk about. Anyway, this idea really just hit me today. And, being the gemini that I am, I had to drop everything I was supposed to be working on and get this blog going.

So, I feel I'm a very creative person. In addition, I believe strongly that I can use my creative talents to change the world around me. I'm not a pessimistic person at all. I look at the world rather soberly and I'm aware of the many manners of evil in it. Still, I believe that I've been blessed with gifts that can affect people and so my lifelong struggle has been to figure out how to become just such a change agent.

That's what this blog is about - the struggle to affect change through artistry. It's what my life is dedicated to and through this blog, I hope to meet up with others who have a similar passion.

Personally, I make music. That's my art. But I think this struggle applies whether you're a painter, a writer, a sculptor, photographer, illustrator, filmmaker, etc.. If you believe (or want to believe) in the power of art to transform, then I hope you'll join me here. Let's be friends.