A Tempo Beyond

Brandon’s Preamble:  After days of deliberation and bouts of despair, I realized it was time to consolidate this lackluster list of videos. It seems there’s nothing more disheartening than realizing your childhood favorites were nothing more than creepy pedophiles carousing along the boundaries of incest, but more about my childhood Aerosmith obsession later. After a drastic overhaul of my initial video list, here’s how things look today, but first a more appropriate preamble: Jeremy’s Preamble:  Before MTV became the “I’m a bratty teenager, look at me” channel, and VH1 became the “I’m a celebrity train-wreck, look at me” channel, they were truly music channels and they were amazing. Music videos had an intense effect on pop culture, and right out of the gate artists wasted no time unleashing vibrant visuals to accompanying fresh sounds. MtV, in the 90’s alone, influenced my life as a musician and during those terrible, gross, awkward times of zits and all the feel...

Review: Carl Cafagna and Trio Creates Fire and Feeling By Jeremy St.Martin My mom once recounted to me a story of her,twenty one years old, spending her weekend hours with her friends at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, listening to her favorite musicians (most notably, Ahmad Jamal). It was music that made you feel alive. Liberating, sensuous, sin-committing sounds that, for awhile, sparked outrage in the music world. Notes and phrases floated through time, playing grace notes and syncopation. Often called the devil's music in the early uprising of jazz, the genre has since become an American staple; like many genres, the jazz movement has branched into multiple sub genres: acid jazz, smooth jazz, dixieland, Afro-cuban, to name a few. Each having a voice of freedom, and the echoes of volumes of history. The first thing you notice about Carl Cafagna is he's a laid back, mild mannered, well spoken, well educated person. His enthusiasm with music is contagious, and a ...

Today’s Review: The Go Rounds and The AntiVillains @ The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI.  Part One: The AntiVillains Taking a step into the Blind Pig is like not showering for a week and truly embracing the liberation that comes with it. Ahhhh, the freedom of no longer wearing deodorant and conforming to social norms. I suppose I should write about the show and not my personal endeavors. With intentions of strictly doing a review of the Go Rounds set my pre-conceived notions were ripped away due to sheer admiration of the opening band, the AntiVillains.  From their extensive Facebook biography the AntiVillains are self-described as Midwest Rust Rock, rooted in Toledo, Ohio. The current trio (missing their guitarist) consists of Sarah Cohen—vocals and guitar, Ben Cohen—keyboards, bass and vocals and Sam Woldenberg— behind the drum kit. I agree with the bands self assessment of Midwest Rust Rock and would go a step further in adding the element of Soulful Folk to the di...

Modern Day Folk Magic Cast Through Music By Jeremy St.Martin In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, the people of the Appalachians were known for using folk magic. Often called "Water Witches" or "Witch Doctors" depending on their area of expertise, the people (mainly women) used a variety of mediums to cast various spells and charms. Much of these rituals were brought over by the first settlers from Ireland and Scotland and mixed influences of those who would eventually be known as the Cherokee Indians, creating an old world label known as "Appalachian Granny Magic." One of the mediums used in said magic was music. Often times charms and incantations were sung and accompanied, ranging from shape hymns and lullabies, to Cherokee tribal syllables. Moreover, the music was often accompanied by traditional Irish step dancing or clog dancing. All of that was brought to life Friday night at Detroit's Huma Room at HopCat when openers,Woven Tangle...