tag:brianhinman.com,2005:/blogs/test-titleBrian's Notes2022-04-11T00:15:11-07:00Brian Hinmanfalsetag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63287402020-05-24T13:24:31-07:002022-03-15T23:31:17-07:00New Chanticleer Video!!<p>Chanticleer has a new music video!</p>
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<p>Anyone who knows me, knows I love records and cds and recorded music of all varieties. During our shelter-in-place reality here in San Francisco, I have been spending lots of quality time practicing my audio production skills. It's been incredibly satisfying to work on an assortment of projects that I would never have had the opportunity to experience if it weren't for so many people trying to do things together remotely.</p>
<p>The one project that has occupied the most time, so far, was this recording of "Distance." It's an arrangement by our new Music Director, Tim Keeler, of an Emily King song. Chanticleer is not superbly well known for its technology game. We sing on an empty stage in white tie and tails, in a very traditional old style, no amplification, projecting our voices to the back of a concert hall. So when it comes to recording on our own, not all of us have the experience or the tools.</p>
<p>I went back and forth with each singer to find the right space in his apartment and the best equipment available with which to record. In most cases, that was just a set of standard-issue iPhone earbuds! </p>
<p>It was a lot of fun trying to figure out how to make this recording sound as close to a professional studio-quality recording as possible given the fact that most of what you're hearing was not even captured with a proper microphone! </p>
<p>So here are the fruits of our labor of love. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it. </p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382082018-06-08T10:05:00-07:002022-01-18T23:42:14-08:00New Music Friday Vol. 32<p>Some new soul and pop jams (and jazz and other stuff) for your weekend...</p>
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<h3>M. Ward - <em>What a Wonderful Industry</em>
</h3><p>M. Ward is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who sits somewhere in the indie/americana world with a tendency toward a throwback aesthetic. His albums are usually pretty smart. Haven’t heard much of this one yet, but it seems to fit the mold.</p><hr><h3>Matt Penman - <em>Good Question </em>
</h3><p>Matt Penman is a jazz bassist who has played with the SFJazz Collective for many years. This is his first solo recording in a while. According to Penman in a press release, he wrote these compositions intending for them to be questions to be considered and answered by the the musicians playing them, each adding his own voice to the conversation. He’s assembled a talented crew of musicians, so if you’re into jazz, it ought to be good.</p><iframe allow="autoplay" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/416746572&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true&wmode=opaque" width="100%" data-embed="true" frameborder="no" height="300"></iframe><hr><h3>Kadhja Bonet - <em>Childqueen</em>
</h3><p>A unique mixture of modern and retro R&B with light, airy, fragile vocals.</p><hr><h3>serpentwithfeet - <em>soil</em>
</h3><p>There’s an alternative movement of minimal, sensitive, thoughtfully arranged R&B, often with classical influences. I would put artists like Moses Sumney and Sampha in that category. If you recognize those names, you’ll jump at this album. Like I did.</p><hr><h3>Jorja Smith - <em>Lost & Found</em>
</h3><p>Let’s stick with the R&B for a minute. Jorja Smith is popping up everywhere recently, guesting on many popular tracks. This is her first full album. She has a strong, clear voice, and this album generally has a nice, laid-back feel to it. I’m very interested in digging into this.</p><hr><h3>Lykke Li - <em>so sad so sexy</em>
</h3><p>It’s been several years since I’ve heard Swedish indie-pop artist Lykke Li. She lives in a kind of minimal dance-pop realm, and this release has a modern R&B lean. I haven’t yet listened to the whole thing, but I might really like this.</p><hr><h3>River Whyless - <em>Kindness, A Rebel</em>
</h3><p>My favorite discovery of the week. I don’t know who you people are, River Whyless, but I love this here music you’re creating. I mean, I can read, and I have Google, so I have learned that they are a folk-rock quartet from Asheville, NC. I like the songs that I’ve heard, and I love how they’ve arranged them. They play and sing well together. I dig it.</p><hr><h3>Gruff Rhys - <em>Babelsberg</em>
</h3><p>Rhys’ band, Super Furry Animals, have been present in my consciousness, but somehow they’ve escaped my ears. So this is my first time hearing him. His voice fits in the category of singers like Leonard Cohen or Lou Reed. Which is to say, it’s not a crystalline, beautiful vocal quality, but he sings with character and in service of his songs. What’s interesting to me here is that voice juxtaposed with an album full of intricate orchestral arrangements.</p><hr><h3>Shannon Shaw - <em>Shannon in Nashville </em>
</h3><p>Adding to the slew of recent recordings with a retro bent, Shaw employs producer Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) and a load of ‘60s-style strings and guitars for what sounds like a pretty good attempt at recreating that vintage vibe.</p><hr><h3>Lily Allen - <em>No Shame </em>
</h3><p>The AllMusic Guide summarizes Lily Allen thus: Bratty, witty, and sarcastic singer who cleverly captured the crass contradictions of the new millennium via her neo-Brit-pop albums. That about says it. The bratty bit is a little more dismissive than it needs to be, and it probably doesn’t apply so much anymore, but she’s been making good Brit-pop records for over a decade, and this one is no exception.</p><hr><h3>Dave Matthews Band - <em>Come Tomorrow</em>
</h3><p>Okay. Think what you will about me, but I don’t hate hearing DMB. <em>Crash</em> came out while I was in high school in the mid-‘90s, so there’s a little bit of nostalgia at play here, but I’m glad to see he’s still at it. Not one of my all-time favorite bands, by any means, but definitely a guilty pleasure.</p><hr><h3>Ali Shaheed Muhammad/Adrian Younge - <em>The Midnight Hour</em>
</h3><p>I don’t know how to describe this collaboration/project. It feels almost like a concept album. There’s a real exploration of classic R&B grooves and a roster of spectacular guest vocalists. It’s jazzy, it feels like a movie soundtrack, it feels like a salon evening of laidback jams. I’d show up to this party.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382092018-06-01T10:05:00-07:002021-08-20T06:24:46-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 31<p>Wooo! This is a great week for new music. Don’t take my word for it. Press play...</p>
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<h3>Neko Case - <em>Hell-On</em>
</h3><p>I love Neko Case. She makes beautiful music, sometimes esoteric, but always tremendous songwriting, arranging, singing, production. Basically, everything you want from a record. <em>Hell-On</em> appears to be no exception. This is why I get excited about Friday. </p><hr><h3>Father John Misty - <em>God’s Favorite Customer </em>
</h3><p>J. Tillman, aka Father John Misty, has been all over the indie-folk world for more than a decade. He has released a number of solo projects and side projects and was also a member of Fleet Foxes when they were smashing through the mid-2000s zeitgeist. This album is particularly wrought with heartache and pain, and frankly, sounds great.</p><hr><h3>Natalie Prass - <em>The Future and the Past</em>
</h3><p>Surprise favorite of the week... come here for sophisticated pop arrangements with healthy heaps of soul and funk deliciousness. This is apparently Prass’ second album. Excuse me while I also check out her first.</p><hr><h3>Roger Daltrey - <em>As Long As I Have You</em>
</h3><p>I admit to being pleasantly startled within the first 30 seconds of the opening cut. I almost didn’t press play. There are so many sad, lackluster releases by aging rock stars, but The Who legend Daltrey explodes out of the gate with a shockingly strong voice, sounding only slightly more weathered than his younger self. With a twinge of blues, this is extremely satisfying if you like the sound of The Who at all. </p><hr><h3>Paul Simon - <em>Graceland - The Remixes</em>
</h3><p>What happens when you drag the pieces of a classic album into modern electronic production? You’re reminded of how little substance goes into making dance tracks. Perhaps it satisfies a curiosity, at the very least. I went into this with an open mind, excited to hear people create new great art out of classic great art. There’s just so little point to a groove without even a dash of soul. Maybe dance music is your thing...maybe you can explain why I should like this more than the original. </p><hr><h3>LUMP - <em>LUMP</em>
</h3><p>This is a collaboration between Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay. I’m less familiar with Lindsay, but Marling is a fantastic, prolific British folk singer/songwriter. This project is incredibly artsy, combining Marling’s folk leanings with chamber music elements and lots of electronics. I’m here for it.</p><hr><h3>Phil Cook - <em>People are my Drug </em>
</h3><p>A roosty, soulful release from Cook, who sounds occasionally like Van Morrison and a bit like Ben Harper or half-a-dozen other guys who sound like Ben Harper. Which sounds more dismissive than I mean it. This is pleasant music.</p><hr><h3>Oneohtrix Point Never - <em>Age Of</em>
</h3><p>In the try something completely weird and wild category, you will find this release. It’s a unique mixture of styles, genres, and time periods all smashed into a synthesizer. The track below is a little farther inside the box than some of the other tracks, but have a visit here for your artsy, experimental side.</p><hr><h3>Maps & Atlases - <em>LIghtlessness is Nothing New</em>
</h3><p>Maps & Atlases began in the mid-2000s like so many others, with that experimental, folk-pop kind of influence. Much of the folk has been abandoned for this release, and what’s left is some satisfying pop music.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382102018-05-25T10:05:00-07:002022-04-11T00:15:11-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 30<p>Some Brit-pop, some French-pop, some jazz, some funk, and so much more…!!!</p>
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<h3>Snow Patrol - <em>Wildness</em>
</h3><p>I joined the masses in discovering Snow Patrol with their 3rd album, but major-label debut, <em>Final Straw</em>, fifteen years ago. This British alt-pop group had a strong run in the mid-2000s, but this is their first record in seven years. Apparently, their frontman fell into a deep depression, climbed out of it, and they wrote a pretty good pop/rock album.</p><hr><h3>CHVRCHES - <em>Love is Dead</em>
</h3><p>Another British pop group, this Scottish trio relies heavily on '80s-inspired snyths, and this third album of theirs is a big, strong pop record created with help from the not-Annie-Lennox half of '80s pop group Eurythmics and produced by the not-Inara-George half of one of my favorite indie-pop groups, The Bird and the Bee. (Dave Stewart and Greg Kurstin, respectively.)</p><hr><h3>Tracyanne & Danny - <em>Tracyanne & Danny</em>
</h3><p>Speaking of duos (I'm really getting a hang of these segues), here's a fun little retro-pop project between Tracyanne from a group called Camera Obscura and Danny from the band Crybaby. With sweeping strings, bouncy drumbeats, and upbeat sad songs, it has echoes of girl groups and Roy Orbison.</p><hr><h3>Joshua Redman - <em>Still Dreaming</em>
</h3><p>Joshua Redman is a marvelous and extremely successful jazz saxophonist who has pulled together an appropriately spectacular bunch of musicians for this quartet outing. Redman has played with drummer Brian Blade (maybe my favorite drummer, period) for years, and Blade plays frequently with bassist Scott Colley. The quartet is rounded out nicely with creative trumpet player Ron Miles.</p><hr><h3>Jennifer Warnes - <em>Another Time, Another Place</em>
</h3><p>Warnes has been recording for 50 years. If you've heard "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" or "Up Where We Belong." you know her voice. She records her own albums only seldomly. Like her last, in 2001, this is an album of heartbreakingly, beautifully-sung cover tunes.</p><hr><h3>Halo Maud - <em>Je suis une ile</em>
</h3><p>I'm a sucker for French pop music. This falls into that vaguely '60s-inspired genre that could be called neo-psychadelic pop. There's much about the production of many French artists that I love. Maybe it's all the bread and cheese.</p><hr><h3>Kamaal Williams - <em>The Return</em>
</h3><p>Have a bit of '70s-influenced, trippy jazz-funk for your weekend. London keyboardist Kamaal Wiliams channels his inner-Herbie Hancock for this laid-back funk set.</p><hr><h3>Brownout - <em>Fear of a Brown Planet</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">You need more funk in your life. Also guided by '70s-era funk, this is a first-rate octet out of Texas creating new grooves for you and me. This album is inspired by a Public Enemy album with a similar title.</p><hr><h3>Sudan Archives - <em>Sink</em>
</h3><p>A soulful EP from an up-and-coming violinist/singer/songwriter. I love a good slamming together of genres. This doesn't disappoint in that category.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382112018-05-18T10:05:00-07:002020-06-01T10:38:22-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 29<p>"World" music, jazz, and folk inspirations for your mid-May...</p>
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<h3>Bombino - <em>Deran</em>
</h3><p>One of the brightest highlights of the week is Bombino, a Tuareg musician from Niger. Bombino is a masterful guitar player, he sings entirely in his native Tuareg language, and his music is loaded with drums and percussion. This is a marvelous record.</p><hr><h3>Ray LaMontagne - <em>Part of the Light</em>
</h3><p>Inspired to become a musician by hearing Stephen Stills on the radio, Ray LaMontagne has used that that '60s/'70s folk rock aesthetic as a launching point for most of his albums. <em>Part of the Light</em> is no exception. I remember seeing him play in a little bookstore in SoHo in 2004 in advance of his debut album, and I was hooked.</p><hr><h3>Matthew Sweet - <em>Tomorrow's Daughter</em>
</h3><p>Sweet has been a power pop devotee for decades, creating jangly singer/songwriter tunes, clearly inspired by bands like Big Star and, of course, The Beatles. His sound has remained steadfast. If you know and like Matthew Sweet's catalog of recordings, you'll like this one, too.</p><hr><h3>Nellie McKay - <em>Sister Orchid</em>
</h3><p>Nellie McKay is a quirky and charming individual with a solid rebellious streak. Chanticleer had the opportunity to work with her several years ago on a concert set, and she was unique and perfectly lovely. McKay (rhymes with “eye”) has always been able to access a Blossom Dearie quality to her singing, and she appropriately dials that in for <em>Sister Orchid</em>, which is her first album of jazz standards.</p><hr><h3>Family of the Year - <em>Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Nighttime</em>
</h3><p>When I was first visiting my now-wife in Vienna, Austria, we decided we wanted to catch a concert together, we just happened upon Family of the Year, an indie folk pop group from Los Angeles. The show didn't change our lives, but it was pleasant music. And now it's fun to hear them and be reminded of one of my first dates with my wife.</p><hr><h3>The Last Poets - <em>Understand What Black Is</em>
</h3><p>The Last Poets are political spoken word jazz artists from the late-'60s/early-'70s who practically, unintentionally, invented rap. While their verses were delivered with youthful energy and the insistence of protest movements, it's fascinating to hear their poetry today delivered with matured, soulful, patient voices, exploring current issues that so easily echo those of their youth. This is their first album in decades and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the group's formation.</p><hr><h3>Brad Mehldau Trio - <em>Seymour Reads the Constitution!</em>
</h3><p>Mehldau's trio doesn't disappoint with another fantastic album of a few originals, standards, and unlikely covers. The album's title apparently comes from a dream he had in which Philip Seymour Hoffman read the Constitution while a melody played underneath. Okay. I guess, take inspiration however it comes. Regardless, Mehldau is such a consummate musician, a true artist; it's always a thrill to listen to him play.</p><hr><h3>Modern Studies - <em>Welcome Strangers</em>
</h3><p>This is the second album from Modern Studies, and the first I've heard of them. They're a Scottish group playing indie folk chamber pop with wistful male and female vocals. Singer and songwriter Emily Scott has uncanny echoes of a youthful Joni Mitchell in her singing. This is equally relaxed and ambitious music that could easily accompany a grey, dreary day or a sunny one with blue skies and a gentle breeze. Don't ask me how they pull that off.</p><hr><h3>Nicola Conte & Spiritual Galaxy - <em>Let Your Light Shine On</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">Described as a cross between soul and spiritual Afro-jazz, this album is led by an Italian guitarist, Nicola Conte, who has assembled a widely international collection of musicians who aren't afraid to establish a groove.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382122018-05-11T22:25:01-07:002020-06-01T10:38:22-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 28<p>Dreamy vocals and minimalism rule the week...</p>
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<h3>La Luz - <em>Floating Features</em>
</h3><p>Despite being from Seattle, La Luz has a sound straight out of southern California with bits of spaghetti western surf guitar and loose, dreamy vocal harmonies.</p><hr><h3>Beach House - <em>7</em>
</h3><p>Speaking of dreamy vocals, Beach House has those, too, but with more of a traditional alternative rock vibe. Bet you can’t guess how many albums they’ve released. </p><hr><h3>Marian Hill - <em>Unusual</em>
</h3><p>From Philadelphia, this duo creates super minimalist electro-pop.</p><hr><h3>Prophet - <em>Wanna Be Your Man</em>
</h3><p>Prophet released one album in 1984, and it has apparently since become a cult favorite. This is his follow-up, only 34 years later. It's funky and soulful and surprisingly modern in its minimalism and slightly retro flourishes.</p><hr><h3>August 08 - <em>Father</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">This release also lives in modern minimalist R&B land. Though he's had his hands in a few hits on the production/songwriting ends of things, this is August 08's first EP.</p><hr><h3>Wajatta - <em>Casual High Technology</em>
</h3><p>Reggie Watts is a unique vocalist/comedian and John Tejada is a producer/DJ. This is their collaboration. It’s like minimalist dance music inspired by Bobby McFerrin. Deep soulful voice </p><hr><h3>Rubén Blades - <em>Medoro Madera</em>
</h3><p>Not fitting the themes of the week at all, Blades is an extremely popular Salsa singer (and actor! Predator 2, anyone?) whose voice I've loved for years. It's hard to believe he's now 70 years old. His voice is wearing its age, and he's certainly had more inventive recordings over the years, but I like him, so I'll listen.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382132018-05-04T08:20:41-07:002021-08-21T16:01:56-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 27<p>Throwback inspiration dominates this week...</p>
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<h3>Gaz Coombes - <em>World’s Strongest Man</em>
</h3><p>Coombes was front-man for the now-defunct Brit-pop band Supergrass. This is his third solo album since 2012, and it’s fantastic. I hear occasional bits of Radiohead and even a few moments that remind me of Jack White.</p><hr><h3>Eleanor Friedberger - <em>Rebound</em>
</h3><p>This is Friedberger's fourth solo album after having been one half of indie rock group The Fiery Furnaces. She explains that the sound of this record was informed by a throwback '80s goth disco in Greece called Rebound that's only open on Saturdays after 3 AM. Curious?</p><hr><h3>Horse Feathers - <em>Appreciation</em>
</h3><p>Horse Feathers is and indie folk band I’ve been a fan of for several years. They make gorgeous music with beautiful arrangements. This new album appears to be no exception.</p><hr><h3>Yonatan Gat - <em>Universalists</em>
</h3><p>Yonatan Gat is an Israeli artist who has been getting all the shout-outs for his guitar playing. The tracks available before release have a wide variety of influences and sounds: Balinese gamelan on one, Algonquin Native American group Eastern Medicine Singers on another, and it opens with a clip captured by Alan Lomax of an Italo-Spanish choir from Genoa in the ‘50s that Gat then splices and butchers into rhythmic bits of colorful sounds. Gat has said that his goal on this record was to capture the live, fiery energy of his live shows. This is unique music, sometimes noisy, but always impassioned.</p><hr><h3>Leon Bridges - <em>Good Thing</em>
</h3><p>Leon Bridges skyrocketed onto the scene in 2015 with a reverent approach to a classic soul sound on his debut album. He continues the reverence with this, his sophomore album. If you like the smooth soul of the ‘60s, you’ll love this guy.</p><hr><h3>Kenny Barron - <em>Concentric Circles</em>
</h3><p>The 75-year-old Kenny Barron is one of my favorite jazz pianists. He's had such a storied career, and he plays with elegant virtuosity. His latest outing is first-rate straight ahead jazz, and I would expect nothing less. Joining Barron in this quintet is a tremendous trumpet player named Michael Rodriguez who has just been appointed to the faculty of the new jazz program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. </p><hr><h3>Hailey Tuck - <em>Junk</em>
</h3><p>Her website says:</p><blockquote>Hailey Tuck’s story sounds like a far-fetched film script. A teenager from Texas with a bob borrowed from Louise Brooks and a suitcase stuffed full of vintage dresses takes off for Paris with her college fund and a dream of becoming a jazz singer.<br>An Italian countess becomes her benefactor, she wows the crowds in crazy cabaret clubs and finds herself underground jazz venues before her music wins her fans around the world and a legendary producer invites her to L.A. to record her debut album.</blockquote><p>Produced by the great Larry Klein, this record sounds exactly like that description might lead you to believe. Young artists like Tuck who are faithfully conjuring their influences from bygone eras are entertaining to me. I’m very interested to hear this whole thing.</p><hr><h3>Venetian Snares and Daniel Lanois - <em>Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois</em>
</h3><p>Whoa.<br>This is wild. An album of electronic music created by two insanely talented and smart producers who decided to “jam” in the studio and let their two ferociously different styles collide into a mess of sound. I think it's often frenetic, disjointed and absolutely riveting. I’m not sure when exactly is the right time to listen to something like this, but if you happen to be writing a blog post about music with headphones on, that seemed to fit nicely.</p><hr><h3>Lake Street Dive - <em>Free Yourself Up</em>
</h3><p>This band has been around for a little more than a decade, but this is the first I’ve listened to them. I guess I’d say they’re mostly a pop outfit filtered through lenses of jazz and country and rock and soul with an appetite for frequent vocal harmonies. I like what I hear, so far.</p><hr><h3>Trampled By Turtles - <em>Life Is Good on the Open Road</em>
</h3><p>Also around for more than a decade, I’ve never heard of these guys until listening to a few cuts from this album. They’re apparently known for their frenzied rock ’n’ roll approach to bluegrass. I’ll happily join that party.</p><hr><h3>Cut Worms - <em>Hollow Ground</em>
</h3><p>Um. Here's another mind-blowingly faithful vintage-inspired act. This one is a debut album by singer/songwriter Max Clarke taking his cue from the rock ’n’ roll of the late-‘50s, early-‘60s. The sound is impressive and good. How’s that for an eloquent review?</p><hr><h3>Parker Millsap - <em>Other Arrangements</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">This young roots-rocker from Oklahoma leans toward pop songwriting on <em>Other Arrangements. </em>Really, I think that just means he wrote an album of tight, concise, and catchy tunes. I'm fine with that.</p><hr><h3>Damien Jurado - <em>The Horizon Just Laughed</em>
</h3><p>Damien Jurado is a highly respected Seattle singer/songwriter whose music has evolved throughout the past two decades, ranging from rootsy folk to more psychedelic textures. He seemingly follows his heart and delivers his audience exactly what he wishes, and if you're willing to go along for the ride, it's usually worth it.</p><hr><h3>Jessica Risker - <em>I See You Among the Stars</em>
</h3><p>Speaking of psychedelic folk music, here’s a new folk singer with a dreamy, ethereal sound for a rainy, melancholy day. In case you encounter one of those.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382142018-04-27T09:22:38-07:002021-08-15T15:37:14-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 26<p>Janelle and some other (seriously) great music. <br>But Janelle...</p>
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<h3>Janelle Monáe - <em>Dirty Computer</em>
</h3><p>Excitement barely begins to describe my anticipation for this release. If you haven't read my <a target="_blank" href="http://www.brianhinman.com/blog/2018/4/24/the-majesty-of-janelle-mone">recent post</a> about Janelle Monáe, that'll answer a few questions. In all cases but this one, I listen to at least some, if not the entirety, of each release before writing them here, but the whole point behind these posts is to highlight music I'm looking forward to listening to over the coming week. It feels dangerous to hype up a release this much without having heard a second of it, but I have faith in Ms. Monáe. </p><p>I'm not sure how to choose a video I haven't seen yet, but I guess I'll just share the one that's currently featured on her youtube page. I hope you (we) enjoy! </p><hr><h3>Half Waif - <em>Lavender</em>
</h3><p>If not for the afore-mentioned Monáe, this would easily be the highlight of the week. Lavender is the second full-length album from this Brooklyn-based electronic indie outfit, but it’s the first I’ve heard them. I’m hooked. I dig all of this, especially front woman Nandi Rose Plunkett’s voice and songwriting. Plunkett is apparently classically trained, which doesn’t mean this is classical music, but it does mean she has great control of her voice and uses it to great effect. </p><hr><h3>Dr. Dog - <em>Critical Equation</em>
</h3><p>By now, Dr. Dog are well-established players in the indie folk rock movement. Their tenth album, <em>Critical Equation</em> is another great addition to their catalog. </p><hr><h3>Willie Nelson - <em>Last Man Standing</em>
</h3><p>Last Man Standing comes running out of the gate with a rollicking title track in which the 84-year-old Nelson playfully contemplates his the friends he's lost and whether he wants to outlive the rest or not. The whole album is a mischievous contemplation on death being around the corner ("Bad breath is better than no breath at all"). Nelson's band is exceptional, and he sounds like he has more than a few albums and tours under his belt, but still unmistakably fresh and strong.</p><hr><h3>Cicada Rhythm - <em>Everywhere I Go</em>
</h3><p>A kind of roots-rock, indie-alt-country duo with a great sophomore album.</p><hr><h3>Stimulator Jones - <em>Exotic Worlds and Masterful Treasures</em>
</h3><p>Gently groovy and lightly funky, this debut album draws from decades of classic R&B styles.</p><hr><h3>Take 6 - <em>Iconic</em>
</h3><p>Since I first heard them in high school, I’ve wanted to be a member of Take 6. There are more than a handful of reasons that won’t happen. This is an album of covers paying tribute to artists and songs they love. It’s produced more in the style of modern a cappella groups than most of their previous efforts, which makes the sound a little less like Take 6 than I prefer, but they’re following the trend. As with any group/artist, some of their projects are better than others, but I still love hearing what these incredibly talented men are up to.</p><hr><h3>Van Morrison/Joey DeFrancesco - <em>You're Driving Me Crazy</em>
</h3><p>I've been writing these posts for just barely more than six months. This marks the <strong><em>third</em> </strong>Van Morrison record to be released in that time. That's insane.</p><p>Joe DeFrancesco is becoming a legendary jazz organist as well as a trumpet player. This recording features Morrison sitting in with DeFrancesco's quartet. Like the other two albums released recently, this one sees Morrison comfortably sitting in that bluesy jazz vibe with a handful of standards and another handful his own original tunes. </p><p>Also, the live shots in this video look suspiciously like they're on the SFJAZZ stage in San Francisco. ;-)</p><hr><h3>Aisha Badru - <em>Pendulum</em>
</h3><p>A beautiful singer/songwriter debut album, <em>Pendulum,</em> is about the human experience of "swinging between good and bad."</p><hr><h3>Speedy Ortiz - <em>Twerp Verse</em>
</h3><p>If you like your indie rock with a little grit, a bit of ‘90s reverence, a dash of punk attitude, and a political bite...</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382152018-04-25T11:38:41-07:002022-02-17T20:53:09-08:00The Majesty of Janelle Monáe<figure class="
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<p>Janelle Monáe releases her newest album this Friday, and I'm so excited about it, I felt compelled to post a primer, so that it doesn't eclipse my entire NMF post this week. Though, I hope it will deserve to.</p><p>The fact is, I'm not going to listen to a single note of any of the singles that have been pre-released because I want to sit and experience the album in its entirety. My understanding is that the album has a complete story arc and will be accompanied by a simultaneous release of accompanying videos for each song. So, on Friday, I'm going to sit my butt down, and watch and listen. Until then, if you're wondering who Janelle Monáe is, I will do my best to relay what I know.</p><p>Sometimes an artist just speaks to you, and Monáe is one of my indisputably, all-time favorite artists of the past decade. Her music has, at various times, encompassed the sounds of (in no particular order) Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Prince, Queen, Outkast, the B52s, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, the Jackson 5, even some Laurel Canyon folk, and at least one tender use of Debussy. It's altogether classic soul, modern R&B, smart pop music, and pure modern funk laced together with a classical grandeur. Her voice is clear, beautiful, and powerful. She even has rap skills and isn't afraid to use them. Monáe manages to create a virtuosic combination of pop music styles, embodying her influences, flipping them on their heads, and owning them like a truly creative master chef designing an entirely new cuisine. There's an awful lot of genre-melding going on these days, but Monáe was refining the experiment before others even considered it a possibility.</p>
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<p>Thus far, Monáe's records have been high-concept art, partially drawing sci-fi inspiration from Fritz Lang's ground-breaking 1927 film <em>Metropolis</em>. For her first few projects, Monáe created a character named Cindi Mayweather, an android from the year 2719. She uses it as a conceit to craft story and futuristic pop music, but for her, the Mayweather character is also a symbol. In imagining a world filled with androids, Monáe has said that she felt like there would need to be a mediator in order for people and androids to be able to live together. Mayweather is that "Archandroid" who mediates, as she puts it, "between the haves and the have-nots; between the oppressed and the oppressor." She quotes a line from Lang's <em>Metropolis</em>, saying, "the mediator between the mind and the hands is the heart." Mayweather, she says, is that heart.</p><p>It's obvious that her grapple for the coexistence between humans and androids has real-world parallels. And this is where Monáe picks up the long tradition of social messaging of artists like Stevie. Through these projects she's highlighting the plight of marginalized communities and signaling for the empowerment of women and strengthening of the oppressed.</p><p>What Monáe has been doing is not new but remains necessary. The message has framed her work, so far, but these higher concepts of social struggle and acceptance are also peppered in with songs about the range of human emotional experiences. So, you still get to have your average pop tune subjects of love and loss and having a good time, packaged in a glorious, futuristic musical soundscape of extremely thoughtful but fun art. That's Monáe embodying her role as mediator. Offering us the spoonful of sugar, if you will. Her art is so entertaining, you don’t need to pay attention to her deeper messages. But you should.</p><hr>
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<a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-electric-lady/665514095?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:3bnHtSmmsgJiG82hGCmsq9&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382162018-04-20T09:54:46-07:002021-08-20T19:58:39-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 25<p>A spectacular jazz/chamber music collaboration, phenomenal country music, and some pop music to round out your weekend activities...</p>
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<h3>Edward Simon - <em>Sorrows and Triumphs</em>
</h3><p>I'm excited about this record.<br>Edward Simon is an extraordinary Venezuelan jazz pianist who now lives in the Bay Area and plays with the SFJAZZ Collective. His writing is very compositional and complex. Brian Blade is my favorite drummer, and he composes new colors and symphonies with every strike of his kit. David Binney is my favorite lesser-known saxophonist out of NYC. I discovered his music 15 years ago, and when I learned that he had a regular gig in the West Village while I lived in New York, I was there all the time. I know less about Scott Colley, the bass player, but I will pay more attention since he's playing with these smart, imaginative, and highly inventive musicians. </p><p>Adding to the compositional nature of this recording, Simon has Imani Winds, a classical woodwind quintet that's made its name for doing adventurous new work, join his quartet of jazz musicians. Vocalist Gretchen Parlato lends her voice to a few of these compositions, too. Overall, this is a rich and beautifully executed project.</p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/sorrows-triumphs-with-afinidad-imani-winds/1352093407?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:5jT0gkz2kh9ryLrj2NiGET&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Sting & Shaggy - <em>44/876</em>
</h3><p>I discovered the Police (and therefore, Sting) in my late-teens/early 20s, while studying Vocal Performance in college. I was exploring my tenor voice, and I credit Sting amongst a few artists who inspired me to stretch higher into my range than I thought possible. At that age, I couldn’t understand how a guy could sing so high in his chest voice. I wanted to do that. So Sting and his music had a major influence on me at a crucial time. I really want to give the benefit of the doubt to artists I love. I will attempt that with this album; I don’t expect it to be easy. <sigh></p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/44-876/1355959026?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:1CoVw7saic0ozYSDTeQ26l&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Kimbra - <em>Primal Heart</em>
</h3><p>Kimbra is a New Zealand artist who was launched into radio ubiquity on Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" back in 2011. She creates adventurous pop music of her own. She's a little quirky and very talented. </p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/primal-heart/1303663466?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:4pj0BkJ7u39i009oqe8V79&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Hearts Hearts - <em>Goods/Gods</em>
</h3><p>I met my Austrian wife in Vienna, so it's kind of fun to be able to highlight a good band from Vienna this week. (It's the little things.) From the band's press release:</p><blockquote>It was on January 1, 2016, during the release of their debut album, <em>Young </em>that independently of each other, Peter Paul Aufreiter and Johannes Mandorfer sent sound snippets over to Hearts Hearts’ singer David Österle. Within the same hour, he’d received an aggressive jazzy piano loop—‘Phantom’—and an electronic drum take recorded overseas in ‘Island’ (the German word for the country of Iceland). Österle frantically began attempting to put these disparate pieces together; to synchronize what was never meant to be unified, and start singing over the results.</blockquote><p>The results are great, and the rest of the album draws its inspiration from this process. I can't wait to hear the whole thing.</p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/goods-gods/1336227306?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:631QpDkfAUs1B2XgzDkhwv&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Lord Huron - <em>Vide Noir</em>
</h3><p>A new recording from the LA-based Michigander, Ben Schneider. This is an indie rock album that feels at home in a wide expanse. It's like you're midway through a long road trip, and you need a soundtrack to accompany how vast everything suddenly feels.</p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/vide-noir/1347071135?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:2oiJM8vFGpxrtGtFfJWhJv&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Brothers Osborne - <em>Port Saint Joe</em>
</h3><p>My country music tastes are very narrow. If it doesn’t arrive from an obvious path of folk or bluegrass, I’m likely to turn it off. But this project is about introducing myself and others to new sounds and staying open-minded...as much as possible. The Brothers Osbourne (who I almost mistook for the Rocky Top-famed Osborne Brothers. No one outside East Tennessee knows what I’m taking about.), have a little bit of rock in their country, and I almost turned it off, but actually, it’s pretty good. I’ll listen to this whole thing at least once. </p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/port-saint-joe/1359255188?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:5V6FVW8sc8yyhmDZwaNm5T&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Joshua Hedley - <em>Mr. Jukebox</em>
</h3><p>Now, this is country music. Whoa.<br>Joshua Hedley has created a deeply original, faithfully beautiful throwback project. Everything about this recording sounds like country music records of the ‘50s and ‘60s. His songwriting, his performance, the arrangements. Hedley so precisely captures the character and the spirit of these old-time recordings, it hardly seems possible. This is a remarkable achievement infused with reverence and heart.</p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/mr-jukebox/1341737730?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:0YVPvJa7FuftM4JFFST95b&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Old Crow Medicine Show - <em>Volunteer</em>
</h3><p>It’s like a bluegrass party. Is that called a county fair? I don’t know, but it’s fun.</p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/volunteer/1347337934?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:1hSUUe3NM9HWTSMRWPZK6l&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe><hr><h3>Ashley Monroe - <em>Sparrow</em>
</h3><p>Since we seem to be in country corner, let's toss another one into the mix. Monroe has a twinge of country with healthy helpings of strings and pedal-steel guitar.</p><a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/sparrow/1352595131?mt=1&app=music"></a><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:0Frgzm1xuM3cy8VxuTOkNu&wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="80"></iframe>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382912018-04-15T18:32:46-07:002021-08-15T15:40:08-07:00Spring is Here...<figure class="
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<h3>Chanticleer</h3><p>Chanticleer just finished our run of concerts at a few of the California Missions. I took the photo above just after our show in Fremont last month. We wrapped up this set with a special event in Sacramento at the historic Mission where we had an intimate group of faithful supporters who came to honor Eric Alatorre, our lowest bass, who will be retiring in a few months, after 28 years of singing with us.</p><p>Also, last month, Chanticleer sang in New Orleans for the first time in its 40-year history. You can imagine we were all very excited to explore the city and its glorious food. I fear there may still be powdered sugar haunting me somewhere from all of those magnificent beignets! </p><p>We've spent some time this month having a glance at a few pieces on our next program, which we're presenting in June. But in the meantime, we hit the road again in a week. This time we're headed to <strong>Southern CA</strong> for a couple of days then over to the east coast: <strong>Manhattan, Brooklyn, Philly, DC, CT,</strong> and <strong>Boston</strong>. Come say hello!</p><h3>Recording Academy</h3><p>Things are heating up in the world of music legislation and Advocacy. In addition to substantial progress in federal legislative efforts (which I'll write more about next month), we here in California are making a push for Arts Education to reach more public schools.</p><p>Read my recent blog post about all that and get involved here:<br><a target="_blank" href="http://www.brianhinman.com/blog2/2018/3/26/arts-education-in-california">Support Arts Education in California!</a></p><h3>New Music Friday</h3><p>My NMF project is trucking along, and I'm practically drowning in good music. Here's a playlist of my favorites from last month:<br><a target="_blank" href="http://brianhinman.com/blog/2018/4/15/march-2018-nmf-playlist">March 2018 Favorites</a></p><p>Tangentially related, April holds something called Record Store Day. Started 10 years ago, this is a day to celebrate your local independent record stores, and geeks like me, all around the country get excited to check out the special limited releases that can only be found in those stores on that day. </p><p>Recently, I visited a local independent shop in Ashland, OR, and I was flooded with the memories of working in and visiting countless stores like it in my teens and my early 20s. I got halfway through the store and just stopped. I was shockingly overwhelmed. I don't know why this particular store reminded me so much of all those years I spent flipping through bins of CDs and records, but I stood in the middle of the store, literally doing nothing, for a few minutes. I'm sure the owner thought I'd lost my mind. But we had a great conversation, and I was happy to walk around and explore like I had for so many years.</p><p>I think Record Store Day began as a way to bring focus to these types of independently owned retailers who were competing against the big-box stores and enormous corporations who had been trying to put them out of business for at least the entire previous decade. Funny that now it seems the only places you can go to find actual physical CDs and records are mostly these independent stores because the internet destroyed the gigantic monsters. I won't really cry about that. Anyway, go check out your local record store on April 21, or really, anytime. Maybe it'll bring back some good memories. And maybe you'll find some new music or some old favorites. Those are good, too.<br><a target="_blank" href="https://www.recordstoreday.com/Home">Record Store Day Website</a></p><h3>My tax-time ritual</h3><p>Of course, April is Income Tax time. But did you know that Federal Income Tax didn't exist until the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1913? There was a brief moment for income tax during the Civil War, but aside from that, nothing until the citizens of the United States agreed to tax themselves.</p><p>At the beginning of World War II, Irving Berlin wrote a few propaganda/patriotic songs, including "I Paid My Income Tax Today," which was obviously meant to encourage American citizens to take pride in paying up to support the war efforts. It's a funny little ditty.</p><p>I include two different recordings because I think the first one is charming, and I love it. The second, with superstar Gene Autry has a few extra lyrics that I think are fascinating. </p><p>Either way, "You see those bombers in the sky? Rockefeller helped to build 'em, so did I!" remains my favorite line (you'll understand when you hear it). There's nothing really funny about war or bombers, per se, but something about the charm of the '40s makes it all seem so lighthearted in such an absurd way. If you haven't heard it, it's worth a listen.</p><hr><p>Thanks for all of the support and your kind replies and messages. If I don't quite have time to reply to all of them immediately, it probably means being on the road got in the way. Please know I read every single message, and I love connecting with you all. Enjoy the rest of your April!</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382172018-04-15T18:13:07-07:002020-06-01T10:38:23-07:00March 2018 NMF Playlist<figure class="
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<h2 class="text-align-center">This month's monumental playlist! <br>Have some great music...</h2><iframe allow="encrypted-media" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/brianhinman/playlist/3xY6DhVl4GdZVm4DuBAZGZ?wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="380"></iframe><iframe src="https://tools.applemusic.com/embed/v1/playlist/pl.u-3AaEhap32r?country=us&wmode=opaque" width="100%" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="500px"></iframe>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382182018-04-13T10:05:00-07:002020-06-01T10:38:23-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 24<p>This week, they're few, but satisfying...</p>
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<p>Each week, I try to sort through the upcoming new releases to find things that I think might be interesting to listen to. The last few weeks have had a plethora of choices and some great music. Sometimes I include titles that I'm a little skeptical of, but I think they might have some redeeming value hidden in there if given the chance. Other times, I just chuck the releases I can't care about. And sometimes I miss a few.</p><p>This week, there are fewer releases than there have been recently, and still fewer that I care about. For instance, I could have presented the new Derek Smalls album. Spinal Tap fans will recognize him as the bass-playing character portrayed by longtime Simpsons cast member Harry Shearer. I mean, it's an amusing project, but I just can't care. I listened to a couple of tracks, and It's mildly humorous in spots and has an impressive list of guest stars, but, well...I've already written more about it than I wanted to.</p><p>So this week, I introduce you to two good records:</p><hr><h3>Laura Veirs - <em>The Lookout</em>
</h3><p>Laura Veirs makes her own type of smart, quirky, alt/indie/singer/songwriter kind of music. She got my attention with her first Nonesuch release, <em>Carbon Glacier</em>, back in 2004. She's been off the Nonesuch label for 10 years or so, but she continues to make lovely music, including the fantastic 2016 collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang.</p><p>From the very moment I pressed play on this latest release, I thought, “ooh, I’m going to like how this sounds.” Produced by her longtime producer and husband, Tucker Martine, Martine has produced, engineered, or mixed an extensive list of artists whose records I love to love.</p><hr><h3>John Prine - <em>The Tree of Forgiveness</em>
</h3><p>Sigh. Here's another living legend whose music I have simply never taken the time to explore. At least a few people I know are shaking their heads in shame.</p><p>So, shameful or not, my first true introduction to the 71-year-old folk singer-songwriter John Prine will now exist in this, his first record of new material in 13 years. It is charming, clever, and heartfelt. And now I need a history lesson.</p><hr><h3>Josh Rouse - <em>Love in the Modern Age</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">Josh Rouse had me hooked on his music in the early- to mid-2000s. There was a playfulness and a lightness to his songwriting and production, well-crafted grooves and delightful melodies. Since then, he's moved to Spain and grown more serious and introspective in recent years, and while I still respect his artistry, I've found myself less interested.</p><p dir="ltr"><em>Love in the Modern Age</em> is a kind of return to form. In 2003, Rouse released an album called 1972 that was very appropriately inspired by the sounds of the early 1970s. He gets the rabidly-infectious '80s bug for this album, employing the light synth sounds of the early-'80s, and creating a collection of songs that feel like they'd have fit nicely inside a John Hughes film.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382192018-04-06T11:23:17-07:002021-08-19T19:21:47-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 23<p>A few highlights from the week: A New Zealander, a Columbian-American, a Muslim American, some San Franciscans, some jazz, a few tributes, why I started dancing my butt off, and more...</p>
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<h3>Rafiq Bhatia - <em>Breaking English</em>
</h3><p>This is an instrumental album from a New York composer and guitariest that manages to blur acoustic and electric instruments with a slight jazz influence and touches of modern classical composition. Fat bass, punchy drums, soulful guitar, weeping strings, and occasional backing vocals, but no lead vocals, this album has weight and heft to it. The press release says:</p><blockquote>Bhatia is the first-generation American son of Muslim immigrant parents who trace their ancestry to India by way of East Africa. Early influences such as Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and Madlib—as well as mentors and collaborators including <strong>Vijay Iyer</strong> and <strong>Billy Hart</strong>—prompted him to see music as a way to actively shape and represent his own identity, not limited by anyone else’s prescribed perspective.</blockquote><hr><h3>The Aces - When My Heart Felt Volcanic</h3><p>All-female pop band a little poppier than Haim and a little less reliant on 80s throwback.</p><hr><h3>Wye Oak - <em>The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs</em>
</h3><p>I've been slow to the Wye Oak party. The band's first record was released 10 years ago, but I haven't given their music a serious listen until now. This is smart, swirling indie rock in all its rhythmic, atmospheric glory.</p><hr><h3>Eels - <em>The Deconstruction</em>
</h3><p>Eels have been around since the mid'90s. I honestly don't know a lot about their output, but his record is wonderfully crisp, cinematic alt-rock.</p><hr><h3>Sloan - <em>12</em>
</h3><p>Yet another group that's been around since the mid-'90s that I know shamefully nothing about. Predictably, this is their 12th studio album, and it sounds very Beatles-influenced power-pop music with harmony vocals all over their choruses and occasional handclaps. I like those things.</p><hr><h3>Clarice Jensen - <em>For This From That Will Be Filled</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">Ambient, contemporary classical compositions for and by cellist Jensen. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2018/03/29/597087482/first-listen-clarice-jensen-for-this-from-that-will-be-filled">Here's</a> an interesting article about the album from NPR's music team.</p><hr><h3>Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas - <em>Scandal</em>
</h3><p>If you follow modern jazz artists at all, you probably know who Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas are. This is a joint project they call Sound Prints. It's a quintet of players inspired by Wayne Shorter and their interpretation of his legacy and philosophy toward playing. This second album of theirs features 9 new compositions and new arrangements of two classic Wayne Shorter tunes. They claim their aim is to push boundaries, but the result is still pretty great straight-ahead modern jazz.</p><hr><h3>Blackberry Smoke - <em>Find a Light</em>
</h3><p>Rip-Roarin’ Southern rock in all the best ways.</p><p>I was already grooving from the outset of the track below. I was not ready for what happened to me at 2:15. I was basically dancing like a fool around the house. I couldn't help it. Do yourself a favor and listen to this immediately.</p><hr><h3>Various Artists - <em>Revamp</em><br>Various Artists - <em>Restoration</em>
</h3><p>Elton John is from a different generation of pop stars than the ones covering his songs on these two tributes. What’s most striking to me is Elton got his start at a time when melody was more of a focus in pop music and lyric content was often more story based, so it's fascinating to me to hear modern pop musicians singing long, deliberate melodies in a way that they don't often do.</p><p>Anyway, there are two Elton John tribute albums this week. <em>Revamp</em> has pop artists taking a stab at his work, and <em>Restoration</em> is a lineup of country music stars doing the same.</p><hr><h3>Various Artists - <em>Forever Words</em>
</h3><p><em>Forever Words</em> is a collection of well-known musicians setting unused Johnny Cash texts to music. It's seems like mainly a project for alt-country and bluegrass fans, but there are nods to classic rock and jazz fans, too. Oh, and I suppose Johnny Cash fans might find something interesting about it, as well. <wink></p><hr><h3>Kali Uchis - <em>Isolation</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">Kali Uchis is a young Columbian-American artist blending modern R&B/pop music with classic soul inspiration. </p><hr><h3>Gin Wigmore - <em>Ivory</em>
</h3><p>Man, I’m sucker for a lot of things, but horns and organ are high on that list. I’m also very intrigued by people destroying their voices in interesting ways. I wouldn’t really want to do it, but I don’t have to.</p><p>I’ve previously written about Asaf Avidan, a man from Israel with a wildly unique voice. Gin Wigmore is a woman from New Zealand whose voice strongly reminds me of Avidan’s.<br>Wigmore is a major star in New Zealand, but this is a needle drop discovery for me. I had never heard her before pressing play on a few cuts of this new one. It’s gritty, lively, rocking, powerful pop music. I love this. The songs, the production, her wild voice. I will definitely be visiting her three previous albums, the first of which was recorded with Ryan Adams’ former band, The Cardinals. That seems very crazy to me. I will listen. </p><hr><h3>En Vogue - <em>Electric Café</em>
</h3><p>When I started this project exploring new music, I didn’t anticipate coming across new music from artists I had completely forgotten about. It‘s fun to see who’s updating their sounds and how. Of course, En Vogue was huge in the ‘90s, and there are occasional echoes of that classic En Vogue sound. Otherwise, this is pretty straightforward, no-frills R&B. </p><hr><h3>The Family Crest - <em>The War: Act I</em>
</h3><p>The Family Crest is a band/collective here in the Bay Area. As I understand it, many of the members studied together at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and they often expand their collective to record with as many people as possible. I serve on the SF Chapter Recording Academy Board with one of the group's permanent members, and I really admire this band.</p><p>Much of what they do is very dramatic orchestral pop music with huge arrangements. I loved their debut album, and I can't wait to listen to more.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382922018-04-02T11:32:01-07:002021-08-15T15:42:14-07:00Support Arts Education in California!<figure class="
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<hr><p><strong>For those short on time, the condensed version:</strong><br>Fewer than <em><strong>half</strong></em> of California public schools provide arts education.<br>Have you ever benefitted from exposure to the Arts in school? Did you want to??<br><a target="_blank" href="https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BKwyWANdACSMOA2O1US7FAA">Click here</a> to tell your CA Representative! The customizable letter can be completed in under 30 seconds, and you can help more students experience the Arts.</p><hr><p>I'm a little biased, but I think so much can be learned from studying and participating in the Arts. Doing so can provide a community of safety and encouragement, inspire critical thinking, develop discipline, stimulate empathy, and it shouldn't be overlooked that it can also be fun.</p><p>I realize there are many greater problems in the world, but in the best of circumstances, I still find it a tragedy that not everyone has access to this experience.</p><p>I have the privilege of serving as Advocacy Chair on the Board of the SF Chapter of the Recording Academy, and part of our goal in advocating for musicians and the music industry is crusading for young people to be allowed proper exposure to music and the arts. California’s Education Code already states that every student <em>shall</em> receive instruction in and access to music, theater, dance and visual arts as part of a complete high quality education. </p><p>The unfortunate bit of that is the word “shall,” which may as well be changed to “shall, if funding shall allow.” According to the <a href="https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/o9D9GlgBzcfFLz1FSHE13Q">California Arts Education Data Project</a>, only 39% of students in California public schools have access to the arts. That, of course, is primarily due to a lack of resources.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.artsed411.org">Callifornia Alliance for Arts Education</a> has been hard at work attempting to rectify this and bring all schools into compliance with the Education Code. In addition to the figure above, a recent email blast of theirs also states that, “students who attend schools in <strong>low-income communities are twice as likely not to receive the benefits of arts instruction</strong> when compared to more affluent communities.” </p><p>The San Francisco and Los Angeles chapters of the Recording Academy have been supporting the work of the CAAE and, through the combined efforts of these and other arts-focused organizations, have inspired California State Senator Ben Allen to propose Senate Bill 933, meant to address the problem.</p><p>The language of <a target="_blank" href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB933">the bill</a> itself proclaims that </p><blockquote><em>Pupils with access to visual and performing arts are more likely to graduate from high school. Pupils with the most intensive arts experiences show the lowest risk of dropping out, and pupils with little to no arts experience are five times more likely to drop out.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Pupils with access to visual and performing arts pursue higher education. Pupils with arts education experiences are more likely than their peers without arts education experiences both to attend postsecondary school and to earn a four-year degree.</em></blockquote><p>Those are striking assertions, and unfortunately, the language of SB-933 provided online does not list the source of these claims. But if we are to assume they are factual and based on solid research, and that correlation in this case equals causation, then backing arts programs is a valuable investment, to say the least.</p><p>This brief synopsis from CAAE says that SB-933 will:</p><ul>
<li><blockquote><em><strong>Provide $50 million in one-time grant funding targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged school districts that lack the capacity to provide access to visual and performing arts for every student</strong></em></blockquote></li>
<li><blockquote><em>Provide incentive funding for districts with a demonstrated commitment to visual and performing arts education, in which funding may be used to match local investment for specific programs<br>A high quality arts education is an essential component of a student's education. The arts prepare students to enter the workforce by fostering skills that include innovation, persistence, and collaboration. In addition, the creative industries account for one out of every ten jobs in California and provide $273 billion annually to our state's economy.</em></blockquote></li>
</ul><p>I don't really know what qualifies as "creative industries," but according to my own rough calculations based on numbers I find on the internet, roughly 4% of California's GSP (Gross Sate Product is the state equivalent of the nation's GDP) comes from Arts and Entertainment. For the past few years, that has amounted to nearly $100 billion per year; which means that Sen. Allen's $50 million dollar grant proposal equals approximately one half of one percent of what the Arts industry contributes to California's economy in one year.</p><p>It's a little reckless for me to be throwing around numbers like this willy-nilly. I'm sure an economist would roll her eyes at my attempt to make an emotional argument out of haphazardly cherry-picked numbers that appear to support my case, but I'm just trying to put things in perspective.</p><p>The fact is, I think the Arts are important, and I'm not the only one. There is substantial evidence to suggest that they are invaluable to students' success, and I'd be happy to make a case that they ultimately benefit society as a whole.</p><p>This Wednesday, April 4, Sen. Allen will be introducing the latest version of SB-933 to Committee in Sacramento. A couple of representatives from the SF Chapter of the Academy will be joining CAAE Executive Director Joe Landon in showing support for the bill when it's introduced.</p><p>What can you do?</p><h2>The Important Part:</h2><p>Thanks for sticking with me this far. If you live in California, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BKwyWANdACSMOA2O1US7FAA"><em><strong>take action</strong></em></a>! That link will take you to the CAAE website where you can customize a letter and send it to your Representative in support of "jump-starting" arts education programs around the state. They've made it ridiculously easy, and it will only take a second to add your support and let your Representative know that this legislation is coming and should be supported.</p><p> </p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382202018-03-30T10:57:31-07:002021-08-17T08:59:17-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 22<p>The Transfer, Blues, Cuba, Brit-Pop, Indie-Rock, Country, and a few wild experiments. Tunes for your weekend...</p>
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<h3>Ben Harper + Charlie Musselwhite - <em>No Mercy in This Land</em>
</h3><p>Ben Harper has long relied on the Blues as a foundation for his music. Charlie Musselwhite is a veteran blues singer and harmonica player. This is their second collaboration because they fit really well together (John Lee Hooker thought so, too, which is why he introduced them to each other in the late '90s). This is traditional blues in the laidback style.</p><p>This little mini-documentary about the album is touching...</p><hr><h3>The Manhattan Transfer - <em>The Junction</em>
</h3><p>Tim Hauser, founder of this legendary vocal group, sadly died in 2014. This is the group's first recording without him. Produced by original-Take-6-member-turned-producer, Mervyn Warren, this album captures the spirit of classic Manhattan Transfer with a few modern elements. Fans of the group are likely to find something here that will make them smile, and honestly, Cheryl and Janis sound as good as they ever have...if not better.</p><hr><h3>Kate Nash - <em>Yesterday Was Forever</em>
</h3><p>Kate Nash was part of the whole British pop/soul revival of the early 2000s that introduced us to people like Lily Allen, Adele, and Amy Winehouse. Though, she’s poppier and angstier than her counterparts and much more akin to Lily Allen. The two both came to prominence during that short window of history when MySpace was the way to jumpstart your music career. Ha!</p><hr><h3>Kacey Musgraves - <em>Golden Hour</em>
</h3><p>Musgraves is wildly popular, but she’s almost too close to the pop side of the pop/country line-straddlers for me to be hooked. Still, she is talented and has a clear and gentle voice, and even if it's not likely to make my Top 10, it's still worth a listen.</p><hr><h3>The Shacks - <em>Haze</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr"><em>Haze</em> feels like a time-warp. Jangly, psychedelic, and poppy, in a very '60s-throwback sort of way. They may as well have taken the title of this album from a description of lead singer Shannon Wise's voice. It's quiet and ethereal. Mostly, this makes me feel like I want to bring back the word "groovy."</p><hr><h3>Amen Dunes - <em>Freedom</em>
</h3><p>A personal and exploratory indie-rock album from this project of Damon McMahon, in which he visits childhood, his mother, and father. The atomosphere is set nicely through cool production and McMahon's vulnerable singing.</p><hr><h3>Bettye Lavette - <em>Things Have Changed</em>
</h3><p>Some more classic blues from a classic soul/blues vocalist. But this time, Lavette is visiting the words and music of Mr. Bob Dylan.</p><hr><h3>Sons of Kemet - <em>Your Queen is a Reptile</em>
</h3><p>Sometimes I like off-the-wall things. This could fall into that category. This band is comprised of a saxophone/clarinet, tuba, and multiple drummers/percussionists. The result is a weirdly, experimentally sparse but rich street party. It's political music, highlighting nine influential black women, and is punctuated with Afro-Caribbean beats.</p><hr><h3>Lindi Ortega - <em>Liberty</em>
</h3><p>This is a unique and beautiful alt-country concept album inspired by frustration, a new beginning, and Ennio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino. Intrigued? Me, too.</p><hr><h3>Orquesta Akokán - <em>Orquesta Akokán</em>
</h3><p>I have always loved Cuban music. Since my wife is a percussionist, playing primarily congas, I have recently had the pleasure of reopening my ears to classic Cuban recordings, catching up on truly spectacular music and artists that I have not previously been introduced to. </p><p>This is a new collection of Cuban musicians with exceptional pedigree, and this project, which was recorded in a legendary studio in Havana, feels like it could have come from the archives of some of the greatest sessions of this style of mambo from the '50s. Turn it on, and prepare to dance.</p><hr><h3>Daphne & Celeste - <em>Daphne & Celeste Save the World</em>
</h3><p>Bright and wacky pop music. If you like weird flavors that might leave you bouncing around and smiling with the possibility of a toothache, this album from Daphne and & Celeste will likely sate that sweet tooth.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382212018-03-23T01:05:00-07:002021-08-15T15:43:06-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 21<p>Woo...there's so much here. Rock, Jazz, country, R&B, swing, Electronic. Another big release day in the music world. Let's begin with Mr. White...</p>
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<h3>Jack White - <em>Boarding House Reach</em>
</h3><p>There have now been a few generations of guitar heroes since the birth of rock n roll. Jack White became one of the first of his generation, embracing rock but looking to the blues as so many of his predecessors have. He is also a champion of the music industry, has his own record label and vinyl pressing plant. This new album is signature Jack White: Arrangements with a lot of space in them, highly-processed guitars, and heavy hooks. If you don't mind some occasionally-screeching vocals, White makes some pretty great music, </p><hr><h3>Toni Braxton - <em>Sex & Cigarettes</em>
</h3><p>I guess I need to get over my aversion to auto tune because it’s now more than a tool. It has become an aesthetic, and it’s used even on singers who can sing. The reason I need to get over it is because a) it’s not going away, and b) in many cases it’s not really that different than adding reverb or delay to a vocal. It’s just another way of painting with different textures in the studio. I happen not to like that paintbrush much, but oh well. It's like being mad at the '80s for synths and gated-reverb...that's just what they did.</p><p>Back in 1993, I could barely breathe without Toni Braxton asking me to Breathe Again. Despite her recording fairly regularly, I haven’t really heard her since the mid-‘90s, but look, here’s a new album. It’s pretty straight-ahead pop music. And it has that almost-subtle auto tune treatment all over it. Again, oh well.</p><hr><h3>Squirrel Nut Zippers - <em>Beasts of Burgundy</em>
</h3><p>Right around the time that Braxton was un-breaking hearts, the ‘90s swing-throwback craze was in full sw... .<br>Anyway. Remember the Squirrel Nut Zippers? They’re still making music, too, but as far as I can tell, this is their first studio album in 18 years. It sounds to me like maybe they're as swingy and fun as they ever were. And 20 years after the over-played fad faded, I’m kind of happy to hear them again. </p><hr><h3>Field Report - <em>Summertime Songs</em>
</h3><p>Here’s a band I didn’t know until this week. Band leader Chris Porterfield was in an early band with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. I've read that this project brings to mind Dylan and Springsteen and Paul Simon. Maybe their first two albums (that I haven't yet listened to) do, but remember David Gray? I think this album sounds a bit like him. </p><hr><h3>Sunflower Bean - <em>Twentytwo in Blue</em>
</h3><p>A young Brooklyn alternative indie rock trio with a little bit of punk and shades of Fleetwood Mac. Their first album received good reviews. I haven't heard it, but this sophomore release sounds pretty good.</p><hr><h3>Courtney Marie Andrews - <em>May Your Kindness Remain</em>
</h3><p>At its core, this is pure country music with soul and heart. Andrews provides beautiful singing in that Dolly, Emmylou tradition. I am generally allergic to the commercialism of modern country music. I freely admit hypocrisy. I’m not really bothered by commercialism in many other genres, but my tolerance for it in country music is super low. I find that a more classic country music with genuine roots can be incredibly moving. I put this album into that category. This is Andrews' sixth album, and what I've heard is marvelous.</p><hr><h3>Miles Davis & John Coltrane - <em>The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6</em>
</h3><p>If you’re a jazz geek, particularly a Miles Davis geek there is so much music to listen to. Under his own name, there were more than 50 studio albums and dozens of live albums (not to mention all of the alternate takes and outtakes from the various sessions), and just when you think they couldn’t possibly find any more recorded material, they do. This box set is from one of Miles’ most important eras and documents his final tour with John Coltrane. Not only that, the rhythm section is the one from the legendary <em>Kind of Blue</em>, with Paul Chambers on bass, Jimmy Cobb on drums, and Wynton Kelly on piano (as opposed to Bill Evans, who played on much of that album, too).</p><p>Since this is taken from several concerts throughout Europe, there are some repeats, but that will never stop jazz heads from checking out each and every interpretation. The fact is, all five of these players were monsters in their own right, and any time they spent together is grounds for documenting and paying attention. So if you’ve worn through all those other Miles recordings, here’s some more remarkable stuff to sink your teeth into. </p><hr><h3>Cavern of Anti-Matter - <em>Hormone Lemonade</em>
</h3><p>Most people will recognize that elements of electronic music are making their way into most genres of music. But there still is, of course, that enormous genre unto its own known as Electronic Music. I don’t know a ton about Electronic Music. There are so many sub-genres, but to my mind there are two types of electronic music: EDM (electronic dance music) and Ambient. Electronic fans will surely crucify me for that over-simplified distillation, but that’s how I feel about it.</p><p>If I have to toss this album into a category, I’ll put it in the ambient pile, but they do occasionally achieve some danceable grooves. Otherwise, you can expect to hear a lot of repetitive patterns that create various moods and live in those. I don’t hate this, I just I don’t know exactly when I would choose to listen to this type of thing. But people do. I just don’t know who or when. If you’re one of these people, I’d love to know why this gets you going.</p><hr><h3>The Maghreban - <em>01Deas</em>
</h3><p>Okay so this electronic music makes a little more sense to me. This one I’ll dump in the the dance category; although, that’s probably not totally accurate, either. It was created by a hip-hop producer, and maybe that’s why I can latch on a little easier. It sounds more like a DJ mining grooves and creating tracks like sound collages, as opposed to a style of repetitive meandering.</p><hr><h3>Kurt Elling - <em>The Questions</em>
</h3><p>My friend Drew first played Kurt Elling for me in college 20 years ago. I was hooked. Elling injected new life into the realm of vocal jazz at a time when it seemed like there wasn’t much innovating to be done in the genre. He had energy and creativity, and I was enthralled by his interpretive skills and ability to make a song his own. I’ve watched that youthful energy gradually diminish over the years, but he still makes beautiful albums, and he definitely knows how to sing a tune. </p><hr><h3>George Ezra - <em>Staying at Tamara's </em>
</h3><p>This young dude creates a bouncy brand of semi-soulful Brit-pop with threads of folk occasionally revealing themselves. He also represents an unusual presence of a baritone in pop music. It's just good pop music.</p><hr><h3>Wynton Marsalis - <em>United We Swing: Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas</em>
</h3><p>Recorded between 2003-2007, these are live cuts from Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas featuring major rock, country, blues and pop musicians backed by Wynton Marsalis and his septet. If you’re intrigued by star-studded collaborations with a jazzy/bluesy bent, you’ll be listening to this.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382222018-03-16T10:05:00-07:002021-08-15T15:39:19-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 20<p>To celebrate my 20th week of celebrating new music, I present to you: new music...</p>
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<h3>Meshell Ndegeocello - <em>Ventriloquism</em>
</h3><p>There comes a time in the life of a popular song when newness fades, and it either becomes an unquestioned thread in our cultural fabric or ages poorly and becomes one person's guilty pleasure and another's eye-roller...if it's remembered much at all.</p><p>Meshell Ndegeocello's latest release is a cover album containing mostly this type of forgotten hit. These are primarily '80s R&B jams that had trouble withstanding the test of time. So much of '80s music is currently informing modern pop music production that, in retrospect, it seems only obvious that someone would dip into the mostly-forgotten (ignored?) R&B contribution to that decade.</p><p>Any scrappy young artist might have taken on this project as an ironic archeological dig, but Ndegeochello, herself refusing to be pigeonholed by expectation of genre since her debut shortly after the close of the decade in question, gives the venture a degree of stature it might not otherwise have received.</p><p>If you're interested in an even deeper dig into this excavation, NPR has a very detailed review of the album <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/03/08/590336350/first-listen-meshell-ndegeocello-ventriloquism">here</a>. And despite all the talk about obscure '80s tunes, you'll recognize this ubiquitous '90s jam thrown in the mix:</p><hr><h3>The Decemberists -<em> I'll Be Your Girl</em>
</h3><p>Here we have yet another indie-folk band succumbing to the lure of synth sounds from the past to bring their music into the present. It’s a trend for a reason: it works. This time around, the synth facilitator is Producer John Congleton. Congleton is quite a popular guy and has produced a handful of my favorite artists, so I'm always happy to hear what he's up to.</p><hr><h3>Mount Eerie - <em>Now Only</em>
</h3><p>Confession time again. Lyrics are not usually the first thing I notice. Lyrical content is vastly important to me, but ever since I was a kid the music is what takes hold of me first. However, there are some artists and songwriters who demand your attention to their words. For good or bad.</p><p>Mount Eerie is not something I'm typically into. The project of Phil Elverum, this is stream-of-consciousness poetry set to music. There's a folk tradition in there somewhere. It's like Bob Dylan with a little less interest in traditional songwriting forms and a little more therapeutic live-journaling. </p><p>What's most fascinating is that it is the follow-up album to his previous about the truly raw and vulnerable coming to terms with death of his wife four months after the birth of their only child. I can't say it's comfortable listening. I think it's not intended to be.</p><hr><h3>Yo La Tengo - <em>There's a Riot Going On</em>
</h3><p>I started listening to this album while on a long walk through the city. It wasn’t really doing anything for me. Then it started raining, and it all snapped into place:</p><p>First, I need to stop leaving my umbrella next to the door like a dummy. Second, I was suddenly transported into the mood of this record. I don’t know if Yo La Tengo set out to make a rainy day record, but that’s how it makes sense to me. Now I really like it.</p><hr><h3>DOROTHY - <em>28 Days In the Valley</em>
</h3><p>DOROTHY is a band led by a hard-rocking woman named Dorothy. There's a touch of blues in here, in that '60s-rock kind of way. I even hear occasional echoes of the Janis Joplin flutter without the over-the-edge signature vocal destruction that characterized Joplin. Whether that's better or worse, I suppose, is up to the listener. Joplin or not, DOROTHY rocks.</p><hr><h3>Dungen/Woods - <em>Myths 003</em>
</h3><p>Speaking of ‘60s influence. This is a special collaborative effort between Swedish psychadelic band Dungen and Brooklyn Indie-folk group Woods. It's a delightful mix of acoustic and dreamy electric guitars.</p><p>The opening track, called “Loop,” is a head-swirling mixture of meters that somehow makes the eighth notes in a 10/8 meter into triplets against a 4/4 lick while one pattern is splitting the 10 beats in half and another is splitting them into 3-3-4 groupings. If that’s making you wonder what the hell I'm taking about, none of it is important because it sounds cool. And that’s really all that matters. </p><hr><h3>PRhyme - <em>PRhyme2</em>
</h3><p>I'll say again that my audience is probably not made up of your typical hip-hop lovers, but I intend to continue including interesting hip-hop releases when I find them, for two reasons: As of last year, hip-hop surpassed rock as the number one most-listened-to genre in the United States, and I want to know more about it than I do. It's an art form I only passively paid attention to for years, and I it's now so huge and so influential, that I need to be informed or risk ignoring an important part of our culture.</p><p>Today's pick is a project from two (relatively) older hip-hop artists, Royce 5'9" and DJ Premier. Their concept is built on taking the instrumental tracks of a single artist and rearranging and sampling them under Royce's rhymes.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382232018-03-09T10:05:00-08:002020-06-01T10:38:23-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 19<p>...In which country meets soul, Bach meets jazz, jazz meets Common, Byrne meets optimism, and I attempt to analogize classical music to hip-hop beats. What?</p>
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<h3>David Byrne - <em>American Utopia</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">Is David Byrne unofficial king of avant-garde artpop? Probably. And whether you're familiar with the former Talking Heads front man or not, you probably like him or you don't. And this record is unlikely to change your mind. </p><p dir="ltr">Byrne has collaborated with many people over the years, but this is his first solo project in 14 years. For the past two years, he has been presenting a lecture he calls <em>Reasons to be Happy.</em> This record seems like it fits within a pattern of searching for positivity. That can't be all bad.</p><hr><h3>Editors - <em>Violence</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">Just the other day, you were wondering, "can’t I just get some more big, bombastic, modern arena rock?" I know you were.</p><p dir="ltr">Here I am catching up on another band that's been around for a while. They released their debut in 2005, have gone through some band member changes, and have let their sound evolve into something bigger than when they began. They've been previously compared to other bands, but as far as I can tell, if you like Muse, you'll like this record.</p><hr><h3>Brad Mehldau - <em>After Bach</em>
</h3><p>Students of Bach will know that there was a great deal of improvisation in the composer's playing and writing. Fans of Brad Mehldau will know that he has always found jazz and improvisation in music other than jazz. He's also been known to play a bit of Bach occasionally.</p><p>On this record, Mehldau plays four Bach preludes and one fugue and comments on each of them with a piece of his own inspired by the Bach compositions. I've always thought Bach had the spirit of a jazz musician in there somewhere. I think he'd appreciate this approach.</p><hr><h3>Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - <em>Tearing at the Seams</em>
</h3><p>Is this dude country or R&B? How do you accomplish both? I guess they share a common ancestor in the blues, and while his sound is not solidly any of those things, Rateliff straddles those crossroads in a way that brings to mind Van Morrison's embrace of a similar path.</p><p>I hadn't heard any of Rateliff's music until exploring this week's releases. I'm sold. The track I'm linking to also includes a visit from the duo I mentioned in last week's post, Lucius.</p><hr><h3>August Greene - <em>August Greene</em>
</h3><p>I’m going to use today’s hip-hop selection to illustrate a classical music concept. The late J Dilla is a now-legendary hip-hop producer who fought against the robotic ticktock of drum machines that had been used in hip-hop for years. He wanted to program a small amount of human variation in his drum tracks, and he ended up creating these dirty stutter beats in his music that have inspired a generation of drummers.</p><p>It's actually a wild thing. A man programmed a machine to sound more human but ended up creating a feel that no human drummer had ever played on his/her own. Then, drummers loved that groove so much, they wanted to recreate it. What makes it so unique is that even though he was programming the sound of "human error" into the drum machine, it was still able to perfectly keep the time around those imperfections. To master that ability to play those micro offbeats while keeping a strict, steady time takes a solid technique and true artistry.</p><p>This essentially amounts to the Classical music concept of rubato on something more of a micro level. In classical music, artists will often steal time from one bar or one beat and give it back in another. You stretch one phrase for the purposes of expression and then flow quickly through another. These drummers are doing a similar thing, but within beats, perhaps delaying an inner 16th or 32nd pulse while keeping the overall groove steady and locked. I'm in awe.</p><p>Now to this record...<br>Perhaps I'm a bit of a contradiction. I love me some pop music with electronic and synthesized elements, but I also love some hip-hop with real instrumentalists. August Greene is a "super group" of sorts. Well known rap artist Common has teamed up with jazz/hip-hop fusion pianist Robert Glasper and jazz drummer/hip-hop producer Karriem Riggins. This is basically Common rapping over minimalist neo-jazz backdrops. I like what they've created together.</p><p>The reason I mention all that weird drummer stuff is that Karriem Riggins worked with J Dilla and was heavily influenced by him. I'm captivated and fascinated by his playing on this album in particular. All that said, the beat in the track below is a little more straightforward. And it features Brandy...</p><hr><h3>Albert Hammond, Jr. - <em>Francis Trouble</em>
</h3><p>I'm probably the only guy who worked in an independent record store in 2001 who didn't really care about the Strokes, and indie band who made their debut that year to wide acclaim. Oh well, I was probably too busy shamelessly listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Judge me any way you desire. I still like that movie, and I'm not apologizing for it.</p><p>Anyway.<br>Hammond is a guitarist with The Strokes, but broke out and began additionally doing solo records in 2006. I can't really say how this compares to his earlier efforts because I haven't been following him very closely, but if you're into indie rock, this ain't so bad.</p><hr><h3>Lisa Stansfield - <em>Deeper</em>
</h3><p>I've been around the world, and I...I...I...</p><p>Now that I have that out of the way...<br>If you want a reminder of what the late ‘80s - early ’90s sounded like, there are a number of collections you can turn to. Or you can listen to this brand new album from Lisa Stansfield. To be fair, I don't know what the entire thing sounds like, but the couple of tracks I have heard are impressively faithful to the period of time in which Stansfield made her debut.<br>Which, depending on your perspective...</p><p>Ah, well. Here's a video. </p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382932018-03-04T12:40:14-08:002021-08-15T15:43:25-07:00March Update from San Francisco<figure class="
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<h2>A brief recap from Friday<br>(or how today's youth can inform and inspire):</h2><p>Chanticleer held its annual Youth Choral Festival here in San Francisco on Friday. It's a twelve-hour day comprised of a handful of Bay Area high school ensembles coming together to sing with and for each other. We had the privilege of listening to and working with five local groups.</p><p>I have been doing this for twelve years, and no matter how often I doubt wanting to spend such a long day educating (which is not my strongest attribute), I almost always walk away inspired. What I witnessed Friday:</p><p>Unity. Community. Encouragement.<br><br>This year, these qualities were palpable amongst all five groups.</p><p>Chanticleer has long believed that choral music is not a competitive art. There are many choral competitions out there, but this festival is not one of them. We typically don't beat anyone over the head with that concept, nor did we do so Friday. We prefer to quietly set an example and share our joy in creating a community of music lovers. These students understood that implicitly. More than two hundred teenagers fully embraced the premise of the day. Some of the choirs' repertoire included songs about unity, teenagers of diverse backgrounds clasped hands, stood together, and sang their hearts out. </p><p>As with any collection of ensembles, some were more advanced than others, but all of them sang with such investment and heart that it was impossible not to realize that was the point. Improvement comes with hard work, but not at the expense of joy and togetherness.</p><p>I was heartened by the wild, enthusiastic response that the best performances received, but the thing that struck me most was the same response given to performances that weren't yet at the level of their peers. These students collectively understood that they were all better off encouraging each other to be better and actually celebrating their current levels of progress rather than tearing each other apart in judgement. It was a judgement-free room.</p><p>Maybe I'm projecting adult concerns onto an unrelated afternoon of singing, but it feels like the young people in this space understood the deep division that societies across the world are experiencing and banded together, reminding me that <em>together</em>, we are better. We are stronger when we are fighting to help each other succeed rather than fighting against one another.</p><h2>Chanticleer</h2><p>Aside from the Youth Choral Festival, we have been diligently working on a new set of Latin American Baroque music that we'll be performing in California missions in March and April. </p><p>In addition to that, we have a short tour this month taking us to Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. If you live in any of those states, check the Chanticleer website for ticket info!</p><h2>Recording Academy</h2><p>I currently sit as the Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy. For years, the Academy has been working with federal lawmakers to improve working conditions and rates and regulations to allow all music creators to make a fair living from the work that they do to provide people with the art and entertainment that they enjoy on a daily basis. 2018 is poised to be a very influential year with many important policy proposals on the table to protect music creators across the country. Stay tuned! </p><h2>New Music Friday</h2><p>I think February was my favorite month of writing my weekly music discovery blog. I found some great music, and I got a few incredibly nice messages and feedback from readers. </p><p>I've posted a playlist of my favorite songs from each of the albums I blogged about last month. You can find it here: <a href="http://brianhinman.com/blog/2018/3/3/monthly-nmf-playlist">Monthly NMF Playlist</a></p><h2>Things my wife taught me yesterday: </h2><p>Random fact I shamefully never knew:<br>Tabasco is the name of a state in Mexico. I had no idea. That has nothing to do with anything but my total ignorance of most things Mexican. Just thought I'd share.<br>Also, Tabasco is one of a few regions in Mexico where marimba bands are very popular.</p><p>Enjoy your March! And thanks for reading.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382242018-03-04T08:15:00-08:002022-01-23T21:05:23-08:00Monthly NMF Playlist<figure class="
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<p>In case you're interested...<br>Here's a playlist of my favorite tracks from albums covered in last month's New Music Friday posts. I hope you enjoy! And let me know if you have different favorites.</p><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/brianhinman/playlist/6ahzwNpvEDx422S5uJrwgC?wmode=opaque" width="300" allowtransparency="true" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="380"></iframe><iframe src="https://tools.applemusic.com/embed/v1/playlist/pl.u-dJxZtyvpjP?country=us&wmode=opaque" width="100%" data-embed="true" frameborder="0" height="500px"></iframe>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382252018-03-02T10:05:00-08:002021-08-15T15:44:00-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 18<p>This week only!! More titles than ever before!!<br>(I hope you read that with the appropriate obnoxious voice-over voice.)</p>
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<h3>Mt. Joy - <em>Mt. Joy</em>
</h3><p>This is the debut album from a band out of Philadelphia. If Mumford and Sons had formed in the ‘90s, they might sound like this. Most of the songs on this record are upbeat with catchy hooks and hints of southern rock. </p><hr><h3>Keith Jarrett / Gary Peacock / Jack DeJohnette - <em>After the Fall</em>
</h3><p>Speaking of the '90s, here's an artifact from 1998. Jazz fans might remember that Keith Jarrett was dealing with a nasty bout of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the mid-'90s, and this is a recording of one of his first live performances back after recovery. </p><p>This is a classic trio comprised of three jazz giants, and by all accounts, if you dig these musicians, this seems to have been a dynamic performance that will not disappoint. Unfortunately, there's not much pre-release material to link here. I've only heard one cut off the album, and the video below is kind of a laughable tease. But it sounds like they're swingin' like they know how!</p><hr><h3>Soccer Mommy - <em>Clean</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">The only thing that makes me angry about young people creating good music is the fact that I’m jealous that they have such a clear vision of their own creativity at an age when I was still fumbling my way through a sub-par show choir. </p><p dir="ltr">Soccer Mommy is a project created by a daring 20-year-old singer/songwriter from Nashville named Sophie Allison. Sometimes she sounds young and vulnerable, sometimes ambitiously progressive for her age. This record is somehow equal parts delicate and edgy.</p><hr><h3>Seun Kuti - <em>Black Times</em>
</h3><p>Last week, Fela Kuti's son Femi released a new album. This week, his youngest son also releases one. Whereas Femi Kuti's album feels like a safe and faithful update to his father's traditional afro-beat, Seun feels like he's giving it a modern injection of excitement. It's cleaner and crisper in its production, but it has a fresh energy with unstoppable grooves, killer horn lines, and tight arrangements that simply makes me want to keep it on repeat. All the while he stays faithful to the origins of his father's political afro-beat movement with songs in search of peacful black African empowerment. This is one of my new favorite albums.</p><hr><h3>Jonathan Wilson - <em>Rare Birds</em>
</h3><p>Judging by the increased use of a variety synth and drum sounds in popular music, the embrace of the '80s has become more and more evident and less and less contrite. On <em>Rare Birds</em>, I'd say Jonathan Wilson is expanding this embrace to include the high concept of late-'70s/early-'80s art rock, even dipping toward full-on prog rock.</p><p>I hear moments of Pink Floyd, Alan Parson's Project, Yes, King Crimson...that kind of thing. I've never listened to Wilson, but he's produced Father John Misty's albums and has played with Roger Waters, among others. Those are some pretty good credits, and this is a great, complex album with full arrangements and moments of virtuosity.</p><hr><h3>Lucius - <em>Nudes</em>
</h3><p>I usually reserve the act of purchasing an album on vinyl for records that I really like and want to have around for a while. Lucius' first album,<em> Wildewoman</em>, sits on my shelf of vinyl records. This female duo studied voice at Berklee College of Music, and released that first album in 2013. It was a full album of wall-of-sound inspiration and genre hopping.</p><p>This latest album is presumably called <em>Nudes</em> because it's all acoustic. It loses the benefit of noisy electronics but retains their energy and strong vocals. I'm pretty excited about this band, and I will gladly listen to more.</p><hr><h3>Haley Heynderickx - <em>I Need to Start a Garden</em>
</h3><p>In the mood for a sensitive singer/songwriter? Her vulnerable vocals and rolling guitar-picking make up the core sound of this short-but-lovely "full-length" debut album. Particularly when her guitar is plugged in, Heynderickx seems to be channeling the pioneers of Laurel Canyon.</p><hr><h3>Cut Chemist - <em>Die Cut</em>
</h3><p>I have a suspicion that there aren't a lot of steadfast hip-hop fans reading this blog, but I do have <em>some</em> hip-hop in my rotation. This feels like as good a time as any to introduce a bit into this exploration of new music. But let's begin with something relatively tame...</p><p>Cut Chemist is a DJ. He has had solo projects, but he was also part of late-'90s - early-'00s rap group Jurassic 5 and works with alternative rap/salsa/funk group, California's party band: Ozomatli. </p><p>I think Cut Chemist has always created fun beats and sample collages replete with signature throwback scratching. We can probably expect the same from this album which has former Jurassic 5 member (and one of my guilty pleasure MCs...dat voice tho') Chali 2na, old school beat-boxer Biz Markie, and (if you've been following this blog, you'll recognize one of my favorite artists:) TuneYards.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382262018-02-23T10:05:00-08:002021-08-15T15:37:54-07:00New Music Friday Vol. 17<p>An African legacy, a jokester, a formidable debut, and some more folksy things...</p>
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<h3>Lo Moon - <em>Lo Moon</em>
</h3><p>I begin this week's New Music with a needle drop. I knew nothing about this band before I pressed play, and I was hit in the ears with great music. This is a debut record from Lo Moon, a trio that released one track, "Loveless," on the internet about a year ago, got people excited, and then slowly laid out a plan to roll out a record that they artfully and proudly crafted. </p><p>They began playing live and released a second track six months later. And now, several months after that, they are releasing this self-titled debut. The half of the songs I've heard so far are heavy on tortured romance, and fans of bands like The xx and M83 will probably be right on board with this album. I love finding great new things. Hopefully you'll agree.</p><p>The track below is that first song that initially piqued people's attention. It's a seven-minute journey with an extended, slow-building bridge that climaxes right back into the chorus where it's supposed to.</p><hr><h3>Femi Kuti - <em>One People One World</em>
</h3><p>Femi is the son of famed activist and Afro-beat megastar Fela Kuti. He began following in his father's musical footsteps in the '90s. Back in November, he told Rolling Stone Magazine, "I hope this album brings joy, love, equal opportunity, justice, peace, understanding and togetherness to the world.” </p><p>I haven't heard much of this record, but I like African grooves rich with a strong horn section. I'm curious to see where Femi is taking the Kuti legacy these days.</p><hr><h3>Caroline Rose - <em>Loner</em>
</h3><p>I'm pretty sure I can't summarize this record any better than Rose's own press release: </p><blockquote>An obsession with money, an unfaithful lover, a friend’s accidental pregnancy, misogyny, loneliness, death… This is just some of the lighthearted subject matter that make up<strong> <em>LONER</em></strong>––the darkly comedic second album from songwriter/producer Caroline Rose. Armed with an arsenal of new instruments and equipment, an ever-growing sense of “ahhh fuck it,” two years of exploration, and a wicked sense of humor, Rose delivers a set of serious songs wrapped in a sprightly, angsty pop burrito. Because, as Rose puts it, “Sometimes sad songs just need a cocktail.”</blockquote><p>If that doesn't make you curious enough to press play, you're obviously not interested, and we should just move on. She's irreverent, for sure, and I think she's kind of funny.</p><hr><h3>Darlingside - <em>Extralife</em>
</h3><p>I mean, I spend my days singing in a professional vocal ensemble. It should be no surprise to anyone that I'm a sucker for vocal harmonies. Here's another group I knew nothing about until this week when I just closed my eyes and dropped my finger on the play button.</p><p>And I guess I have an incurable attraction to indie folk music because here we go again. Indie folk, chamber pop, laden with guiltless vocal harmony and a few quirky electronic elements. I'm almost mad about what a sucker I am. I don't know yet how much substance is lurking beneath the surface, but I kind of don't care yet because I like the surface.</p><hr><h3>The Low Anthem - <em>The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depths of the Sea</em>
</h3><p>I'm a fan of evolution. Well, yes, that, but also musical evolution. I prefer artists push themselves and their boundaries rather than repeat the same things over and over again. I like The Low Anthem...with reservations, and those reservations are unfortunately because of the evolution of their sound. </p><p>I fell in love with their back-to-back releases <em>Oh My God, Charlie Darwin</em> and <em>Smart Flesh</em> released in 2009 and 2011. Then they took five years off and released an album in 2016 that I don't remember much because it was a new sound I just didn't care about at the time.</p><p>What I liked about those two earlier records was that same damn indie folksy harmony stuff I keep going on about. I told you I was sucker. And theirs was particularly heartfelt and beautiful. If you haven't heard the afore mentioned albums, and you like that kind of thing, I recommend having a listen.</p><p>As far as I can tell, this new album still embraces that abandonment of their past sound. I'm going to listen, though, because maybe they're reaching new levels in their evolution that I might enjoy. I approach, however, with reservation.</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382272018-02-16T09:26:32-08:002022-01-13T01:00:42-08:00New Music Friday Vol. 16<p>Many talented women making powerful music, San Franciscans help out a New Yorker, and a record producer shares the chill vibe of his studio...</p>
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<h3>Laurie Anderson / Kronos Quartet - <em>Landfall</em>
</h3><p>In 2012, Laurie Anderson lost a great deal of her personal possessions when Hurricane Sandy flooded her NYC home. Inspired by that experience, this album is an exploration of loss set to a marvelous mixture of electronic sounds and the expertly beautiful performance of San Francisco's Kronos Quartet.</p><p>Anderson's work is typically quirky, yet compelling. This collaboration was performed live with multimedia components beginning in 2013, and it's easy to get wrapped up in her unique storytelling, even without the curated visuals.</p><p>From the album's press release:<br>“These are stories with tempos,” Anderson says. “I’ve always been fascinated by the complex relationship of words and music whether in song lyrics, supertitles or voice over. In <em>Landfall</em>, instruments initiate language through our new text software, erst. The blend of electronic and acoustic strings is the dominant sound of <em>Landfall</em>. Much of the music in this work is generated from the harmonies and delays of unique software designed for the solo viola and reinterpreted for the quartet. In addition, there were elements of the optigan, a keyboard that uses information stored on optical discs.”</p><hr><h3>I'm With Her - <em>See You Around</em>
</h3><p><strong>Sarah Jarosz</strong> is a singer-songwriter/mandolin player from Austin, TX who beautifully melds bluegrass and indie folk music.<br><strong>Aoife O'Donovan</strong> is from Newton, MA and also a bluegrassy/folksy singer-songwriter but with a bit of Irish roots shining through.<br><strong>Sara Watkins</strong> is from southern California and best known as one-fourth of the bluegrass superstar band Nickel Creek.</p><p>And this is their own super trio. I have enjoyed each of these women's music, and this collective is satisfying in all the ways I'd want it to be. Fantastic songwriting, satiating harmonies, notable depth, and a bit of whimsy.</p><p>This album has the additional plus of having been produced by Ethan Johns, a producer who has worked on some of my favorite recordings with a modern folk/alt-country flair. I really like this.</p><hr><h3>Brandi Carlile - <em>By the Way, I Forgive You</em>
</h3><p dir="ltr">I've already established that I have a soft spot for folksy/country singer-songwriters, so let's stick with that for a moment. Here's another talented woman who makes outstanding records. </p><p dir="ltr">I don’t know if this is traditional, classic country music with a thread of folk or the other way around, but there’s no way that matters. This record has power. And that power is radiating from a single source. Carlile treates us to full-throated passionate singing on this record.</p><p dir="ltr">The first track, from which the album title is taken, hit me like a brick. After having forgiven a past partner for heartbreak, she says:<br>"That's twice you broke my heart now,<br>the first was way back when.<br>And to know you're still unhappy<br>only makes it break again."</p><p dir="ltr">Ugh. Yeah.</p><p dir="ltr">Well, here's a live cut from one of the other great songs on the album, with Carlile’s full vocal power on display:</p><hr><h3>Everything is Recorded - <em>Everything is Recorded</em>
</h3><p>This is a producer album, and I find producer albums interesting. What does that mean?</p><p>Strong record producers shape the experience of a recording. Both for the artist and the listener. So in more powerful ways than you might realize, your favorite recording likely has as much to do with the efforts of the producer as it does the performance of the artist whose name is slapped on the front of the album.</p><p>Richard Russell is a producer and record label owner. This is his project. And the thing about producers’ own projects is that they get to collaborate with whomever they want and form the album in whatever shape they desire. Most of the time, these projects are collaborative efforts. Sometimes they end up being a mixtape of people the producer wants to work with, and it'll end up entertaining but not unified. </p><p>This project is impressively cohesive. Russell clearly had a moody, minimal vibe he was going for, and he used his collaborators (rising soulful singer Sampha, jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, Peter Gabriel, French-Cuban twin-sister duo Ibeyi...among others) to paint within this world that exists between minimal electronic and modern soul with global influences. </p><p>Here, have a song featuring Sampha with a nicely placed Curtis Mayfield sample:</p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382942017-06-02T07:06:33-07:002022-02-14T23:30:11-08:00Working with GRAMMY...<p>Hello Dear Followers,</p><p>I am extraordinarily happy to announce that I have officially been elected to serve on the Board of Governors for the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy. </p><p>It's my first time serving on a Board, and I can't think of a better way to get started. I have the opportunity to work with some of the best in the business at creating professional development opportunities, community and membership outreach, as well as advocating for the rights of musicians everywhere directly with local and federal government representatives. </p><p>It may be a small contribution to my community of musicians, but I hope it will be a positive and meaningful one. </p><p>Thanks for letting me share. I'll keep you posted...</p><p><a href="https://www.grammypro.com/taxonomy/term/34/about">More info here, if you're interested.</a></p>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382952016-12-31T18:24:32-08:002021-08-19T19:22:04-07:00Resolve...<p>There is always a new project to pursue, always a self-improvement that can be made. The list is endless.</p><p>I have never much subscribed to the New Year's Resolution. </p><p>There is, however, something comforting in recognizing new beginnings. Though January One is somewhat arbitrary in the context of a life, I appreciate the conspicuous moment to reflect on what has passed and what the future can hold. A reminder of what's important and what can be let go.</p><p>What's important.</p><p>Much vitriol has been expelled over the worst parts of 2016 (in many cases for good reason), but I choose to take this moment to reflect on the genuine joy I have experienced in this year of tumult. </p><p>In 2016, I committed my life to a perfectly extraordinary Austrian Princess. She upended her very existence to be with me. She has sacrificed exactly everything to create a permanent "us."</p><p>I resolve every day to fill her life with delight and ease. To fight for as much joy, comfort, and success as any pair can handle. I take this moment at the beginning of this new year to shout this resolve to the world. </p><p>I love you, Amelie-Anna. I cannot wait for us to make music together. Bring it on, 2017...</p>
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</figure>Brian Hinmantag:brianhinman.com,2005:Post/63382962016-12-28T10:01:48-08:002021-08-15T15:39:51-07:00The end of the year...<p>Feels like as good a time as any to add an update to the ol' website.</p><p>I realized I never linked to Chanticleer's recording of my arrangement inspired by the old gospel quartets of the early 20th Century, <em>Swing Down, Chariot</em>. Enjoy! </p><p> </p><iframe scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F225974392&show_artwork=true&callback=YUI.Env.JSONP.yui_3_17_2_1_1482856969502_20334&wmode=opaque" width="100%" frameborder="no" height="400"></iframe>
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