Indie Update

Somewhere in the interesting style of this new group a few strands of English pop are combined with the self-deprecating humor of young people who seem to be able to handle general insanity.  For Say Anything, the message is delivered with a somewhat disarming freshness.

It shouldn’t surprise Say Anything fans that the group will be touring with hellogoodbye.  After all, that band’s music is much influenced by English pop and some of the rainbow, feel-good stuff from the 60s.  But a serious listener will find significant differences.  After all, hellogoodbye puts the word "love" in the titles of its love songs and cites "trees and stuff" as major influences.

Say Anything, on the other hand, gets much of its direction from singer Max Bemis, who writes that he gave a lot of thought to the "sick ambition to affect some sort of change in society" through his art.  That type of thinking, and musical direction, goes well beyond love songs or "trees and stuff."

Bemis and drummer Coby Linder might be the two to blame for the existence of Say Anything, since the two started out doing self-recorded music and hung on through several band-member changes to get to the current lineup. Alex Kent handles the bass, while Jake Turner and Jeff Turner contribute both guitar work and vocals. Parker Case (keyboards, guitar, vocals) rounds out the group’s lineup.

Music purists will be pleased to know that the band members originally chose to be "totally underground" rather than sign with a big-name label.  That has changed in recent times.  What effect that will have on the group is still a mystery.

Tags: independent music, indie, music, indie music, say anything

While her motivation is certainly different from that of, say, Tila Tequila, Krystal Blue’s marketing approach and appeal are similar. Both could be labeled as entertainers, even models and personalities, as well as being listed as musical performers or singers. But that should not detract from the apparent quality of Blue’s vocals or her accomplishments as a songwriter and studio producer.

Yes, the marketing of this young woman focuses as much on appearance and beauty as it does on the musical offerings. But Blue, a native Texan, just passed her 23rd birthday, which means that she has put about 10 years into the music profession since she began writing in the Hip Hop and R&B genres. She has already released two collections and a third should be appearing soon.

The electronically generated sounds on "Rain" are blended with clear, clear vocals to produce what may be some of the finest ambient sound recorded recently. Blue clearly relies on her Latin influence, but this recording has a world-spanning sound that could appeal to thousands. Some might call it captivating, as are the keyboard sounds and percussion of "Intro Music."

Then there is the aptly titled "My Disco World" sample. Those who thought disco was dead 25 years ago might have a difficult time convincing Blue. In any case, Krystal Blue lists such diverse artists as Pink Floyd, Christina Aguilera and Steve Vai as influences. These, and more, are part of Blue’s early sound.

Tags: music, independent music, indie music, indie, krystal blue

What’s the definition of "indie" music? Of course, the classification originally came from the practice of new or alternative bands putting their efforts on albums and cds with companies that were not considered "major" labels (or at least not big independent labels). The businesses and the musicians are trying to stay independent of corporate music or "the man." For the most part, the bands are "young" in performing years and the recording efforts are often small, in a financial sense.

What does this have to do with the dynamite Manchester, U.K. group Oasis? Let’s start with this: they have been playing for more than 15 years, a fact that separates them from many new, alternative groups. They have a catalog of music that would stack higher than most. They are considered by some to be one of the "biggest" bands in the world, rating even a film record of their tour. Their music has appeared on such labels as Epic and Columbia.

Does this make them dependent or not independent? A resounding "NO," say their fans. In recent years the "indie" group of musicians and bands is probably better defined by an attitude or philosophy. Indie is a genre in the music world now and Oasis fits quite well thank you.

Four primary members make Oasis happen: vocalist Liam Gallagher; lead guitarist Noel Gallagher; bassist Andy Bell; rhythm guitarist Gem Archer. But many other top musicians have contributed to recording efforts. For those wanting a good taste of Oasis quality, try "Champagne Supernova" from (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? Or listen to "Whatever," originally a 1994 single. No disappointments here.

Tags: independent music, indie music, oasis, music, indie

In the world of indie music, Cute Is What We Aim For is a relative newcomer, since the band was put together about two years ago. Shaant Hacikyan and Jeff Czum of Cherry Bing joined forces with Fred Cimato and Tom Falcone to form CIWWAF (sorry, I just had to try the acronym). Other changes in the early months of the band’s existence included the exit of a fifth member, Chris Flury.

The musical product that emerged from this new lineup puts heavy emphasis on lyrics, as the opening lines of The Curse of Curves well indicates. You will find puns and various play-on-words phrases sprinkled throughout the song list. In addition, Cute Is What We Aim For relies on visual communication to get its message across. Clear, well-edited video may be one of the most important marketing tools this group has.

But some Cherry Bing fans and indie music aficionados find the group a bit too "cute" for their own good. One such complaint centers on the use of Auto-Tune, a pitch-correcting software program that purist musicians feel gives an artificial boost to recorded music.

In spite of managerial problems and overuse-of-technology accusations, Cute Is What We Aim For put out a debut collection in 2006 called "The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch." The most recent single, "The Curse of Curves" came out in February of this year.

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The energy of youth, mixed with equal parts frustration and anger, is the recipe for a number of solid, Midwestern bands. In fact, Hawthorne Heights has a quality that is eerily similar to Junior Varsity, an Illinois group that also hits the strings hard and puts crisp vocals on top. The band members insist they "sound like no one else." But don’t worry, sounding like Junior Varsity is a good thing!

With "Ohio Is For Lovers" from The Silence in Black and White, as well as "This Is Who We Are" from If Only You Were Lonely (2006), this Dayton Ohio ensemble is attracting listeners by the thousands. Eron Bucciarelli contributes confident drumming and seems to be a heartbeat for the group, working with Matt Ridenour, the group’s bassist, to set the foundation. Guitar work by Casey Calvert, Micah Carli and JT Woodruff is tight (Woodruff is the primary vocalist as well). The distortion and fuzz that typify rock and pop/punk are just right and it’s refreshing to hear some harmony guitar work.

Hawthorne Heights has been around for about six years and according to some accounts began playing as A Day in the Life. A stint with the Victory record label did not work out, to say the least. But the quest continues. The band’s recent Warped Tour included stops in Boise Idaho, Seattle Washington, Portland Oregon as well as dates in Fresno and Sacramento California.

Tags: music, indie, independent music, indie music, hawthorne heights