A Rediscovering of Funk

What's up Jupsters,

Every musician remembers the first songs they thought would be the absolute coolest to play when they first picked up their instrument. Even to this day, millions of teenage boys hilariously attempt to learn the guitar just so they can play "Wonderwall."

I remember when I first started learning bass which bass lines sounded so cool and unique and distinctive and all that before I learned what scale degrees were, but I thought, at the jaded age of 22, I was past geeking out about simplistic bass lines.

Cue me taking my favorite class of all time: The Soul Tradition in African-American Music. It's a class on soul music. Listening to Motown, Stax, Sly and the Family Stone, and P-Funk is part of my homework. I always considered myself somewhat well-read/listened when it comes to matters of funk and soul, but for some reason I had missed this gem of a classic. Way back from 1973, it's "For the Love of Money" by the O'Jays.

When I first heard this bass line, both with and without the flange, my inner 12 year old raged again. It's just so damn funky, but what was awesome was that I was also able to figure out what it was within 5 minutes since my ears were still 22.

I may try to work it in the next time there's an opening in a song, but mostly I was just happy that such a simple bass line could still have this much effect on me without the aid of any mind-altering substances. It really reassured my belief in the power of music.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,

--Peter

National Marriage Boycott

Hey there, Sarah here.

I wanted to write a short post about an org I'm really passionate about called the National Marriage Boycott (NMB). The reason I love this group so much is because without it and the activism it has allowed me to do, I would have never felt empowered enough to sing about girls in front of complete strangers.

NMB is actually the only youth-led national LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights group (pretty cool, eh?). The boycott is a coalition of allies and LGBT people waiting to get married until there is full federal marriage equality. Boycotters wear an Equality Ring as a symbol of their pledge, to start conversations, and to help build a community in which queer youth feel supported.

The first time I saw the Equality Ring was when I walked into a computer science section my sophomore year. No joke -- I immediately felt infinitely more comfortable knowing there was someone in the room who didn't hate me or think I was perverted just because of who I loved. I soon after decided to join the group and take as active a role as they'd let me :)

If you'd like to read more about the National Marriage Boycott or like the Equality Ring enough to wear one too, check out their site!

Yay love!

Sarah

No More Malaise

Hauling yourself out of bed for a show on a Saturday doesn't seem like a difficult task until you're jumping up in terror, realizing that the blare of your last-line-of-defense alarm indicates that you have thirty minutes before you have to be in the car.

I've found that the onus of Friday night outings place a malaise over the weekend, in whatever form, that makes Saturday as unproductive as the night of revelry before. We often use the excuse, "Well, it's the weekend." Or maybe we try, "I need today to recover from yesterday." So on the way to our gig at Dance Marathon I think we all felt pretty lousy having fallen into that lethargic pattern for which we really have no excuse. Thankfully the show blew that feeling out of the water.

Dance Marathon 2011, courtesy of The Stanford Daily

Pete's new bass amp may have been the trick. Or it could have been the eroticism with which he gyrated on "Birthday Sex." My personal guess was that it was a combination of factors. In recent practices, we have been emphasizing watching each other and forming a band dynamic. With eyes locked every once in a while (like we actually like each other), we maintain a much smoother groove. The rhythm is all there.

During this show, I checked out my band mates more than I ever have (*wolf whistle*). I can still picture the color of Pete's curly locks when we latched onto each other musically and visually during the breakdown of "Do It Again". Try me. Send in a response and I'll provide an intimate description.

Finding Jupiter is making more and more progress. Beyond the frequent practices which are, clearly, paying off, we have begun to communicate our ideas and articulate our interests more candidly. The rhythm section is taking on more of the band's mantle, helping to organize press releases and composing new music to diversify our repertoire. It's an exciting time.

A gig is a gig, and an audience is an audience. We were rocking to a small crowd at DM, but those who were there saw one of our best performances to date. As selfish individuals, we love to see screaming fans, packed venues, and a couple of pieces of thrown lingerie. But as a musical ensemble, as entertainers, we simply want to perform the music that we have written to its full potential to make those watching us enjoy the show as much as possible. Finding Jupiter, in my opinion, is becoming that sort of ensemble.

If we can keep playing shows like that, I don't think that I'll have another unproductive Saturday again. Thanks, DM. Let's "Do It Again" next year.

Taylor