Sunday, December 5, 2010
Mike Siraco, Jon Young, Dani Weishoff
Mike Siraco, Dani Weishoff, Jon Young
All Flags Flying
For our field project, we studied a pop punk out of Peabody, MA called All Flags Flying. The core group has been together since high school, although many members have came and left. They are gaining a fan base in the Boston area and branching out by playing shows.
Working Practices
In our interview, Mike and Zack talk a little about the writing process, always including the fact that time is an important factor. Zack mentions how a strict deadline created a lot of tension, and how without a specific timeframe, they now all have a chance to work at their own pace and be satisfied with everything they get done. Mike added to our question by talking about his consistent writing process. First, he decides on a basic structure of a song and brings it to the band for their input. Next, they all work together for as long as it takes to achieve an outcome that works for their style, followed by Mike taking more time after that to come up with the appropriate lyrics and melodies. The members of All Flags Flying take their writing seriously and are "very particular with every step of the process."
Interview:
What are your influences?
Mike: We all listen to different music ranging from soft, acoustic stuff to heavier, more aggressive stuff. Personally, my songwriting is influenced by music that creates certain moods and literally puts you in a certain place and time. Lately, I have been very into The Ataris, Copeland, The Dangerous Summer, John Mayer, The Morning Of, Transit, Valencia, and The Wonder Years. As a songwriter, I personally enjoy mixing elements from various genres and create something of my own. Lyrically, I am take influences from all types of media, whether it be literature, movies, television shows, etc. Many lyrical themes come from living life.
Zack: I started off listening to the Starting Line and Brand New when I was younger, and that really influences the music I play and listen to. As of recent, I've been into a lot of Indie and early 2000 emo (i.e. Copeland, American Football, Mineral), but when I'm playing and writing, I feel a lot of TSL and Brand New.
Ben: Anberlin, Caspian, Circa Survive, Mae, Moneen, Motion City Soundtrack, Say Anything, Secret and Whisper, Silverstein, Story of the Year, Yellowcard.
Kyle: Mae, Deas Vail, Anberlin, Caspian, The Starting Line, This Century.
Why do you play the type of music that you play? / What interests you about it?
Mike: Since we all listen to a wide variety of rock and pop based music, we like to draw from each style to create something that is somewhat our own. We take our favorite aspects of our favorite music and incorporate it into what we play. At times, I enjoy playing energetic, jumpy stuff, but also like to slow things down. As far as the poppy hooks in our song, I was raised around pop music, so once I could handle a guitar, I needed to incorporate it into what I created, without simply creating something that has been done.
Ben: I love the energy and the atmosphere from the music that we play. And it's made from what we feel. We put our heart and soul into what we write.
Kyle: I like playing the music we play. It comes naturally and is appealing to me.
Zack: I really like playing the stuff we play because I grew up listening to it, and wanting to play in a band, and now I'm actually doing it. It also helps when all of your best friends are your bandmates.
How do you create your music and write the songs?
Zack: Writing for us is sort of interesting because we've had a lot of different experiences with it. Our first CD was really fun because we were young and hyped on anything we did. Mike wrote most of it, and everyone kinda just threw in something when it came to them. Our next release, Christmas Together, was more difficult because we had a time deadline to write it and record it, and everyone was going through personal stuff that year, so it was a very tense environment. We got through all of that, and we're in the process of writing new stuff now, and I haven't been happier with the way things are going. We don't have a timeframe, and we've all matured as musicians so we have a better idea of what we want to do. Mike brings an idea to practice, and it almost immediately turns into a song. The past couple months, everyone has been leaving practice happy and excited for the next week.
Mike: Our writing process is relatively consistent. I usually work on the overall layout and structure of a song, and once I have a decent product, I bring it to the band and we piece it all together. The guys let me know what parts suck and what parts are keepers. We don't stop until we think the song could not be any better than it is. After the song is done, I take pages out of all of the stuff I write lyrically, and mess around until I find the best, most fitting melodies. We are very particular with every step of the process.
When/Where do you perform?
Mike: We play shows all around New England during the school year, mainly in AOH/VFW halls and any venue we can find. We have played at clubs such as The Middle East, The All Asia, and Harper's Ferry in the Boston area, among others. We have played bigger stages, such as The Palladium. We basically will play anytime, anywhere. All we need is a room to make noise in. During the summer, we venture out of New England to spread our love.
Ben: We perform whenever we can or when we organize a show ourselves.
How do you work when you guys are at college?
Mike: It is certainly difficult, since we go to different schools, but we have made it work for a year now. We come home on Fridays and play music throughout the weekend. At school, I write songs and I bring them home with me. It isn't ideal, but we aren't willing to give it up.
Zack: Everyone comes home on the weekends for the band, work, and family. We practice every Friday night, and have been doing so for about five years. Since everyone is relatively close to home at school, it's not hard to work around college at all.
Kyle: I commute home on weekends. We all do. It isn't too difficult for us because it isn't too far. We all have cars, except Mike, but he always just catches a train and someone grabs him. We think this lineup has a chemistry that is worth sticking with.
How do you prepare to make music?
Ben: We gather in Mike's basement, turn on floor lamps for atmosphere, and feed of each others ideas.
Mike: As Ben said, and it may sound corny, but I really do believe that creating a creative atmosphere is important. We like to be in a clean, organized room with dim lighting, surrounded by all sorts of instruments, effects, etc. Anything that can inspire us. We keep a whiteboard on the wall with all of our ideas. We have an endless collection of music to use as references and inspiration.
How would you describe your music and what makes it unique?
Mike: I think that what makes our music unique is that we have a difficult time describing it, or fitting it into one solid genre. I would describe it as very melodic. We try to keep melody at the forefront of our process. I would also describe it as heartfelt and emotional. Another aspect of our band that is very unique is that we were all best friends before we learned to play instruments. We grew up together. I have been best friends with Kyle since I was in first grade. We loved music, so we decided to try and learn how to play and create the music we love. We were terrible for a while, but eventually, we grew into our own and have finally found a sound we stand behind completely.
Ben: We have a hard time classifying ourselves in any genres.
Kyle: Our music is different. We blend multiple genres of music together to create our own genre. We always have a tough time classifying us in one specific genre.
Zack: It's kind of hard to actually describe what we're doing, because everyone in the band has so many different influences. I guess that's why we sound kind of different than most local bands in our area. The stuff that we've written in the past doesn't exactly have a genre, and a lot of songs don't fit in with each other. Now we have a better direction in what we're writing, and it's easier to write, but much harder to categorize. I guess if I had to pick a specific genre, it's pop-punk/indie/experimental/rock.
What is the instrumentation of your band and the roles they play in this genre?
Mike: Our band consists of vocals, two guitars, bass, and drums. It is definitely a fairly traditional combination for the style of music, but we take advantage of the setup and use the instruments in our own ways. The same instruments are not always at the forefront of our songs. We can be a very guitar driven band at times, but Kyle creates some essential bass lines, and really his bass lines can make or break a song. Zack is an outstanding drummer, and he really sets the tone for the tracks. He is much more than a drummer to me. I bounce all of my ideas off of him, and they always come back to me better than they were. He is the best musician in the band.
Kyle: The instruments we play define our genre as rock. They are the generic instruments of the genre we play. Each of us taking our instrument and making it our own is what defines our music.
Ben: I don't think our instruments define our musical taste but rather are tools to write what we want for our genre.
Description of Activities Done
We interviewed the band and took videos of their performances. We analyzed the lead sheet provided and listened and discussed their other songs. We studied the interview and formulated opinions about their music and how their influences and writing techniques led to the final product.
Summary Of What We Learned From The Mucisians
We learned how a writing process can evolve over time and how that affects the songs. We also learned a lot about their style and genre of music, since none of us really listen to that type of music. We learned how each instrument contributes to this style of music. The drums have to be very peppy and lively.
THE MIDNIGHT PACT – ALL FLAGS FLYING
Critical Commentary
The band is very tight and keeps really good rhythmic time with each other.
Their genre could be defined as pop punk because of the catchy (pretty) vocal melodies mixed with the really heavy instrumentals. It can also be defined for some songs as screamo because of the shrieking backing vocals that accompany Mike’s melodic lines.
Michael has an incredibly wide vocal range, which is impressive enough on its own, but is a really important factor in making these songs good.
They’re instrumentals are perfected to a level where it sounds like they’re robotically programmed to play these songs in perfect time.
"The Midnight Pact"
The Midnight Pact Analysis
The Midnight Pact is a pop punk song. There’s two versions of the song recorded. Mike originally recorded a version with just electric guitar and vocals, but a new version was recorded at Norhteastern that includes two guitars, drums, bass, and backing vocals done by Mike. There’s an abrupt tempo movement after the first eight measures. The guitar strumming changes from the intro of the song at that point as well. The texture would be homophonic chordal.
The song is in the key of C major. Almost every chord is a suspended or add chord on guitar. It gives the song a really nice coloring and rich tonality. The opening progression is a I V ii with some color tones. The progression repeats in the song in the intro and bridge. At many points in the song the coloring keeps the progressions from sounding resolved or stable, adding some tension and uncertainty. The other progression that is repeated several times in the piece and ends the piece is a V ii V I. The progression does not sound as generic because of all the color tones each chord. There is also a I iii V progession and a V I iii ii progression.
Cadd9 G Dadd11
Cadd9 G Dsus4
(x2)
Gsus4 Csus2 Em/A D7sus4
(x4)
Cadd9 Em G
(x4)
Gsus4 Dadd9 Gsus4 Csus2 (x2)
Cadd9 G Dadd11
Cadd9 G Dsus4
(x2)
Gsus4 Csus2 Em/A D7sus4
(x4)
Cadd9 Em G
(x8)
Gsus4 Csus2 Em/A D7sus4
(x4)
Gsus4 Dadd9 Gsus4 Csus2 (x4)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Ocean State Great
Calling himself “The Ocean State Great,” K.i.T. is an upcoming rapper from Rhode Island with both great ambition and talent. Well on his way in establishing himself, he has performed over 40 shows at 15 venues. K.i.T. has labeled his infuences as the Canadian rapper K-os and the rap group A Tribe Called Quest. He has said that he had been rapping since a young age and was inspired by his older brother’s rap efforts. So far he has released two demos and a mixtape and he is expected to release more new music this year. All of his music is available for free on his website where he also posts videos, maintains a blog and provides local song picks weekly.
We began by contacting K.I.T. to ask if he would be interested in being interviewed for a project. Since he is a student at Northeastern and a music industry major, he was very open to the idea. The song K.i.T. gave to us was his single “Tricks are for Kids.” We met at his place for the first recording session where he created the beat and showed us how he practices rapping. He performed a show at the ballroom on Northeastern’s campus and another at Afterhours and we managed to film both. After that Alex followed him on the road to Rhode Island to interview him further. The video posted came together after all the material was collected
In one session, K.i.T. gave us a glimpse of his writing and recording process. He showed us several of the programs he uses, namely Reason and Recycle, to build his songs from scratch. By chopping and manipulating sounds from other songs and creating loops, he makes his own beats for him to rap over. Much of his creative process involves playing around on his computer and MIDI keyboard to find the combination that sounds right. Within a few minutes, he had quickly crafted together the basic sample for a song and was ready to add drums. Although he has said that he prefers rapping over other peoples beats, it was clear that he was well-versed in these computer programs and knew how to get what he wanted out of them.
K.i.T. noted that always keeps his smartphone with him in case he ever needs to quickly jot down some lyrical ideas. He says that he isn’t sure where the ideas for his music come from, so when he does think of something he gets it saved as soon as he can. Even the ideas that seemingly came off the top off his head, verses he considered as “practice,” came across as very natural and with confidence. He considers his rapping abilities as a craft, and knows that he can’t perform or get better without practice.
After our time interviewing and following K.I.T., it is obvious that he has the will to make something of his craft. He always seems to be looking to improve himself and what he is doing in the music industry. His rhymes have clearly developed since day one due to this drive to better his art. As a music industry major, he is beginning to take music theory and learn things like scales and even piano. These skills will eventually translate into his music to enhance what is already a good thing. Eager to always be creating new music, K.I.T. has potential to grow and become a serious player in the rap game. The thing about K.I.T. that stands out to us is his ability to dominate the stage with his presence. He never seems to hesitate when he is live due to his constant effort to practice what he writes. Eager to always be creating new music, K.I.T. has potential to grow and become a serious player in the hip hop game in the near future.
SONG ANALYSIS
"Tricks are for KIDS” by K.I.T. is a hip-hop style rap song that incorporates lyrical rhyming verses and choruses over a repeated background beat. The “beat” (referring to all parts of the instrumentals) is synthetically composed, using a short ascending synthesizer riff and mostly static bass line. Aside from the drum intro and the occasional halt of the beat, these elements are constant throughout the song. The repetition does not outstay its welcome in the three minute piece, however, as the primary focus of the song is on the rhythmic and lyrical aspects.
The drums also repeat in a loop similar to the synth and bass, but have somewhat more variation in addition to the short lick that starts the song. The cymbals play a 16th note constant pattern, while the snare accentuates the 2nd and 4th beats of each measure, as is common in hip-hop.
The vocals are mostly spoken, with some singing in the chorus. K.I.T.’s delivery is on the beat, rapping mostly in two-line sets, although sometimes breaks up a lyrical line across the rhythm, providing an interesting way to change subjects by “pivoting” on one word and incorporating it into the next line. The chorus introduces a low voice with K.I.T. echoing the end of each line, i.e. - “Don’t try to be a tree if you a twig (if you a twig)”.
The form is a basic verse/chorus form with a short intro and outro, comprised of the instrumental and some short vocal quips in the intro. The lyrics are not particularly structured, although there is some development of the lines. Overall, it is the vocal performance and rhythm that makes this song stand out, as it should be in a song of this genre.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
What is your inspiration?
My favorite rapper of all time is just K-os. As of late I’ve been listening to a lot of Talib Kwali. And lately since I’ve been learning the piano I’ve been listening to a lot of composers like that. But that’s pretty much it musically, like other than that I have no clue where ideas come from. It can be random, from something that’s just happened to me it or something that sounds funny together or cool together. I have no method for my madness, other than the fact that its mad.
What are you listening to?
Kind of all hip-hop at the moment. There’s times where I’ll be listening to like One Republic or Coldplay, something along those lines. But right now I’ve been listening to hip-hop, especially Kanye’s new album. Crazy.
Where did it all begin?
When I really think back, it always goes back to my brother. He used to just record on a tape, like a cassette, back when people used those...like in the basement on this karaoke machine. I’d always just go down there every once in a while and listen to him create. I remember one time he needed a hook, he couldn’t figure a hook for one of his songs, or a chorus. So I was just sitting there quietly and I thought of one and he let me record it. That was cool as shit. But then again there was a time when I saw my brother doing stuff. He started his own little rap crew. That was funny, and then I joined it without asking and made a song as if I was part of it. Then I started making songs and stuff with them because he knew how to record and everything. But the more and more I made songs the more I was like - this isn’t the kind of music I want to make. I want to develop a conscious kind of music. And I started to see how I can do that. The first thing I had to do was learn how to record myself. Before I can record myself, I was dependent on him to do my music. It’s supposed to be my own personal thing, so as soon as I learned to record my own music, I branched out to do my own thing.
What do you do before a show?
Honestly, I always practice the day before or two days before. Do it a couple times, go through the set. I’m comfortable with it because I’m always doing it. But besides that I really have no rituals. I’m usually nervous for some reason, I have no clue why. I’ve done like 40 shows. But I’m always nervous the first five minutes before I go on but as soon as I get up there it all goes away and I’m just chillin’.