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Webster Hall 128 Years, From Bohemian to EDM

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ALSO INSIDE: Captured Tracks P04 Anthony Fantano P17 Macklemore P28

Staff Managing Editors: Gabe Rosenberg William Dubbs

Contributors: Kathleen Kang Eric Swack John Baierl Ann Surber Matthew Auster Merry Li Melissa Arroyo Sean Mihaljevich Kassandra Leidemer Maimouna Siby Peter Chu Marisa Yang

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Contents 04 08 12 17 20 25 28 32 34 36 38 40

Homegrown in Brooklyn: The Rise of Captured Tracks The Legacy of Skydog: A Renewed Appeal to Remember Duane Allman CBGBs: A Place All Their Own The Needle Drops Again: An Exclusive Interview with Music Vlogger Anthony Fantano 128 Years of Webster Hall Elvis & Eminem: Kings of Controversy The Rise of Macklemore The Game Has Changed: A Brief History of Daft Punk and How They Changed EDM R&B in China Hitsville, USA: How the Funk Brothers Became the Greatest Pop Hit Machine Battle of the Studio Bands Ritchie Valens: The Life and Legacy of the First Latino Rocker

Homegrown

in Brooklyn

THE RISE OF CAPTURED TRACKS

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By Kathleen Kang

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Mike Sniper of Captured Tracks. c/o Pop Montreal.

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In today’s digital world, where independent record labels and artists are constantly devising new ways to remain competitive, Brooklyn-based record label Captured Tracks manages to find success by sticking with a traditional, homegrown approach. The label was created

by Mike Sniper in late 2008, beginning with the release of his band’s Captured Tracks Volume One CD-R. Five years later, Captured Tracks has a small but critically acclaimed roster with acts such as Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing, DIIV, and Mac DeMarco, and it is already one of the more prolific American independent labels with over 166 releases since 2009.

“It’s interesting,” said Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber. “For as new of a label as it is, it feels like somehow it’s been around much longer. It sort of already

has a sense of feeling like an institution. Mike has a really classic approach to what a label needs. I think Captured is one of the few current labels that has a compelling sense of mystique or mythology about it. I can imagine people being obsessed with Captured the way they were obsessed with 4AD in the early ‘90s. Looking at catalog numbers and trying to get their hands on every format and edition.”

When Captured Tracks started up, it shared a building with the label Mexican Summer.

Katie Garcia, current label manager, was working as the label’s sole intern. “My first impression of Mike was that he was extremely mysterious and evasive,” Garcia said.

“Mike was kind of like the Wizard of Oz. I didn’t meet him for the first three weeks that I interned there.”

During this time, Beach Fossils’

“I think Captured is one of the few current labels that has a compelling sense of mystique or mythology about it.” ­—Ryan Schreiber

first 7-inch “Daydream” was being prepared for release. In several months, Beach Fossils’ self-titled LP, along with Wild Nothing’s debut Gemini, were released on the same exact day. “That was kind of what ‘broke’ the label in a way,” Garcia said. “I was the only intern for maybe two or three months, and finally I said, ‘Listen, I can’t be only intern.

The label’s growing really fast; we need to get more people in here.’”

Today, as the label manager (and fiancée of Beach Fossils frontman Dustin Payseur), Garcia not only performs traditional tasks such as putting records into production, but also helping search for new bands to sign.

“I consider all of the bands we work with to be my friends,” she said. “I want to work hard for them because I feel connected to them as people, not just as musicians.

I feel like that makes our label unique. A lot of other labels seem to have a more detached way of operating.”

The combined success of Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing allowed the label to expand in other ways.

With his artists’ input, Sniper worked on reissuing selections from some of their favorite established independent artists, such as The Servants and The Wake.

In addition, Sniper launched The Shoegaze Archives project to document and reissue overlooked material from past shoegaze artists.

All releases are available on vinyl, cassette, and extended CD formats.

“They’re bands from the ‘80s and ‘90s who kind of have a similar place in history to many of the artists who Captured is releasing now,” said Schreiber of the

project.

“They’re niche artists in the same way that a lot of Captured bands are.

The records he puts out now are really almost like contemporary versions of those records.”

“I think Captured Tracks retains the essential spirit of the best independents from the past and yet seems able to compete and stand out in the present day,” said Caesar McInulty, frontman of The Wake.

So what exactly is Sniper’s formula for success? Schreiber says that Sniper is “one of the most insane collectors” he knows, possessing many unreleased rarities. It is this same obsession with finding new talent that powers Captured Tracks.

Sniper claims he will only work with a new band if he is releasing their first record.

“If a label is to maintain any esteem or credibility,” he said, “it should maintain a 50 percent homegrown talent base. “If you can’t maintain that meager ratio, you’re probably not a record label— you’re a manufacturing plant with a cool logo.”

Developing a sense of community has been an important aspect of Captured Tracks from the start. “The intent was to do good by our bands,” Sniper said. “As a result, we’ve developed this community.

Because of all of these bands coming up at the same time, they all tour together, they all play together. There’s that sense of community like there was for Factory, 4AD.” Thus, Sniper demonstrates that even with a traditional approach, a small, independent record label can succeed with the help of carefully selected artists and staff who are passionate and like-minded.

c/o Captured Tracks

Sources: http://capturedtracks.com http://alteredzones.com/posts/2025/capturedtracks-launches-re-issues-series/ http://thephoenix.com/boston/music/149441label-made-the-story-of-captured-tracks/ http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/label-profilecaptured-tracks http://pitchfork.com/news/44236-captured-trackslaunches-shoegaze-archive-release-reissue-series/ http://mbvmusic.com/captured-tracks

The Legacy of

Skydog

A Renewed Appeal to Remember Duane Allman 08

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By Erick Swack

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Perhaps it is an outworn slogan amongst the select fans of Duane Allman who persist, but I must join the chorus by in appealing to you to recognize the greatness of what might be rock ‘n’ roll’s most forgotten talent.

Surely there have been others who have been overlooked in the collective history of rock— certainly the early black pioneers of the genre, for instance, have drawn the short stick. Indeed, Duane Allman’s historical persona is that of someone who has to be “remembered,” as if to suggest that even in the years directly following his death, he faded quickly from rock conciseness—that he was a relic even in his own time.

This is, however, only further reason to affirm his status in the modern day as one of the greatest rock guitarists to ever play, and to look to the example of someone like Robert Johnson as a brilliant musician who only received the recognition he was due long after he had died.

There are reasons why Skydog faded from history, not least of which was the brevity of his career—he died in a motorcycle accident just shy of turning 25.

But this is not reason enough to slide into oblivion.

Indeed there is a tragic yet substantial club of rock stars—including Jimi Hendrix—who never lived past 27, yet achieved great staying power and earned renown.

Rather, it was a function of his unassuming personality, as well as his no-gimmicks style of

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playing. Unlike more flamboyant stars, Allman detested media attention and never opted for an over-the-top aesthetic. Similarly, his playing style was often understated, with every note being perfectly deliberate. Thus, it is no surprise that his undersized persona relative to the exaggerated images cultivated by other artists would lead to a similarly undersized place in the memory of rock fans. The only lasting relic of his short career, then, is his music.

Duane Allman was steeped in the traditions of southern blues. Throughout his career, however, he was a devoted student of rock, jazz and R&B, playing on sessions with notable artists including Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, and Wilson Pickett. It was his recording with Pickett that caught the ear of Eric Clapton, who, after Allman assisted him in recording Lela & Other Assorted Love Songs, would later invite Allman to be a permanent member of his band.

Although often thought of as a showcase of Clapton, Chet Flippo of Rolling Stone wrote of Lela, “This album is where Duane Allman was really displaying why he was a better guitarist than Eric Clapton.”

Not only was Allman a superior musician, but his playing was more distinct. His unique sound was largely a function of his use of a slide when playing the guitar, a tool that allowed him to bend and weave together notes the way no one with only a standard fret board could. He is widely considered the greatest slide-guitarist to ever live, although the style is not

particularly common even today.

Though his recordings with other artists are shining examples of Duane’s brilliance, it was his work with his brother (amongst others) in The Allman Brothers Band for which he should be best remembered. The band’s At Fillmore East is widely considered one of the greatest live albums ever recorded, and brilliantly showcases Duanes’ flowing licks and soaring solos. Furthermore, the fact that the album was recorded live demonstrates Allman’s pure ability, without post-production or second takes that might allow lack of raw talent to be covered up.

Between the live album and their studio recordings, The Allman Brothers Band became the most successful rock band to come out of the south at the time of their debut.This paved the way for numerous other bands from the region, but also served as the foundation for a totally original sound that so authentically drew upon the layers of southern music traditions. To this day The Allman Brothers Band is considered the preeminent example, and founders of, the Southern Rock sub-genre.

For a time, Rolling Stone magazine beat back the ignorance of popular memory, naming Duane in 2003 the second greatest guitarist of all time (behind only Jimi Hendrix). However by the time of their 2011 rankings he had slipped to #9. While acknowledging the fact that Rolling Stone has a vested interest in changing the list so as to encourage consumption of what would otherwise be recycled material, this

still reflects a tacit acknowledgment of Allman’s increasingly marginalized stature.

His status has become that of a “musician’s musician,” but his greatness should not be reserved for students of rock who happen upon his recordings.

Not only does he deserve more, but so too do all those who seek out great music.

Because of this, I continue the appeal, so vividly carved in the dirt by I-20 in Vicksburg in 1973: Remember Duane Allman.

Sources: http://fuzzyco.com/news/fam_the/remember_ when_david_reid_remembered_duan.html http://web.archive.org/web/20061125054919/ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/ the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/ http://www.superseventies.com/allmanbrothers. html http://web.archive.org/web/20061110100650/http:// www.whereseric.com/ecfaq/biographies-othermusicians/duane-allman-.html http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/ song-o-the-south-how-the-allman-brothers-madea-redneck-negress-out-of-me Photo c/o hudsn.org

CBGBs

a place all their own by john baierl

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B “Talking Heads, CBGB’s 1977 – first weekend at CBGB’s as foursome” c/o The Local East Village

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By any reasonable standards, CBGB was a dump.

“I’m not trying to romanticize anything, because in some ways it was a shithole,” said musician Patti Smith. “The sound was crappy, there was always things breaking down and glasses breaking and people vomiting and the rats scurrying around in the back.”

Its dank and cramped interior along with the notoriously rundown bathrooms gave CBGB an aesthetic more akin to an abandoned closet than a music venue. It was indeed, to use Smith’s words, a shithole.

“But it was our shithole,” Smith said, “and that was the greatest thing. I’ve played a lot of places and it was the only place I’ve every played that felt like our place.”

Smith was a frequent performer at CBGB throughout the mid- to late 70s, and she became an integral part of a thriving scene of punk and experimental musicians in downtown Manhattan. Artists the like of The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, and later the Police and Sonic Youth would revolutionize the rock world and catapult themselves to music immortality, all from this cramped New York City music haven.

During its 32-year tenure on the Bowery in the East Village, CBGB & OMFUG (which stands for Country, Bluegrass, and Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers)

was the heart of a vibrant, progressive community of musicians inhabiting lower Manhattan. For these largely unknown young artists, CBGB gave them a free and limitless platform for self-expression and experimentation without the constant pressures of critical and popular acclaim.

In the words of Chris Frantz of the Talking Heads, “They can go to CBGBs and get a gig there and play and maybe, who knows, things will happen for them. Even if they don’t in a commercial way at least they can happen in an artistic way.

They have the freedom to do that.”

To the young musicians, CBGB provided a lowpressure method of exposure, encouraging exploration and innovation over critical success.

There, groups like Television, now staples in the legacy of punk rock, were able to develop their own sound and style in a public setting.

And CBGB provided a oneof-a-kind place to do it. As purely a performance space, it was nothing special; the stage was only about a foot high and tiny, with performers usually butting right up against the audience. “When we started playing there, there was nobody there, maybe ten people, eight of whom were working there,” Frantz said.

Combine that with a mere 300-person capacity, and you get CBGB. Though not exactly easy on the eyes, the venue itself undoubtedly shaped the music that came out of it. In a setting like that, an artist had no choice but to be genuine.

“In a club the size of CBGB, the tricks of the trade that the big guys use to duplicate or replace real charisma are technically impossible, and so the act has to either do it all by themselves or else it doesn’t get done at all,” said Charles Sharr Murray in an article in NME. For all of its quirks, in many

ways CBGB was the perfect venue for its time and place.

In an industry dominated at the time by disco and other popular music, CBGB was the foil, simultaneously providing a grungy hangout for urban youth and granting young talent muchneeded artistic freedom.

The man behind the operation of CBGB was its eccentric owner, Hilly Kristal.

His commitment to creativity and openness to the new and the unknown crafted CBGB’s identity and fostered its rise to prominence on the New York scene.

Above all else, Kristal wanted to make a place where good music could interact with the community, and young, creative bands could develop their own sound. Kristal was particularly devoted to the creative aspect of rock. From early on, in a scene where cover music dominated the popular scene, Kristal insisted that his artists play entirely their own work.

“I felt originality was the most important thing in rock,” Kristal said. “I felt very good about it, letting them do their own thing. In any art form, I think that’s the most important thing.”

For a mere four-dollar cover

charge, a devoted and young fan base gained access to some of the most innovative and exciting musicians of the time, and the force behind it all was Kristal’s fearless commitment to fostering creativity for the artist.

Bands like the Ramones and Television got an opportunity to develop, experiment, and blossom into the musical forces they would eventually become, and did so within a tight artistic community centered on CBGB. Kristal remained the owner of CBGB until its closing in 2006 due to the skyrocketing neighborhood rent. He left behind a legacy of community and creativity that defined an entire era of rock music and gave rise to some of the most innovative art of the time.

“CBGBs wasn’t just about Hilly or the people who played there or New York City, it represented freedom for young people,” said Patti Smith. “To me, the name CBGBs could be a slang term at this point meaning freedom. Hilly offered us unconditional freedom.”

To the artists that called it home, CBGB held more than merely nostalgic significance.

It was an embodiment of what they felt rock ‘n’ roll should be.

Blondie plays a set at CBGB in 1977. c/o The Local East Village

“I felt originality was the most important thing in rock. I felt very good about it, letting them do their own thing. In any art form, I think that’s the most important thing.” — ­ Hilly Kristal

The Ramones were one of many groups that got their start at CBGB, seen here performing in 1977. c/o Canary Hop

the

Sources:

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Azerrand, Michael. “CBGB: This Ain’t No Mud Club.” Rolling Stone. 10 Feb 1994: n. page. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rocksbackpages.com/ Library/Article/cbgb-this-aint-no-mudd-club>.

Goodman, Elizabeth. “Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Steven Van Zandt On Hilly Kristal and the Significance of CBGB.” Rolling Stone. 29 Aug 2007: n. page.

Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Harron, Mary. “The Ramones.” Punk. Jan 1976: n. page. Print. <http://www. rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-ramones-3>.

Murray, Charles Sharr. “Down In The Scuzz With The Heavy Cult Figures.”

NME. 7 Jun 1975: n. page. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rocksbackpages. com/Library Murray, Charles Sharr. “Hilly Kristal (CBGBs).” NME. 4 Mar 1978: n. page.

Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/hillykristal-cbgbs>.

Soltes, John. “CBGB’s Hilly Kristal: An Original to the End.” Time. 30 Aug 2007: n. page. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/arts/ article/0,8599,1657752,00.html>.

CBGB’s, Bowery 1976. Handsome Dick Manitoba & girlfriend Jody. c/o The Local East Village.

drops again An Exclusive Interview with Music Vlogger Anthony Fantano

By Ann Surber

out more boldly in the work of some artists— The Black Keys are definitely an example of that.

AS: How do you feel about the term “classic rock”? Do you believe that it’s taken on a loaded terminology in some circles of music?

AF: It’s loaded, yeah. Some genres don’t describe what a genre sounds like. Rather, it describes a group of people who listen to the music, the people who play the music or the era and time the music comes from. What does “punk rock” mean? What the hell is “blue-eyed soul”? And what does “indie rock” sound like?

A lot of genres don’t describe things in a way that they should, Photos c/o TheNeedleDrop.com

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When 27-year-old Anthony Fantano isn’t working at the local pizza parlor in Plainville, Conn., he’s listening, reviewing, recording, editing—there’s very little downtime for the selfproclaimed “internet’s busiest music nerd.”

With over 118,000 YouTube subscribers and nearly 26 million total video views, Anthony’s blog/vlog The Needle Drop makes him not only the busiest but one of the most successful reviewers in the blogosphere. As part of the WESU Lecture Series at Wesleyan, Anthony spoke to an audience of his followers in September of 2012.

Through various internet social circles, however, I have been acquainted with Anthony for almost two years, and with this privilege was able to interact with him in a more intimate setting for a Q&A— the Athenian II in Middletown, over some veggie burgers.

Ann Surber: What inspired you to start reviewing music?

Anthony Fantano: A lack of success in what I was doing with my blog and radio show. Experimenting with something new until I found what worked for me as someone who covers music on the internet.

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AS: How does your own personal taste affect the way you review music, if it does at all?

AF: It affects it in just about every

way imaginable. I do say some indisputable facts in my reviews – for example, if a certain musician appears on a track, or if a sound has a “distorted” quality – however, my final judgment on what I’m hearing boils down on my personal taste. My reviews are mostly opinions, and I try to stress that as much as possible.

AS: How do you feel music

reviewers such as yourself and the staff of Pitchfork affect the general public perception of a group or album?

AF: I think artists have a little bit more of a safety net in the internet age. Their hardcore fans can listen to the record before the critics get a chance to talk about it, and then make their own decisions on what they’re hearing. But with all of the competition to be heard out there, critics can stomp out the buzz of growing artists or even prevent the buzz of up-and-comers if the critics themselves are the exposure point for the artists they’re reviewing.

AS: How do you feel the influences of early rock and R&B still remain relevant in today’s music?

AF: I think they’re still relevant in the sense that they’re the foundation of a lot of music we hear today, and it comes

I guess, but we work with these terms anyway, and do what we can with them.

AS: What sorts of trends do you see in the music industry as of late?

AF: I see a lot of microgenres popping up everywhere, more music coming out every year, and the hyper-acceleration of trends in terms of what genres and sounds are hot.

AS: What do you think about the criticism of artists like Fun. “selling out”?

AF: I think the term “selling out” has way less validity than it used to. Selling out in the Internet age isn’t the same as selling out in the ’80s or ’90s.

Back in the day, companies

“Making money off your music these days – if you can do it – doesn’t mean changing your sound, changing your image, or compromising your morals.”

— Anthony Fantano wanted to use your hit song in a commercial because of the emotional attachment the general public has for it.

Nowadays, we have underground artists like Chairlift and getting famous off the back of commercials featuring their songs. We have companies with marketing departments filled with hip, young kids who want to use music from their favorite indie bands, ignoring the fact that the target demographic for the advertisement may not even be familiar with the band whose music is being featured.

Making money off your music these days – if you can do it – doesn’t mean changing your sound, changing your image, or compromising your morals. The option to do all those things is there, sure, but you don’t have to take it if you don’t want.

“Selling out” isn’t as black and white as it used to be. It’s now a grey-scale.

AS: How would you describe the influence and power of the internet on the distribution of music?

AF: It’s allowed artists to promote their music for very little money, and leveled the playing field in terms of who listeners has access to. If your stuff is on YouTube, SoundCloud, or Bandcamp, people can hear you. In order for that to happen people used to have to print a record, CD, or cassette. We’re in a new age of sharing.

AS: Do you think that the positive sales trend in vinyl records will continue into the

short-term and long-term future?

AF: I think the percentage of vinyl sales in the industry is growing partially because of the rise of digital killing CDs, and the fact that there are less physical sales overall. Let’s get that out of the way, ha.

But, yeah, I think people will continue to buy vinyl as long as there are nerdy music fans who want to get a bit more, uh, “intimate” with the music they hold dearly. Will there be more vinyl sales in the future? Well, there would have to be more nerdy music fans in order for that to happen, or the economy would have to pick back up.

The chances of either of those happening are fuzzy at the moment.

AS: How do you feel about artists such as Lil B who have a prominent internet fanbase/are very successful on the internet?

AF: I feel he’s taken to the new model of music entertainment better than some artists have; however, not every artist can afford to make the kind of music Lil B makes. I think B is great at what he does with his music – which is essentially get an emotional rise out of people – but not everyone can follow that model and be as successful as him.

AS: What do you think about piracy?

AF: It hurts and helps. While it gives some artists the exposure they need to become relevant, it hurts them in the sense that they’re not making any money off of the music they worked on all that time.

128 YEARS OF

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Webster Hall

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New York City’s Webster Hall didn’t always look as it does today, packed wall to wall with screaming 19- to 20-somethings, their writhing bodies bathed in a tidal wave of smoke and laser light.

Though most widely recognized as a concert venue and nightclub, pumped full of mind wrecking distortion and enough throbbing bass to give even the most fit of clubgoers a stroke, this wonderland of light and sound is merely the most recent incarnation of the historical venue.

Throughout its almost 128 year history, Webster Hall has served a myriad of purposes. The space has played host to various crowds during its tenure, lending itself to causes every bit as diverse as the patrons who currently frequent the nightclub the seven days a week events are hosted.

Located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at 119 East

11th Street, the venue was commissioned by Polish cigar maker and entertainment entrepreneur Charles Goldstein and constructed by architect Charles Rentz in 1886.

In its early history, Webster Hall was the site of countless “gatherings, balls, receptions, fundraisers, and social events.” One of the earliest events held there was a banquet for 60 members of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish military members, planned by Charles Goldstein himself. Thus began Webster’s role as a “room for hire,” a space that could be rented for any social purpose to paying customers.

In 1892, an Annex located nextdoor to the original site at 125 East 11th Street was acquired for the Goldstein family to live in, and they soon built a ballroom, restaurant, and saloon in the remaining space of this Annex.

Webster Hall at this time attracted

an eclectic crowd, with some of the most prominent East-Village bohemians frequenting Webster to socialize. They threw lavish parties, costume balls and political fundraisers, hosted union and labor rallies, and networked amongst their peers.

Some of the more famous attendees of the early 1900s include the anarchist philosopher and activist Emma Goldman, Dada artists Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, author F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as a number of other preeminent artists, activists, and socialites.

Though the grand ballroom was on occasion rented out for “high-society” events as well, the location soon became know for the leftist and politically extreme clientele it attracted due to the owner’s indiscriminate booking policies. This was partially due to the accessibility of the venue to

By Matthew Auster

A bohemian ball at Webster Hall. c/o Bklyn Unplugged

Due to the association with the hedonistic lifestyle of East Village bohemia and many of its patron’s extremely liberal views,Webster Hall gained several nicknames in the press: “The Devil’s Playhouse,” “The Blind Man’s Ball,” and “The Pagan Rout.”

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the Lower East Side’s poorer immigrant community, who felt they could freely congregate in the space and openly discuss their troubles.

In 1916, Webster Hall served as the headquarters for the International Ladies Garment Worker’s Union, a key organization for the development of the labor and women’s rights movements.

A few years later in 1920, meetings of the Sacco and Venzetti Defense Committee were held here.

This landmark trial led to the ultimate conviction and execution of two Italian immigrants, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco, for a bank robbery, which it is now believed they did not commit.

Current public opinion holds that they were largely convicted based on their immigrant status and anarchist views— a key indicator of the social and political climate of the time.

Due to the association with the hedonistic lifestyle of East Village bohemia and many of its patron’s extremely liberal views, Webster Hall gained several nicknames in the press: “The Devil’s Playhouse,” “The Blind Man’s Ball,” and “The Pagan Rout.”

Floyd Dell, writer for the socialist newspaper The Masses, recalls his time at the many of the costume parties of the era: “They were spontaneously

joyous and deliberately beautiful, focusing in a mood of playfulness the passion for loveliness which was one of the things that brought us to the village.”

The masquerades and parties held at Webster during the 1920’s also had extreme significance for the lesbian and gay community. They were allowed, and often encouraged, to attend in full drag, as it enhanced the scandalous reputation of the venue and the events held there.

During prohibition, Webster was operated as a speakeasy, serving liquor to all paying customers. During this time, it is rumored that the hall was owned by the infamous gangster Al Capone. Protection money was lavished on the police and local politicians in order to ensure that the party never stopped, and the club’s popularity soared.

When prohibition was finally repealed, one of the largest parties in the nightclub’s 128-year history, named “The Return of John Barleycorn,” was thrown. The great depression in the 1930s, however, all but extinguished the frivolity of the “raging ‘20s,” and for the next 20 years the now-famous hall was used mostly for labor gatherings, union meetings, and various other political purposes.

Though there were occasional parties, it was not

until the early 1950’s, when Latin performers such as Tito Puente began performing at Webster and RCA Records began recording in the newlyrenovated studio space, that Webster began to regain its party atmosphere.

Starting in 1953, RCA Records established the basement of Webster hall as their official east coast recording branch: “Webster Hall Studios.” Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, and many others recorded there, including Bob Dylan’s recording debut playing harmonica on Harry Belafonte’s Midnight Special. “The Studio,” as it is still called today, soon became a favorite spot for the recording of many Broadway show soundtracks due to the space’s excellent acoustics.

During the time RCA recorded at Webster (19531968), the ballroom featured not only Latin artists, but also folk singers such as Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie, and the stage played a central role in the folk-rock scene of New York City.

In 1980, the club was purchased as a venue to feature emerging rock acts and renamed “The Ritz.” Acts that played during this time included Madonna, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, KISS, Guns & Roses, Metallica, B.B. King, and many others.

Sting made his first solo performance at The Ritz, and both U2 and Depeche Mode made their American debuts there. Prince and many others often referred to the venue as the “best stage in New York City.” The Ritz was the first venue to incorporate video in live performances.

However, by the mid- to late’80s, rock and roll at Webster Hall declined, as attendees preferred smaller venues such as CBGB’s and others. The Ritz relocated away from Webster Hall in 1986.

This allowed for the purchase of “The Ritz” by the Ballinger Brothers, four entrepreneurs

and nightlife moguls from Canada, in 1990. After restoring its old name, as well as the stairwells, ceilings, chandeliers, thousands of feet of flooring, and its original color schemes, Webster Hall was once again restored to its former glory.

It once again began operations as a nightclub and rock venue in 1992. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of lighting, sound equipment, and other technology allowed the development of the “ultimate party experience” that the club now prides itself on. Thousands of artists have played at the new club, with some of the biggest names in music headlining over the years since it re-opened.

Webster Hall has played house music and other electronic genres since the Ballinger brothers purchased it in the ‘90s, but in the past several years, Webster Hall has established itself at the center of the American Electronic Dance Music invasion.

The hall brings some of the biggest EDM acts in the world to play in the grand ballroom to thousands of fans. With the “Girls and Boys” events on Friday and “Circus Saturdays”

the next night, these events truly recall the raw excitement and energy that patrons must have felt during Webster’s early years— with the addition of spine-tingling bass.

Recent acts on the main stage include Skrillex, Dada Life, Porter Robinson, Dillon Francis, The Bloody Beetroots, Calvin Harris, and countless other allstar DJs. The renovated club includes a restored balcony to watch the festivities from above, and the former RCA Studio functions as an additional, more intimate performance space to help

launch up and coming artists, both electronic and otherwise.

The ground floor, sandwiched in between the Studio and the Grand Ballroom, caters to the rap and Top 40 crowd and houses two of the club’s five bars.

Often overlooked for more “posh” and trendy venues by the traditional clubbing crowd, Webster Hall provides an experience like no other, both musically and visually.

The architecture of both the interior and exteriors is exquisite, and is best appreciated during the daytime,

free from the presence of the hundreds of drunk clubbers who walk blindly through the historical space. The venue has been intertwined with the culture and personality of the city— New York, and the Village in particular, would be a very different place without it.

It is because of this impact that Webster Hall was designated a New York City landmark in 2008. Hopefully, this is a sign that Webster will continue to play an integral part in the city’s future while retaining the beauty and spirit of its past.

The venue has been intertwined with the culture and personality of the city­— New York, and the Village in particular, would be a very different place without it.

Madonna, in 1993, and Tina Turner, in 1985, at Webster Hall. c/o Keith York City

Often overlooked for more “posh” and trendy venues by the traditional clubbing crowd, Webster Hall provides an experience like no other, both musically and visually.

The architecture of both the interior and exteriors is exquisite, and is best appreciated during the daytime, free from the presence of the hundreds of drunk clubbers who walk blindly through the historical space. The venue

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has been intertwined with the culture and personality of the city— New York, and the Village in particular would be a very different place without it.

It is because of this impact that Webster Hall was designated a New York City landmark in 2008. Hopefully, this is a sign that Webster will continue to play an integral part in the city’s future while retaining the beauty and spirit of its past.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster_Hall http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/realestate/09scap.html http://www.websterhall.com/2007_websterhall/about/01_ about_02.php http://nypress.com/webster-hall-rallies/ http://keithyorkcity.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/webster-hall-4fires-126-years-and-countless-concerts-at-new-yorks-greateststage/ http://gvshp.org/blog/2011/07/18/where-music-and-passion-arealways-in-fashion/ http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/brooks12/2012/03/28/ webster-hall-then-and-now/

Elvis & Eminem

KINGS OF CONTROVERSY

By Sean Mihaljevich

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Elvis Presley and Eminem— two of the biggest names in music from the past half century and the best selling artists of their respective decades. Separated by more than 40 years, one is the “King” of rock and roll, the other belongs to the hip-hop generation.

At first, it might seem odd to say that the two have much in common, but upon closer examination, they are remarkably similar in certain regards. Both grew up poor, both starred in movies, and both experienced major drug problems. Most notably, Elvis and Eminem were greatly inspired by black musicians and were extremely successful within music genres (rock and roll and then hip-hop/ rap, respectively) that arose originally from black culture.

Rock and roll primarily grew out of the blues and R&B musical styles of African Americans. Black artists like Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Barry were the pioneers of rock and roll.

Yet, due to the racial climate of the times, their race prevented them (and their music) from becoming as widely recognized as they should have been.

As a white man, Elvis was able to capitalize where they

“No I’m not the first king of controversy, I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley.” ­— Eminem, “Without Me.” could not. Not to imply that Elvis was guilty of “stealing” black music or that he was not a talented entertainer. Rather, his natural talent as an entertainer combined with the color of his skin allowed him to bring rock and roll, a predominantly black genre of music, to new (white) audiences and be very successful in doing so.

As a child, Elvis was inspired and influenced by white musicians, such as the country music singer Hank Snow, as well as black musicians, like blues artists Rufus Thomas and Arthur Crudup. He made his first recordings in Memphis Tennessee at Sun Records, a small record label focused on recording the music of local black artists from the Mississippi Delta region.

Sam Phillips, the owner of and producer at Sun Records, famously said, “If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.”

Elvis was that white man, and although Phillips did not make a billion dollars off of Elvis, he had the right idea.

“That’s All Right,” Elvis’ first commercially-released single, written by the aforementioned Arthur Crudup, sold 20,000 copies.

His next single, “Good

Sources: Guralnick, Peter. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley. Little Brown & Company: United States, 1994.

Worth, Fred. Elvis: His Life from A to Z. Outlet. Random House Value Publishing: United States, 1992.

“Rap/Hip-Hop Timeline 1970-1989. http://www. digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rap-timeline1.html “Eminem’s major musical influences.” http://www. theeminemblog.com/2004/05/02/eminems-majormusical-influences/

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Rockin’ Tonight,” was written

by Roy Brown, also a black songwriter. In fact, many of Elvis’s early recordings at Sun Records, which first brought him into the public eye, were rock and roll-style covers of songs written by African American blues songwriters.

Even after being signed to RCA Records, Elvis continued to record songs written by African Americans. For instance, black songwriter Otis Blackwell composed Elvis’ hit songs “Don’t Be Cruel” and “All Shook Up.” Of course, Elvis was not the only white “rock and roller” of his time. Carl Perkins, Bill Haley, and Buddy Holly were among the many others. However, Elvis was by far the most successful, as exemplified by his dominance of Billboard’s charts, his claim to being the best selling solo artist of all

time, and his iconic status.

Despite the controversy that surrounded him and his “devil’s” music, Elvis transcended previous racial barriers, making rock and roll marketable to white, mainstream audiences in a way that no black artist could, given the time period.

Now fast-forward a few decades. Hip-hop/rap music is rising from black culture much the same way that rock and roll did. It is impossible to pinpoint a particular origin of hip-hop/rap music. James Brown, the creator of funk music, certainly influenced hip-hop music. During, the 1970’s, DJs in the Bronx began isolating and emphasizing the instrumentals and percussion in songs. The roots of rapping include, but are not limited to, rhythmic labor songs, blues, and jazz poetry.

Whatever its origins, hip-

hop and rap music were entirely black styles of music, at least initially. The earliest rap groups and rappers like The Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, and LL Cool J were all African American.

Arriving on the scene a little later, The Beastie Boys were a white exception.

Eminem grew up listening to many different rappers, most notably, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Ice T. Initially, Eminem struggled to gain acceptance and recognition in the black Detroit rap scene (in this instance being white was an obstacle). His underground album Infinite, released locally in 1996, sold few copies.

But everything changed when Eminem began working with rapper and producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment, a subsidiary of Interscope Records. Dr. Dre is a comparable figure to Sam Phillips (aside from their race). Just as Phillips realized Elvis’ potential, Dre realized Eminem’s and seized the opportunity.

The first album he made with Eminem, The Slim Shady LP, was released in 1999, at the end of a decade that had been dominated by black gangster rappers like Dr. Dre, Tupac, and the Notorious B.I.G. Despite that, the album was immediately successful, selling millions of copies.

It was followed by the Marshall Mather’s LP (2000), The Eminem Show (2002), Encore (2004), Relapse (2009), and Recovery (2010), all of which sold millions, if not ten million copies, and made him the best selling artist of the 2000’s. He easily outsold all other (black) rappers.

To what can such major success be attributed?

Certainly Eminem is talented and his content and style are

unique, but undoubtedly the color of his skin played a part.

Just like Elvis with rock and roll, being white allowed Eminem to connect with a white portion of the population that had previously been unable to relate to hip-hop/rap music.

He made hip-hop/rap more mainstream, as proven by that fact that his album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, which was previously unheard of for a rap album. Being white also allowed Eminem to receive playtime on radio stations (mostly rock stations) that would not play black hip-hop/ rap music.

In his songs, Eminem openly admits to and discusses the role being white played in his career. The following excerpts are from his song “White America” from The Eminem Show: Look at my sales, let’s do the math, if I was black, I would’ve sold half, I ain’t have to graduate from Lincoln High School to know that.

Every fan black that I got, was probably his [Dr. Dre], in exchange for every white fan that he’s got, like damn, We just swapped, sittin’ back lookin’ at, shit, wow, I’m like my skin is it starting to work to my benefit now.

This next excerpt is from the song “Without Me” from the same album, and in it Eminem also compares himself to Elvis: No I’m not the first king of controversy, I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley, To do black music so selfishly, And use it to get myself wealthy.

However, Eminem goes on to say,

soon

Twenty million other white rappers emerge, but no matter how many fish in the sea It’ll be so empty without me.

Here, he is hitting on the ideas that, yes, he is white and yes, he is successful, but were he not also talented, he would just be another “white nobody.”

Similarly, it is important to recognize and remember that the music of Elvis and Eminem is authentic and that they did not adopt black genres of music for exploitative purposes.

They were both genuinely passionate about their music. Elvis grew up hearing the blues and it inspired him, and there is nothing wrong with that. The hardships that Eminem raps about are drawn (directly or indirectly) from his life experience and are not just for the sake of

appearances.

Still, being white aided Elvis and Eminem, and it may continue to prove helpful to new white artists. Clearly, race has always played a role in the music industry, from the time of Elvis and before, to the modern day.

Generally speaking, white artists have had access to great resources and different and larger audiences than their black counterparts. As time has passed, black musicians have gained increasing recognition— black rappers had much greater commercial success than the black pioneers of rock and roll—but the system is still not perfect. Hopefully, some day, musicians of all races will be treated and viewed equally.

Elvis photos c/o NBC News and eftekasat.net Eminem photo c/o PC-Wallpapers

the rise of MACKLEMORE

By Marissa Yang

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Turn on any popular radio station, look through any teenager’s iPod, walk into any college party and you’re bound to hear the infectious beats and catchy rhythms of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ hit single “Thrift Shop,” from their debut album The Heist.

The dynamic indie rapper and producer duo have achieved major success in the past year, with The Heist debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200. “Thrift Shop” has been certified double platinum with over 3 copies sold and upwards of 100 million views on Youtube.

However, the rapper has not always possessed this widespread popularity and fortune; before The Heist, he was virtually unknown. Despite lacking the support of a major record label, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have made a name for themselves in the hip-hop, rap, and pop music worlds.

The Beginnings Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, has been interested in making music his entire life and cites his upbringing and past experiences as great sources of creativity.

Born in Seattle in a stable, twoparent household, Macklemore was greatly inspired by his city, known for its indie/alternative music scene.

Though he began listening to West Coast gangster rap like Biggie and Snoop Dogg, he eventually discovered underground rap groups such as Digital Underground and Freestyle Fellowship. “I was listening to a lot of West Coast underground rap like Hieroglyphics and Project Blowed and Abstract Rude.

All of those guys were really styling at the time, just crazy styles and cadences. And that’s what I really inspired by.“

as imperfect and using this experience as inspiration for his music, Macklemore went to rehab and began attending AA meetings, eventually becoming sober and getting his life back on track.

Four years after The Language of My World, Macklemore released The Unplanned Mixtape in September 2009, which featured “The Town,” an ode to Seattle hip-hop and “And We Danced,” a catchy, upbeat, and wildly different rap-dance anthem.

Quickly gaining followers, he

Critically acclaimed album The Heist has launched Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to success and international fame. With multiple hit singles, the album is an eclectic yet cohesive mix with regards to subject matter and styling and hit #1 on iTunes within hours of its release. Thanks to Lewis’ masterful production, the album is free of any sampling; instead, Lewis skillfully layers different instruments, beats, and rhythms to create a unique soundscape over which Macklemore raps.

Heist, Macklemore has stood out in the music world in an unforgettable manner.

His unique raps about the human experience in both a funny and emotional manner have garnered a huge fan base.

After so much success, the question lies in what comes next for the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. As of now, the duo have mentioned releasing an EP in the spring of 2013, possibly creating their own label to help and develop other artists.

“It’s being honest. It’s sharing myself in a way that brings the listener into my experience, my human experience.That’s from the emotional stuff from the funny stuff from everything in between.” — ­ Macklemore

Macklemore relied on a group of hardcore fans that launched him to stardom from humble middle class beginnings in Seattle.

Growing up in Capitol Hill, an area of Seattle known for its hipster scene and large gay population, a large majority of his neighborhood was black. He attended Garfield High School, the same school as Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones, and Ernestine Anderson, but describes the school as “wild and disruptive,”

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and started rebelling against his parents and getting into fights.

After a year at Garfield, Macklemore switched to Nathan Hale, which was in a predominantly white neighborhood and “much tamer.”

Due to his completely new environment, he started to focus more on music.

Macklemore began rapping as a teenager with his group of friends called the Elevated Elements, though he recalls he had “very few skill sets” back then, making dubs and mixtapes.

Working multiple jobs, designing his own flyers and CDs, and performing small shows at local Seattle clubs, the teenager bought his own recording equipment and was determined to achieve success.

At the age of 17, he recorded his first EP entitled Open Your Eyes under the name Professor Macklemore. Later in 2005, he dropped “Professor” from his title and released his first album, The Language of My World.

One of his songs, “Welcome to MySpace,” called out MySpace

founder Tom Andersen, who listened to the song and posted it on his blog. This accrued Macklemore a loyal online following and connected him with Ryan Lewis.

Lewis worked as his photographer and then as producer, teaming up with Macklemore in 2008. Although he was slowly gaining popularity and recognition, the rapper wouldn’t release another song for four years, due to a long struggle with substance abuse and addiction.

The Comeback In 2005, Macklemore started to abuse alcohol, marijuana, and painkillers, lacking all moderation and self-discipline, cheating on his long-time girlfriend, and spiraling downwards into addiction.

Today, he openly talks about this struggle, “So it got to the point where it was hurting my life; it was hurting my potential. And I really wasn’t being the personor the artist that I wanted to be.

And so it was really one or the other.” Acknowledging himself

and Ryan Lewis celebrated the production of the VS. Redux EP as well as two years sobriety in 2010. Redux samples the Red Hot Chili Peppers in “Otherside,” a songabout drug addiction and using to cope with the pressures of fame. Macklemore mentions “Otherside” as one of the songs he is proudest of dueto its ability to connect with people and have an impact. “I’ve heard countless times in the last couple years since we put it out of it actually really helping people. To write a song that has that sort of impact on people — to speak to others through your own story — I think is any artist’s greatest hope.”

With this rising success, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis set out touring the country in February 2011, with 18 out of 27 concerts sold out. They also appeared at multiple concert festivals, including Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, and Sasquatch.

After the tour, Macklemore came down with a cold and was prescribed codeine cough syrup, leading to the abuse of the drug and his eventual relapse, which he attributes to not being able to attend AA meetings while on tour. After sobering up once again, in July 2012 Macklemore and Ryan Lewis announced the release of the The Heist.

Macklemore has long been praised for his genuine,challenging, and refreshingly aware lyrics and The Heist is no different, with singles like “Wing$” and “Same Love.” “Wing$” describes the dangers of consumerism and peaked at #46 on the Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs while “Same Love” generated media attention for its support of gay rights and criticism of homophobia in hiphop culture and hit #26 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

However, neither song has reached the same success as “Thrift Shop,” a seriously funny and clever rap about thrift shopping; it remains at #1 of both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Hot Rap Songs chart for five and six weeks consecutively.

It is the second independent song in history to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Macklemore describes the album and what it means to him: “It’s being honest. It’s sharing myself in a way that brings the listener into my experience, my human experience. That’s from the emotional stuff from the funny stuff from everything in between.”

The Future Due to the release of The

With such a unique and refreshing sound, it is impossible to predict what they will produce next, but we can be sure that they will not disappoint.

Sources: http://www.complex.com/ music/2012/10/who-ismacklemore/ http://silentattraction. wordpress.com/2013/01/23/ how-an-unsigned-whiterapper-changed-music/ http://www.wweek.com/ portland/article-17947-mack_ to_the_future.html http://www.interviewmagazine. com/music/macklemore-ryanlewis-the-heist/#_ http://blogs.dailyprincetonian. com/intersections/2012/11/14/ album-review-macklemoreryan-lewis-the-heist/ http://www.rapireland.com/ ri-exclusive-macklemoreinterview-with-rap-ireland/ http://dailyuw.com/ archive/2012/02/21/artsentertainment/daily-speaksmacklemore#.USkNtqW6y0t http://smokingsection. uproxx.com/TSS/2012/10/ macklemore-ryan-lewis-theheist-review http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Macklemore http://www.billboard.com

The Game Has

Changed

A brief history of Daft Punk and how they changed electronic dance music

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Meeting at secondary school in the late 1980s, Guy de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter set out to form a rock band. Originally friends because they both shared many similar rock musical influences – from Elton John to The Rolling Stones, to Supertramp and many more – the duo had planned to make rock music.

After early criticism labeling their sound as little more than “daft punk,” however, they embraced the insult, changed their band name and genre.

Specifically, de Homem-Christo and Bangalter fell in love with house in the early ‘90s and became determined to change the scene forever, in particular, “the way French house music is performed.”

By the 1990s, rave culture and clubbing was making its way into US mainstream light, though was already a recognized establishment in Europe. Its prominence and growth coincided with technological innovations that gave artists easier access to create “electronic” music.

Easier access to music making technology led to a flurry of music creation by artists merely trying to imitate

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By Peter Chu one another’s sound; the lack of ingenuity resulted in a UK magazine, The Village Voice, to dub the boring sounds as following the “Eurodance formula.” This is where Daft Punk comes in.

Still true to their garageband routes from whence they came, the duo “had to finance what [they] were doing [themselves].”

With that in mind, they practiced with cheaper, experimental electronic equipment to record a few tracks. After the great success of a few singles through the mid-‘90s, Daft Punk compiled their existing tracks, added to the mix, and released their debut album in 1997 entitled Homework.

This album forever changed the landscape of electronic music, finally bringing fresh house music to the table that “departed from the Eurodance formula.” It features energetic French-Chicago house beats that are wildly successful at making anyone listening dance.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise how the album, and in particular, its most energetic tracks (“Around the World,” and “Da Funk”), came to rule the club world.

Most importantly, Daft Punk not only changed the music world with this album, but also introduced visual entertainment to the world of music. The duo enlisted the likes of Academy-Award

winning Michel Gondry to direct a music video for their hit song, “Around the World.”

In doing so, they embarked on a path that would lead them to changing the world of music entertainment.

Daft Punk released their second commercial album, Discovery, in 2001. This album was a futuristic pop fusion of rock, electronic synths, sounds from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and pure joy. Immediately and widely acclaimed as a success, the album launched Daft Punk to the next level and permeated their influence throughout the genre and beyond.

Moreover, Daft Punk continued down the path they started in making the video to “Around the World” with Discovery; following the footsteps of rock-greats Pink Floyd and The Beatles (in The Wall and Yellow Submarine respectfully), Daft Punk worked with Leiji Matsumoto and released a full-length animated movie (Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem) as a continuous music video to their album.

While less directly influential on other artists’ musical performances, the movie nonetheless fed the duo’s imagination that culminated in their landmark performance at Coachella in 2006.

It is worth sidestepping for a minute before breaching the topic of Coachella to discuss

Daft Punk’s personality and thereby alter egos. In what began as a genuine effort to keep their faces unknown from the public and out of the media, they actually attracted greater attention to themselves by adopting various alter egos.

The two are guided by the principles of sharing their music with as broad an audience as possible and to not let their audience’s opinions be distorted by the media.The duo wished to not let their faces become the “face” of a genre – susceptible to the winds of media attention – in contrast to the prototypical rock or pop star.

Therefore, they sported facial masks and costumes during interviews and shows, most importantly, robot helmets. In fact, Interstella 5555 featured the robotic alter egos of Bangalter and de HomemChristo.

Going back to their music, Daft Punk released their third and most recent album in 2005, titled Human After All. To fans and listeners, this album seemed to depart from the old Daft Punk sound and not necessarily in a good way. Despite various songs earning recognition as instant classics (i.e. “Robot Rock,” and “Technologic”), the rest of the album is merely “passable and hardly special.”

In stark contrast with their earlier albums and their

robotic alter egos, Human After All seems to reflect the “human” nature of the duo and does not reflect the happyjoyous sound that once defined them. However, Daft Punk had not entirely lost their way and continued down their path of aesthetics, releasing a number of what can only be described as wild music videos. This idea resulted in the historic performance at Coachella just a year later.

In 2006, Daft Punk stunned the world at Coachella Music Festival. At a concert venue as massive as Coachella, most of the audience see the performers as little more than specks on the stage. In an effort to give all attendees the same, life-altering experience, Daft Punk put on a show for the ages.

Standing atop an LED pyramid in their classic robot outfits, the two used light and camera choreography like never before to create what Pitchfork writer Peter Macia described as a “relentless, dynamic show.” These elements amalgamated in the true showmanship brilliance that stunned all in attendance and launched the wild ride that resulted in the massive EDM festivals we have today.By the turn of the millennium, Daft Punk had introduced not only a fresh take on house music but also introduced visual elements.

Bangalter and de HomemChristo pushed the bounds of house music and visual aid with their second album and musicvideo-movie, fully embracing and adopting their alter egos.

Continuing down this path of robot alter egos paired with insane visual aids, Daft Punk released their third album and shortly thereafter, performed at Coachella. This performance made spectacular use of light and camera choreography never before imagined and changed the landscape of EDM performance forever.

Moving from underground warehouses to colossal venues around the world, EDM festivals – namely “Tomorrowland,”

“Sensation,” and “Ultra Music Festival” – now attract equally colossal audiences and utilize enormous LED platforms and choreography, much like Daft Punk did over a half decade ago. As proof that EDM and its massive music festivals are here to stay, Tomorrowland 2013 sold out in one second. Thank you, Daft Punk.

Sources: http://www.daftpunk.co.uk/before-daft-punk-becamefamous.php Woods, Scott (October 5, 1999).

“Underground Disco?” The Village Voice.

Di Perna, Alan (April 2001).

“We Are The Robots,” Pulse!. pp. 65–69.

Woods, Scott (October 5, 1999).

“Underground Disco?” The Village Voice. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2137-human-after-all/

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What do we think of when we think of R&B? I think of its popularity. I think of its distinct tunes. I think of its artists— black, maybe white.

How about Chinese?

The word strikes such a

a minute— actually, let’s forget about all Western popular music for now. With this veil of ignorance, let’s look at what was happening in the pop music scene in China since early 20th century.

Sadly, other than the “(new) tunes of the era” (Shi Dai Xin Qu) that were widely popular in Shanghai, there was nothing.

all over the country and influenced generations of young people by singing melodic tunes about love, hope, and despair in Shanghai.

But after a few decades of growth, popular music in the mainland were persecuted during the cultural revolution.

These popular songs were deemed to be corruptive,

Chinese pop music did not originate in Hong Kong. Hong Kong preserved what was destroyed in mainland, and extended it.)

The arrival of the Shanghai tunes coincided with the economic boom of Hong Kong.

It became a young city, full of hope, and looking anxiously to the future. The youngsters

R&B in China

By Merry Li

contrast with R&B that its mere appearance in an article about R&B seems completely out of place. The truth is, although there are great Chinese artists doing R&B, there is something very off about Chinese, or the whole Asian race doing R&B. Asian music has been so completely different that you can’t help but wonder: Why on earth would they do that, and how?

Let us forget about R&B for

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As the port to the western world, Shanghai was unusually blessed with prosperity in both economy and culture. If traditional Chinese culture has been preserved the best in Beijing, then Shanghai developed something unique and much more universally appreciated.

In the 30s and 40s, Shanghai was the Eastern sin city— extravagant and voluptuous don’t even begin to describe the entertainment industry.

In the case of popular music, some might even say without Shanghai, there would’ve been a musical vacuum in the entire Asian continent. Singers such as Zhou Xuan gained popularity

inappropriate, and even selfish.

After they were banned, the tunes of the era found their safe harbor in Hong Kong, and they took root.

Hong Kong was under the jurisdiction of UK at the time, which made it more susceptible to western influences than Shanghai. The lack of Chinese cultural substance made it improbable for Hong Kong to find the music that could be identified as Chinese on its own. The tunes brought by people seeking asylum from Shanghai immediately filled the hallow of the Hong Kong music industry.

(Contrary to popular belief,

took over the city with their vigor. They refused to look at misery of mainland, and turned to worship the freedom and prosperity of the west. They became exposed to western culture more than ever, and the elements of western popular music started to sink in. There, the tunes of the era and western popular music grew side by side, and eventually led to the pop music scene we see today.

Now let’s rediscover R&B from a Chinese perspective.The R&B elements came to Hong Kong at this time. Culturally open, Hong Kong welcomed everything without digesting

them. Of all the different genres, R&B was a crowd’s favorite.

Though Cantonese people hardly understood the complexity of R&B’s origin, they were undoubtedly drawn to this exotic but very sensual type of melody. One of the things the Chinese have always been quite proud of is their ability to take something foreign and turn it into a wonderful local adaptation.

The first Cantonese singer to localize R&B was Du Dewei, who was half Chinese, quarter Hispanic and quarter Filipino. He was the pioneer of introducing R&B to the Chinese audience. Du Dewei had a musical upbringing— his father was a drummer in a well known band, and his mother was once “queen of songs.”

When he studied in Canada, he mixed with black people by claiming to know Chinese Kung-Fu, and he got to know the black culture very well.

When he started creating R&B music, the sound was something with authenticity.

Du rose at a time when the Chinese entertainment industry came out out the ice age. Soon after Du, the majority of Chinese musicians started to pick up R&B, most notably Wang Lee-hong and Tao Zhe, and achieved wide fame. But they did not simply copy R&B forms.

Tao added local folk music and created the popular “Tao’s love songs.” In fact, he was titled “Taiwanese Babyface” for his achievements.Wang mixed R&B with elements of Peking Opera and opened up the possibility of bringing new life to traditional Chinese music. Popular music welcomed these forms and spread to the every Chinese community in the world.

The “imposition” of R&B on Chinese music may sound very strange at first. After all, R&B represents not only a type of music but also the rich black culture that had little to do with Chinese culture, but its impact on Chinese music and culture was much more than some intrusion.

Precisely because R&B sounds so different from what people are used to, while nonetheless very attractive, it brought out a curiosity for modern western culture. It served as a cultural bridge for countless Chinese people, especially teenagers who yearned for adventure to the unknown.

There is a lasting Chinese belief that passed on from Imperial times: the Chinese have the best of all things and there is nothing to gain from foreigners. Even after the humiliating experiences with Japan, and crushing invasions after, and gruesome civil wars, there is still this sense of pride hidden in a Chinese heart.

Music, being a universal language, somehow slipped through the Chinese prejudices.

Foreign elements became the mainstream, and people start to realize what a huge gap there is between Chinese music industry and the Western one.

In a sense, R&B did not only arouse the interest in the west, it also instilled a “we-needto-do-better” attitude, which pushed for further studies of the west.

R&B was not the only musical form that facilitated this understanding. Rock, jazz, and then later disco all had similar effects. But I believe the reason why R&B appealed the most to the Chinese audience is because it is contained. Its arrangements are subtle and melodic.

More importantly, it expresses feelings and opinions with a sense of decorum – minus the explicit sexual implications – that do not offend people or disturb people at all, which is the Chinese way of dealing with difficulties, suffering, or confusion.

Some may even say that Chinese people sensed the black sentiments in R&B music that they could relate to without ever being able to explicitly understand these sentiments. When you think about it now, the Chinese and R&B, it really isn’t that strange anymore, is it?

Hitsville, USA

How The Funk Brothers Became the Greatest Hit Machine in the History of Pop Music

By Kassie Leidemer

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In 1959, after writing a string of minor hits such as Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops,” Berry Gordy decided to open his own record label, which he called Tamla Records. After the release of Tamla’s first millionselling record, “Shop Around,” in 1960, Gordy merged it with his other label into one new

company: Motown Records Corporation.

With his newfound success, Gordy expanded his company by purchasing the property 2648 West Grand Boulevard that became Motown’s “Hitsville USA” studio, home to the extraordinary studio band The Funk Brothers.

In 1959 Gordy began

They created a sound that America as a whole, regardless of race, could love and listen to.

Photos c/o The Guardian, Spotify, and Charleston Jazz.

gathering musicians from the jazz and blues scene in order to form the studio band for his company. The Funk Brothers played the music for all of the hits produced by Motown Records during its Detroit era.

This meant that, by the end of their run,The Funk Brothers played on more Number One hit records than The Beach

Boys, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, and The Beatles combined, which made them the greatest hit machine in the history of pop music.

Despite their elaborate success, few know about the Funk Brothers and their quintessential role in making Motown an unrivaled success.

Joe Hunter, one of the original band members, said that “jukeboxes and the radio would be playing and people would say, ‘Oh boy, that’s Motown,’ but they never know us. Nobody never mentions too much about us. As years go by we wonder if anyone will ever know who we are or what we did.”

After World War II, the auto industry in Detroit experienced an enormous boom.

This inspired many southern African Americans to migrate north for the newly-available job opportunities. Most of the Funk Brothers were southern gentlemen who moved to Detroit in order to work, although none of them aspired to work in the auto industry forever.

Besides working in the factory, they would play in jazz and blues clubs where each of them were approached by Gordy or other Motown producers with offers to play for their record label.

The original line up of the Funk Brothers consisted of guitarists Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, and Robert White; keyboardists Johnny Griffith, Joe Hunter, and Earl Van Dyke; bassists James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt; percussionists: Jack Ashford and Eddie “Bongo” Brown; and drummers Uriel Jones, Richard Allen, and Benny

“Papa Zita” Benjamin (who created the Motown drum beat).

The band recorded all of their hits in Studio A, “The Snakepit,” which was the basement of the Hitsville U.S.A. home.

Motown arrangers and songwriters would approach Earl Van Dyke, the pianist and accredited bandleader, with a general concept or idea for a song. He would then tell the band what they wanted, and they would create the track themselves or add on to the initial arrangements producers provided.

It was common for Jamerson, Benjamin, or Van Dyke to kick off the music session with a beat they developed, followed by each band member coming in and adding their own sound.

They produced music tracks so catchy and lovable that many of their songs became crossover hits from the R&B charts to the pop charts.

Prior to the introduction of the Motown sound, it was extremely rare for an African American artist to hold a hit on the pop charts. Black music was deemed unsuitable for white audiences, so it suffered from lack of mainstream radio play and exposure.

The sheer success of Motown shows how essential the Funk Brothers’ musical creativity was in making the songs crossover hits, as well as immortalizing the tracks so that all generations past and present could appreciate the Motown sound.

When asked about the role they played, percussionist Jack Ashford said, “It was our job to lay the groundwork for the kids to have a place to develop their careers singing. We had the experience, they had the talent.”

Although the musicians were vital to the creative process, they unfortunately took a back seat to the artists who sang on the tracks. In the mid ’60s, Motown artists put up hit after

hit, but The Funk Brothers still remained unknown. Most of the Motown musicians went unrecognized because Motown did not credit studio musicians on its records.

When Motown moved from Detroit to Los Angeles in 1972, The Funk Brothers were left behind. Upon losing their jobs at Motown, most of the musicians returned to their roots of performing in jazz clubs.

Those that followed Motown to LA soon felt out of place in the foreign western music scene and ultimately returned home.

The Funk Brothers were one of the most influential and commercially successful bands of all time, but their story remains relatively unknown because they went unaccredited for their work. They created a sound that America as a whole, regardless of race, could love and listen to, making their place in music history equally as important as the Motown artists who achieved fame and glory for the songs they produced.

Sources: "Standing in the Shadows of Motown -- The Funk Brothers." Standing in the Shadows of Motown -- The Funk Brothers. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

"Motown." Wikipedia. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motown>.

"The Funk Brothers." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers>.

"WXN&MLKN." WXN&MLKN. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://waxinandmilkin.com/post/857324053/ hitsville-u-s-a-via-suicidewatch>.

"Rock+Paper+Music...Sass & Sensibility from Lorraine Devon Wilke - Part 3.” Rock+Paper+Music RSS. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://rockpapermusic.com/page/3/>.

"Funk Brothers: Bob Babbitt (1937 - 2012), Uriel Jones (1934 - 2009), Maurice D. Davis (1941 - 2012) and Jack Brokensha (1926 - 2010)." - Netflix Movie Fans. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://netflixcommunity.ning.com/group/music/forum/topics/funk-brothers-uriel-jones-1934>.

Battle of the

Studio Bands

By Maimouna Siby

M

Booker T and the MGs, of Stax Records. c/o Go!

Sources: Huey, Steven. “The Funk Brothers on AllMusic.” AllMusic.

Rovi, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Dir. Paul Justman.

Perf. The Funk Brothers. Lions Gate, 2002. DVD. Deming, Mark. “Booker T. Jones on AllMusic.” AllMusic.

Rovi, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Bowman, Robert M. J. Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer, 1997. Print.

Elliott, Debbie. “The Legendary Muscle Shoals Sound.”

NPR, 20 Sept. 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Westergaard, Sean. “The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on AllMusic.” AllMusic. Rovi, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

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Motown, Stax, and Muscle Shoals record companies are widely recognized as the hit-making factories of the ’60s and ’70s.

These renowned companies were known to produce some of the greatest jazz, soul, funk and R&B singles.

Ultimately, however, the backbones of the sound of these record companies were their studio bands: The Funk Brothers, Booker T and the MG’s, and the Swampers.

Each of these bands held the unique responsibility of creating, determining, and shaping the sounds of ’60s soul.

The Funk Brothers emerged from Motown Records in 1961 as Berry Gordy scouted out several talented instrumentalists to become a part of his grandiose movement in making jazz and funk contemporary. Booker T and the MG’s came from Stax Records bringing to the world pop charts the thick southern soul of Memphis, Tennessee.

Finally, the Swampers, most recognizably known as the first interracial studio band, arose from Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama.

While you may have never heard the names of some of these studio musicians, you have certainly heard their music.

Among the handpicked members of The

Funk Brothers were pianist Joe Hunter, the phenomenal bassist James Jamerson, and the drummers/backbones of the Motown beat William “Benny” Benjamin and Uriel Jones.

Joining the group a few years later were guitarists Robert White, Eddie Willis, and Joe Messina. Jack Ashford and Eddie “Bongo” Brown skillfully played, and Earl Van Dyke joined the group as its main keyboardist.

From the band’s inception in 1959 until 1979, the band provided the background sound for almost every act on the Motown label. Some of these acts include Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and Stevie Wonder. The Funk Brothers were rarely credited for their work despite the fact that, if it weren’t for their syncopated, improvisational, harmonious sound, these artists would not have made the hits that exist to this day.

Until the release of the documentary Standing in The Shadows Of Motown, most of the band members remained unknown. The 2002 film opens with the claim that they “played on more Number One records than the Beach Boys,The Rolling Stones, Elvis and The Beatles combined.”

“People always say everything but the musicians, they would say it was the artist, the producer, the way the building was structured, the wood in the floor or maybe even food,” said Uriel Jones, a Funk Brothers

drummer. “But I’d like to see them take some BBQ ribs or hamburgers, anything and throw down in that studio shut the door and count off 1, 2, 3, 4 and get a hit out of that.”

The band was dismissed from Motown Records after the label moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Only recently was their contribution to soul and pop music recognized. It is indisputable, however, that the highly-revered Motown sound was sustained by the sturdy foundation crafted by its studio band.

Founded in 1957, Stax Records brought the stark contrast of musical integration into Memphis, Tenn. with its studio band Booker T & the MG’s.

According to Reverend Lewis Kyles, civil rights leader, “Everything in Memphis, everything in Memphis was segregated, there was not one thing integrated, nothing.” The rhythm section was comprised of Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper on the guitar and organ, Al Jackson on the drums, and Lewis Steinberg (later replaced by Donald “Duck”

Dunn) on the bass.

The band went highly recognized as a result of their first and biggest hit, “Green Onions.” The song entered the Billboard Top 100 and peaked at Number Three in September of 1962. Unlike The Funk Brothers, Booker T and the MG’s were well known and credited for their work.

Being biracial helped not only to shed light and publicity on the band, but also to show “how black and white musicians could play funky soul music.”

Stax Records, in their usage of a biracial studio band and integrated artists, helped to stop the distinguishing between blacks and whites and to show that music was the sentiment of man’s soul.

Booker T and the MG’s played on classic hits by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Albert King, and Sam and Dave. Their sound was noticeably distinguishable from its smooth and classic adversary Motown, as it possessed a raw, gritty, gutsy soul.

While Motown put each of its artists through an in-house charm school, with the hopes

that each artist could fit in with white America’s image of style and grace, Stax wanted to keep the company sounding as “black” as possible. Booker T and the MG’s were loud, sassy, and unrestrained and as a result, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, a 30,000 square foot building furnished with ’70s-style orange velvet couches, overlooked the Tennessee River. The studio, nestled behind a CVS drugstore in the small town of Muscle Shoals, Ala., was the first in town to cut a hit record, Arthur Alexander’s “You Better Move On.” Muscle Shoals studios played a strain of rhythm and blues. The distinct Alabama soul proved helpful to young, talented, and misguided Aretha Franklin, whose overpowering, unique voice had not been given a proper sound at her earlier studios.

Atypically, the rhythm section for Muscle Shoals studio was an all-white group of southern musicians. To many, it was profound that white musicians backed some of the

soulful hits of Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Etta James.

The band consisted of four members: drummer Roger Hawkins, guitarists Jimmy Johnson, keyboardist Barry Beckett, and bassist David Hood. Known together as The Swampers, the band was featured on more than 75 gold and platinum hits. At a time where racial tensions were at boil in the Deep South, the four members combined projected the heavy, rhythmic, and soulful sound that Muscle Shoals became known to produce.

These three studio bands combined were the hit-making machines of the ’60s and ’70s.

As they are now, studio band players were the unsung stars of the music industry. While the artist and the producer receive a bulk of money, fame, and recognition, it is the studio band that is responsible for adding the resonant sound that makes a song a hit.

Motown, Stax, and Muscle Shoals Recods were believed to be each other’s competition, but ultimately, it always came down to a battle of the studio bands.

I’d like to see them take some BBQ ribs or hamburgers, anything and throw down in that studio shut the door and count off 1, 2, 3, 4 and get a hit out of that.” — ­ Uriel Jones The Swampers in front of Muscle Shoals Studio. c/o Muscle Shoals Movie

Ritchie Valens: The Life and Legacy of the First Latino Rocker

By Mel Arroyo

Sources: http://books.google.com/ books?id=9Sf8V7FUjZAC&dq=ritchie+valens&lr=&source=gbs_ navlinks_s http://www.history-of-rock.com/ritchie_valens.htm Photos c/o http://superkh.deviantart.com/

I

I was nine years old when I saw, La Bamba for the first time. It soon became a family tradition to watch this film, as we sung along to “Donna” and “We Belong Together.”

My family not only admired Valens for his up-beat and catchy rock and roll songs, but also because he fueled Hispanic success in the music industry.

Ritchie Valens was born

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Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941 in Pacoima, California. Prior to the second World War, Pacoima’s population was predominately Mexican-American and Japanese, but after the war, many African Americans moved to Pacoima.

It became the first mixed-race town in a predominately-white San Fernando Valley. Although Ritchie lived in a very diverse town, he was frequently discriminated against because of his Mexican heritage.

Valens was exposed to all

types of music in his childhood: his mother mostly listened to mariachi while his father listened to blues, flamenco, jump blues and R&B. As a child, Valens had a keen sense of music, and at the mere age of 5, he made his first guitar out of a cardboard box and a broom handle.

Despite any formal music training, Valens learned how to play the guitar and drums by ear. Valens even mastered the traditional right-handed version of the guitar, even though he was naturaly left-handed.

When Valens was in junior high, he would often play the guitar and sing for his friends on the bleachers. By the time Valens entered high school, he became a guitar player in a local band named The Silhouettes.

In 1958, a talent scout who worked for Bob Keane, owner of Keen Records and who worked with Sam Cooke, taped The Silhouettes. The talent scout was so impressed with the band that he sent them to audition for Keane, who was then creating a new label, Del-Fi

Records.

Affer the audition, Keane decided to sign Ritchie to Del-Fi Records on May 27, 1958. This was the same time that Valens took on the name Ritchie Valens in order to broaden his audience.

That same year Valens released “Come on, Let’s Go,” which became an instant national hit and eventually sold half a million copies. Valens decided to quit high school and focus on his career.

After Valens’ first album became a success, he began work on his second album, which featured his famous singles “Donna” (about a real girlfriend) and “La Bamba.” Both became popular amongst teenagers.

“La Bamba” was the first commercial rock and roll song sung entirely in Spanish, and it later ranked at 354 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. His single also became the title of the 1987 film about Ritchie’s childhood and rise to stardom.

Although Ritchie was in a whitedominated music industry, he stayed true to his Hispanic roots. Ritchie became a huge star at the mere age of 16, premiering in many television shows including Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” and the film Go Johnny Go. In 1959, Valens accompanied Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts, the “Big Bopper” Richardson, and others on a rock and roll tour that was traveling through the Midwest. Tragedy struck when Valens, Holly, and Richardson boarded a small plane after a performance in Iowa.

Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed due to a snowstorm, killing them instantly. Valens was only 17, and he was the youngest to die that day.

This day soon became known as “The Day the Music Died.”

Valens had much promise, and although his life was cut too short, his legacy remains. He was the first to push Hispanics to resist discrimination in a white-dominated music industry, thus fueling many successful Hispanic musicians and singers such as Selena, Los Lobos, and Carlos Santana.

Ritchie Valens’ music will never be forgotten, and his legacy to the Hispanic community and to rock and roll will continue to live in the souls of many.

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