Julian\’s Blog

Everyone has a song they put on when they’re sad.  Everyone.  I don’t care who you are.  If you’re alive and kicking, you’ve got a sad song.

Maybe it was from a bad break-up.  Maybe you’ve just lost someone special to you.  Perhaps the family dog ran away.  And maybe you just had crappy day.  Regardless of the cause, you have that song you use for that special sad occasion.  For many of us, we have different songs for different things and different moods.

On an overall bad day, I like to throw on something upbeat.  If classes went bad, or I hurt myself somehow(I’m quite clumsy), I like to throw on some Daft Punk or perhaps DangerDoom.  Something with a good beat that makes me forget earlier worries and woes.

After girl trouble I usually like to throw on something older with a nostalgic feel to it.  Many a bad break-up in my teenage years ended with me in my room pumping Led Zeppelin.  Robert Plante’s lyrics seem to always showcase this complete disregard for fidelity.  There always some girl he had to get to or had to get away from in every song.  Quite possibly one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs, “Babe, I’m Gonna’ Leave You” depicts Plante just flat out telling some unamed woman that he’s going to leave her when the summer comes and that he’s “got to ramble.”  I never really knew what it meant, but I liked to think that me and (insert name here) ended our relationship because I had to ramble.  If you’ve just gone through a break-up, I highly recommend “Led Zeppelin I”, “Led Zeppelin IV”, and the live album “The Song Remains the Same.”

There’s something about losing someone close to you that makes music hit you in an entirely different way.  Some people can’t listen to certain songs thatused to make them happy because of the memories it brings up.  Others, like myself, believe memories of people thrive and are relived in certain song.  My grandfather and I were very close before he died.  He was a really cool guy and it took me quite sometime, even after his death, just to realize how cool he really was.  For some reason, whenever I listen to John Coltrane, I think a lot about him and it’s always happy thoughts.  If he pops up in my head some days, I’ll head home and throw on “Bluetrane” by John Coltrane.  Aside form my personal sentimental value, it’s just an amazing album.  However, the feelings that it brings up inside me are some of the most emotional and happiest I’ve ever experienced.

Whatever has brought on your bad mood or is perpetuating your crappy day, music is some of the world’s best medicine.  I had a friend told me music was like morphine with him when he was down: it eased whatever pain he was going through and took him to some indescribable euphoric place.

So, if you’re feeling down.  Put on a song and find your place.

- Ju

If you’re reading this, my guess is that you’re probably around my age(18-24), approaching certain milestones in your life and are faced with numerous paths you can go down. It’s a bewildering time. So if it makes you feel better, and you feel like I do, please trust me when I say this to you: you are not the only one. Just thought I’d get that out there. Think about it. (I know you won’t.)

I’ve been pondering the idea of creating a personal mixtape for driving. For the most CDs these days, you can usually fit about 14-20 songs on one disc, depending on disc quality, track lengths, etc. However, what you choose to put on a particular CD is the tricky part.

Obviously, we play different music at different points in our lives, when we’re going through different emotions and obstacles in life. We mature as not only people, but as musical connoisseurs and consumers. People change. Music changes. Everything has progression, whether you notice it or not. Thus, one mixtape you made for yourself in 2003 is, more than likely, not going to sound anything like the one you’ll make tomorrow. Hell, the mixtape I made last Friday to drive back to Buffalo with isn’t going to sound anything like the mixtape I’m going to make tonight to go back tomorrow. That’s just my personality, though: constantly on the move and ever-changing. I’ll go from early Raidohead to Marvin Gaye to Dafnis Preito in a couple of hours.

The construction of a mixtape is no easy task. Do you want something that’s really upbeat or calm and relaxing? Do you want something that starts out heavy and then dies down or, perhaps, the opposite. A friend once describe to me that he enjoys mixtapes made like roller coasters: you have all that build up and anticipation for the first couple of songs, and then that awkward period you feel once you reach the top, followed by the rush and explosion of joy and fun that accompanies the come down. I, myself, have never been a roller coaster type of person(I have a real big problem with the ideaof lines and waiting in them), but this is, by far, one of the best descriptions of how a mixtape can be made.

Balance is also an idea to play around with when constructing your own CD. How many Led Zeppelin tracks can go on you masterpiece before it becomes a greatest hits album. I mean certainly mixtapes can be constructed with only one artists, but then you have to go through the what you want from that artists? Do you wants more early Bowie than later Bowie? How much pre-electronica Radiohead should go on your CD? Or is all this just me? Am I over-thinking this? Probably. However, to me, the construction of a mixtape for your car is quite possibly one of the most planned out things in the world. Some people write “To-Do” lists for their everyday lives, I take a day or three to construct a great mixtape. I demand particular feels from myself, different moods produced by different artists. I want things to go so smoothly. You could say I have OCD when it comes to making mixtapes. I mean, you could say that.

My most recent mixtape is a direct reflection of where I’m at right no, both musically and personally. It’s a mixture of downtempo electronica(Simian Mobile Disco, LCD Soundsytem, Thom Yorke), progressive alternative rock and roll (Wilco, The White Stripes, The Black Crowes), straight-forward DJing with and electro twist(Eliot Lipp), and underground hip hop mixtapes (Li’ Wayne, Juelz Sanatana, GraveDiggaz, The Aztext). I look at this like round object in my hands and realize I’ve honestly put more time into it than I’ve put into quite a few tests. I don’t know if that something to be proud of or not.

So, maybe I’m just rambling. Maybe, I’m really weird.  Maybe so and maybe not.  However, I am not one to just slop together a mix of songs and start driving.  To me, that’s like ruining a trip before it even starts.

Do yourself a favor this week/weekend and listen to some new music, preferably something you haven’t heard before or that you’ve been meaning to listen to for a while.  My suggestions: Eliot Lipp - The Outside, Ratatat - any album, Led Zeppelin - Mothership, and just a s a throwback Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.  These albums have been blasting through my headphones all week and are still running strong.  The new Eliot Lipp is ridiculous.  If you like electronica or drum and bass, this album pushes both to new heights.  Ratatat is that band all of your friends are talking about but you’re not listening to.  It’s down-tempo instrumental that will either have you grooving in bed or down the street.  Led Zeppelin’s new anthology mix is coming straight after thier recent reunion show.  Look that up on Youtube or something because, simply put, that show was unbelieable.  They haven’t lost a step and Mothership is like an homage to this fact.  And Bob Dylan’s……Bob Dylan.  You can’t get around the unbelievable political and social commentary Dylan so sweetly screams on Freewheelin.  It’s just damn good.

Anyways, thanks for reading(if you made it this far), keep your head up and your ears open.

- Julian

Everyday, I leave my apartment with the best laid plans and everyday, there’s a new shocker. This year I accepted a numerous amount of responsibilities along with my usual overload of college courses. Now, it’s like everybody wants something from me. I think we all get to this point eventually, especially as we progress through life. Everybody wants something from you or needs something from you. Everybody needs you to act like an adult, when you really don’t want to. Everybody needs you to step up and take charge, even when your scared to do so.

I thought for a really long time I could just coast through life with a decent amount of knowledge, a few jobs here and there, and minimal charm. However, as my 21st birthday looms at the end of this month and I begin to venture into the vast world of adulthood, I’m finding out, daily, that this is simply just not feasible. It’s both sad and invigorating at the same time. I’m really not a kid, nor am I being treated like a kid anymore. However, I’m becoming an adult and that has to have some great perks at some point. Right?

So, on a non-depressing note, my ears haven’t heard such good music in a long time. 2008 is looking up on the musical front. Erykah Badu just dropped a new album “New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)” which is, for lack of a better term, bangin. Whether or not you’ve ever heard Erykah Badu before, this album will certainly not disappoint. It’s soulful, yet powerful feelings seem to shatter listener’s ears. Whether you like Badu or not, you just can’t help but listen, groove, get down, etc.

I’ve been on a huge R&B kick, lately. What I’ve mostly been listening to is this new Erykah Badu CD, Jill Scott 2007 smash “The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3″, and D’Angelo’s 2000 breakthrough album, “Voodoo.” For some reason, I’ve been needing a great deal of soul in my life. All three of these albums put me in a very relaxed mood and keep me there with solid grooves and phenomenal vocals. Check them out, if you haven’t already.

I haven’t been going to concerts as much because of the whole “adult” thing I was getting at earlier, however, recently I’ve attended a few breath-taking shows that might be of some interest to whoever reads this…if anyone. Soulive is a funk jazz trio that has been around for quite a while. Their one of the best bands you’ve probably never heard of. I saw them at the State Theatre in Ithaca, NY last weekend and they were absolutely rediculous. They were joined on stage by legendary jazz saxophonist Sam Kininger. Local Ithaca funk powerhouse The Rozatones opened up and set the mood, for what turned out to be one of the best Soulive concerts I’ve sen in a while. After that, I attended a show at a bar named Castaways to see a band my friend plays, Jimkata. Going and supporting a friend and his music, turned into me becoming a huge fan of an up-and-coming rock & roll machine. Jimkata’s majestic guitar licks, and solid tunes will keep you either dancing or listening for hours. You should definitely check them out if you get a chance. Here’s their myspace: www.myspace.com/jimkatamusic. Last, but certainly not least, legendary jazz trio Medeski, Martin, and Wood played at a local venue just outside of my apartment this past Thursday. Needless to say they were completely ridiculous. MMW has long been on my list of things to do before I die, right next to win an Oscar and date Penelope Cruz. Their experimental, progressive approach to jazz music is unmatched, while the actual sound of their music is indescribable. The only thing, I can recommend is to go see them live. Even if you don’t like jazz. Just go.

I wish their was more for me to divulge here, but the musical scene is become kind of dull. That’s “adult” for “I’ve been really busy lately.” However, I’ll be back with some new stuff real soon. Stay tuned.

Peace & Love,

- Julian

I don’t remember my first couple of birthdays. I don’t remember the first few years of school, either. I barely remember the first girl I ever kissed and I hope she doesn’t remember me. However, I do remember the first song I ever heard and listen to. I mean LISTENED to.

I was 7 years old and riding in a car with my mother. I was fiddling with a new toy that was just purchased for me and that I had every intention of breaking within minutes. I never paid much attention to the radio; it was mostly people talking about things that never concerned me, or at least, didn’t concern me at the time. However, at some point a song came on the radio that melodically and unconsciously had my small body swaying from side to side. I began humming with this piece so loud that it even caught my mother’s attention.

“You like this song, don’t you?”

“Huh? What song?”

“The song on the radio. It’s an old Stevie Wonder. You were just humming it, sweetie.”

“Oh” I said. “Yeah, it’s ok.”

And that was it. She kept driving and I kept listening. However, eventually she stopped driving and I kept listening for 2 weeks straight. The song in question is Stevie’s hit “Superwoman(Where Were You When I Needed You)” off his 1972 album “Music Of My Mind.” I was hooked on it and it opened the doors to bunch of new soul music: Earth, Wind & Fire, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, & Bill Withers. But I needed more. Every time I heard a song, I needed to know everything about it and I needed to hear more just like it. As the lists of songs I needed to listen to grew, my musical knowledge and tastes expanded. I started listening to new things constantly, even if I didn’t like it…I needed to hear it. I kept my ear to the ground, consuming albums by the dozen. Music was like a drug to me and I had a horrible addiction.

Now, 13 years later, I sit trying to write about one of the loves of my life and I’m at a lost for words. What can I say about music, that hasn’t already hasn’t been said before. How do I talk about something, that I feel can’t always be talked about. Music, like air, is everything and nothing at the same time. Also like air, it permeates everything in life. Music is everywhere, regardless of whether you think it is or not. It’s kind of like that phrase about “One man’s trash..” One person’s “noise” is another person’s music, and, to me, that really one of the most amazing things about music and the world we live in today.

With that being said….Hi. My name’s Julian Williams and I love music. I couldn’t live without it and hopefully, I won’t. I like all kinds of music and naming my “favorite” bands has always been a hassle because all the artists I know are my “favorite” at the time and probably will be my “favorite” at another time. A better way to identify this would probably be to tell you what I’m digging right now. So, in no particular order, I’m currently listening to: The Mars Volta, Jill Scott, Bob Dylan, Simian Mobile Disco, LCD Soundsytem, The Aztext, Thom Yorke, The RH Factor, Beck, and A Tribe Called Quest. What’s great about that list is this: tomorrow morning it’ll be entirely different.

I’ve never been much of a blogger, but I thought this would be a cool idea to write a blog about music. In this blog I’m goingt o be dedicated to three things:

1)Talking about music, especially new music. I listen to music everyday in vast amounts and completely different styles. So I thought it might be cool to put out what I’ve been listening to every day or every week.

2)I like to write. I enjoy writing almost as much as I enjoy listening to music so I thought incorporating the two would probably be the most logical next step in my life. Maybe this could be a job one day?

3) Have you ever gone to the record store and not known what to buy or sometimes, what you’re even looking for? And then that nice man or woman comes up to and asks how they can help you and you say ‘I don’t know what I’m looking for’ and they say ‘Oh, well what do you like? Have you heard of this person or group?’ Have you ever been in that situation? I know you have. Well, I’m writing this to be that person. The guide that let’s you know what’s up and what you could/should be listening to.

The friendly dork standing in Best Buy by the music section ready to show you one band you might like and 5 others like them. Yeah, that’s me.

- Ju