Musical Torture

I have just read an article of the use of loud music to torture people and it completely blew my mind away. I would have never thought of using music to drive a person crazy, but detainees at Guantanomo Bay could tell you differently. Bands such as Rage Against Machine and Eminem to children's themes songs of Sesame Street and Barney were used in the prison to drive a prisoners mind to insanity. The investigators would turn the music up to a deafening volume and play the song over and over in the dark while the prisoner would be tied up in a room. Talk about some modern warfare tactics. Musicians want to know if their music is being played in these torture tactics because all of them don't want to have any part of it. They don't want the music they created to be used as a way to drive a person mad. To me, it does sound inhumane to blast music into the ears of anyone for hours. One prisoner said he had to listen to the same Eminem song for twenty straight days and that he could hear people smashing their heads against the wall because they were going mad. Bands are getting organizations together to help stop the use of music as torture and some people in government are in support for it to cease. The use of music as torture began with the Bush Administration in 2003 and the current president Obama is pushing for this prison to be closed along with the torture.

LINK: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3705755/Bands-complain-about-their-songs-being-used-in-torture.html

Time's a' Changin'

The 21st century has really changed music around the world. It's so easy to aquire any song that we hear on the radio or on someone else's ipod. The invention of iPod's and Mp3 players has truly revolutionized music. The world is being unified in the music community because people over in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America know American bands and American music. Only twenty years ago there was no such thing as an iPod or mp3 player to download music from the internet and the internet now is so much more advanced than it was in the twentieth century. It takes a little bit of surfing the web to find a song to download off the internet for free. The American lifestyle seems to be influencing most of the world today and I believe it is due in part to American artists and technology with Apple and everything. We watched a video the other day on how Mongolia or some Middle Eastern country had started to play with rap beats and music because that's what America is producing with popular culture and we are influencing the style of music people play throughout the world. Technology has definitely changed everything about the music we listen to and how or why we listen to it. The world is becoming smaller everyday because everything is so easily accessible.

Film Music

I just watched He's Just Not That Into You because it was on HBO and yes I do actually like the movie. There isn't much songs in the movie that are actually bands except for the end. Music is used in certain situations like when a girl is sad and they are talking about breaking up and the music kind of just goes with the situation. A song called "Somewhere We Only Know" is played at the end and I think that it goes perfect because it is showing what happens to all of the characters and outcomes of their relationship in a three-minute span and the song plays right along to it. I know that in many other movies music plays a much bigger role in affecting and enhancing the situation in a movie than the one that I just watched. Sad music is always key in a movie. If the song goes perfectly with all the motions and actions in a sad part of a movie people will feel sad and maybe cry or something. Inspirational music when a character or team in a movie acheives some great accomplishment is always vital to making that part of the movie so great.

Feelin the Music

I would have to say music that is played at parties influences or shapes a party into what it actually becomes. Parties would be dull without some good music. Songs that people like make them feel loose and more sociable. If there is some jack johnson playing then it's probably a chill party at the beach or something. Beach music is always the best and definitely the most relaxing. I love listening to Bob Marley singing on the beach because it always feels so right. Rap music is great for dances because of the beat and is going to be a festive atmosphere. Dances obviously always need the right music for the place and time. Loud country music is what we always play around the fire in the woods which fits the country and the great outdoors just having a good ol time. Music usually fits the type of party I'm at which makes it even better. Music can be relaxing or energizing at party and that is why it is necessary to have music at a party because it makes the party flow and keep going. Music is important in all places and events and will be everywhere because it keeps the world flowing.

THE TOP 5!!!!!

Landslide-Fleetwood Mac

I would have to say I love this song and the band because it reminds me always of my mom and how great she has been in my life. It's definitely a sad emotional song to me because it always takes me through my years I have spent with her and how I won't see her as much because I won't ever live under the roof of her house again. But it just is awesome because of that love for her I feel when I hear it.

No Woman, No Cry-Bob Marley and The Wailers

This song and any Bob Marley songs always brings back good memories at Panacea, Mexico Beach, and Aligator Point. Hanging out with my best friends in the summer this music comes to mind everytime because we chill and it is just some small beaches away from everything that we always have a good time at.

Bulls on Parade-Rage Against the Machine

Song always gets me freakin wild before games and I love it along with every other RAM song. Listened to them since 6th grade and never have gotten tired of them.

Soul to Squeeze- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Ultimate chill song but at the same time makes me feel incredible and happy to be alive and well. This is my favorite band so it is hard to pick a favorite from them but this one is definitely up there.

Ride Wit Me- Nelly

Loved this rap song as a kid and still love it. Nelly at his best. Also reminds me of a girl that I had a mad crush on for whatever reason.

Honorable Mentions:
What I Got-Sublime
Some Might Say-Oasis
Carousel-Blink182
Yellow Ledbetter-Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder is what Jesus sings like)
Mayonaise-Smashing Pumpkins
Name-Goo Goo Dolls

Broken Record Songs

There are many songs and artists that i can just not bear to listen to. there are two songs that come to mind right now that I just cannot stand to hear anymore. This may cause controversy to my viewers but I absolutely hate "Eye of the Tiger"-Survivor and "Sweet Child of Mine"-Guns N' Roses. The reason being, I think, is because these songs are played way too often at any kind of events but mainly sport events. I get a sick feeling whenever I am forced to listen to these songs because the sound of Rocky's workout song and Axle Rose's voice just annoy the hell out of me. Everyone, I love Rocky movies and Guns N' Roses was a great band in the 80's and has good sound of music just have never really cared for 80's music too much and they seem to have this gay sounding singer in most 80's bands. I know thats generalization but whatevs. I think other people can hear a song or an artists way too much like me. Hearing too much of the same things can get old and turn even a song someone once really enjoyed into a song that makes them nauseous. Farris I have a feeling your going to stick up for that eye of the tiger bull but dude I can't freakin hear it anymore.

In concluding this article, I would like to say that I do respect everyone's opinions and views on the subject of music. Drew Balfour

Sketchy Biz

The buying and selling of music has always been some sketchy business. I know if I have the choice of taking or some people call stealing songs from an artists on limewire i will do that just becasue I don't want to pay for the song. Sometimes I will buy the songs on iTunes but I hardly ever will buy an album of a group becasue I might not like all the songs on the cd. Record labels and big recording studios I think have always been a stealer of the actual bands money becasue they are in it for self interest just like anyone else would be to make money. I know from experience that my friends band was asked to be recorded on a label or whatever in California this summer. They told me they were excited about it becasue it was awesome to finally be noticed across the country but they would probably not go through with it becasue they don't want to get screwed by anyone. Becasue of this one of the band members is going to learn how to do all the recording and he is going to make the band its own label. Reading the article online I see evidence that music producers and companies will make the band think that they are going to get a bunch of money and perks but actually the company is going to get most of that money and the band itself will most likely be in debt so they can never leave that label. When the music is sold the band itself isn't getting much money at all and instead the record label reels in most of the cash. I don't like any of the labels becasue i know that most of the time some way down the road they are going to screw the band. So when people say that i am stealing music by burning another cd onto my computer, I can justify by saying that I am really stealing from the label which screwed the band.

It's in the Air!

Music is everywhere everday in my life. Music is used in a variety of ways in my life. Before practice, workouts, and games for football almost everyone uses their own music to "get in the zone" and ready to play. Driving in my car, music is great because it keeps me awake and energized especially listening to great music. When I have nothing else to do, I am going to put my Ipod in and jam because it is instant gratification no matter what is going on in my life. I experience music as being part of a culture by seeing what a group of people tend to listen to. For the most black people hip hop/rap/r&b is the kind of music they are associated with because of several reasons. To me it seems black people have more rythm than any other ethnicity and I think its because they were born with it , it is in their roots. Lyrics and slang are more understood by the black community. And of course its easier for black people to identify themselves with artists of rap. It's harder to identify white people or hispanic people with music because I know personally that white people listen from everything from country to rap religiously so you cant put them all together of what kind of music they listen to and lifestyle they are living. i think that as far as music goes blacks are dominantly listening to rap and white people are more diversified in their taste for music. Music is definitely an art form. Poetry is in many songs and i consider that to be a form of art. Dances to certain songs has also become an art that people try to perfect or create. That creativity that people have in dancing and writing lyrics, riffs, and percussion beats or rythms is certainly an important form of art. Good art is always original and original music makes great music.

Lifestyle....

My music culture definitely revolves around the 90's alternative/grunge music that emerged with fantastic bands like the pixies, nirvana, pearl jam, smashing pumpkins, oasis, and many more. The 90's style of living that many of these bands represent is what draws me to them. It was a time the western world fashion dominated the United States. More people were involved with the outdoors and recreation in this time and they also kinda brought back retro styles that were derived from the 60's and 70's. I think this westernized culture in the 90's where people don't care about how they dress and don't care about the pointless stuff in life that people today freak out about is why I am drawn to this style of music. In my opinion I think that some of the most talented and creative musicians of all time came through the 90's and since then it has been a steady decline of talent in the alternative rock and any kind of rock world. To me, there is no more eddie Vedders, john frusciantes, kurt cobains, dave mathews, billy corgans, and the list goes on and on. I remember when i was in fifth grade and stole one of my friends older brother's cds and it turned out to be Weezer's very first album(Blue album). I listened to the cd through almost every night for months thinkin i was pretty baddass and I think then is when I started to know what kind of music I liked. I think this time of my life was very important to me and really shaped my life and who I am today because of the music I listened to and the friends I would hang out with and the things I would choose to do. I had never really taken music seriously until then and just listen to whatever my mom or dad listened to. From then on, I would become a huge fan of the Chillipeppers because of their beautiffully unique sound and love Pearl Jam becasue they had Jesus' voice flowing through the mic. I had four best friends from fifth grade until I was a senior and all of them had older brothers that I looked up to because they were the coolest kids at our school. Listening to the music they listened to would probably play a huge part in the style of music I came to love because they were guys I wanted to be. Definitely huge influences from friends.