So, more poetry...and music.
Last night I did sound and DJ duty at the Cantab as part of the poetry extravaganza NorthBeast thing they have going on this weekend.
I spent some time attacking my "music to get" list that I add to every week while I'm playing DJ at the Cantab's reading. There are so many times where I say "this song would go perfect after this poem" but of course, I don't have it on my DJ laptop. So I add it to a list. There are so many songs and so little space on my computer. I'm also still unpacking boxes almost two years later. Yesterday I realized I was missing a whole section of T's (alphabetically by artist) in my shelved CDs. That came about when I was looking for "Too Much Joy" and the song "That's a Lie" which is a great early 90's piece of alternative rock silliness. Yes, it's obscure stuff like that, and more obvious things like "I have no Jimi Hendrix on this thing" which is amazing and then I realize how many distinctive guitar riffs there are in his songs - those are the kind of things that are so key to what I do.
If you think about it, there are some parts of songs that are instantly recognizable. Take the riff from "Foxy Lady" - you play just the first few chords of the riff, and you don't even have to get to him saying "foxy" - your mind already clicks to it. Easy, instant reaction that can accentuate a piece that's sexy (yes, usually done by a woman). I refuse to just play something like that because I think someone's hot, but if they do a piece like that, I'd play it. It's just my preference.
Other pieces of music you might not know and you have to listen for the lyrics. I remember when I started and Simone later said some people had been resistant to the idea. Later they accepted and embraced the concept. There were also people that thought music with lyrics might distract or whatever (not sure what the other arguments were), but now it's part of what I do. I want people to listen and realize what the song's lyrics say and how it ties into the poem. If I can get a laugh, all the better. True, using Cody Chesnutt's "Bitch, I'm broke" is just so easy and funny - but I've used it usually after poems from men who have that "I broke up with you and I used to love you and you're a crazy bitch why didn't I see it before" thing going on - and it works.
I'm also reminded of the power of a funky groove. There are hidden gems I discovered in my years in the college radio mines, things that grabbed me right away and always got a response from listeners. Just last night I got someone asking what a song was - as they put it "I have to know what that song is." They're at the reading almost every week, and I play it often - and it sticks in your head in a good way. It's always fun to turn people on to new music (and sell some more songs on iTunes for an obscure artist).
Being a DJ with poetry is a job for me in and of itself, and I really love it. Last night's bouts at the Cantab were great - I especially enjoyed the second bout with Eric (aka Big Poppa E). He was so obviously having fun and getting down to the music I played that it gave me great energy to work with and made things that much better. I've also been doing this over a year now, and now that I've had both bigger and smaller events under my belt, I feel a lot more comfortable with how I present the music and how to balance it out so I don't step on anyone's poetry or the feeling that you get from their words.
Tonight's show is at the Y in Cambridge. Should be fun.
I spent some time attacking my "music to get" list that I add to every week while I'm playing DJ at the Cantab's reading. There are so many times where I say "this song would go perfect after this poem" but of course, I don't have it on my DJ laptop. So I add it to a list. There are so many songs and so little space on my computer. I'm also still unpacking boxes almost two years later. Yesterday I realized I was missing a whole section of T's (alphabetically by artist) in my shelved CDs. That came about when I was looking for "Too Much Joy" and the song "That's a Lie" which is a great early 90's piece of alternative rock silliness. Yes, it's obscure stuff like that, and more obvious things like "I have no Jimi Hendrix on this thing" which is amazing and then I realize how many distinctive guitar riffs there are in his songs - those are the kind of things that are so key to what I do.
If you think about it, there are some parts of songs that are instantly recognizable. Take the riff from "Foxy Lady" - you play just the first few chords of the riff, and you don't even have to get to him saying "foxy" - your mind already clicks to it. Easy, instant reaction that can accentuate a piece that's sexy (yes, usually done by a woman). I refuse to just play something like that because I think someone's hot, but if they do a piece like that, I'd play it. It's just my preference.
Other pieces of music you might not know and you have to listen for the lyrics. I remember when I started and Simone later said some people had been resistant to the idea. Later they accepted and embraced the concept. There were also people that thought music with lyrics might distract or whatever (not sure what the other arguments were), but now it's part of what I do. I want people to listen and realize what the song's lyrics say and how it ties into the poem. If I can get a laugh, all the better. True, using Cody Chesnutt's "Bitch, I'm broke" is just so easy and funny - but I've used it usually after poems from men who have that "I broke up with you and I used to love you and you're a crazy bitch why didn't I see it before" thing going on - and it works.
I'm also reminded of the power of a funky groove. There are hidden gems I discovered in my years in the college radio mines, things that grabbed me right away and always got a response from listeners. Just last night I got someone asking what a song was - as they put it "I have to know what that song is." They're at the reading almost every week, and I play it often - and it sticks in your head in a good way. It's always fun to turn people on to new music (and sell some more songs on iTunes for an obscure artist).
Being a DJ with poetry is a job for me in and of itself, and I really love it. Last night's bouts at the Cantab were great - I especially enjoyed the second bout with Eric (aka Big Poppa E). He was so obviously having fun and getting down to the music I played that it gave me great energy to work with and made things that much better. I've also been doing this over a year now, and now that I've had both bigger and smaller events under my belt, I feel a lot more comfortable with how I present the music and how to balance it out so I don't step on anyone's poetry or the feeling that you get from their words.
Tonight's show is at the Y in Cambridge. Should be fun.