Finding new music on my doormat.

I know it will sound silly, but I do love it when I come home to the latest edition of one of my music magazine subscriptions waiting for me on the door mat.  I know, more often than not, that I will soon be discovering some great new music to enhance my life and the anticipation is almost palpable.

In no time at all I will have ripped off the plastic covering and I will usually jump straight to the back pages to find out what gigs are coming up and what numbers I have to ring to secure my seat.  I’ll then go to the new albums section and check what’s coming out from artists I already know and that may have slipped under my radar.  Then its time to flick to the front of the magazine to read it from cover to cover.

I love reading interviews from established artists I already enjoy and like the extra insight you get from hearing their thoughts on a variety of topics.  Sometimes it also increases my appreciation of their music as well.  One notable example of this recently was a interview with PJ Harvey in Q Magazine in which I loved her no nonsense attitude to the music industry and her integrity to her craft shone through on every line.  Next time I played one of her albums I enjoyed it all the more with her interview answers still ringing in my mind.  On very rare occasions I have respected an artist less from what I’ve read and whilst it doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of their music, sometimes their views will come to mind as I listen to their albums.

But, I think one of my main pleasures is discovering new artists that are only just starting out and whose albums I can buy and integrate into my music collection. Nothing beats that first listen of a new musical talent and to be able to read about them early on only adds to the enjoyment.  You always take a risk buying an album from an unknown artist, but the rewards far outweigh the risks and despite buying some rather dubious albums over the years based on magazine articles, on balance I have found far more great bands than bad.

Some magazines I subscribe to love compiling music lists.  ‘Top 250 albums of the last decade’, ‘Top 100 albums that changed the world’ and other lists in a similar vein and normally I enjoy reading through these and comparing which albums I have in my collection and also finding new albums I may want to consider.  Sometimes these lists are printed too frequently and they get rather boring to plough through, but generally they make for entertaining reading.  It is also interesting to see if I agree or not with the selections made and inevitably next month there will be a slew of readers letters berating the editor for the choices and any omissions (ironically many of these music lists are made up from readers polls anyway). 

The extra bonus of sample CD’s  are a joy as well.  It’s all very well reading about a bands sound and influences, but to actually hear them at the same time as reading the article makes for a more rounded experience and may be the deciding factor on whether I buy their album or not.  I will sometimes check out a new bands sound on YouTube, but I love getting a sample disc never the less.

When I find a new magazine waiting for me when I get in from a long day at work I know that inside it’s pages could be the next new band to make my insides tingle with ecstasy or to make my emotions soar and that is worth the cover price alone.  To additionally read about artists I already love and find out about upcoming concerts makes that initial anticipation I feel completely justified

Don't be afraid to love your music.

Do you have any music in your collection that you are embarrassed to admit you like?  If someone catches you listening to it on your headphones and asks what you’re listening to, will you give another artists name?  Or would you say what you are playing, but preface it with a comment like ‘I’ll know you laugh but…’, or ‘He’s better than you think but….’ or something along those lines?  If you were caught playing it out loud would you blush and quickly turn it down?

For a long time I felt this way about listening to Chris de Burgh.  If I mentioned I was listening to his music I would often be greeted with a derisive snort and glib comment.  Yet now, being more confident in myself and my musical choices I will readily admit I like his music.

I think the problem stems from his big hit, ‘Lady in Red’, which is a schmaltzy love ballad and I’m sad to say not a fair representation of his music.  He has written some very rocky tracks over the years and nearly every single song weaves a story throughout, that holds you captivated and heightens the impact of the music and lyrics incomparably.  Unfortunately when you mention his name the first thing people will think of and mockingly sing back at you is ‘Lady in Red.  They are missing so much.

I think my embarrassment started when I was at primary school and went away for a week on a school trip.  In the evenings we could all gather in a large converted barn for games and dancing.  Everyone had their music cassettes and clamoured to get our teacher to play our choices.  Soon everyone was dancing, with the smell of hay and dust lingering in out nostrils and generally having a raucous old time.  Later in the evening, after stalling me for long enough, my teacher put on my Chris de Burgh cassette and whilst I whirled and danced, everyone just stared blankly and even the games eventually slowed, then stopped.  Needless to say I was teased mercilessly and the teacher, acting as DJ, quickly changed cassettes and the party got back into full swing.  This was my first lesson in how music can be inclusive or exclusive depending on what side of the fence you were on.

Writing this article has made me think of the time I was at a concert of his many years ago.  The venue was sold out and everyone sang along word for word with his music and obviously delighted in his performance. One young woman, who had the most wonderful pig tails on either side of her head, stood in rapture at the front of the venue and did high kicks and clapped underneath her legs for much of the shows duration!  This memory still makes me smile now.  No-one mocked her and it was really most endearing.  My brother saw Chris de Burgh live again a couple of weeks ago and said it was much the same (minus the dancing girl).  The point I’m making here is that there is obviously still a large audience for his music and his fans will love him as much now as they ever did.

People will always pass judgement on things, be it food, television programs, fashion, art or music and this is perfectly natural.  But, I won’t be made to feel foolish for my musical choices.  I may have my own opinions about music and may even be derisive of some manufactured music/bands, but ultimately it’s not my place to judge others for their listening choices.  People can think I am ridiculous if they like and they can still make cutting remarks, but I’ll gladly soak them up as long as I can be like that young woman high kicking at the front of the venue, who was obviously enjoying her musical choices deeply and freely.  What more can we ask?

Musical Influences: The Ruse

The Ruse are a four piece rock band who met and formed in New York, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue their career.  They are made up of John Dauer on vocals, Jim Bilus on guitar, Jason Young on drums and Mark Stolze on bass.  Whilst the majority of their music has a rock edge to it, they are also more than capable of creating moving ballads that perfectly augment the albums they sit on.  They have created four albums to date (Invasion, Light in Motion, Midnight in the City and Love Sex Confusion)  and have also released a live Ep (Live at the Viper room).  They are presently at work on their latest Ep due for release in the next few months.

The Ruse, Courtesy rusemusic.com

Over the past few years they have featured on numerous TV shows, most notably ’The Hills’ and were nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Breakout artist LA in 2008.  They tour extensively performing to their loyal fan base and impressively they have done 6 coast to coast tours in three years.

Their musical influences are fairly evident in their songs and they have the uncanny ability to create music that wedges itself into your mind after just one listen.  By time you’ve played any of their albums twice you are normally hooked.  Whilst their music is reminiscent of the bands that have shaped their sound, they are also able to create a sound that is uniquely their own and which keeps you coming back for more.

I gave their latest album a listen recently and was so impressed I requested an interview.  Jim Bilus has replied on the bands behalf and the answers to the questions give us an insight into the bands influences, motivation and aspirations.  I am very grateful for the time he has taken in answering my questions.



How did you all meet and form your band?

John (singer) and Jim (guitar) met in a baby group when they were 3
years old. Met Jason (drums) in elementary school and started a garage
band that lasted for a few years.

After college, the three of them decided to start up a new band. Jim
brought in his friend Mark from college to play bass. Lived in NYC for
a few years before moving to Los Angeles to be closer to the sun and
skinny people.

Did you grow up around much music at home?

All of our parents love music. None of them ever played an instrument
at any high level, but all of them supported us in every way from day
one. Their instilled love of old school rock still shows up in our
music from time to time.

Do you share song writing duties or is one of you more prolific than the others?

The inital song idea starts with Jim (guitar). Then the song get
hashed out with the rest of the band. Each band member has a lot of
freedom to find his own perfect part for the song.

Lyrics are usually done jointly between Jim and John.

When recording do you focus on your own specific instrument or do you
swap and change about to get the right feel and sound?

We always stick to our own intruments. Sometime we will give each
other ideas for ways to improve a part, but most of the time we just
let each other roll....

Do you write in the studio or do you go in with a complete body of
songs ready to record?

We always go in with finished songs. One of the first things you learn
in music is how much recording in a real studio costs. For our last
album (Love Sex Confusion), we were able to spend only 3 days total in a
professional studio tracking drums, bass and guitar.

Everything else we did by ourselves (with the help of our good friend
and producer Jorge Vivo) at home. This way we're able to get really
professional sounds where it matters, but we're still able to keep
costs down.

Do you have aspirations to learn another instrument or how do you
mainly see yourself progressing on the instrument you currently play?

We've just hit our 30's. At this point the only other instrument we
want to learn is finacial instruments.

What has been your worst and best live performing experience?

Best- Playing for a sold out hometown crowd in NYC at the Mercury
Lounge. We do this about twice a year.

Worst- Playing for a lone bartender at a dump in Missouri. Although
she did make us fried chicken after the show.

What’s the first album you bought?

First one that matters- U2's Achtung Baby. The album that changed
Jim/John/Jason's life. Mark's first album was "Forever My Lady" by
Jodeci and he still listens to it a lot.

What’s the first concert you went to?

U2 Zoo TV Tour at the Hartford Civic Center. Still one of the top 5
shows of all time. Mark's first show was the 1989 Jodeci tour "Banging
all the Honeys" in St Louis.

What album do you always suggest to your friends?

Bloc Party- Silent Alarm. These guys brought the swagger back to rock.

What’s your favourite music venue to play and which is your favourite
as a music fan?

Mercury Lounge in NYC, Troubadour in Los Angeles. Both are also great
places to see live music as a fan. Nice and small, with a great old
school feel.

What album helped you get through your teenage years?

Counting Crows- August and Everything After

What album can you always listen to regardless of time or mood?

See above :)

What album do you most wish you’d written?

Achtung Baby. If you released that album today, it would still sound
like it came from the future.

What album is your guilty pleasure?

Maybe not an album, but we really like old school 80's music as a
whole. We've been known to cover Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" from
time to time.

What album can you not live without?

Achtung Baby. And for Mark "Totally Krossed Out" by Kris Kross.

What are you listening to now?

A lot of Death Cab for Cutie. Looking foward to their new one. Also:

Mew
MGMT
Black Keys
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Sigur Ros
Stone Foxes
Ray LaMontagne

Do you have any news and release dates for your next album?

New 5 song EP is being mixed right now. Should be out in the next
couple of months. Lots of great rock, and one classic ballad.

Where would you like your band to be this time next year?

In the US Virgin Islands?

Check out the bands Website, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube channel for updates on new material and upcoming tour dates.

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Where's the nearest Ipod anonymous meeting?

I may as well lay my cards on the table and admit that I am a fully fledged, card carrying Ipod convert.  After holding off for many years I finally jumped on the band wagon and have never looked back.

After moving from cassette walkmans to CD walkmans and Minidisc walkmans all made by Sony it was a foregone conclusion that my first MP3 player would be a Sony too.  I was very pleased with the unit I bought, it had large memory and long lasting battery for the time it was released and lasted me very well.  The software they used was atrocious and the main sticking point, but once I was tied in there wasn’t much I could do about that.

When it came to replacing my MP3 player I was very conscious of being tied in to a particular brand again and although all my friends had and recommended the Apple Ipod I was still hesitant.  Initially I went for a Creative Zen and whilst the unit was of a great size and easy to use, it had specific limits with it’s memory that left me frustrated.  This was soon returned for a refund.

I did some more research online and read numerous reviews and finally decided there was nothing for it but to go for an Ipod classic.  It had large enough memory for my vast music collection, had long battery life, was of a decent size to carry about and looked good too.

My Ipod

I re-ripped all of my music (over many, many weeks) in MP3 format and then converted them to the AAC format Apple use.  This way I could save my music on a back-up hard drive and know if I go to another brand down the line I still have my music in a format I can easily transfer.  This may come across as paranoia, but I was stung so badly with the Sony software I couldn’t face ripping my music a 3rd time if I bought a different MP3 unit down the line.

I have to say I LOVE my Ipod.  It’s a strong word to use, but I adore having all of my music with me at all times, rather than a selection chosen at a particular point in time.  I also like the Cover Flow feature, it’s a small detail but the album artwork is a key feature for me when I buy music and I love some album cover designs as much as more accepted mainstream art.  I have also started downloading podcasts, something I never did before, and I am now enjoying more radio shows than I ever did in the past.  I have an Ipod dock at work and I like the ease of plugging the Ipod into the cradle and accessing my music, whilst keeping the player fully charged.  I also like the counter that allows me to see how many times and when I last played a track.  This may just be the inner geek in me, but I find it interesting to see what I most listen to.  These are all small details, but put together have solidified my love affair with my Ipod.

Even better for me, having all my music together on one unit means I am listening to music that I haven’t heard in years.  I am rediscovering old favourites and obscure albums I never gave enough attention to first time round.  Slowly but surely I am working my way through my entire collection on the Ipod and you will rarely find me happier than when I am plugged in and immersed in a musical world of my choosing.

It may be wrong to love a little gadget so much, but I think what I love is how easy it allows me to access my music and connect with the memories, emotions and rhythms that have shaped and affected me so much over the years.  I feel more connected to my music, in a way that was lacking with previous audio players, and can only hope this continues.