Gaston Alive Magazine

Recently Ziggy Marley, the son of Bob Marley, decided to put together a collection of his father’s songs and release it. The name of this new compilation was called B is for Bob. In this set, there was very little that was new. Maybe a few tweaks here and there, but all in all, the songs on this album could be found on other Bob Marley CDs. How creative. Out of curiosity, fueled by my growing cynicism, I looked deeper into this compilation to see what it was all about.

So what was the reason behind yet another Bob Marley compilation? This one was for the kids. On the back cover, their was a note from Ziggy himself. It read, “My father’s music spans generations and with B is for Bob we give the youngest their very own Bob Marley record.” Then it hit me. Bob Marley didn’t write just reggae music. Bob Marley’s music, at it’s core, was written for people of all ages – including kids. For the first time, I began looking at his music in a whole new light.

So you can imagine my reaction when a musical friend of mine, Mike Strauss, told me that he and some of his friends were releasing a children’s record. After discovering B is For Bob, I realized children’s music doesn’t have to be cheesy. Bob Marley wasn’t cheesy, and neither is Mike Strauss. Mike is just one of many members that make up the Plaza Family Band. This collaborative project was born out of a group of parents that have children enrolled at Plaza Presbyterian Weekday School.

The idea came about when a group of these parents were brainstorming a way to raise funds for the school. They could have sold chocolates, wrapping paper, flower bulbs, or even coupon books. But that would be too easy, and too cliche. This artsy neighborhood in Charlotte prefers to do things just a little bit differently.

So, they decided to pool their passions and talents together and come up with a children’s CD that they could offer as a fundraiser for the school. The project was given the green light last September by the school’s director Patti Schigoda. And after three short months, the Plaza Family Band released Playground Hootenany. Playground Hootenany features such classic children’s favorites like “This Old Man, “La Bamba”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, and more. Mike Strauss and the many members of the Plaza Family Band have proven again that children’s music doesn’t have to be cheesy. It just needs to musically accessible to all ages.

For more information on the purchasing of Playground Hootenany, visit them online at http://songsfromthesky.com. All proceeds from the sale of the CD will benefit Plaza Presbyterian Weekday School and it’s mission to provide a learning environment for children that allows them to enjoy the wonders of early childhood without academic pressure.

Sometimes in life, things just happen to fall into place. Some call it luck, others call it good timing. For Caleb Davis and his wife Jaclyn, they call it faith.
After obtaining a music degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he and Jaclyn decided they needed to move to an area that would support his music career.

With a college degree in tow; they decided to make their new home in Nashville, Tennessee. After all, if you are going to make a living playing music, you might as well start with one of the largest music cities in the USA.

And that’s what they did. It didn’t take long for Davis to penetrate the music scene in Nashville. Before long he was making a decent living, but something wasn’t right. You know that nagging feeling. We’ve all felt it. For Davis, the music he was performing may have been feeding his family; however, it wasn’t feeding his soul.
After two years of playing with some of the best musicians Nashville had to offer, Davis and his wife knew it was time to make a change. Doors opened and doors closed. Opportunities were available for both he and his wife to be able to make a change and return home to Gaston County.
Now it’s no secret that Gaston County and the greater Charlotte area is not the first place you pick when you want to make a living in the music industry. But that didn’t stop Davis. Not long after returning home, he quickly formed his very own band.
This time, instead of playing back-up to someone else’s project, Davis would partner with long-time friend Justin Morehead to form the Caleb Davis Band. In their short tenure, they have already played at high-profile local venues including The Double Door Inn and The Fillmore in Charlotte, as well as The Orange Peel in Asheville.
After two years of making others sound and look good in Nashville, Caleb and Morehead are working hard to put together their own signature sound and groove. And this time, instead of playing music that just pays well, the Caleb Davis Band is playing music that makes you and them feel good.
For Davis, life is better and more rewarding today than it was a year ago. That’s progress, but life is not perfect. There still remain challenges to overcome. He and Morehead hope to add some permanent members to their band and they continue to work hard at raising their profile within the area’s music scene.
But like most things in life, they don’t happen over night. But a little faith and a strong work ethic will take Davis and his band where they want to go in 2010.

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For more information on the Caleb Davis Band, including upcoming tour dates and music samples, visit them online at http://www.myspace.com/calebdavisband.

Mix Tape to Playlist

Long before the Internet, the musical playlist was made in the form of the mix tape. You remember those, right? These were cassette tapes that featured songs and musical artists that were selected by the creator of the tape. It could have been a mix tape of all love songs, or your favorite Beatles tunes. Either way, it was a compilation of songs that were connected in some form or fashion. Previous to that, music was listened to on either vinyl records or eight tracks. For the first time, the blank cassette tape gave music lovers a chance to program their musical sound that they wanted to hear.

The cassette tape may have come and gone, but for Robert Burke of Belmont, his love of the mix tape never left. Today, Robert’s music blog can be found hosted on Yahoo’s music site. With the advent of the Internet, the “mix tape” has turned into the playlist. And now more than ever, the process is much easier and more convenient.

Robert is able to post his music playlists and reach a much larger audience than his mix tapes ever did. In fact, he reaches thousands of people each month on his web site.

And while he compiles your typical “best of” year-end lists, he also puts together some of the most off-the-wall and most entertaining musical playlists I have ever seen.Just this past month some of his featured playlists include songs about each day of the week, Songs about Pigs, the Top 10 Banana Songs, and more.

One of his most viewed playlists recently featured “The Top 10 Most Ridiculous Hairstyles in Popular Music History”. Some of the notables that made this outrageous list include Christopher “Kid” Reid of the rap duo Kid N’ Play, David Bowie as “Ziggy Stardust”, Axl Rose of the hair band Guns N’ Roses, and former Genesis drummer and lead vocalist Phil Collins.These lists often times involve more than just a listing of song titles and artists. They often feature in-depth information about why a particular song or artist was chosen. This information takes time to research and compile.

For nearly five years, Robert has been compiling and crafting approximately 20 new playlists each month. That’s over 1200 playlists he’s created. And he continues to post new ones each week. Want to see what you’ve been missing since the death of the mix tape? Visit Robert Burke’s website. Just be prepared to discover something new.

For information on Robert Burke, visit his music blog at http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/yradish or email him at tinyelvis1@yahoo.com

The big buzz going on in the music world right now is about a band you may have heard of – The Avett Brothers. In fact, I even wrote about them in this column back in 2006.

The end of last month saw the Avetts release their major label debut I And Love And You. The record dropped in stores and online on Sept. 30. That same night, they made a television appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman”.

Our area has a wealth of music history. Although, it’s been a while since we have had a band take the national stage by storm the way the Avetts have.
I remember seeing them perform for the first time at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte back in 2003. There might have been 75 – 100 people in the room that night. Ever since that night, I have been hooked. In fact, I was so impressed; I spent the next couple of years bragging on them to family and friends.

Now, if you had asked me six years ago if I thought they would have made it as far as they have, I would have said no. That’s not because I don’t think they have the talent. I just know my musical tastes have never been mainstream by any means. Most of the music I find ‘good’ rarely becomes a household name.
Obviously, the Avett Brothers have what it takes to make it on the national scene. They have taken traditional sounds and have rearranged them in a such a way that sounds new and exciting.

These guys have worked especially hard to get where they are today. They spend so much time on the road playing live, it’s a wonder they even find the time to write and record new songs. But they do. Since 2003’s A Carolina Jubilee, they have released four full-length recordings, and two EPs.

How did they get to the top? Not by luck – that’s for sure. They have created the right sound at the right time. And with producer Rick Rubin’s fingerprints on this new project – they are sure to soar even further from here.

There’s no telling where it will end. But one thing is for sure, I hope they enjoy the ride. I know I will.

Bob Dylan threw a music party this summer. And he threw it twenty-two times over the course of the summer with the majority of them taking place in minor league ballparks. And at each party, he invited two of his friends – Willie Nelson and John Mellancamp.

Three roots-based/Americana performers tearing it up in a minor league ballpark is conversation-worthy. So it made sense that it came up in a conversation I had the other day.

Amidst the conversation, a comment was made that stopped me in my tracks. The guy remarked that when Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson pass on, who’s going to take their place?

I didn’t have an answer for him at the time. And I still don’t. The music industry is always evolving. But in the end, music is music. That will never change. The only thing that will and does change is how we consume it.

At one time, all there was was live music. Musicians played and the crowd listened. As time went on, the technology became more sophisticated. People could own the music recordings they enjoyed.

Then AM radio played a role in what we bought. Then FM radio came along and offered a better quality sound. Then the introduction of the music video and MTV changed the game.

And even now, the game continues to change and evolve. This crazy thing called the internet has torn down all barriers when it comes to music.

We now have access to bands large and small, old and new. We can buy their entire album or we can only purchase a song. All of this can be accomplished with just a few clicks of a mouse.

The music hasn’t changed. It’s the consumer who has changed. The kids today aren’t as concerned about album art and liner notes. They don’t even need a tangible recording. All they want is a computer file and a music player to be able to play it.

So will music die when Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson are no longer making and playing music? Not at all. Sure, these two are legends, but their music will be covered and recovered for years to come.

Someone once told me that this is the best time ever in the history of music to be a music fan. There is more of it being made, and it is more accessible than it ever has been.

So in a sense, the musical floodgates have opened. And just like they say, the cream rises to the top. So will the best music. Maybe even the next Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. Your job, as a music lover, is to go find it.

Pick any weekend during the months of September and October in our area and you’ll have a hard time finding one that doesn’t have a festival already booked. (more…)