Went to the Sound Academy to Visit Some Friends

A lot of us music lovers complain how the music conglomerates of today (i.e. Live Nation/Ticketmaster) are robbing our bank accounts with concert ticket fees, and so unless it’s our all time favourite band playing, we’ll sadly refrain from spending that kind of “moolah” on shows.
But, its shows like the one I saw this past weekend that make me realize how sometimes the genuine experience you get at a concert makes it worth every penny.  
I mean, its one thing when the main act you’re paying to see totally rocks their performance (which, in this case, Mumford and Sons did). But, it’s a huge bonus when the opening band, Cadillac Sky, gives a stunning performance as well, making you instantly addicted to them. That’s like a lucky “two-for-one” type deal right there. I was fortunate enough to be immersed in great live music for over three hours…which to me, is the perfect way to spend a Saturday night.

You know, it’s unfortunate… the way we have created a certain custom for ‘concerting’ which is: only get to the show in time for the main act. It’s as if we think the opening bands are not worthy of our ears or our time. But as I realized this weekend, it’s truly our loss seeing as how we are missing out on new music in its rawest most natural form.   
Hearing and seeing a band live for the first time (like I did with Cadillac Sky), you get this exclusive opportunity to not hear the electronically modified sounds, rhythms and voices that you would on an album; but rather you get to hear the heart and soul of each band member as they throw all that their voice can give into every song. You get to see the personality of the band as they chat with the crowd during song breaks. And, you get to see their true talent as they spontaneously break out in musical ‘jams.’ We get the chance to skip that first awkward encounter of when we know nothing about the band and just press play on their CD, hoping to quickly become acquainted with the music. Instead, we connect with the band and let their live performance take over to the point that after the first song, we feel like long time groupies; we find ourselves catching on to the lyrics and reciting each chorus while uncontrollably bouncing along to the various rhythms and harmonies.
It was Cadillac Sky’s “Trapped Under the Ice” that managed to catch my ear and give me this type of physical response throughout their setlist.

So yah, its an awesome song. Why?

We are introduced to an assortment of instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo and bass) being strummed in short breaks, giving off this snap of the fingers, blues-ish type sound.
The beat continues this way until that traditional harmony that truly defines “folk” graces our presence 0:34 seconds in. It is at this first chorus that every instrument is now being strummed in full force, and the harmonized “ahhhs” are making our bodies flutter, that we get our first taste of their ever so classic bluegrass sound.

The second verse manages to combine two prominent instruments and have them both sound like they can’t function without the other. It’s the addition of the mandolin producing that good ole country vibe, and the fiddle, which gives the tune just the right amount of complexity. These two together take us back to that original blues beat.

It’s the second chorus that we can really hear the various genres of this song spin naturally into each other, having the blues and bluegrass sound interchange effortlessly. It’s at this moment in the song where we find ourselves tapping our feet on the ground while our bodies sink into relaxation mode, allowing this perfect harmony fill our heads.

At 1:26, the spotlight (metaphorically speaking ofcourse) shines on band member, David Mayfield as he initially takes control of the musical interlude by rocking out on his acoustic guitar. It is then quickly followed by the emerging sound of Matt Menefee’s banjo, which to me is one of the sweetest most pleasing sounds to the ear. And finally, Ross Holmes gives us one final stride on the fiddle, preparing us for what I like to call “audience participation.”

To me, audience participation is one of the key components to making a show a true success. It not only allows the audience to feel like they are a vital part of the performance but I can only assume that it feels great for a band to have their words be sung back to them.
And so, we have Bryan Simpson (now replaced by Levi Lowrey) sing:
        “I am a monkey in a cage..”
*If I found a clip of this performance on stage, you would hear the audience repeat:
“ I am a monkey in a cage.” with enthusiasm and energy.


…you guys get the picture I’m sure. 


Bryan’s voice then starts to rise and with the sudden bang on the drum, it officially commences the orgasm of the song at 2:26. Each band member is now emitting such intensity as they play the crap out of their instruments, and Bryan is battling with the power of it all, yelling the chorus, making it sink in more than either of the previous two.

And, in unison at 2:42 we are hit with the two final strums of each instrument and BOOM. It’s done. 


So why has this song changed my life? I walked into the Sound Academy venue only knowing that a band called Cadillac Sky existed. I walked out an instant fan of theirs. The fact that this song has the gift to make a listener love the song and the band in just 2 minutes and 48 seconds is astounding and in my opinion, life changing.

So bottom line?

1.    This question was posed to them on their website: Can you touch an audience with your music face-to-face on a nightly basis? I will answer for them--- Yes. Yes they can.
2.    The fact that Dave Mayfield looks identical to Zack Galifianakis can only be seen as a plus.
3.    If any of you know which movie my blogpost title originated from… well I’ll like you for that.
4.    These guys are finishing off their tour tonight… so I hope they made their last show a great one.
5.    Oh, listen to this song… it’ll change your life.

I Need To Marry A Brit

There are a handful of songs that I wish I could listen to for the first time again, just to get THAT feeling. You know? That initial “wow, this song is fucking amazing” feeling. It’s that song that you know you don’t need to listen to more than once to assure yourself you like it. You were just instantly obsessed with the first verse or the guitar chord so much so that in a matter of minutes, you became a die hard fan of the song and band as a whole. It’s as if that one song had already proved the band’s authenticity, so regardless of what their other songs sounded like, you were automatically in love with those too. It’s that song that just GETS YOU. For me, that song is: Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons. 

Let's get right into dissecting it and its awesomeness. That’s right people, “awesomeness” is going to be seen as a legitimate word in this blog.

So, when listening to the first 15 seconds of this song, one could assume its just another singer/songwriter strumming on his/her guitar (not that I don’t love that, because I do.)  But it’s at the 0:16 second mark where the drums, ukulele, piano, and electric banjo kick in, causing your heart to start thumping a bit faster with more intensity... that's when you know you’re going to be listening to something incredible for the next 4 and some odd minutes. It's a few moments after those instruments are introduced that… ahhh… yes ladies and gentlemen, the Brit, Marcus Mumford lets us hear his ridiculously attractive and raspy voice, which I swear will comfort you and break your heart all at the same time.
And let’s face it, any guy who can sing the word “fuck” with that much passion is automatically a total babe. 

Shall we also take a minute to acknowledge the sound, the actual music? Hell yes, we shall. The pace, the breaks, the pauses, the rhythm, all these elements can either  add to a song’s greatness or completely weaken it. In this case, it only added. If I had to choose, it would be the music—the various sounds meshing together so well, at such a quick pace that initially got me hooked. The speed that these instruments play in unison is so fast that it literally stimulates a body rush sensation every time they are heard at the chorus.
*Side note: It is necessary that we appreciate the electric banjo in this song. There is a sense of complexity and beauty that is added to a song when electric banjo is playing in the background. Take a minute and listen for it…you’ll see what I mean. It just makes the song sound cleaner and pleasing to the ear. 

Now, for my favourite part of any great song: the orgasm. Or, in other words the true climax of a song. It's that point in the song where it just gets so god damn good that you want to freaking melt listening to it. Little Lion Man plays its climax perfectly. I’ll explain:

 At 2:20, the song slows down into its musical interlude where each band member begins to tap on his instrument softly. And then… just a few seconds later…the build up begins. The instruments' sound gets a touch louder, and it builds and builds, with Marcus’s “ahhh’s” joining in perfectly. Then, it ALL gets louder and the momentum builds as the instruments get strummed faster and louder and your heart starts to pound to that same intense rhythm and all you can do is anticipate what’s next to come until finally! At 3:30 it all comes together in the most powerful chorus of the entire song. All you can think to yourself after that is “oh yaaaa, ummmm that was un-ha-real.” 

That my friends, is the orgasm.

On a more personal note-- this song was and forever will be the soundtrack to my Asia trip this past summer. Not sure how it really came to be my "Asia go-to song". I could've stumbled upon it on shuffle for the 2 seconds that I was up during a car ride, or I could have subconsciously played it right after my three friends and I met our first pack of Brits in Chiang Mai. Regardless of what it was, it stuck with me after the first listen. On any and every bus, plane and train, that was the first song I played and every time I fell deeper in love with it. I'm not sure how or why, but for some reason whenever the interlude started, that would be my time to start going through the memories of my trip until that point. At first it would start slow. Either an image of our elephant ride, or us at the Laos bar popped into my head. And then, I’d try to get each memory to change to a new one at the same pace the song was going as if I was quickly flipping through a photo album of images. Try it. It’s hard to do. But so fun.
Songs have a way of transporting you back to a particular place, or scenario even if only for a few minutes. This is where this song takes me. I know, it's a fab song choice to do that.
 

So, here's the bottom line: 

1. This song is simple and complex all at the same time. The point is clear and the message is relatable. Sometimes that’s all you need for a song to be great.

2. I need to marry a Brit so I can stop swooning over Marcus Mumford… unless he reads this and wants to marry me. That'd be cool too.
 

Oh, and 3. listen to the song. It’ll change your life. 

P.S. Rebs.. I hope this got you excited for their concert Nov. 13th