The Arizona Locals

Think of a memory? It might be a sad memory or it might be a happy one. Is one of your favorite songs stuck in your head? The one thing the I found music does best is make those memories so much more positive and memorable then they can be without music.

For me moving to Arizona is currently one of the most life changing things I have done in my life. Not only was I almost completely alone and starting from scratch, but I head left the musical haven of Seattle behind and found myself in a completely different environment where music took a very unique turn in its development. I found myself interacting with many different local bands that had garnered local fame. Five years had passed since that day and from the countless musician that I had encountered, three stand out from the group.

The Format came to me by accident. My long friend and college roommate, out of pure curiosity, had downloaded a free song off of iTunes and I had the wonderful idea of taking it off his hands and making it mine. This started a very long and wonderful relationship with The Format. That initial song was called “On Your Porch”, a quiet acoustic ballad that was sad yet refreshing kept me grounded when I was missing home. I then proceeded to find the entire album “Interventions and Lullabies,” from which the song was from and experience a unique blend of Indie and Southern Rock, which was unheard of in the northern state of Washington. Unfortunately the band broke up after their second album, but with their help I thankfully found a new home.

Dear and The Headlights followed suit and just as I had accidentally stumbled upon the previous band, I found Dear and The Highlights mysteriously sitting on my iPod after my friend had her way with it. The same Indie/Southern Rock mixture was there, but something was strange about this new band. I couldn’t put my finger on at first but then I noticed a subtle synth piano within some of the songs. I couldn’t believe it! Somehow due to some set of strange circumstances the 80’s synth paino had been slowing inching its way into the music that young musicians were creating. I was uncertain of this weird influence of 80’s pop on my music, but like all new things it grew on me and I made countless friends just by listening to this band.

The discovery of the 80’s synth piano was what made the band The Summer Set such a wonderful surprise. This pop-Indie rock band plays on the musical clichés of broken heart and finding love. Sure it sounds a bit girly and unoriginal but the way the band mixes hip-hop beats, synthesizers and electric guitar to form music that you can party to, fix your heartbreak with and learn to love from. As I returned to Seattle with my new experiences in life and music I found that I had created not only new ideas and feeling about my music and the people that make it, but also new memories that correlate to these bands.

My love life, my friendships and my life’s tragedies are written in the music these bands make, and for that I think I am a better person.

The Bands and their music that you should discover:

Dear and The Headlights

Sweet Talk

Run in The Front

Grace

Mother Make Me Golden

I’m Bored, You’re Amorous

The Summer Set

Sing it Out

Can You Find

Love In This Club (Usher Cover)

She’s Got The Rhythm

The Format

Any song they’ve ever written

The Laid Back Beat, and The Poets of The Modern World

My history with Hip-Hop, R&B and Rap has been a life long journey. They have always been ever evolving musical genres and to some even controversial. Because they crossover and overlap and create something that is hard to define, a single song can be designated as a Hip-Hop track because of the beat, a Rap song because of the artists or an R&B because of the lyrics. Until this massive ever-changing genre is finally defined it will be impossible to label the music that some call Hip-Hop, R&B or Rap. But this is what makes this music so special; it is pure, fallible and originates from the heart.

There are many great Hip-Hop artists that I've had the chance to listen to that pioneered the genre in the 80's and 90's, but let’s take a look at the present day. The classics will always be just that, classics. But few view Hip-Hop of today worthy of such praise and in my opinion this shouldn't be the case, especially with what I call "The Laid Back Beat," which plays wonders on the ears and at times, the heart. Present day artists such as Common, Drake, Lil' Wayne and The Roots have all redefined music by evoking emotion while utilized the laid back beat and it wouldn't be wrong to call them poets, as their lyrical ballads have the power to move the heart and evolve the state of someone's mind.

When the new millennium began I had left Hip-Hop behind in search of new music for my hungry ears, yet five years later in 2005 I came back to the genre. To my surprise I had found something completely different and once again I set out on a journey of discovery. What I found was fit into two groups: generic cookie cutter song of mainstream Hip-Hop, and soulful tunes written from the heart. The latter discovery took me on a journey that I will forever remember.

I first picked up Like Water for Chocolate by Common, instantly recognizing the influence of jazz and soul. The fifth track on this album was titled "The Light," a track that instantly found a home in my heart. To me it was more then just a song but a love letter. It was personal and painful, but most of all true to one's emotions, transcending into such a place where I find it hard to describe in words. When there is too much distance from the ones I love, this song always helps me find my home.

The last remaining Hip-Hop band, The Roots, came next. I was exhilarated. Never had I experienced such music in a band setting. The feel and sound of Hip-Hop was all there, but real instruments formed the rhythmic music that created the foundation for the lyrical poetry that I experienced. Many of their albums crossed my ears but two songs really griped my heartstrings. "Atonement" from Game Theory and "You Got Me" off of Things Falls Apart . Whenever there is a moment in my life that is filled with pain and hardship there are only a few songs that give me solace, "Atonement" being one of them. It is ethereal and flows through me in ways only music can, giving me strength and power to push on ahead. But when there is heartbreak in my life, "You Got Me" does the same. There is power is these songs, enough to give you strength to take on the world.

Lil' Wayne and Drake quite new in relation to the other musicians on this list and it is hard to not to give them credit for their music. There are countless tracks that can hold a person in a trance yet only one that I will mention. I strive to be a person that can influence people with my stories of music and I found " Successful" by Drake, featuring Lil' Wayne and Trey Songz to be inspiring beyond words. Songs like this give me motivation I need in order to push ahead in my passion.

Hip-Hop is still brand new and evolving. There will always be people who dislike it and people who love it. But the truth is these artists are all lovers, sinners and poets. Their music comes from the heart and from experience, giving it something that music cannot live without: truth. So if you don't already listen to Hip-Hop, Rap or R&B, give it a chance. Because as they say, the truth will set you free.

Artists To Discover:

Common

The Roots

Mos Def

Lil' Wayne

Kanye West

Drake

Talib Kweli

Jay-Z

Notorious BIG

Big Pun

Tupac

Erykah Badu

Lauryn Hill

The Singer / Songwriter

When John Mayer's Room for Squares came out in 2001 it was somewhat of an unknown album to many. Based on No Room for Squares by Hank Mobley, who was an American hard bob and soul jazz saxophonist, it wasn’t until word of mouth had garnered John the popularity he deserved that the album hit the radio.

I first heard the single “No Such Thing” on the radio a year later, and it was a surreal experience to say the least. Being in high school at the time I really connected with the song. The song spoke about growing up and having your parents tell you to stay within the lines. But then John did something magical, he told me I was invincible and that I should go beyond those lines, to the other side, where there was something better. I was ecstatic, I wanted to be famous, I wanted to inspire people like he inspired me. Yet this is where things got a bit complicated. The time I spent in middle school and high school, all I listened to was hip-hop and rap. It was the hip and cool thing to do, and deep down inside I liked it. Room for Squares was my first foray into a different genre of music, and it scared me. I was worried that people would mock me for listening to "girl music," and that whatever credibility I had in high school would be gone. But the more I listened to this album the more I discovered myself. While listening to “The Great Indoors” I went on an adventures through my house. “Why Georgia” would teach me to travel and enjoy not only the journey but also the destination. “Your Body is a Wonderland” taught me to love, Neon taught me to leave her and Comfortable taught me to remember her fondly.

For me this wasn't just an exploration of a different genre, it was my education and the discovery of myself. The singer/songwriter artist isn't just a musician who plays a few songs he'd written once upon a time, he is a teacher, he is your companion through the hard times and the good time. He holds your hand when you cry and laughs with you when you're happy. But apart from my obvious bias for John Mayer I believe this to be true for all singer/songwriter, and they shouldn’t be taken for granted.

So if you haven't ever listened to Room for Squares, pick it up next time. But don't just buy the songs, go and buy the actual album. This is an object that transcends the music that it holds. Without the album, you are missing a very important piece, John's personal touch. I know this is cryptic, but for all of you who do pick up the album, you will be very surprised.

My parting words to you would be: don't stick to your guns when you come across a singer/songwriter, for they will teach you things you never knew about yourself.

Artist to discovers:

Cat Power

John Mayer

Matt Nathanson

Ron Pope

City and Colour (Dallas Green)

Iron & Wine

My Life on 6th Ave and Lenora

Music to listen while you read: "Blue in Green"

There was a place I once visited when I lived on the outskirts of Seattle. I remember dressing up real nice, sleek black leather shoes with black slacks and a double breasted coat to cover it all up. I held the hand of the girl I was dating at the time as rain splashed off her thick coat. We headed toward this place that had no front entrance, where the line began out back in the alley and met at an inconspicuous door. You could hear snare drums lightly beating out a rhythm for a piano that sat somewhere within that door, beckoning for whomever passed to come in and just take a seat. This was all a long time ago, but whenever I remember moments like these, where the main attraction is the music, it’s always impossible to see the memories in anything but an altered state. This is a world where nothing was what it seemed, and thats how everyone liked it. This is the world of Cool Jazz .

Me and the girl I was dating at the time saw Lou Rawls, a jazz and blues king that seemed like the coolest guy in the room, even though he was 70 years old. But who am I kidding, he was the coolest guy in the room, with his black tie and dark blue blazer. I wanted to talk like him, sing like him, I wanted to be him. There was one song I remember him singing "Something Stirring in My Soul," and boy did my soul stir.

After the concert I hungered for more. I ran amuck through all the greats, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and the gritty Louis Armstrong, to name a few. But it wasn't all about the music either. There was something greater that came from a friendship with these musicians, it was a lifestyle. My movements became a little more carefree, my constant need to move around and do things like children do was gone. I could watch the rain for hours or spend what seemed like an eternity without saying a word, but at the same time speaking my mind all the while. It was a world where putting on some slacks and a tie wasn't out of the ordinary, where opening the door for a girl was the first thing on your mind and when you danced, her knees quivered.

I'm not saying you'll instantly be a cool cat like Lou Rawls, speaking with that classy voice into his mic while a 92 year old man with a SoHo fashion sense played him a tune. All I'm trying to say is that this music is another world, made for a place where the clouds are a bit gloomy and maybe you have to wear a few more layers than usual. But God, it is classy. I have never felt as cool as I did when I walked through the rain in my double breast, holding the hand of a classy looking girl, heading toward a jazz club. Even though I live in Arizona now, where classic blues and jazz is a bit hard to find, when that rain starts coming down, it never felt so good to feel so blue.

Oh and if your ever in Seattle, go to Jazz Alley on 6th Avenue and Lenora. Just don't forget your double breast.

Some new(old) musicians to discover:

Miles Davis

John Coltrane

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Muddy Waters

Billie Holiday

Duke Ellington

Billie Holiday