Music Genre: Orchestral Dubstep

Music Genre: Orchestral Dubstep

     In case you haven't picked-up on my overly obsessive taste for mixing and mashing music together, one of my favorite genres as of late is, well, I'll label it as Orchestral Dubstep. Dubstep used to just be a heavy-drop and beat-heavy techno and electronic music, but it has since morphed into all genres and styles of music. From "brutal-dubstep" to "melodic-dubstep" to "chill-step" to "metal-step" and integrating R&B and Hip-Hop, dub is becoming popular in all fecets of the music community. Below I'll link a few videos and songs that mix some of these elements into what I believe to be masterfully (digitally) orchestrated pieces of work.

audiomachine - Ashes of Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvp3Qih9n2c&list=PLl8LRL1PmIqNO1YjchXkBQosN54ETps1E&index=11   

          Although I could break-out a playlist, I only wanted to sprinkle a fewer less-known artists that have very extended genre styles, like Kari Sigurdsson merging electric gutiar and electronica sounds in order to orchestrate an epic score.

Kari Sigurdsson - Beyond The Horizon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRAGITF39s0

     As mentioned previously, there exists Metalcore Dubstep and Trap Music (which is more rap, with electronica beats, brought back by famous artists Young Jeezy and Three 6 Mafia), but this blog is directed more towards the instrumental and independant side, like Manstub's mix, "War," below.

Manstubs - War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efypj2x6j-M

        Although I refuse to link entire playlists, you can find similar "epic" music by searching "Orchestal Music Mix" playlist on any major social media network. But before I let you go... why this music? I think this type of music is under-played and too easily written-off. It's integrated in most music scores you see in modern movies, in modern pop music and hop-hop music, the heavy beats and drops find their way into the music industry, and I think they're here at least for the upcoming generation.

     Disagree? Voice your opinion! Be nice. Give reasons, and share what YOU think is better! In the mean time, check out the artists and please share YOUR favorite dubstep, techno, or electronica type music below.

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX

Music Genre: Vocal Jazz

Music Genre: Vocal Jazz

     Said to be an inspiration and idol to Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby helped revolutionize the music industry in the early and mid 1900s with his "big band" orchestra and phenominal baratone voice.

Bing Crosby - Sweet Georgia Brown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvnsxpghZeY   

     Italian-American, New Jersey born singer, actor, and producer Frank Sinatra's idolized Bing Crosby, and eventually surpassedhim both in popularity and stardom.

Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ZGKALMMuc

    Beyond the dreamy, airy jazz orchestra of the 1940's and 50's resides a more modern depiction of vocal jazz with Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. Michael Buble sings a fantastic rendition of Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly With Me" bringing a little piece of vintage music history into the modern music age.

Michael Buble - Come Fly With Me

https://youtu.be/MYgqZYQYzwA?t=39s

     Lastly, aside from the cameo and judging of American Idol, Harry Connick Jr. was a child prodigy starting at the age of three-years-old when he started learning the keyboard. He has been performing publicly since the age of five and officially started recording at the age of ten years old. Also remniscent of vocal jazz and orchestric ensembles, Harry Connick Jr. has proven that not just innate talent is required in the industry, but also hard work, time, and dedication.

Harry Connick Jr. - Jingle Bells

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbhDQ8UMt0g&index=2&list=PLqh5oNfAVicfs-Tz5LqZV_be3zVU04E8M

     Well, it being December 4, 2016, here's a link to Harry Connick Jr. performing "Jingle Bells" Take a gander at a few of these links, artists, and please share YOUR favorite vocal jazz performers.

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX

Video Game Music, Vol: 1

Video Game Music, Vol: 1

     I've always been more of a Legend of Zelda, Dragon Age, Skyrim kind of nerd-gamer, but have always played all genres. I'll take a good game of Battle Field or Call of Duty any day (notice which one I mentioned first?). Although most big releases are going to have a top-notch ensemble of directors, artists, sound technicians, voice actors, animators, programmers, producers, and all other elements, one of the most important areas to me is the composition of the game's musical score.

     To start with... well, pretty much anything by Zelda Theme composer, Koji Kondo. Take a look at the following trailer for an upcoming release,

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

https://youtu.be/1rPxiXXxftE?t=58s

    Originally one of the staples of RPGs on modern consoles, Final Fantasy has always been known for it's next-generation graphics and beautifully composed symphonies by Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu.  Although the classic 1980s franchise Final Fantasy went in a different direction with their marketing campaign, I found it to be refreshing, using composer Yoko Shimomura, check it out one of the trailers for the recent release date of 11/29/2016.

Final Fantasy XV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiI7SMQA59Q&t

     Of course I'm not the who's who of video game music, and in a short blog there's hardly enough room to include the fantastic music from Uncharted or Battlefield or Skyrim's memorable theme, but we'd be here all day, and we don't have all day. Well, you might but I don't. In the mean time, stay tuned, share your thoughts and YOUR favorite video game music pieces, and check back!

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX

Music Review: Christian Rock Origins

Christian Rock: Origins

     Heavy rifts, epic voices, electric guitar hammering that will rock your socks off, Christian rock has been popular since the days of "hair bands" in the 70s and 80s. Although there may have been other monumental Christian bands, Petra is one that stood out from the rest and paved the way for other faith-inspired music to gain in popularity. Around this time, there were many other groups with similar music styles that began forming. When people finally globally accepted the terms "hard rock" and "Christian Music", it opened the flood gates for various music genres like hip-hop through DC Talk (more on them to-come on another blog).

Petra, "All Fired Up" (1982)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYeXBA7x-MY

     Of course there are other great bands during this decade as well, White Heart, Styper, Audio Adreneline, and News Boys all began forming in the 1980s. You can't mention Petra without recognizing Styper. At the time, they were comparable to Metallica, Def Leapard, Whitesnake, Scorpions but with a Christian spin on it. They could be heard on the Trinity Broadcast Network, which was a huge outlet for Christians to compete with air time especially when certain radio stations and networks wouldn't air "religious" music.

Stryper, "Soldiers Under Command" (1985)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iPZ0cNtqIQ&index=24&list=PL3554CAE591775485

     Over half of the bands I mentioned have been around over 30 years and are still making music to this day. Styper released the album, "Fallen" in 2015 and Petra a few years back. Once again they helped pave the way for other genres because they compared to similar mainstream, secular artists which wasn't a far-stretch for consumers to recognize talent. Even today, Christian music has branched out to metal, ska, hip-hop, heavy rap, folk, any just about every other genre you can think of. I'll be featuring various bands in future blogs, so stay tuned, share your thoughts and YOUR favorite bands, and check back!

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX

Music: Singer/Songwriter's Sucess on Youtube

Singer/Songwriter's Success on Youtube

     The music industry has changed from it's original platform of distributing pressed vinyl recordings to a whole new world of digital multimedia. Music sales have exploded from digital downloads and distribution through Recording Companies and online media sales like iTunes, Amazon, Google Play Store, and other similar sources. Gone are the ways of submitting demo tracks and recordings to big-name music industries, and now everyone has an opportunity to share their music and talents with social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube have made it easy to get the word out there, any many famous artists started making a name for themselves on Youtube.

Charlie Puth, "Chandalier" - Sia cover song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWInNGhwidQ

     Charlie Puth started off much like Justin Bieber in that his music career began with international online success through Youtube writing cover songs and personal music on their Youtube channel. Charlie Puth has been around since 2009, but gained in success in 2011 during Perez Hilton's music video compilation competition where he gained early attention and by 2015 Charlie Puth gained success with the release of "See You Again" a song by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth for the movie Furious 7. Many of the scenes from the music video feature Paul Walker, an actor who died while filming Furious 7, a continuation of his Fast and the Furious movie series, along side Vin Diesel.

Wiz Khalifa - "See You Again" ft. Charlie Puth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKAFK5djSk

     Although internet music sensations like Charlie Puth, Justin Bieber, Christina Grimmie, Meghan Trainor, Hailey Knox found ways to show off their talent to the world in order the music industry is free game to anyone talented enough and willing to put in the hard work to get recognized. In 2015 Meghan Trainor came out of the woodwork. She was originally told she wouldn't make it in the industry because she wasn't "skinny enough". Her sensation "All About That Bass" proved that body shop had nothing over showmanship and talent. Meghan proved her doubters wrong by going from 10,000 views to 1 million within a few months and after 2 years the music video has over 1.5 billion views making it one of the fastest selling singles of all time.

Meghan Trainor - Dear Future Husband

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShlW5plD_40

     The list of successful independently started artists grows and it's hard to keep up with. One of my favorite group of artists who gained in popularity performing acoustic session cover songs is Boyce Avenue. One of my favorite and one of their biggest hits is an acoustic rendition of Miley Cyrus's, "We Can't Stop". Performed with Bea Miller (another up and coming artist, who happens to be friends with Demi Lovato) and the Manzano brothers out of Sarasota, Florida, the song completely turns around from a teenie-pop artist's song about partying, to a beautiful masterpiece of melding vocals and soft folk-like instrumentals.

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX

Music Review: Bring Me The Horizon (Modern Metal)

Bring Me The Horizon (Modern Metal)

     Everyone has their own tastes in music, and I refuse to be bias against a particular music genre simply because I prefer one over the other (I still have a soft spot for emo or screamo, hard rock like Escape the Fate, Jacks Mannequin, Something Corporate, or Senses Fail) but I'm open to all music like Adele, Justin Bieber (yes, I know), Ariana Grande or Bruno Mars and a whole slew of pop culture and old music, and I think music has a way of bringing us together.

Bring Me The Horizon, "Down" - Live at Wimbley (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV5709EG5M

     This blog is for the rockers out there. The metal rockers. The ones that head bang in their car or rock-out at the gym or walking through the grocery store. One band who has caught my attention a few years ago, but never really focused on is a band called Bring Me The Horizon. They're a British rock band from Sheffield, UK. I first started listening to them on their 2013 Album Release, Sempiternal which blew my mind and I've been a fan ever since. Admittedly, I didn't catch their days of "There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret" (2010).

     You can see from 2006 to 2016 that the band has matured musically. The above song, "Down" off their latest album, "That's The Spirit", the music is much more toned-down on the metal-core side that they used to be. Even their prior release, Sempiternal (2013), which had the song that introduced me to this awesome band, "Sleepwalking". Sleepwalking was their second biggest hit, so below I'm going to cut to the chase and introduce you to the Album wit the biggest hit off of that album, .

Bring Me The Horizon, "Can You Feel My Heart" - Sempiternal (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AVRCQBc59w

     Just in case the last song, "Can You Feel My Heart" scared you off with the screaming (and I'd consider that a very soft song), compared to the entire album of sensational metal and grinding guitars and screaming into a musical masterpiece. Their newest album, "That's The Spirit" (2015) is a testament to their ability to merge metal with electronica and in order to bring-in the pop-rock music genre, but also enjoy hard rock. The screaming is toned down into only when necessary, rather than throughout the entire songs. Their newer releases, "Throne" is an excellent example of merging genres into more of an alternative rock feel.

Bring Me The Horizon, "Throne" - That's The Spirit (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_qI_F2ZJI

     If you'd like to see some of their music off of their older albums that birthed the beginnings of Bring Me The Horizon, you might want to check out their website here. I mentioned before that the band musically matured. Some would call them a sellout, but I think they developed themselves artistically to appeased their target audience of metal and screaming, with a subtle mix of electronica to open the gates to other musical interests (namely, reducing the amount of cussing a bit).

     If you like what you're read, or have comments, for against or otherwise, share them or email me.

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX


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I've been protecting you. Their old stuff is very loud and very hardcore metal. In case you were curious on what BMTH started out as, before they got radio-air-time. Check out their song, Prayer for Plagues (parental discretion advised). 

About Me

     If you're here in the "About Me" page of my blogs then you're either INCREDIBLY interested in what I have shared through my words... or you were click-happy and accidentally got here, in which case, stick around, grab a cup of coffee, tea, bear, vodka, and think and communicate through social media.

     I've always loved writing. Since I was a child I've always had a wild imagination from romance movies and love stories, to Die Hard's "Yippy Kiyay", and cartoons like Marvel's The X-Men and a generation of Pokemon and the Batman movie (1989) by Tim Burton, that brought back Batman from the black-and-white to modern times. I have a passion for amazing stories and adventures like Lord of the Rings or Star Trek, and I am a computer and video and video game participant.

     I love art, in all of it's forms, from canvas paint, to sculptures, movies, design, graphics, ceramics, puzzles, antiques, and most importantly, music. You can check out my music blog with random music discussions featuring various artists at http://tumblemountains.blogspot.com/2016/09/music-review-classical-merges-into.html.

     When I was a kid I wanted to do everything. I wanted to be a police officer, a fireman, an Army soldier, professional chef, an artist, musician, an actor, a book writer, an athlete, an astronaut, an inventor, a robotics engineer, a 3d graphics designer, a game level-designer (and still do), and film, act, direct videos and movies, and all in all enjoy and share and write and create multimedia within all aspects of the entertainment media industry.

     Of all of that, I joined the Army. At the time it was the most logical choice. I was 19, a little bit out of high school, working a job that wasn't going anywhere with a little bit of part time college. Felt like slow going, so I joined the Army at 19 years old, also to have the military pay for any further education. I wanted to be smart about joining. Sure, I'd be happy to go 11B Infantry and stack on and knock-down doors, but I considered what I would do after I got out of the military. I wanted to perform a job that I could use in the outside world that I enjoyed, so I scored high enough in the ASVAB testing to pick almost any job I wanted. I chose 25V (Combat Documentation/Production Specialist - sounds cool, eh?) it was audio, video recording, photography, studio recording, ceremonies, mixed videos, music videos, heavy missions and training missions, long nights in the cold and the snow and the heat and the dirt. I did that for about 4 years, then cross-trained into 46R (Broadcast Journalism Specialist) focusing the writing and front-of-of-the-camera performances. It's a learning and growing experience learning how to communicate with people in different ways and hear about other people's perspectives.

Well, until next time, check out my blogs, and remember, all you need is love. John Lennon, great man, shot in the back, very sad. (If you can name that movie quote, you're amazing and you deserve a cookie... that you should buy yourself)

Christopher J. Rosario - Writer, Creator, Entertainer, Freethinker

(Email Me Here)

http://tumblemountains.blogspot.com/

Music Review: Classical merges into Modern music

Classical merges into Modern music.

     Music has been around since the creation of man and different sounds were compiled into musical pleasure. Over time it's developed into whatever the current generation most appeals to, with constant changing of media and social interested, as quickly as a "viral video" can spread, that's how quickly the musical taste can change for the current generation.

Kelis, "Like You" (using Mozart's The Magic Flute).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeKIYw_cEms

     Kelis is able to bridge the generation gap between modern girl-pop artists like Rihanna and classical artists like Beethoven or Mozart, in W.A. Mozart - Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute). While Kelis appeals to the pop artists, Spike T Jones, a raper who found his recordings through Beat Boutique 2010,

Spike T. Jones - A Fifth of Beethoven (Hip Hop Instrumental Mix).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5lvlfZhmV0

     Is another great classical-rap mix-up or mash-up. It's like taking two records, a classical record, and a rap record recording, and you play them the same time at the right times, that they mesh well together into a coherent song. It's not everyone's favorite genre, but it's the way out generation explores our musical creativity; the mix is a strange, but a lovely blend of two generations melding into an appreciable song for both generations, bridging the gap, (Though, it doesn't mean you'll immediately want to listen to rap, or classical, baby steps)

Christopher J. Rosario, Writer, Entertainer, Freethinker, San Antonio, TX

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     And in case you think I forgot the title of this blog is, "Modern music" here's a band that didn't necessarily mix tracks of classical and rap or pop music, but the music is a hybrid, a breed of rock and punk and rap, like Beastie Boys - Sabatoge.

Beastie Boys - Sabatoge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rRZdiu1UE

     Many would say, simliarly, that Nirvana was the staple of a new area of music, the changing of a generation of music. It's exciting to keep up with new and fresh music to see what's developing around the world from all cultures. Share it.

Music Review: Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran - Music as an Art

      I can't tell you how many times I turn on the radio and think to myself, "Really? This is what's popular now? This is what our generation listens to? Repetitive lyrics, 4-chord-song treachery and catchy tunes with no lyrical meaning or soul? Ed Sheeran, an artist out of the United Kingdom, gained in popularity as a singer-songwriter in 2008, when he released the album "+", where the single "The A-Team" grew in popularity and gained radio air time.

(And if you've never heard of a 4-chord song, here's a link to a great example by: Axis of Awesome - 4 Chord Song.)

(some explicit language)

Beginings:

     Ed Sheeran started recording in 2004 at the age of 13 years old and eventually brought an old "indie" feel back to the radio scene, which is another way of saying singer-songwriter (think: Taylor Swift, before she was drowned in pop-artists beats). When I think of singer-songwriter, I think of an artist and their instrument, a guy and his guitar, a woman and her piano; simple music with a focus on lyrics that are personal to the artist. Ed Sheeran's hit, "Photograph", is a great example of a "man and his guitar" singing about memories of love kept within a photograph. His voice is filled with conviction and passion throughout his collective works and he's a testament to artists everywhere.

Here's a link to Asylum Record's and Ed Sheeran's - Photograph.

     Reminiscent of the days of Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews, Ed Sheeran is a reminder to us all that true art never dies. In a year since his music video "Photographs" was posted, the song has over 250 million views and continues to rise as he gains in popularity. Taking acoustic influences from The Beatles and Nizlopi, Ed found a unique sound for himself that took the world by storm.

Music Reviews: NF

9/13/2016
Christopher J Rosario

Music 2
NF

Rap is dead.

     Along with Eminem who wrote "Rap God" back in 2013 (doesn't it feel like yesterday?). "Rap God" was a testament to Eminem's talent when it was released, even at the age of 40 years old (I know!) we all remembered that Eminem was and still is the King of Rap. Pandora radio compares Eminem's rap title of King of Rap to Elvis's title, the King of Rock. Eminem took it old school, 20 years later and the entire album Marshal Mathers LP 2 felt like he took it back to his roots, what made him great. Raw rap, less "effects".
   
     But that was in 2013 and other than a few rappers that have fought to get to the top (like Kenrick Lemar), there aren't a whole lot that I could call "great". All of the famous ones, Kanye and Drake, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, are good, but not game-changing. Rap is no longer as big as R&B Hip Hop, back in the 1990's like Bone Thugs n Harmony, 2Pac, or Snoop Dogg.

     After listening to a rapper, NF, Nathan Feuerstein by accident, clicking through Youtube; I was brought back to the old days of Eminem, The Slim Shady LP (1999). I was in middle school, and he wrote the famous and annoying song, "Hi! My name is, What? My name is, Who? my name is, tika-tika Slim Shady." NF brings back the old feel of rap, raw words and lyrics. Very similar to Lecrae, he's a lyrical wordsmith with the emphasis of telling his stories while using clean lyrics. NF sometimes rhymes, but he's mastered the art of placing less vocabulary-heavy words and emphasizing certain words at the right moment or tempo in order to fit the beat perfectly, while still being musically coherent and pleasing.

     NF uses the phrase, "NF real" because his music is written by himself and typically about situations he's been through or friends that he's met and thoughts that go on in his mind. His human emotion is shared with the world through his honest and real lyrics and music. It's the passion to write and the passion to share his words that keep him going, he states in most of his music, especially his album, "Therapy Sessions". My favorite album release is NF's 2015 "Mansions" album featuring "All I Have". Here is a music video Capital Records published on Youtube for free, NF - All I Have.

    In a world full of music with nothing but beat-fetishes, auto-tune and overemphasis on a "cool sound" rather than poetic lyrics. You hear songs that repeat the words, like Lady Gaga's "P-p-p-p-poker face," or Drake's Hotline Bling, "You used to call me on your cellphone," or Adele, "Hello," and, "I can't feel my face when I'm with you," by The Weeknd. All of these songs have a point to them, but it's drowned-out by non-stop repetition of the same lyrics over and over, with a catchy beat.

     I think it's refreshing to have such a talented and musically engaging, passionate current-day rapper that isn't afraid to sing about the truth while still holding on to his morals. In his music, NF, Nathan Feuerstein, talks about his past mistakes, writing music without curse words, death of a parent, and the trials and tribulations that he, and many of us have gone through in our lives. It may sound depressing, but it's life. He raps, sings, and writes about life.

Artist Review: Local Natives

9/5/2016
Christopher J Rosario

Music 1
Local Natives

Since as long as I can remember I've always loved music, all kinds of music from Country to Pop to Opera, Rap, Alternative, Metal, it didn't matter, as long as the music was composed, written, and executed with care and style, I could legitimately put it on my play list and listen to it over and over until I burn-it-out and hate it forever (think, Barbie Girl, by Aqua).

For my first blog, I'll take it easy on you, the reader, and introduce a band I heard of a year or two ago that continues to stay in the forefront of my mind as modern indie/folk type music. A band called Local Natives brought back the days of the original Simon and Garfunkel and Bright Eyes (if you've never heard of either of these bands, go buy a CD-player from the thrift-store, take it home, and you'll find one of their CDs still sitting in the CD-tray). Both are very folk-like in style. Music back then felt more passionate and songs were written from the heart; Local Natives brings that back.

Local Natives was formed in California and is comprised of five band members, 2 guitarists, 1 bassist, keyboards, and a drummer. They released their debut album, Gorilla Manor 7 years ago. Their musical style is considered, "Indie Rock" but that's a very broad term. Indie in itself literally means "Independent" meaning they are free from restrictions or influence in their music by record labels (you know how popular artists release new albums every year, even if they are terrible, just to pump-in revenue?). What Indie is considered nowadays is just anything not main-stream, something you wouldn't normally find on a radio (until they are founded by a major record label). For Local Natives falls into another category of  "Indie", which is considered "folk-like" or softer music. Although huge now, I also consider artists like Ed Sheeran, Jack Johnson or Jason Maraz, all of which started out Indie back in the day, but later became more stream-line as they received more air time.

Either way, great band, check it out: below is a Youtube video of a live version of Local Natives, Who Knows, Who Cares (Start at 1:30). Let me know what you think. (And remember, everyone has their own tastes)

https://youtu.be/6hhE_sqJG3g?t=1m31s

Music Reviews

Music Reviews

Music has always been there to wrap me in an emotional blanket of reassurance. When I was happy, I would put on "Happy", by Pharrell Williams, or when sad, I would play Mayday Parade's "Jamie All Over". Music affects people in different ways and everyone has their own tastes, it's impossible to validate what music is "good" or "bad". I've listened to all genres of music from Rap to Punk Rock, 70's hair-bands, Frank Sinatra, Dubstep and Dance, Metal and screaming, Country music, and everything in-between.

During this blog segment, I will be reviewing a new band of any genre type and pinpointing a few accolades while pointing out some flaws in a complete album or artist review.