Infographics of all types have been the rage lately and they are where I found my inspiration for Radio Is Not Dead. As with everything I create, please reference me if you use this. Download RadioIsNotDead as a Photoshop pattern
Download RadioIsNotDead as a vector file
Despite some teasing, I have always really liked U2. I've had Bullet the Blue Sky in my head most of the day, but the One Tree Hill letters just looked better in this composition. Plus, it's got an extremely emotional story behind it and the sound reflects that. More history behind the lyrics in the design below...
Music has always been a large part of my life. As a child, I started taking piano lessons at the ripe age of 6, and most of my favorite childhood memories include singing around an object, whether is was a piano, bonfire, banjo or guitar. My parents primarily listened to religious choral music, with a little Franks Mills (The Music Box Dancer specifically), classical, and bluegrass in between. So until I hit middle school, that's what I listened to as well.
In 4th grade I couldn't wait to join band and by the time 5th grade rolled around, I was the proud owner of a beautifully used alto saxophone. In high school spent my time between the alto and bari sax and was a member of concert band, pep band, marching band, and jazz band. I continued taking piano lessons through high school and stopped, only because my piano teacher told my mom that she was basically paying her to assign me songs to play.
Ironically, the variety of music I enjoyed dwindled as I got older. The year I graduated from high school, I was listening only to hair bands and classic rock. Since then, I've slowly began to appreciate almost all genres of music (excluding pop-country, hardcore rap, and death metal).
This morning in the car, we were listening to Liane Hansen on NPR interview Charlie Haden (a jazz composer/bassist) and his family about their new album called Rambling Boys. The music was beautiful and it was then that I realized that I'm no longer slightly embarrassed that my dad and brother used to play Dueling Banjos together, or that I grew up listening to acapella hymns and choral music. I'm proud of it.
...just like I'm sure Charlie Haden is proud that his son-in-law Jack Black sings Old Joe Clark like a rockstar on his new family album.
Last night due to a random urge, we decided to go hang out at Mad Anthony's, a tiny brewery on the edge of downtown Fort Wayne. When we got there, we noticed a poster hanging on the door announcing live music from The Orange Opera (Fort Wayne), Luego (somewhere in N.C.) and Pepi Ginsberg (Brooklyn, NY).
If you live in the Fort Wayne vicinity and have never seen The Orange Opera perform, it is a must. These guys put on a great show and their music is catchy.
From their website:
The Orange Opera channels a classic vibe, enriched with some stellar signposts of early ‘70s rock, driven by uncanny songcraft. This combo melds modern energy with vintage vibe to produce the kind of distinctive, catchy, smart and infectious sound that you recognize immediately: it simply belongs in your ears. Imagine bits of Beatles and Badfinger melodic magic mingling with ELO and Wilco, and you’ve barely scratched the surface.
They're the kind of band that makes you think there may be hope for the Fort Wayne music scene afterall...
While listening to Weekend America on NPR this morning on my way back to Fort Wayne, I was introduced to a new band. Bright Eyes. I've only listened to a couple of their songs so far, but I absolutely love their sound. I wasn't able to find a link to any of their songs, but they do have quite a few albums on Napster. One of thecoolest facts about the band is that the lead singer originated from Omaha, NE, about 2 hours from where I grew up.
