Deerhoof began to expand their sound with 2004′s Milk Man, but really became more studio-centric after 2007′s Friend Opportunity. I already posted The Perfect Me, but another track that demonstrates Deerhoof’s studio playfulness is a song called +81, which sounds so angular you can feel the crunch. Another favorite is The Galaxist, which recalls a drifting sound that reminded me of old 1970s prog bands. In 2011′s Deerhoof vs. Evil, the band took a poppier route, creating an album that was more accessible. They started moving steadily away from the simple guitar/bass/drums/vocals combo to pursue songs and ideas outside their usual make up. A song like Super Duper Rescue Heads is much catchier and immediate than past deerhoof material, but still feels like it’s from the same band. There’s also track on the record in which Satomi sings in spanish which makes it pretty unique and it’s just a great song – Qui Dorm, Nomes Somia. It this kind of cross cultural influence that makes Deerhoof pretty unique compared to their peers. There’s also a playfulness and experimentation that defines Deerhoof and reminds me of groups like Pavement in that they never make the same record twice. Hell, they have two songs named “Flower” and both sound completely different from one another. Compare the “Flower” (2003) from Apple O and the “Flower” (2012) from the most recent record Breakup Song – there are definite differences of course, being a decade gap, and you can see the evolution in the newer track. However, there’s still a common thread that still makes each song sound like Deerhoof – the sporadic drumming,  angular guitar playing, Satomi’s unique vocal style, as well as the odd song structures bring it all under one banner. So I’ll end this post with another track from Deerhoof vs. Evil. It’s called Behold a Marvel in the Darkness and it’s a catchier song, not to mention a favorite of mine.

So, remember that friend from a post I made a while ago about when I was in the rave scene for a total of two seconds? Well I came across this image on my old friend’s facebook.

I just really wanted to point out how much I loved the essay about trance music in Dave’s book especially going side by side with the image I posted above.

A girl with her “third eye” chakra open, wearing a kimono with cupcakes and weed leaves on it. No. No. No. No.

BLUE SCHOLARS= Blue Collar? SCHOLAR- educated “profound knowledge of a certain subject”

BEP- Where is the Love (2003) ELEPHUNK

Click here to view the embedded video.

BEP- One Tribe (2009) THE E N D

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am experiencing the same thing when trying to learn songs on the bass. Simply listening to a favorite tune is one thing… listening to what each musician is doing is something else. Now that I am specifically paying attention to what the bassist is doing, a whole new world has been revealed to me. The songs are the same, but I am listening to them from a completely different/new perspective. It’s much like hearing the song for the first time.

Along the way I came across a musician named Victor Wooten. Many bass players already know him– as one friend explained to me, “he is to the bass, what Carlos Santana is to the guitar.” I first became aware of Wooten through his book, “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music.”  Then, as if a guardian angel was paying attention to my musical journey, I received this TedTalk video through Facebook of Victor Wooten describing music as a language.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are a few excerpts from the video. Consider these ideas yourself and how you might integrate them into your life– musical, or otherwise:

“Although many musicians agree that music is a language, it is rarely treated as such. Many of us treat it as something that can only be learned by following a strict regimen, under the tutelage of a skilled teacher…”

“Think about the first language you learned as a child. More importantly, think about how you learned it. You were a baby when you first started speaking, and even through you spoke the language incorrectly, you were allowed to make mistakes. And the more mistakes you made the more your parents smiled.

Learning to speak was not something you were went somewhere to do only a few times a week. And the majority of the people you spoke to were not beginners. They were already proficient speakers. Imagine your parents forcing you to only speak to other babies until you were good enough to speak to them. You would probably be an adult before you could carry on a conversation with them.

To use a musical term, as a baby you were allowed to jam with professionals. If we approach music in the same natural way we approacehed our first language we will learn to speak it in the same short time it took to speak our first language.”

So not only am I leaning to listen and hear music differently, my perspective on music– and learning– has changed.

Just get out there and play. The more you play, the more you will want to practice. Before long you will be able to express yourself through your instrument. As Victor puts it, 

“Music comes from the musician, not the instrument.” 

Some people are lucky enough to make a living expressing themselves through art. Most of us however, are less fortunate; maybe life gets in the way of your art, and like Ben’s father you submit to the expectations of your parents and become a doctor. But that fire still burns inside the artist and every once in a while it boils over and comes out no matter how much you try to suppress it. Ben’s father steps on stage with his old bandmates to sing at his teenage daughters birthday party.

In his book Zen Guitar, Philip Sudo writes; “At bottom, it is the sound of the divine spark within us all… if the sound within you is strong, it will find a way to come out.” Ben is an artist. His is expressed through drawings. But his father, as his father before, wants Ben to become a doctor. Everything is set for Ben; theres a UCLA scholarship (thank God it wasn’t USC–) and a family member’s practice has an internship spot waiting for him. Unlike his father however, Ben sticks with his passion to draw and sells everything to pay for his first quarter at CalArts.

Still though, being an artist is tough.

This friction between Ben and his father is going on for years– after all, the man just wants whats best for his son– right?! This idea is confronted by father and son after the birthday party. Long story short, Ben’s grandfather confronts his son– Ben’s dad– about his hobby with the band. Knowing the pain of suppressing that artistic fire within, Ben’s father accepts the fact Ben is dedicated to following his hobby– his dream– his talent.

The movie ends before Ben enters CalArts. It doesn’t tell us what his father does with his divine spark… does he return to singing with a band? My hope is that he is so inspired by his son’s determination to follow his art, that dad gets the band back together. After all, it is NEVER too late to let it out.

What about the grandfather? What form of expression has he suppressed in his many years? We will never know. We can however, learn from the lesson of “The Debut.” What is the sound within you? Is there a talent you have suppressed? In case you didn’t know, the “critical periods” theory that says if you didn’t learn a language as a child you never can as an adult has been disproved by neuroscientists time and time again. Don’t let anyone tell you its too late. Follow Ben’s example and chase your dreams.

Being an artist is tough.

But few things are equally rewarding~