Category Archives: Music

Argentina Thursdays: From Jujuy to Buenos Aires

This week I present two mash ups. One is “Horn Track,” and it samples my friend Pablo Martinez’s horn line. His music is directly influenced by his home region of Jujuy, where he grew up before coming to Buenos Aires for college (See “Things a Peña Does” below for more info). This was one of my first Argentine folk music mash ups. I threw some drums, piano, and some distorted electric guitar on the horns to fill out the beat.

Horn Track

The second mash up is entitled “Porteña de mi Corazón,” and is a remix of a king of Argentine Tango Astor Pizzola’s track Libertango. Here I threw some drums, bass and a little sax and vocal breakdown in the middle. This track is for my man Nassim, who told me he felt it way back in 2010 in our apartment in Buenos Aires.

Porteña de mi Corazón.


These two tracks are remixes of two versions of the many identifications of Argentine music.

Reflection and Response

-P

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Flute Beats

The LIFESTYLE has been a place of collaborations. One of my favorite projects has been recording over the years with my cousin Rachel Ballister. Rachel has played flute for years and when my family would go to Los Angeles (Lomita!) to visit them, I’d bring out the laptop and we’d get something together.

Flute Beat 1:

Here I sample Rachel doing some warm ups from her classical book. This was our first callabo from 3 or 4 years ago.

Lomito Burrito

This track started as a chord progression I came up with on the guitar and Rachel and I worked in her melody, which she wrote. Then myself, her, and her sister Sarah all recorded a hand clap. At the very end we got a little off and you can hear Sarah saying “Sorry!” on the record.

Xylophone:
This track was a collaboration through time and space. I recorded a zylaphone part at a church in Seattle where the homie Clarke had a practice space set up. Then on a family vacation in LA I asked Rachel if she wanted to play on the track. Her part really helped out the verse. I finished up the track in Spain in September 2011. The sample at the end is part of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. The sample appears around 0: 50 in the Whitney track.

Reflection and Response

-P

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Argentina Thursdays: Dreams

While in Argentina I continued to write acoustic guitar-based tracks. This one uses a drum set I created from samples from various Led Zeppelin songs that I later used with my melody. The horns come from a sample of Argentine music that somehow came out as the blues.

Reflection and Response

-P

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Middle Men

Middle Men is inspired by the film of the same name.

The beat is a sample of Angolan-Spanish artist Mila Domingos’s “A Minha Måe da Alma,” and “Necesito Un Trago,” by Spanish band Tequila.

I came across these two tracks by finding two random cd’s here in my apartment in Spain. I guess they were just meant to be mixed.

Instrumental

Full Track


Middle men these middle men/ Have you seen the film is that car real that house he’s living in/These girls are really thin/ Waist non existent/ Straight shooter dude finances vixins/ Every day’s Christmas/ For five years/ Then the fed follows him/ Stress is so near/ Bought his wife every dress/ Her eyes blessed with the cross with diamonds so clear/ House on a hill these designers appear/ Style of queens suddenly here/ Coat of arms  with a picture of the farm/ That her father built with arms/ In the Texan marsh  atop a steer / Now she parks her Benz by the mark/ That says St. Johns mother of the year / Lifestyle of the rich and aimless/ Gain everything through bank statements/ he’s stone cold no more late payments/ middle class man’s made it

I bet he never gave a fuck

And that attitude it attains so much

And then that porn star girl friend becomes  reality/ The screens a better place for fantasy/ fallicaly satisfied his mind isn’t/ Erection’s easier than to get the mind lifted/ He finds her stricken between guys a party where clothes are forbidden/ And decides there’s a limit

This hottie’s true nature forever apparent/ Remembers being a family man and a damn good parent/ Turns out he’s cool with the feds/ His products helps to send rockets to terrorists/ So the bureau tells him get out no issue, he made millions/ Off us lubiderm and tissues/ Millions off lust use computers to live through/ These actors whose dicks cruise through tits it’s a refuge/ For the lonely and sad/ Until I realized porno’s is something we all grab

I bet he never gave a fuck

And that attitude it attains so much

Reflection and Response

-P

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Argentina Thursdays: Solitude!

This track was so fun to make. In addition to doing research on folk music (see “Things a Peña Does below”), and making tracks with folk musicians, during my Argentina study abroad I also played in a super fun band: Harold and the Gauchos. I had the pleasure of playing with a super awesome vocalist in Claudia Rojas.

The track I’m showcasing today is called “Solitude!,” and I sample Allen Toussaint’s track of the same name.

While I chopped the sample and made the beat Claudia came up with some fitting lyrics and an awesome melody.

Solitude’s just you and me/With you my friend/ I feel so free

In my solitude I’d rather be/With you my dear/ I feel so free

Solitude’s just you and me/ With you my friend/ I feel so free

In my solitude I’d rather be/ With you my dear I can be me

Solitude I think of you baby when I’m in my room singing Ella tunes

Solitude I love you babe I want you forever more knocking at my door

Solitude’s just you and me/With you my friend/ I feel so free

Solitude I think of you baby when I’m in my room singing Ella tunes

Solitude I love you babe I want you forever more knocking at my door

Reflection and Response

-P

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Sickness

Whatup!!

When people ask me how Spain has been I usually focus on the good things: the dope people, good food, and just overall cool vibe. But I also was super sick last week and I wrote a song about it. I sampled Pablo Casals playing some Bach.

Sickness is incessant/ it sticks so hard to forget it/ Throat is a bed of sand and threading/ No pain just feeling heavy/ And it brings down the sun/ Stuffs it’s glare way past the tongue/Windpipe is swollen red/ Only hope is to roll in bed/

The light comes not quite death/ Might be an overstatement/ Grind harder than barter on border pavement/ We bounced balls on as 8th graders/ Now I help the graders/ And I head to school with this head so blue I hate it/ I fucking hate it/

At times this bodies’ against me/ Slow down by feeling unhealthy/ I need this sinus to be more empty/ I sniffle out energy that would help me/ At times my bodies’ against me/ Slow down by feeling unhealthy/ I need this sinus to be more empty/ I sniffle out energy that would help me/

Soothes when the soup is back in Seattle/ The goop piles up like crap from cattle/ No pho just ham fat as alabama/ Run to get the sap moving from a standstill/ Slams down my flight like the roadrunner fucked anvil/Feel the fire burning like ring of firing that handle/ And my brother’s support is key to keep perspective fresh/If not for him this worried mind might not have perspective left/But Pete’s your life’s so good/ Don’t let me be misunderstood/ Honesty’s fire starts by burning bullshit’s wood/

At times this bodies’ against me/ Slow down by feeling unhealthy/ I need this sinus to be more empty/ I sniffle out energy that would help me/At times my bodies’ against me/ Slow down by feeling unhealthy/ I need this sinus to be more empty/ I sniffle out energy that would help me/

At times this bodies’ against me/ Slow down by feeling unhealthy/ I need this sinus to be more empty/ I sniffle out energy that would help me/At times my bodies’ against me/ Slow down by feeling unhealthy/ I need this sinus to be more empty/ I sniffle out energy that would help me/

Reflection and Response Joder

-P

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Feature: The Know Nothings

It’s Feature time again here at the LIFESTYLE!!!! We are proud to present The Know Nothings, an acoustic duo made up of the homies Andrea Woodard and David Adams from our hometown of Berkeley, CA. The group is making moves in the Bay and continues to write and record great original music. We are extremely excited to showcase their new tune Sweet Pea.

(Original art by Max Nelson)

Check out the track and get to know more about the Know Nothings with an exclusive interview.

Sweet Pea

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

DA: Berkeley, then Santa Cruz, then Oakland, now Berkeley, soon Oakland.

AW: Local girl born in SF and raised in Berkeley. Now living in San Francisco.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

DA: Think then talk… preferably more thinking than talking.

AW: It means to take that extra moment, extra time, to stop and to think about what something means to  you. Then to take those emotions and understandings you have reached and actively react to them.

How does ‘Sweet Pea’ fit in with that definition?

DA: I don’t know how to answer this question. Am I addressing this song as a response to life and experience, or am I addressing the potential to reflect and respond to this song? In the first case, I think all songs and all art, are ways of pinning down and making concrete, our otherwise mercurial reflections on the state of our lives and the world as a whole.

AW: I am not quite sure if you mean one of our pieces or a piece of art for example. But in keeping with the theme of our interview as a band I will go ahead and pick the egotistical response :). The best I can do is equate it to our song writing process. While I credit David with almost all of our awesome lyrics, there are of course some collaborative efforts. It is tempting to make something just rhyme or to put in fillers,  but we take a step back, think about what we are trying to express or say through the song, or even that one line, and then react to that and put it in words. Corny? Little bit I guess.

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

DA: We are just working on recording songs one by one, and mastering the recording process, which is for sure an uphill battle.

AW: Bandwise, working on writing more songs and looking to perform more. Lifewise, working on living the city life with great friends, and looking to work for my nursing degree.

Who or what inspires you?

DA: I get inspired by slow motion football highlights played with classical music in the background.

AW: I would have to say my bandmate David. He has an unwavering dedication to pursuing something that is important to him, no matter what (for example performing and playing music). I would also have  to say that generally speaking the friends and family in my life inspire me, and not necessarily direct though what they do, but by exhibiting incredible support in everything. It keeps me pursuing the best for  me, whether that is finding an awesome music playing hobby, or furthering my career and life ambitions.

Is there anything else you would like the Collective to know?

DA: Come to our next gig at the Firehouse Art Collective Gallery North on Oct 14th at 7 P.M.

AW: That graduating college seemed like the most daunting, unappealing prospect, and it’s been so fun to  discover that this part of our lives is just as fun in different (and sometimes similar ways). I’m having a blast with everything and reconnecting to old friends!

Shout out to…?

DA: Peter and Vicken for following their dreams and putting this together. I remember when Vicken and  I forced some middle school kids into a rap battle, then hid in his dad’s car when the kids ran to their parents. And I remember Peter throwing his skateboard on the ground vowing never to skate again, over  and over and over again.

AW: All of our awesome friends and family for supporting us instead of laughing at us (it was a crapshoot).

Check the group out on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Reflection and Response

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Argentina Thursdays: Things a Peña Does

Whatup!

So for this week’s Argentina Thursday post I would like to present two pieces. One of which is my senior thesis from the University of Wahsington, “Things a Peña Does: Everyday Forms of Nationalism.” This piece was recently published in the Jackson School Journal of International Studies, a peer reviewed journal produced by the Jackson School of International Studies at UW.  The paper was the culmination of my study abroad in Buenos Aires during the 2009-2010 academic year. The paper was one of the most difficult and exhilirating experiences of my life so far and I am indebted to the dozens of people who made this project work.

Here is the abstract with a link to the full piece:

For its entire history Argentina has been dominated demographically and economically by Buenos Aires. Poverty and relative inequalities in the hinterland have helped drive a massive internal migration to the city. A great portion of the resulting population of Buenos Aires consists of provincial Argentines who find interesting and innovative ways to negotiate urban life. This essay explores some ways that Argentine migrants use folk music parties, known as peñas, to create opportunities in the city. Importantly, many migrant accounts highlight the importance of folk music as Argentine, thus unifying folk music with other cultural representations of the nation. First person accounts show how migrants use this “entrepreneurial popular nationalism” in peñas to create their own entertainment, social networking and economic benefits. The paper presents a case for the peña, an innovative birthplace of nationalism, as a resource for a largely marginalized group.

Full Article

I would also like to present my track “Ave De Chrystal.” Made famous by the Bolivian group Los Kjarkas, my version is a remix from a recording session I did with lawyer and migrant activist Pablo Martinez. I sample Pablo’s cover version. He can be heard singing and playing the acoustic guitar. I chopped  Pablo and a group of activists are working on a social project called the Caminata de las Quenas, which celebrates the anniversary of the Jujuy Exodus in Argentina. His project is a wonderful example of how music can be used to educate and celebrate culture. A true example of Reflection and Response. If anyone has any questions about the Caminata feel free to contact Pablo at caminatadelasquenas@hotmail.com.

Ave de Chrystal

No se acaba el mundo

cuando un amor se va

no se acaba el mundo

y no se derrumbara.

Si fue verdadero

tras sus huellas volvera

si no fue sincero

otro lo remplazara.

The world doesn’t end

When a love leaves

The world doesn’t end

and it won’t collapse

If she was true

through her footprints she’ll return

It she wasn’t true

Another will replace her

Reflection and Response

-P

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Making Spaces

I wrote this song sometime during this past summer when I worked at a seafood restaurant in Seattle. I recorded the track on October 2nd and 3rd 2011.

Acapella

Here I am on this bus at 8 o’clock/ The only one who still smells of whisky on the rocks/ As jocks and business students from the stop  all climb on she’s the only thing I find my mind on she shines strong

The City’s a lonely thing feel its only you living/ Struggle alone really and never feel like winning/ Because there’s more and more and even more to do/ Liberation shackled instantly consumed

But I stay cuz she’s there and only cuz she is/ Probably easy to spot painfully obvious/ That I’m head over heels for her/ This other fling knows I’m not being all the way forward

And her back is nice/ And her face is standard/ But she talks fast might actually give an answer/ And that dress/ That red cloth presses against her/ We feign indifference and say we’ve seen way better

All watch sporadically/ Try not to get caught/ She knows it and continues to pop and lock it/ A pretty damn good imposter/ Goddamn it now I’m rock hard/ This suddenly got awkward

We take breaks in the spaces in between/ After dinner shifts when all the customers leave/ Your friendly waiters wasted on IPAs and mixed drinks/ Next shift same table/ Such a vicious routine (x2)

Smells of weed and stale beer/ And beautiful women more naughty than goddesses but often pursue vixens/try to stay winning/ And hope this beat floats on/ And we gloat of these shows that know don’t go on

Young college students growing alcoholics/ Work hard play hard/Certainly work on it/ Wake up dry mouth with that head throbbing/ Beds messy from some of that prior rocking

With this job at 9 o’clock I can finally buy coffee/ Daily grind no way 5-0’a are gonna stop me/ Speaking of that I need to get back to the store/ And I’m fresh out of onions don’t wanna mooch any more

Cab Calloway sang once of the mooch named Minnie/ Now we mooch cab rides all throughout the city / And we pay each other back with hand slaps and drinks/ Wonder what the fuck my grandma would think

If she knew that we take breaks in the spaces in between/ After dinner shifts when all the customers leave/ Your friendly waiters wasted on IPAs and mixed drinks/ Next shift same table/ Such a vicious routine (x4)

Reflection and Response

-P

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Welcome to Argentina Thursdays/Pista 21

Welcome to the first installment of Argentina Thursdays!! For the next several Thursdays I will be showcasing tracks I did while in Buenos Aires, Argentina during a study abroad in 2009-2010. Many of the tracks are collaborative efforts with local artists and the period was a truly enjoyable time of personal growth and cultural exchange.

I am proud to present the first track of Argentina Thursdays, Pista 21

Como un tizón encendido

ardiendo dentro mi sangre

tu sombra viene conmigo

y no la puedo arrancar.

As if it were a charred coal

burning inside of my blood

your shadow comes with me

and I cannot get it out

Pista 21 is named for the file of the song in my itunes I used to sample. The real name of the original track is “Zamba de un Amor en Vuelo,” or “Song of a Love in Flight,” a folk tune written and performed by Tamara Castro.

Tamara’s track is an awesome example of Zamba, a popular folk music in Argentina.

My version includes a guitar sample from the original, piano from my talented friend Leopoldo Obrégon, and vocals by my girlfriend at the time.

Has anyone else found that music or art or something else has enabled him or her access to cultural exchange? Music is one of my primary languages of reflection and response, what are some of yours?

Reflection and Response

-P

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