Tag Archives: Acoustic

Mar 24 2014
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Music

Artist Feature: Sobi

I first met Sobi performing as part of the Café La Palma Open Mic series in Madrid, Spain. Sobi had her EP up for download and quickly established herself as a dope songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist throughout the city. Originally from London and currently living in the musical center of Manchester, Sobi stays active playing shows throughout England. Music provides Sobi a way to reflect on and recast past experiences into positive expressions moving forward. The deeper the Reflection, the more honest her songs become. Sobi put out her first EP Betty La Guapa in 2012 and is ready to drop her second EP Creatures in my Mind with Hourglass Productions on April 5th on Itunes. Peep the dialogue below and be sure to cop the new record coming soon!

Sobi

Reflection is taking time to remember and ponder the past. Response is using the past as inspiration to create something meaningful and positive. Depending on how we respond our past can always have a positive effect on our future.

– Sobi

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

S: Hi I’m Sobi and I’m a Britain-based singer/songwriter. My family are originally from Sri Lanka but I was born in Madrid and have spent most of my life living in England. I grew up in London and at the ripe old age of 18 decided to move to Manchester to study where I very quickly fell in love with the city that I now call home. As a musician and a huge fan of music Manchester has provided me with some of my favorite musical experiences! From watching bands like the Flaming Lips to performing myself with some incredibly talented local artists.

Sobi

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

S: To me reflection is taking time to remember and ponder the past. Response is using the past as inspiration to create something meaningful and positive. Depending on how we respond our past can always have a positive effect on our future.

How does your music fit in with that definition?

S: Writing songs has always been an emotional outlet for me and a way of reflecting and responding to various situations that I have been in. When I’ve had a stressful day or am feeling anxious about something my natural response is to pick up a guitar and turn my bad feelings into something good. The more I reflect on how the past has affected me and made me feel, the more honest and real my songs become.

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

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Feb 05 2014
3 Comments
Music

Artist Feature: Rafael Alves

Rafael Alves is one soulful dude. Whether he’s showcasing his special touch on guitar, blowing some gritty blues on harmonica, blessing the crowd with his ill voice, or introducing us to “electronicbluesbossafunk,”  Rafa fills space with dope music. Coming at us from Madrid via Curitibia, Brazil by way of New Zealand, this Artist discusses the role of his craft, new projects, shares some truth about music in Madrid, and much more. Peep the dialogue below and vibe to tracks “Use Me,” “Will Be Mine,” and if you’re in Madrid catch Rafa at one of his many upcoming performances!

Rafael Assis

What I do is mostly based on the sound and the way I feel playing. I always try to enjoy myself, playing on my own or jamming with other people. It normally works and that’s how I communicate with other people.

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

RA: I’m from Curitiba, south Brazil. I live in Madrid, Spain.

 What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

RA: There isn’t much reflection in what I’m doing now; I don’t try to give people any good message, or advice through the songs I play.

What I do is mostly based on the sound and the way I feel playing. I always try to enjoy myself, playing on my own or jamming with other people. It normally works and that’s how I communicate with other people. 

How does your project Pure Acoustic Soul fit in with that definition?

RA: Everywhere I live I often jam with friends in my house, playing acoustic. So with Pure Acoustic Soul I try to bring this cozy atmosphere of acoustic music and friends to other people. 

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

RA: I’ve been working with some electronic Brazilian music, it’s difficult to label the style – it’s kind of a mix of “electronicbluesbossafunk” – it’s pretty fun making it. Trying to mix different sounds without knowing how it’s gonna end up. Traveling, I had the privilege of jamming with musicians from everywhere so what I do is send them the tracks and they record their part wherever they are (New Zealand, Brazil, Spain, …)

Who or what inspires you? 

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Jun 11 2013
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Music

Events from the Collective

June 2013

  • Friday, June 14th @ 10:00 pm: Acoustic Session (Live Music, Acoustic, Singing) featuring Peter Muller, Amber Stills, Sally Smith, Miguel A. Gonzalez, Taylor Mann, and Corduroy Jack.
    • Free
  • Sunday, June 23rd @ 9pm: Open Mic Sessions (Hosted by Peter Muller & Fede Balaguer Valenciano. Live music from various artists with a looping/DJ set from Peter Muller)
    • FREE

Reflection and Response.

Events from the Collective is a calendar of upcoming events from the LIFESTYLE collective’s international community. Events can be submitted at anytime to the.lifestyle.rr@gmail.com or @LIFESTYLE_RR and will be added to the calendar as they roll in.

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Aug 17 2012
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Music

Feature: Rasmus Brix

Welcome Northern Europe to the LIFESTYLE Collective! Rasmus Brix is a singer-songwriter whose tunes are both melodic and catchy. Coming out of Denmark, he established himself as an integral part of a growing music scene in Madrid, Spain over the course of the last year. AFter returning home at the end of his stint in Madrid he continues to write and record good music.  Check out the below interview below and Rasmus’s tunes Lonesome Friend and Time is Not.

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

RB: I am from a small town in the outskirts of Copenhagen called Brøndby. It has a lovely forest and a beach. It has its ups and downs like all other places, I guess. The ups I like. Today home is Copenhagen.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

RB: To me reflection is the gathering of thoughts and impressions followed by a good stirrup and a change of lighting. Response is (and is sometimes not) a relatively spontaneous reaction to something relatively permanent, prepared and thought through. That and more.

How does your music fit in with that definition?

RB: I’m not sure if it does. I guess the songs I write are responses to reflections – and sometimes they are the reflection.

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

RB: I’ve been writing songs and playing them. Next project will be sorting out my situation at the university and maybe find a job.

Who or what inspires you?

RB: “THE INSPIRATION”. People, songs, books, conversations, thoughts, doubts, moods, etc. At the moment listening to Ben Howard makes me want to write and play. Sam Cooke is singing in my headphones while I’m writing this, and I like it. I met a friendly gentleman called Juan Luis on a train a few weeks ago and our conversation made me write a song. I’ve written a song to a tree. Bob Dylan showed me that it’s OK to use simple chords. Van Morrison, Nick Drake, Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow, Johnny Flynn, Paolo Nutini, The Bowerbirds, The Rumour Said Fire and The Black Keys are nine inspiring groups/ musicians on a list I haven’t got the patience to carry on with. I don’t know. It’s all a bit messy.

Shout out to…?

RB: Oswaldo for stopping and listening that one cold Sunday afternoon in the park when fingers were getting cold and sore, – and for inviting me to come play in the studio, of course; people at bars and streets in Madrid for clapping their hands and filling me with that good stuff that feels funny and calms the nerves; troubadours and other music men and women from hither and thither.

–

Be sure to check out Rasmus’s Soundcloud for updates and new tunes.

-Reflection and Response

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Aug 17 2012
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Music, Radio

Radio Leon #2

Episode Two of Radio Leon is finally here! This episode is focused on acoustic tracks and features an intro, a track from Shake This Maze Live From the Studio, a Jazz Classic, and a Surprise at the end. I recorded half the tracks in Robledo de Fenar and half the tracks in the capital city of León,my new home for August. Thank you for the support for the last episode and I hope you feel this installment!

-Reflection and Response

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Feb 27 2012
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Music

Wake Up

I wrote Wake Up way back in the 55thandBrooklyn Seattle days. The lyrics deal with a crush I had at the time. I tried to focus on sleep patterns as a metaphor for thinking through my romantic situation. What do you use to wake up?

At the I sample The Beatles’ “Baby It’s You,” The sample appears at 0:53 in the Beatles track.

Wake up/ But it’s so hard to do/ The floor’s cold think I’ll stay up inside this dew/ This pillow provides more support than you/ And I’ll stay in bed till 6 in the afternoon/Wake up/ But it’s so hard to do/ The floor’s cold think I’ll stay up inside this dew/ This pillow provides more support than you/ And I’ll stay in bed till 5 in the afternoon/

These mind games she plays are amazing/ Every time I find gains turn out to be lies lately/ Been too many years/ Not to see it clear/ Though she might flirt and veer/ The thing is not changing/ Used to be long and lanky/ Now I got cheeks/ no exercise exacerbates angst greatly/ Painstakingly wait patiently by the phone/ Waste hours just watch Hoarders and drone/ But I swear to god I’m over it/ I entered this war alone/ And on my own/ I’m done with the soldering/ I don’t deserve it and neither do you/ As you fuck whoever cuz I’m tired and through

Wake up/ But it’s so hard to do/ The floor’s cold think I’ll live up inside this dew/ This pillow provides more support than you/ And I’ll stay in bed till 5 in the afternoon/ Just wake up/ But it’s so hard to do/ The floor’s cold think I’ll live up inside this dew/ This pillow provides more support than you/ And I’ll stay in bed till 5 in the afternoon/ I wake up

My invitations seems to be a game/ Imitations pixelated frames on your playstation tres/ She sees me in a friendly way/ And just seems to say things that a friend would say/ But I let the winks and smily faced texts get to me/ Stupidly imagine actions we don’t end up doing/ Telling myself lies as my mental health slides into fantasy attraction chosen so randomly/ No use looking for accuracy/ Cupid shoots and the damage done collaterally/ So if it wasn’t for this pen and this pad and this beat/ I would have been as sad as I was mad at seventeen/ Let’s get it all out and throw it on the table/ Don’t know if I loved her is a twenty year old able?/ But her burn once hurt so painful/ Until I turned the scar into my angel

Wake up/ But it’s so hard to do/ The floor’s cold think I’ll live up inside this dew/ This pillow provides more support than you/ As I’ stay in bed till 5 in the afternoon/Wake up/ But it’s so hard to do/ The floor’s cold think I’ll stay up inside this dew/ This pillow provides more support than you/ As I stay in bed till 5 in the afternoon/I Wake up

Reflection and Response

-P

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Jan 26 2012
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Music, Visual Arts

PETER MULLER LIVE LRR

Friday January 27th 2012 is the date of my first show here in Madrid. I will be performing originals tracks featured on the LIFESTYLE, such as Jade Eyes, in addition to covers with some talented vocalists. We are also supplying the PA for the show as well as the microphones and cables. We’re turning a room of the Anglet Cafe in Madrid into our own performance space in Reflection and Response fashion. Anglet Cafe gigs hopefully will be a regular occurrence and feature performances from other local artists and new LRR #Collective members.

 

Peep the Facebook event page for more info:

http://www.facebook.com/events/283765688343885/

 

The above flier was finished by V late Monday night. Using only 2 permanent markers, he was able to include a whole array of brushstrokes, from the razor thin border to the block letters of my name, to the central piece of the name of the cafe complete with shadowing and subtle textures. When I ask V to help out with publicity for shows It’s always dope to see what he comes up with.  He included both Spanish and English and threw up the LIFESTYLE along with the info for the gig.

LRR LIVE @the Anglet Cafe in Madrid.

-Reflection and Response

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Nov 14 2011
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Music

Two Cities

Interpretations differ.

I wrote a song called “The City,” sometime in 2007. I then recorded it with my band at the time, Tuition Well Spent (see below for more info). I rerecorded a version in 2009 with my duo in Argentina, Harold and the Gauchos.

Even though the instrumentation is almost identical on each track, the two versions have different vocalists and display different takes on the song. I think it’s dope to see how each version contrasts.

The Tuition version is more polished. Recorded over two days using Pro Tools in the Digital Audio Workstation at Odegaard Library at the University of Washington, Mike and I took our time with takes and mixing.

The Harold version was done on the fly. Only having practiced the song a few times before pressing record, Claudia and I hadn’t necessarily perfected our arrangement. The “dale,” that I blurt out at the start of the track lends itself to the jam session vibe. However the looser more improvised feel lends itself to a different understanding of the song.

Does anyone else have experience with how changing one part of a piece can lead to new feeling, new reflection?

The City: Tuition Well Spent

The City: Harold and the Gauchos

The City

I was swimming in the River when the river but the river said he don’t mind

Said go on now got my own place to find

So I went on down to the shining deep blue sea

But none of them fishes want to swim with me

And I feel lonely, I feel blue

Get up slowly I got nothin much to do

Ladies ain’t never had too much luck with them

I see an opportunity and all they see is a friend

And 18 odd years that’s how it’s been

I finally met Shirly but shea’s already with Ken

And I feel lonely, I feel blue

Get up slowly I got nothing left to do

Bored in the city in the city it looks so drab

Wanna find a way to get away this strange land

It seems like the sky scrapers they all laugh

In a one man room playing the blues getting pennies in a straw hat

Oh I feel lonely, I feel blue

Get up slowly I got nothing left to do

Bored in the city in the city it looks so drab

Wanna find a way to get away this strange land

It seems like the sky scrapers they all laugh

In a one man room playing the blues getting pennies in a straw hat||

Reflection and Response. In whatever City.

-P

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Nov 07 2011
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Music

This Job

Who’s worked in a restaurant before? Quick cash but a pretty fucked up working environment. This Job is loosely based on experiences working at a certain seafood joint in Seattle during the summer of 2011. I was thankful for the work, but I couldn’t help but write down what it was like to work there.

Full Track

Acapella

Job this job this job it robs us/ Go all damn day for 40 in the pocket/ Hours wasted feel played like basketball/ Lame like a masseuse who lost the touch we gracefully fall/ Late for it all this life it drives past us/ Fight to drive faster this check’s a knife through our life it slashes/ As time flashes past/ 10 years later the past is ashes cuz so fast it happens

This mall this mall maybe she’ll be mine if I buy it all/ Flat we fall/ God damn it I crawl/ Back into this Cave like Mumford and Sons/ And hungry back to work to earn enough we’redrunk on the funds/ Hungover as bums’ peddling change has never been fun/ I peddle my way through these tables I’m done/ But these tips come now this wallets expanding/ And the mind’s eyes can only see as far as I’m standing

This job is wild please take it back from me/ I break my back this actually can’t be happening/ What happened to these dreams and this college degree?/ No wonder these alcoholics staff the industry

Night this night this night this night it wears on/ Know I should sleep but the time to care is gone/ Just pound that redbull find stamina in caffine/ And we hit the damn wall tomorrow right around 3/ And these feet feel wasted withering away/ Use the same shows I graduated in 8th grade/ They pinch toes together haven’t played a show in forever/ But we stand strong to the storm, brave the weather

Take so much shit out humility snaps/ Here mind its blank and creativity sapped/ Stuck in the trap, used to write everyday raps/ Now it’s occasion andI’m fading into the trap/ So break away move back home that’s an option/ That became a choice cuz this place is haunted/ By  quarter life crisis career problems/ Let’s follow that voice that tells us we don’t need this stop it

This job is wild take it back from me/ I break my back this actually can’t be happening/ What happened to these dreams and this college degree/ No wonder these alcoholics staff the industry

Reflection and Response

-P

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Oct 20 2011
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Music

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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