Dear Turtle

"Hey Tom,
       Saw an email about Turtle Underground and was wondering what it was?  Heard it has something to do with music."
       Sincerely,
            John Howland

        Tom Cadrin played an hour long opener up in Turtle the other weekend; the email above is one I sent to him four years ago when I was a freshman.  I came to St. Mikes in the fall of 2009 with a nice acoustic and some terrible skills.  I took music classes in high school, sang in the accapella group and loved to go see shows, but I couldn't get myself to do what I really wanted.
       Like most I got to school ready to do new things, escape the social confines of my high school life and start new. I saw an email during the first week of school asking people interested in helping out with Turtle to email this guy, Tom Cadrin. I had heard something about it being an open mic night space and was really excited about finally getting the chance to not freak myself out and do what I had always wanted with music.  He hit me back the next day, told me what it was all about and then offered me a 30 min acoustic set for the following friday.
       My life has changed because I sent that email freshman year.  I'm graduating in a few weeks: I've gotten over my fear of playing music with other people, I got over the fear of preforming, I started a band that played sets at Higher Ground and Nectars, I got into music writing with Big Heavy World and I was the president of Turtle this year.  Being apart of Turtle Underground is one of the most important things that's happened to me; it has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual, it's given me a community to feel apart of and its all lead to me discovering and developing a passion and a set of skills that I never would have thought I had.
      Maybe something else would have come along if I hadn't sent that email to Tom, but if it wasn't for Turtle Underground, I wouldn't be ready to step out of the safe haven this 20 year long learning journey has provided.  I am going to miss St. Mike's, I'm going to miss going to class and bouncing around Turtle; but because of this school and TU, I'm stoked to try and go figure out what I'm going to do with it all.  I have no plans or job offers, but I know what I love to do.  Listen to music, do what you love, go to Turtle shows!

Serotheft playing their final Turtle Show on Saturday, April 14th.

Sails at the Monkey House April 15, 2012

Up and coming rockers from Lyndonville, VT, Sails, played at the Monkey House in Winooski, VT on Sunday April 15, 2012 along with Jake Machell and The Summit of Thieves.  Since their foundation as a solo punk project by frontman Ethan Kascenska in 2010, Sails has grown and established itself as a musical entity that can break into the larger scene than its home audience at Lyndon State College.  The audience at the Monkey House consisted of mostly Lyndonville/St. Johnsbury locals; but for those who had not heard of Sails before and attended the performance were in for a treat.  The stage was a little small in size for the band, but that only means that Sails is preparing themselves for selling out larger venues.

Sails released their first album Days and Nights on February 12, 2012 after their single “Apathy Atrophy” was released early in 2012.  Sails’ set consisted mostly of material from Days and Nights with two new tracks, one that was even written the day before.  The album can be accessed on Bandcamp through the band’s Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/sailsvt

The included image is the setlist from the show with some punny spins on track titles.

Turtle Throws Down, HARD

       Starting this past weekend off with Friday the 13th, Turtle was moving in full gear for a weekend of action. First on the stage was SMC alumni Tom Cadrin coming back for a solo appearance on the stage, armed with naught but a lone acoustic guitar. Cadrin's performance proved to be much more when his smooth jazz chords and sporadic rhythmic changes set a bed for the music which his passionate voice lay soft and heavy. There was a decent amount of students as well as old friends to support the musician's return to his alma mater.
       Next in line was the long awaited electronic based jam band "The EDD." Based out of southern Vermont, the group of young musicians came on in full force and showed the campus what they were really all about. As the night got later and word got out, the crowd grew more and more, filling the basement of Purtill. Full of heavy synth arpeggios, timely and tight drum beats, and heavy grooves one could easily dance to, the band played in such a way to create a heavy energy which filled the room. The EDD had a very unique sound; each song was easily distinguishable from the next. The band had a professional appeal about their music playing and had a line up of very original songs which set them apart from other bands sharing in the genre seen at Turtle. The EDD also brought their own set of heavy-duty lights to visually drive the casual dancers experience to a whole different level.

     The EDD is a band worth checking out. If you missed them this past weekend, don't make the same mistake twice!

Jumping on the Dubstep Bandwagon?

I first heard of dubstep when I went to a Halloween party last October.  I thought it would just be a bunch of dance music or remixes when I went, but it turned out to be something quite different.  I'm not sure that it was necessarily a good different though.  Most of the music they played was repetitive in the base line and the base drops and I would have much preferred the original dance songs to be played there rather than the dubstep remixes.  I mean, there may have been one or two songs that I liked and could get down to on the dance floor, but other than that, I find it pointless to mix up music that is already mixed.  For music, I like something interesting and original, and dubstep to me just sounds like a lot of unnecessary noise to already decent songs.  It's probably just my opinion, but I think I'll pass on the dubstep fad for now.  What are your opinions on dubstep?

Bri

Feminism and Music

Feminine Endings. Susan McClary. 1991. University of Minnesota Press 2037 University Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 54414. 220pp., photographs, diagrams, afterword, glossary, credits, index. Paperback, $14.50.

Blending an age old issue such as gender into music is something that I never would have thought to see in a book. However, Susan McClary makes a masterpiece out of pointing out some of these ingenious aspects of music and sexuality that gets you thinking about music on a completely different level. She explains these gender issues throughout a variety of different musical forms, from classical and madrigals to opera and Madonna. In her compilations of essays describing music, gender, and the erotic, she continues on with a theme that defines how feminism is described in music over different eras and periods.

She starts the book of with an introduction that describes musical terms and how the presence of gender issues has always been a subconscious part of music and writing. She then pushes on to describe music through different eras, starting with the father of opera, Monteverdi. After explanations of the sexual politics in opera she talks about how they work in the Classical era. Then she discusses rage arias and how women are represented while in madness through musical devices in opera. She branches out further to describe the styles and prowess of female composers and performers who had every right to be as memorable as their male counterparts. Then she adds in memoir pieces both from Laurie Anderson, and Madonna describing their feminism and what they brought to the music industry with their gifts. Having the setup of the chapters being in a chronological order, it was easy to follow her theme of these gender issues in music throughout the centuries.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as she provided a very interesting perspective on music. Most of the book was written with analytical criticism to the classical music in terms of describing the gender politics, with the exception of the more modern music as it branches away from that traditional musical theory analysis. What I found absolutely fascinating about the book is that she truly gave thorough analytical evidence to support her arguments in the musical examples she provided. She also gave examples of terms used in music that had gender roles tied in them. One example she uses is the description of the masculine cadence as opposed to the feminine cadence. The masculine is supposed to end on the strong beat in the measure giving a very affirmed ending to a cadence and considered a “normal” cadence, whereas the feminine cadence is said to land on the 'weak' beat of the measure and is normally not used unless it is in a romantic piece. As someone who enjoys theory, I found this bit of information highly interesting and appalling at the same time. Even music could not survive the placement of gender with women considered to be the weaker sex.

Another subject she brings to light in this book is the use of females as erotic symbols in music. The seduction aria revolves around feminizing the music in which the music become coy, gentle, and lilting. The key is generally written in F, which has become know as the pastural, or feminine key, and the time signature is usually in a triple. With this in mind, it links the society to the evolution of women from just being the soft spoken, child bearing sex to an object of desire and possession.

This book, being well written and beautifully organized, is wonderfully constructed. Not only does the author supply her own ideas and analysis on many o the pieces she uses as examples, but she also has a fantastic utilization of primary and secondary sources with essays and excerpts used from other masters on the subject. I think that this book is a wonderful blend of music history, music theory, and political science and gender studies. Instead of taking music on a completely theoretical stance, she takes it from an artistic point of view, which is excellent when dealing with cultural issues such as gender roles and sexuality. In fact, she goes as far to say that “Literature and visual art are almost always concerned with the organization of sexuality, the construction of gender, the arousal and channeling of desire” (McClary, 53). While reading the book, you see this theme repeated, and when you think about it culturally, music truly does emanate gender and sexuality through the ages. With something so culturally important such as music, and something so universally accessible to the public, it is almost impossible to express anything but sexual politics that composers see in their life.

Overall, this was a very well written book and an excellent read for both musicians and feminists alike. It was informative and extremely interesting, not to mention it was filled with music theory and an excellent historical and social study of the times that created the music. It was nice to see how gender roles still play out in modern society and how their roots were exemplified through music.

Harpoons video perfomance of "Witch Village"

Harpoons at Turtle Underground 3/23/12 playing original material

A Righteous Ruckus

It’s Saturday night and St. Mike’s Spring concert is in session with Jay Sean serenading quite a few students with other songs and than his one hit wonder. I only know this because of the plethora of fliers all around the school and the half coherent text of a friend. Instead I’m up on North campus following the jam band classic rock siren call of live music pulling me towards Turtle Underground. Upon entering I’m immediately amazed not only by the full force of the music, but by how many fellow students are already in attendance – showing their support for some phenomenal local musicians. The first band to perform is a personal favorite – The Big Dirty, seasoned veterans of Turtle who have got everyone in the room on their feet grooving.  Tonight the band is accompanied onstage by a rapper, whose name I don’t know, but who does a good job blending his vocals with the awesome backbeat of the other musicians to create a sound that’s beautifully and truly unique. Everybody’s having a blast and after each song The Big Dirty is rewarded with thunderous applause and cheers. After a great set that leaves many an attendee taking a water break to cool themselves off from dancing themselves thirsty – the second band steps onstage. I had never heard of Japhy Ryder beforehand – but I was completely unprepared for the continued awesomeness that ensued. The band blended mind bending guitar riffs with a trumpet to ignite the crowd into a truly righteous ruckus. True for both bands, I couldn’t help but keep moving my feet -and I wasn’t the only one. The crowds attendance remained absolutely packed during both sets and were rewarded with a phenomenal blend of talent and stage presence that left many desiring more time to vibe. I couldn’t believe that it was already close to midnight and after leaving – voice raw from cheering and feet exhausted from dancing – I found myself in eager anticipation for the next time I get to hear these two extraordinary bands play and to see whatever surprises Turtle holds for next week.

Harpoons at Turtle Underground 3/23/2012

Performing for the first time since their founding in November 2011, Harpoons opened up Turtle Underground Friday night March 23, 2012 for main act Squatch. Harpoons consists of three members Nate Lewis ('14), Liam Connors ('14), and Nick Kennedy ('14). Harpoons are changing the face of conventional Turtle Underground shows with their edginess and thrashy "garage-rock" sound. Their setlist consisted of both cover songs and original material including "Witch Village". What lies ahead for Harpoons audiences will only have to keep an eye out for.