April 4
Music
Raising Drunk Driving Awareness One Note at a Time
By Mona Loring
It has been reported that every thirty seconds, someone dies from an alcohol-related car crash. This would mean that every hour, 120 people die across the United States from drinking and driving - totaling 2,880 people a day. These numbers are staggering, and make the reality of the effects of drinking and driving more real, and extremely poignant. There have been hundreds of charities and organizations formed over the years to prevent drinking and driving - however, Music vs. Drunk Driving AKA MVDD has taken a completely unique stand in this endless war, and is quickly becoming recognized across the US than any of the preceding organizations.
Since September 2007, 21-year old, Allison Navarro, CEO of Music vs. Drunk Driving, has been dedicated to spreading the mission of MVDD across the United States. This message is simple, to convey to both teens and adults that drinking and driving is not safe. There are consequences-some more painful than others. The MVDD team's solution is to engage the power of music in their fight, getting teens and adults hooked on music, not alcohol. Allison's belief is that, "Music is the key, the message, and the story to all people today. It plays a key role in all of our lives."
Bands from all over the world have been moved by MVDD's conviction and are taking part in supporting this powerful charity by proudly wearing the charity's tee shirts, and involving themselves in shows and other activities held by the organization. HelloGoodbye, Mury, The Perfect Victim, 2nd Day Crush, Kaitlyn Anderson, New Found Glory, A Cursive Memory, Boys Like Girls, National Product and Forever the Sickest Kids have already shown their support.
We sat down with CEO of MVDD, Allison Navarro, to find out a little bit more about her project and what the organization has coming up in 2008.
VS: What do you plan to do with the rest of 2008?
AN: This year we plan on spending the whole summer out on the road. We are touring across the USA to reach out to teens and adults about the dangers of drinking and driving. We hope that we will be able to teach people about the consequences and gain more support.
VS: What are your goals for MVDD?
AN: Our goals for MVDD are to reach out and speak out about how dangerous drunk driving is to everyone. The world needs to see that there are people out there trying to make a difference. We would like to set up school program to become more involved with teens, we are currently working on documentary book/DVD, and we would honestly love to tour non-stop everywhere spreading our message.
VS: What has been your most memorable experience?
AN: My most memorable experiences are always when the MVDD team is at a show and people come up to me and ask me if I work with MVDD - when I tell them yes, and that I am the founder, they always go crazy and want to get involved. I love that. I also love reading messages from people on MySpace that thank us for what we are doing. It makes me feel like we are making a difference. I hope that the people we will meet on tour this summer will have a huge impact on MVDD - we cannot wait to get out there!
VS: What kind of feedback are you getting? Do you generally hear from teens or adults?
AN: So far the feedback has been phenomenal and I still cannot believe how fast we have grown. We have the best supporters in world and we love them all. We have people from all over the world and all ages that reach out to us. One of the best ways for us to get feedback is through our MySpace. One thing that I have told myself from the beginning was that I was going to take the time to write or comment anyone back that would take the time to message us. I honestly believe that by being interactive with your supporters you can show people that you truly care about what you are doing, and I do.
To find out more about Music vs. Drunk Driving please visit their MySpace at www.myspace.com/musicvsdrunkdriving or their website www.musicvsdrunkdriving.com.
Bang the Drum Quickly: Percussion Galore At Festival Hill - Music
By Tim Wassberg
The sounds of big thrills raced through Festival Hill as the 1st Annual “Percussion Galore” at Round Top graced the beat. Ranging from abstract experimentalism to the soaring and haunting “Concerto for Piano and Percussion Orchestra,” the senses were piqued with new ideas and vibrant music.
The expedience of enthusiasm informed this day of concerts. The vibraphones within “Estudios de Frontera” spoke in non-linear tones with an effervescent "Peter & The Wolf"-type quality. The minds of the players wrestled with the notes. “Night Rhapsody,” with the inclusion of one marimba gave the feeling of silent running through a house. However, as the pace continued, its goal became that of a mystery that needed to solved through emotion. The next piece "Molitiva" gave the impression of swimming underwater through lifeblood. Continuing within the context of precision was a duo between teacher and student, who helped bring the Percussion program together. But as the music progressed into the second movement, the dueling blades became more fierce. “Tokuhide Niimi” juxtaposed a slyly different element of rock star percussion with an Orwellian foreboding. This heightened aura progressed into a new age relevance using almost schizophrenic chord manipulation. “XY” used fractional rhythm changes between ¾ structure to create an orchestration of paradoxical thought.
The afternoon continued with music by George Hamilton Green performed by the University Of Texas at Austin’s Percussion Group. The passing of the proverbial balance between elder statesmen and hungry new performers caught fire.
So Percussion, full of abstract stylings and interactive methods, began with “Music For Pieces Of Wood” where the beats telegraphed imagery of a lost language.
“Amid The Noise” in juxtaposition used representative audio to create moods from the thrashing of paper to the jingling of keys while balancing household and toy branded visions. Composer Paul Lansky progressed So with his older work “Threads.”
In the corner of Round Top, the UT Percussion team focused the townspeople within their musical cauldron.
Later within Festival Hill's magnificent scene, Lansky returned to the stage with “Travel Diary” performed by the Meehan/Perkins duo using overtures of resolution and tension mixed with tinges of Hans Zimmer's “Rain Man” to interrelate retroacting elements of change. “Once Removed,” retraced notes between two consecutive musical progressions using rhythmic precision and perception.
The most intrinsic and splendid work incorporated the synthesis of fusion between piano and percussion orchestra. Led by Festival Hill founder and classical pianist James Dick, this piece aptly entitled “Concerto for Piano & Percussion Orchestra” showed the true bravado and texture of such a melding. The three movements brought to mind different soaring renderings from the unseen questions of life to flying over an alien shore. The dark bass progressions were underscored using inverted high-pitch resonant sounds brought in by the percussion which perfectly accentuated the wanton frivolity and intensity of the piano played at double time to create a vision both tender and holy.
Shawn Mullins
By LJ Maggie
If you are not familiar with Shawn Mullins or his 1998 hit song "Lullaby" you might remember the lyrics "Everything is going to be alright, rockabye, rockabye", which Shawn even mentioned he should have named the song Rockabye and not Lullaby but Lullaby just stuck. The song is about a woman he met one night after playing at Genghis Cohen on Fairfax and the story she told him about her life and who she was. If you listen closely to the lyrics, it describes what many artistic types in Hollywood experience.
The conversation among many of the 30 and 40-somethings that came out for this intimate night of music and storytelling was trying to remember the last time they had seen Shawn live. Many were reminiscing where they were when they heard their first Shawn Mullins' song and the memories that came with that one song. Though it had been a number of years since many had heard from him, they didn't show it. All fans young and old still remembered their favorites and let Shawn know by yelling out requests, singing along and he was happy to oblige.
Shawn has come a long way since 1992 when he started his musical career in Georgia. He has released 12 albums his most recent, Honeydew released March 11th, his second since signing with Vanguard Records. The night started with Iowa based singer/songwriter Pieta Brown getting everyone ready for the main act of Shawn Mullins with her own folk songs. Even though Shawn was probably burned out from his recent stint at Southwest by Southwest, you wouldn't have know it when he walked out on stage. He started the evening with the song "Beautiful Wreck" from his 2006 release 9th Ward Picking Parlor.
The set list for the evening consisted of a good mix of old favorites and new material, which everyone was enjoying. When one fan yelled out a request for "Joshua," Shawn replied, "I will if I can remember all of the words. With so many hits it is hard." Other fan favorites Shawn played were Shimmer (featured in the hit show Dawson's Creek), Sunday Morning Coming Down, Lonesome I Know You To Well, and Kelly's Song. Throughout the night Shawn let his fans in on how certain songs came about, most of which were based on experiences or people he has met throughout his life. His song "All in My Head" was originally written to be the theme song for Scrubs. After submitting the song, it was not chosen but was featured in an episode. Shawn joked that he didn't even know they were going to use it and the show used the demo that was sent which was not the best version of the song. He also played a song from his days with The Thorns, a side project he did with Matthew Sweet and Peter Droge, two great singer/songwriters in their own right. All night fans felt like they were not only watching a great performer but a friend who let you into an intimate part of his life for two hours. Though Shawn has yet to match the great success of his song Lullaby, his new album is a great mix of folk and adult alternative that will do great on the radio airwaves.
Shawn ended his first encore with his own rendition of "House of the Rising Sun," complete with a guitar solo. As he left the stage everyone was on their feet yelling for more they didn't want the night to end. When he came out for a second encore everyone was on their feet giving him a standing ovation. When he started playing again, everyone was singing along. It was a night Shawn Mullins' fans will not forget, and they will be counting down the days until they can see him live again.
Don't forget to check out his new album, Honeydew, available now and on the web at smgrecords.com
The conclusion of the program melded Asian embroidered "Catfish," ensconced in its pickling intensity of multiple melodic shifts, with "Splendid Wood," resonant in its progression, which used the echoing integrations of its multiple marimbas within a concerted strain to ingratiate players on the same xylophone. The final piece of the evening was “Ionisation For 12 Percussions” with harmonic arrangement and intrinsic ferociousness.
Percussion is an unheralded component of the music arsenal. But as the wine flowed into the night Festival Hill once again prevailed the diversity of musical performance: bringing the drums of change to life.