Cameo Lover

Kimbra - Cameo Lover

You've got two arms baby/

They're all tangled in ladies of black skies posing blue/

Cannot get enough of this song at the moment. If Ed Solo’s 'Life Gets Better' made me feel good, this one makes me feel tumeke. Definitely my feel good jam over the past two weeks. It reminds me of a 60’s girl group kind of song with a 21^st century twist. Favourite line is about fake asses. You said it Kimbra.

Kimbra’s heavily influenced by artists like Nina Simone, who shaped the jazz scene, and much of the music industry in my opinion, and it really shows through her music. The tone of her voice is amazing – she plays on her jazzy voice, soft smokey voice and can belt a couply notes out too. She writes most of her own music, and again, her blues and jazz influences are recognisable in the choice of instruments she uses - groovy basslines (please be a double bass), brass fanfare moments, and a predominant jazzy hi-hat drum beat on top. But then all twisted into a nearly pop-reminiscent song - her writing technique is ridiculously unique. She performs live with a band, and although I’m sure there are some electronic sounds used in the recordings of her songs, a lot of it is simply her and the band. Kimbra’s dedication to performing live whenever she can is something she’s pin-pointed and mastered as an artist. She says her main focus and goal is to perform live as much as possible, and although much of this is to promote the album, I think she personally wants to target that particular area of the music industry – because she is so good at it. Watching Kimbra’s live or unplugged videos on YouTube is unbelievable, she can sing way beyond the recording studio, and what a performer she is. There aren’t many artists who have fine tuned the art of performing live, and for a 21-year-old, she is well beyond her years. There’s nothing better than seeing one of your favourite artists perform just as well, live. For me, it confirms your love for them. Knowing that they can take their music beyond the security of a recording studio, bring it to an audience, however big or small, and nail it, shows that they’re legit. I’ll always remember seeing Rihanna perform at her first MTV Music Awards, on TV of course, and thinking how horrible she sounded. She did. Don’t get me wrong, she’s improved immensely since then, but it just made me think how many of her recorded songs were legitimately her, stripped, I guess you'd say.

Loving this video clip! It’s bright and quirky, and after finding out the story behind the song, they connect perfectly. The song is about a man who has become detached, as such, from the world, and Kimbra tries to draw him back to her. She sells her music well, connecting her songs to the video clips – as a package almost. 'Settle Down' does the same thing with it’s video clip. For some reason, not all songs do that with their videos, seems odd really. But Kimbra does it flawlessly!

I have a big thing about sell-outs. Don’t get me started on Jessie J. My debating skills on this front are average to poor, because both ends of the argument make sense to some point, but there is just something about an artist catering to the scene or industry, when it’s not in them. I have heard the opinion that maybe artists want to sell out as quickly as possible to get dirty rich and famous, then set out to make the music they wanted to in the beginning, after they’ve made a mark with the crap the industry wanted at the time. It makes sense somehow, but a real artist who is truly passionate about what they do, would surely want to use the music they’re so passionate about in the first place, to pull an audience and of course, the money – wouldn’t they? I don’t know, I’m not an aspiring artist, but that’s how I see it. Kimbra is an ideal example of an artist who is far from a sell out. I’ve followed her limply, from when I was 17 at school, and she has seldom changed, apart from grown up. She set out from the beginning, with her own style of music, with her own personality and quirk, and has pretty much cracked it, or at least is well on her way to doing so (in my uneducated opinion of course).

I’m unashamedly all over the nut.



I Won't Grow Up

6-year-old Jeremiah asked me something other than, "Do you wanna watch Rio with me?" tonight at the dinner table. It caught me off guard. I couldn't give him a straight answer. I joked with him, his mother, my sister and new brother-in-law. I asked him the same question in return, and he genuinely thought about it for a sec, then his face lit up as he replied, "A zoo-keeper."

"What do you want to be when you're old and have heaps of money Aunty?" he asked. I didn't really have an answer for him. After I mumbled out some um's and ah's, I said, "A mum! I want to be a mum." Miah laughed and told me I couldn't get paid to be a mum - silly me. Uncle Gary told him that he wanted to do something with music one day, Aunty Gina wanted to own a business, his mother wanted to be a chef. And there I sat, kind of embarassed because I didn't really know what I wanted to be. What the hell was I doing with my life? I never thought of myself as old, or anything like that, but there comes a time when you should probably at least know what you want to do with you life right? Is 21 that age where you should know?

I know that when I was Jeremiah's age, I was all about singing, dancing, acting and modelling. There are hundreds of photos and videos of me pulling my best Sporty Spice pose, singing back up to 'Oh Happy Day' from Sister Act 2 for my brother, dancing the Macarena like no other 6-year-old could. I was in dozens of big stage shows, support leads even! I learnt the piano, picked up jazz and tap through the shows, sang solos in front of full houses at Aotea Centre, I was a confident wee thespian I was! This phase lasted forever, I didn't grow out of it til I was out of intermediate. That dream of making it big and starring in Shortland St obviously died. But it was the first thing I knew I wanted to pursue in life.

By the time I hit 13, I was an avid sports fan. I'd played netball, rugby league, basketball, backyard cricket, competed in athletics. But touch was my life. My whole family was into it, we were all Auckland reps and if we weren't down at the park competing against other teams, we were competing against eachother in the backyard on our home-made 5-metre line field. I was a fit young thing, loved all the sports I was playing at school socially and competitively, and I loved the theory and physicality of P.E. as a subject. I don't know why, but from about 13 through to 16, I wanted to be a physiotherapist. I guess I thought it made good money and had something to do with sport. Then in my 7th form year, I was inspired by my P.E. teacher to become one (a P.E. teacher that is). Because I was a lot older, I can definitely say I was passionate about this goal. I enjoyed and understood the subject at school, I enjoyed the inter-activeness with my teacher at the time, and I could see myself doing it. I didn't get into the uni course to be a P.E. teacher.

Heading into my first year of uni, I opted to do a BA, purely because english was the next subject I was successful in, and also one which I enjoyed. I found a whole new realm of english that year - journalism. I loved it. Writing seemed to come easily to me throughout school, and now at uni, I could almost write what I wanted, however I wanted to. No essay outline, no answers to text and all that jazz. I wanted to be a writer. A magazine or newspaper columnist or something along those lines.

Uni didn't work out for me at all. I wasn't focussed enough on it, and I don't think I had enough drive in me to get a degree done. I took time off, went back and changed my major to public health, mainly because my Mum suggested it after I worked with her for half a year doing something similar. Yeah, I enjoyed some of it, it seemed like a legitimate career path, but I wasn't passionate about it, the way I was about writing.

So here I am, two years later, with the same goal of being a writer, no where closer to it. I've had another thought of owning my own bar one day, after Big Tom P tossed the idea around with me one night, because I loved my jobs as bartenders previously. I'm good at it and it's something else I'm passionate about. I don't think simply being a bartender for the rest of my life would make Mama Gut too happy.

I guess there's always been a stigma around admitting what I wanted to do throughout my life. I'm not sure if everybody feels the same way, but I've found I've needed approval of my goals. Constant reassurance that I'm good at what I'm doing. If I failed at something, I simply packed it in and changed my mind because I saw it as a sign that maybe I wasn't good at it. I guess that's what this blog is about really. Seeing as I exhausted my resources, going about achieving my goal the traditional way, I have to go about satisfying my writing hunger in other ways. Seeing all my friends about to graduate really got me thinking, is it my turn? Am I ready to grow up? Facing failure is a big part of growing up, I believe, and it's inevitable. You have to call on self-motivation and determination to get through the ever-looming fact that sometimes, you are going to fail. My friends all have that drive. They're growing up and becoming event managers, designers, teachers, entrepreneurs (I really do admire you guys! *tears*).

As much as I don't want to, it's time to grow up. Here's hoping this blog will keep me motivated to go about becoming a certified bad ass columnist, the alcohol will keep me motivated to open my own bar one day and Jeremiah will become a lion tamer in his lifetime, at least.

Serious thoughts over. Enjoy a song on me, Parallel Dance Ensemble - Conditions, on repeat at the mo.

Frech kiss, fries, ketchup for two/

What? Your past catch up wit' you?/

JFKool

Just spent two hours voluntarily researching John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America. It's not often I get these urges to educate myself, but I saw X-Men: First Class yesterday (which for the record, sucked), and it's loosely based around the 'Soviet missiles in Cuba' incident that happened way back in the 60's, near the end of the film. If you want to see the suck-ass movie, skip the next few sentences. The movie tells us that the super powered up gangster X-Men all play a part in managing to stop the U.S. from firing at the Soviets, and the Soviets from firing at the U.S., woohoo no World War III thanks to Magneto and Co! Cutting to the chase, I wanted to know if the X-Men really did play a part in the historical event (seeing as I'm positive I was a 60's child in a previous life, remember, I figure it's important to know my roots). Turns out they're not even real - downbuzz.

Also recently read a book about three generations of Chinese women who went through hell in their combined lifetimes, from Chinese empires being overthrown in the 1900's, to Japanese invasions of China, all the way up to Pearl Harbour. 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang - fully seck book if you're into crazy drrrama intertwined with a bit of history for yo ass.

So! After educating my small brain a bit more, everything is so much clearer! One of JFK's earliest most defining moments as President surrounded the crazy ass Russians planting missiles on Cuba, which is super close to the U.S. It was weird and confusing - were the missiles planted in defence or were they planning some super saiyan nuclear attack on America? Although JFK was being pressured by others in his cabinet to attack their asses, his smart, collected and ultimately correct decision making lead to the retrieval of the missiles. He referred leading with an attack as "Pearl Harbour in reverse". Hence, my connection to ze book!

Both rather weird connections, but they pressed me enough to look into the Kennedy family and the history behind what I thought would be their political hungry lives. Sure, they're not all perfect. JFK was rumoured to be a bit of a dog, his parents tried to send his sister to a Convent - whatever. I'm pretty much in love with the guy. JFKool in my eyes.

 

Epiphany

Today the heavens up opened up above me. I was blinded by a bright light that I have never in my 21 years experienced, a choir of angels echoed the Hallejuah Chorus (could have been small children, not totally sure on that front), and the microwave beeped that annoying bloody beep to let me know my tea was hot again. It was almost as if God had intended it. Intended that I was bored, intended that I was listening to the exact artists I had been in the past hour, intended that the microwave went off at that exact moment. I think I had my first ever epiphany today. I can finally put my finger on my taste in music (or at least a part of it).

For years I've huddled under the umbrella of eclectics when it comes to music. Possibly the day after I watched Sister Act 2 and learned what it meant to be an eclectic, I became one (big ups Sister Mary Clarence). It's true, I actually am. But today, I found a common thread in part of my eclectic taste.

I stand firmly by my belief that I was either born in the wrong era, or was a 60's or 70's child in a previous life. I love ANYTHING from that time period. The Temptations, Carl Carlton, Jackson 5, The Beatles, Otis Reading, Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross (with The Supremes), Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, heck I even found awesomeness in AC/DC and Fleetwood Mac - not the first genre I'd head to in a music store. So grouping that lot together, Old Skool has always had a place in my heart. Cheers Ma & Pa for raising me on the good shit.

Growing up with older siblings also meant I was bred to love early 90s rap and hiphop. It wasn't until I started heading towards the end of my adolescent years that I actually really appreciated the O.G. shiet though. Yeahhh, I was a teeny bopping, Lil' Bow Wow fan up until then. Biggie, Run DMC, Nas, Slick Rick, Lauryn Hill, 2Pac, Nate Dogg, Warren G! Even a few years ago I was still discovering the legit De La Soul, Wu-Tang, A Tribe Called Quest, and Beastie Boys' originals. All those rides with my big sister and her mates are encrypted in my memory bank.

So today, my epiphany fused these two genres together while listening to the Forthwrite Mixtape from 360 & Pez. They do exactly what I love in music and a bit more. A bad ass beat (not all bass, not all synthesizer, sometimes something similar to an old skool groove), smart and witty lyrics, and an old skool sample (or something similar to one) with a hook mashed in. *SIGH* - magic. Something I can sing along to and nod my head to in a gee'd up way - haha. They aren't the only ones doing it; crews like Homebrew are onto the same recipe, Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco have used it too. I must admit, the Aussie accents get a bit much with these guys, but that was a deciding factor that only confirmed my epiphany. I could still listen to it all despite their inability to pronounce their words in an understandable manner. I'm not saying this is all I listen to because there is no way in hell I'm giving up my love for the likes of Jason Derulo and The Black Kids (*cough* or Jesse McCartney), but it's definitely a big part of what I'm into.

And that's all I have to say about that.