Wednesday, July 30, 2008

it's so weird...

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i remember when i first started to really get into music. and what i mean by this, is when i actually started building up my "taste". i had favorite bands, singers/groups i didn't like, groups that i thought were overrated, etc. this all came about around the age of 13 or so. the year 2003 was when the indie rock/emo genre of music became the only cool genre to listen to (for the white kids at least). my group of friends back in grammar school (more specifically in this frame of time) were really info rock and thought that other genres weren't "real" music and made fun of anything that wasn't dashboard confessional or death cab for cutie.

since they were my friends and i didn't want to be too left out, i started listening to similar music. of course i had to be different and listen to further seems forever instead of dashboard confessional and anberlin instead of franz ferdinand, but i could still join in on their choruses of "hip hop sucks" and "avril is such a poser". i used to say, "see, rock is so original, they use real instruments, you need to have talent, etc. etc."

but then i grew up. and realized that not everyone who has an acoustic guitar in their hand was automatically talented and "original".

with influence from my cousins (especially my older cousin david), i began to spread my musical horizons and be free from the "i'm-wearing-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-girl-i-loved-you" rut i was stuck in for 3 years. at the age of 16, i began to actually admit to others that i like music of almost all genres. at times that would hurt me socially, as high school students tend to socialize with others who listen to the same music as them. however, i had friends still, but we had a bond not based on music (thank God).

i began to get into hip-hop more. i wasn't ashamed to say that i liked it either. it brought me back to the days where i would be in the alley with my father, "helping" him wash his car and hip hop would be blasting from the speakers, with the radio locked to WGCI.

with my use of the internet, i was exposed to all artists, and i was on the hunt for some decent christian hip hop (i was restricted to non-secular music when i was younger), but it was hard to find. usually it was too cheesy (i.e. "JESUS IS MY HOMEY, HE'S WITH ME ALL THE TIME, YO") or the beats were just not good, or complete copies of secular artists (i.e. a song with the same beat as 50 cent's "In Da Club", but called instead, "In Da Church").

one day i found holy culture radio, and i fell in love. their podcasts were full of artists that knew what they were doing. and this is where i found this dude, braille.

the first song i heard by braille was "keep on" from his first album, Shades of Gray. his flow was sick, the lyrics were real, the production was awesome. i didn't feel like i was listening to some carbon copy "christian edition" of a secular artist. in fact, i didn't feel like i was listening to a christian artist at all. braille, like i previously mentioned, is real with his lyrics, but he isn't overly preachy and offputting (i.e. telling non-christians that they're going to BURN IN HELLLLLLL!, etc).

so i will leave you with two songs by him and another from lightheaded, the group he's a part of (consisting of him, ohmega watts, and othello), and his myspace. check him out; you won't regret it.

braille - the IV
braille - keep on
several previews of songs from lightheaded - (there should be a player on the right side of the page)
braille's myspace

leave me comments if you liked them! thanks. peace.

2 comments:

neernkjnerkner kemtzf said...

Heh. I have the EXACT same experience.

I do like everything now! and yes... even coldplay... a LITTLE. :p I said that on the other entry that i ahted CP cause it made the complaints seem proportionally funny :P

neernkjnerkner kemtzf said...

there's spanish music comming from the lot across from my back yard... maybe there's a huge flock of sexy hispanic college guys over there.... maybe they're single....