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MP3 zerowaitstates - distorted
3 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, ROCK: Grunge
Details:
Distorted: Defining the ''Shoebox''
I''m sure many artists have old personal recordings stored in shoe boxes under their beds, scattered in drawers and closets or simply lost in storage. Often, these are poor quality audio cassettes that have been recorded on in a hurry, in a mad attempt preserve that tune before it is forgotten, or so we can get on with whatever it was we were doing. We think nothing of them. They often remind us of good (and bad) times experimenting with lyrics and interesting music; we hope to forget the fact that there was never even a shoestring budget we could tap into to fund our dreams. Later on though, the outcome is sometimes discovered to be priceless.
The latest zerowaitstates CD, Distorted falls into that ''shoebox'' category. With Distorted, zerowaitstates has created a new music category called ''shoebox''. What defines ''shoebox'' music is not so much the style the song is, as is the way in which it was recorded. The first important thing to bear in mind: what you''d expect to hear in shoebox music whether it is Folk, Rock, Rap, Pop, Soul, Jazz, Electronic, Latin or Country; is what a musician first records as he or she gets their original song idea. We are all familiar with such impromptu sessions, oft called demos, demo tapes and such. The point of shoebox music is not to create poor quality audio, because poor quality music and recordings speak poorly of you as an artist, and more often than not it results in a frustrating and painful experience for the listener. Hardly the stuff you want to promote. Like any in business, you must put your best foot forward if you want to be taken seriously.
Then ''why release Distorted?'' you may be thinking. Well, the second important thing to remember about ''shoebox'' music is that it has got to be good. Good means the music is catchy and addicting. The song should be powerful enough in its raw form to make you forget the elements and the poor recording environment. It''s simply that good.
So, here I was scrounging around through some old recordings over the Memorial Day weekend and come across several tracks that had been recorded on micro cassette a half a year ago and then abandoned. I don''t know about most people, but for me, I like to hear the original, unfiltered and unadulterated first takes. I enjoy the raw and stripped down sounds of first recordings that are plain enough, simple enough and honestly convey to the listener the deepest emotion and sincerity the artist has captured in these intimate moments. I guess that explains why I prefer watching classic Indie films such as "Living in Oblivion", "Mystery Train", "High Art", "Buffalo ''66", "Cold Fever", "Nadja", "Hurlyburly", and "Morvern Callar"; (just to name a few favorites) over major Hollywood releases.
"G.I. Voodoo Girl" which has proven to be a favorite among my friends and colleagues, was written in the oddest of circumstances. Back in the summer of 2003 a powerful storm hit the city of Memphis and the surrounding Tennessee area. At one point, just before been ordered to evacuate to the severe weather storm shelter, I thought the windows of my fourth floor office would blow out. The storm eventually abated and those of us on night shift were allowed to go home. The drive home was an amazing scene of destruction. Trees uprooted and main streets flooded. Cars upside down, litter everywhere.
When I got home, it was then I discovered the electrical power was out for the entire city and would remain out for over a week for most residents. Imagine a half a million people without any power for a week. I was lucky to have my power back on after three full days and nights.
So I get home in one piece, my only connection to the outside world is my cell phone. Using it I was able to check on a few friends, let family know I''m alright, and check my email. I then sit on my futon trying to take it all in. I look at the wall and spot the dream catcher hanging there. I pick up the guitar and press record on my micro cassette recorder and "G.I. Voodoo Girl" is written.
With this intro, I present zerowaitstates''s Distorted.
Style: Shoebox-grunge.
You be the judge.
zerowaitstates comprises of Mike and Dave Rugely. We are twins and were born in Paris, France where our American parents were traveling in 1974. This was the hippie era and protest rock and experimental musical sounds were everywhere. It was interesting growing up as American kids in Europe and Africa. We enjoyed all kinds of music. From the jungles of Africa, to the digital cities of Europe, to the laid-back Mississippi Delta, music is truly a universal and important language.
Enjoy!
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