You Are Me, I Am You

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." — Albert Schweitzer

There are those who are born into great talent, and who excel and achieve making it to the "big time" with nary an effort. They're just made to be musicians and to share what they do with a world full of eager, listening ears. And through the ages there have been a great many brilliant musical minds who have graced us with their notes and vibes and riffs—beautiful melodies and driving rhythms. The soulful Janis Joplin comes to mind. The genius of Jimi Hendrix is certainly among them. And there are countless others; Michael Jackson, Prince, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Chris Cornell, and Kurt Cobain.

There really is not enough room to include everyone.

To that end what I always have said about music in general, whether the music comes from greats or just a guy who decided to start a small band in his garage—to a guy like me who just does it for fun—it does not really matter in the end what the style is. People gravitate to all kinds of sounds, to all kinds of rhythms, to all kinds of melodies.

I do not put myself in any league with any of these greats to be sure. I only illustrate that even among some of the greats there are those who might argue against the talent. No matter.

Musicians, and people in general, do what they do, listen to what they like, and really the brilliance and greatness of the world we live in today is that we get to hear it all. The good, the bad, the great, and the phenomenal.

And we get to share it as well. All of it. The best of it and the worst of it.

Interestingly enough to me is that a site like Bandcamp and Jango tend to be great places for one to share and "try things out." My best received songs have actually been songs I thought would never get any attention at all.

Here is my latest attempt. I hope you like it. It's not great. It's not intended to be. It's just me, the hobby I do, and as I said, I get to share it and let you decide whether it is a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

You Are Me, I Am You by Jim Bauer

YOU ARE ME, I AM YOU
by Jim Bauer
Released May 26, 2017
https://jimbauer.bandcamp.com/track/you-are-me-i-am-you
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CAPO II
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Verse1:
Am                Dm                                                Am
Sittin' on the front porch, and I'm talking to the old man
                            F                                  G                                  Am
He hands me the torch, says walk in my shoes and you'll be all right
                       Dm                                                Am
Said he'd had dark days, and you're gonna have them too
                                 F                              G                                     Am
Take the bull by the horns, says just be a man, do what you gotta do
               Dm                              Am
He was a wise man, I could see was true
                               F                  G                  Am
He said I'm you're dad, you are me, and I am you

Bridge:
F           G          Dm Am   F                        G                    Dm    Am   F
Feeling now that I   re — gret, the days we lost what we might have said

Chorus:
C                G    Dm Am               C    C/B  G
But there's on — ly now, we can make it   up
C                 G    Dm Am                 C     C/B  G
There's still time to fill, to fill this emp — ty   cup
C        G   Dm Am                    C   C/B G
Yesterday is gone, no sense in looking back
C          G    Dm Am              C    C/B  G
Oh, the time is now, to get it back on   track

Verse2:
Am                Dm                                                Am
Sittin' on the front porch, and I'm talking to the old man
                         F                      G                              Am
Says what I've done, no I ain't proud, but it's who I am
                     F                            Am
Said dad it's okay, got me some demons too
                        F                 G                  Am
Said I'm your son, you are me, and I am you
                   F                     G                        Am
You're my dad, I'm you're son, and we are one

BRIDGE AND CHORUSES REPEAT

 

A Little Bit of Wakin On A Pretty Day—Kurt Vile

One of the fun things about music is that it is such a provider of joy and adulation, that to be able to take a song that you love from an artist you admire and somehow make it your own is perhaps one of the most rewarding things about it.

Many of us will find ourselves with a song stuck in our head. We may hum the tune, whistle it while we work, sing along as we drive along the road to wherever we may be headed, and perhaps in the back of our mind the song is ours. We are the rock star.

Of course, I dabble in a little bit of my own original stuff. Certainly my album Pink Flamingoes is an example of that. Just me doing my own thing musically, not caring if there is any real structure to it, and certainly not trying to get rich or famous from it.

Not that that would be a possibility mind you. But there are enough people who enjoy what I do that it makes it all worth it in the end.

But back to songs we love from artists we admire. I have talked much on here about one artist in particular who strikes my fancy, and is always a pleasure to make new discoveries with. That artist would be Kurt Vile, and if you've never had a chance to listen to what he does, you are surely missing out.

One song in particular that I like from him is Pretty Pimpin, and it happens to be...well, pretty pimping.

But there's another song that also made quite an impression on me, enough so that I wanted to try to do that song my own justice. Did I accomplish it? Probably not. But that's not the point. The point is that his song Wakin on a Pretty Day just happened to strike a chord with me, and so I wanted to do a little something with it.

It's fun to sing and it's fun to strum, and so I just had to put my own touch onto it.

Again, did I do it any justice? Probably not. I'm no Kurt Vile, and to an extent I am no musician either. But even more fun is that we live in a time when we can share with the masses whatever we want, and again as well...

There are actually some folks out there who appreciate that. Especially the fans. Often times my own handful of fans will ask me to share some or another cover, and this just happens to be one of them.

Blue Bedroom Sessions MGMT Electric Feel Acoustic Cover

In following along with my theme here, sometimes when it comes to finding great music and great artists—and let's face it, great cover music—you simply have to turn off the radio. Today is the age of the Internet, self publishing, and the opportunity to share with such a larger number of people what you've got.

Let's take the song, Electric Feel. On its own, this is a great song by the brilliant masterminds of music who call themselves MGMT. The song itself sort of sounds like a combination of an old disco sound coupled with a poppy undertone and something from the 1980's, but with a bit more pizzazz and gusto.

It really is a cool song with a great vibe, great melody, and of course as one would expect, lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden delivers the lyrics masterfully. His voice always seems to manage to take you to another place, which in many ways is what music should do for any listener when the music is good.

But there is another version of this song out there, and if you ask me it is just as good, and dare I say, perhaps even better than the original. Maybe it is because I just like the stripped down versions of music—in other words, turn off all the synths, and break down all the sound effects in the backdrop, and just yank out wood and strings and just play.

Take a song like Foster The People's Pumped Up Kicks acoustic version and you immediately get what I mean. I love the song, but when I listen to it these days, it's the acoustic version I go after most often. It's just better stripped down.

And that's exactly what you get when you go over to Katie van Amerom's YouTube page and find a "Blue Bedroom Session" performance of MGMT's Electric Feel. And it is an amazing performance to say the least. Like I said, in some ways it may actually be better than the original version of this song.

Besides the song being done marvelously, you have to admit that Katie's kind of cute as well, and so even if there is not much going on in the video other than her and her cohorts jamming together in a blue walled bedroom sitting on a rather large bed, it is still a fun video to keep an eye—or both—trained on.

And by the way, Katie's voice is as crystal clear, melodic, and take you to another place as is VanWyngarden's. It's just a marvelous performance through and through.

Since hearing this version of the song I have not had a chance to take a look at some of the other "Blue Bedroom Sessions" or Katie van Amerom for that matter (by the way, it is just a coincidence that both her and VanWyngarden have "van" in their names?), but you can bet it is on my radar and I certainly will eventually.

This video deserves a watch, and certainly Katie and the rest of the crew who accompanied her on this song deserve a huge pat on the back for a job well done, and for masterfully making what is already a great song their own without changing much of the basic structure of the song to get it done.

This is art, folks, plain and simple.

While you're at it, why not check out Jim Bauer's cover video of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," which is also an acoustic version. Not nearly as masterful in any way as the Blue Bedroom Sessions or Katie van Amerom for that matter, but a fun listen in any event—according to a very small group of people. But growing? Who knows. All I can say, and all I know, is that regardless of any "accomplishment" on the song, I had fun doing it. Although I was sitting in a chair rather than lying on my bed.

Lyrics of All You Are by Jim Bauer

All You Are

Words and music by: Jim Bauer

Recorded: August 2016

Released: August 2016

Album: Released as a single

Lyrics:

           All that you are

           All that you fear inside

           Lurks in a place you can't hide

           All that you bare

           Burdens of sorrow you yield

           There's nothing to touch that is real

           Hold onto your life

           And there'll be tears to fall

           Like you've lost an old friend

           Wait for the pain to fade away

           If you fall, this won't be the end

           All you are is what you are

           There is nothing I'm to fear

           If I don't run, if I stand

           I won't fade away

           All that you are

           All that you wanted to be

           Lurks in a place you can't see

           All that you are

           The burdens of sorrow you yield

           Nothing to touch that is real

           Hold onto your life

           And there'll be tears to fall

           Like you've lost an old friend

           Wait for the pain to fade away

           If you fall, this won't be the end

           All you are is what you are

           There is nothing I'm to fear

           If I don't run, if I stand

           I won't fade away (x2 to fade out)

Jim Bauer on Jango Music

Buy "All You Are" on iTunes

Stream "All You Are" on Apple iTunes Music

Buy the album "Pink Flamingoes" by Jim Bauer (iTunes)

Stream the album "Pink Flamingoes" by Jim Bauer (Apple iTunes Music)

Official Music Video, "All You Are" on YouTube:

Jim Bauer does a cover of the 1980's hit song by Peter Gabriel, "Sledgehammer." Recorded August 2016.

"All You Are" by Jim Bauer available at the following music outlets: iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play, Deezer, Groove, Rhapsody, eMusic, Simfy Africa, iHeartRadio, MediaNet, VerveLife, Tidal, Gracenote, Shazam, 7Digital, Juke, Slacker, Guvera, KKBox, Akazoo, Anghami, Spinlet, Neurotic Media, Yandex, Target Music, ClaroMusica, Zvooq, Saavn, 8tracks, NMusic, Q.Sic, Cur, Musicload, and Kuack

Lyrics of 102 Idle Stones by Jim Bauer

102 Idle Stones
Words and music by: Jim Bauer
Recorded: January 2005
Released: March 2014
Album: Pink Flamingoes




Lyrics:

I feel the cold dirt beneath my feet
I feel cold bony hands reach for me
Will someone release me from their reap
Untether me, cut me from this sea 

Crooked, cracked these idle stones
The seal is worn from restless bones
Something has opened up the gate
The ground is breaking and it's too late 

A sea of darkness come over me
The silence penetrates, and I can't scream
Menacing madness in the fray
Watch me break as I slip away 

Save me from this unending pain

Crooked, cracked these idle stones
Crooked, cracked these idle stones
Crooked, cracked these idle stones

Drowning in a sea of blood and bone
Crawling, there is no one to save my soul

 Jim Bauer Music on Jango Radio
102 Idle Stones by Jim Bauer (Soundcloud)
Buy "Pink Flamingoes" by Jim Bauer on iTunes
Stream "Pink Flamingoes" by Jim Bauer (Apple iTunes Music)


Available at the following music outlets: iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Google Play, Deezer, Groove, Rhapsody, eMusic, Simfy Africa, iHeartRadio, MediaNet, VerveLife, Tidal, Gracenote, Shazam, 7Digital, Juke, Slacker, Guvera, KKBox, Akazoo, Anghami, Spinlet, Neurotic Media, Yandex, Target Music, ClaroMusica, Zvooq, Saavn, NMusic, 8tracks, Q.Sic, and Amazon on Demand

Baby Wants To Leave?

When it comes to music, heedless of the form or the style, or even the format or intent, I think having fun should always be a large part of the "process." In fact, there are many musicians who will tell you that some great music has been written through the ages with just the fun factor in mind. Whether it be an artist just sitting down and striking a few notes or a few chords in a progression that grabs the imagination, or a group of artists sitting together with a few cocktails and having a jam session.

Baio said he actually wrote Sister of Pearl while in an office, saw a guitar, and just started playing. Not that his song is stellar, and certainly I won't put that label on any of my work either, but certainly a song was written purely out of fun.

Sometimes it's just fun to pass the time as well.

After my wife joked about leaving for a couple of days, it inspired me to write this short ditty about the potential consequences of her making that choice. It's all in fun. My wife are very much in love, and neither of us are going anywhere.

But writing and putting this short little ditty was fun, and for that reason thought I'd share it with my readers to have fun with it also. It won't be hitting any Billboard charts any time soon, and I have no intention of picking out my next Bentley (I don't even have a first Bentley by the way) from any "royalties" from it. But even if all that comes from it is that I indeed had fun doing it, that is quite enough to satisfy me.

 

 



VOICES by JIM BAUER on iTunes
102 IDLE STONES by JIM BAUER on iTunes
JIM BAUER on JANGO RADIO
BAIO OFFICIAL SITE
JIM BAUER OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Kurt Vile's Pretty Pimpin

Kurt Vile is someone entirely new to me in the music world, and until I heard his song Life Like This, I had never heard of him before. After a few listens that song began to grow on me a bit, and then I became curious.

What else has he got?

And then I found one of the other songs from his latest album, b'lieve i'm goin down, this one called Pretty Pimpin, that I simply thought was a great example of indie sound, uniqueness, and a groove I can definitely get into.

Without sounding corny, the song is pretty pimpin.

It is played with a very simple, but groovy and hooky fingerstyle pattern, and I think this song, unlike Life Like This is a much better example of his musical talent and genius. I like Life Like This for its sheer simplicity of form and arrangement, but Pretty Pimpin, to my mind, is better, and I am not sure why this one didn't make it to the airwaves before the other one did.

Or perhaps it did and I just wasn't paying attention. After all, like I said, I had never heard of Kurt Vile before.

Having dabbled a bit in the indie scene myself, writing my own music, I like music that is not overly mainstream, not overly structured, and that is more like a piece of abstract art that one must see the message of with a discerning, yet keen eye to the underlying message. Kurt Vile manages to keep the song moving along nicely, and you never miss that the verses are really the chorus, it lacks a real bridge, and disobeys the "laws" of what defines great music. Pretty Pimpin stands well on its own as a solid track, and one that can be listened to over and over again, each time finding something new you did not hear before, and always appreciating every subsequent listen more than the former.

It may not be a masterpiece, but the song still fucking rocks!

 

 



Things In Herds, Always Disappear

One band that caught my attention very early on in the indie scene was Things In Herds comprised of Pete Lush and Miss Ping. Their song Always Disappear just had, what I felt, was a very whimsical and fun sound to it, and of course it was very different than a lot of other songs I had heard at the time. In many ways I thought that Things In Herds had an almost Coldplay like feel to it—although on a different level. Perhaps it was the pure rawness in the way that the song was presented, something I have always enjoyed when it comes to music of any style. Unpolished, pure, and of course fun and interesting.

Songs like these, and recording them in this way, is always reminiscent of old garage bands or those new groups you stumble upon in bars and nightclubs.

I enjoyed the song Always Disappear enough that I decided I wanted to tab it out for myself and give it a go. Back then I was new to recording and if I remember correctly, used N-Tracks to put together all of the parts. Most of the time when it comes to drums, I write those out using Fruity Loops—a little time consuming, but worth it in the end since I do not play drums and do not own a drum set, but of course want some percussion to accompany anything I happen to be playing.

While my cover doesn't nearly capture the true fun and whimsical nature of this song, I think it still accomplished what I wanted it to do when I recorded it.

Incidentally Things In Herds is one of those groups that have been fairly quiet on the scene for some time. I think they still play live, but I have not heard of anything new hitting the streets from them recently. Nonetheless, besides Always Disappear, there's plenty of other great songs from this band to enjoy. If I am to be on anything, it's that Pete Lush and Miss Ping do have something in the works, and hopefully we'll be hearing some new stuff from them soon.

 

 



Introduction To The Alternative And Indie Music Corner Blog

Perhaps it is that I was a child of the 80's that my taste in music has forever been a bit eclectic. Even when writing my own music, my style definitely defies the norm, and is more than a bit outside of the mainstream. The 80's at the time could have easily been defined as "mainstream," but certainly for its time it was a style of music that had its own place in time, and of course had its own distinct sounds. Like mullets and multi-colored outfits, the 80's are unmistakably obvious—you know it when you see it, and you know it when you hear it.

From very early on in my childhood I was interested in creating something all my own. Some of my friends probably thought I was a bit of an oddball, spending hours at a time in my own fantasy world of bright lights and adoring fans. I was always singing something, and 90% of the time it was something I made up. Knitting needles and hairbrushes were given new purpose as microphones, and my band was made up of vocalized percussion sets with lyrics of course mixed in.

One of my favorite bands at the time was The Talking Heads. There was something about that sound and certainly their style of music that just drew me in. I was hooked. And of course there was that first video I saw of them, with David Byrne dancing in a typical unusual style against a blue backdrop to Once In A Lifetime. To this day I still enjoy throwing in some Talking Heads music.

The thing is that there is so much great music out there if only you take the time to find it. I like my music interesting and different, rather than simply being spoon fed what is popular or who some radio marketing guy decides should be. And of course nowadays with the Internet, YouTube, Jango, and satellite radio, it's easier than ever to find those bands, signed or not, and hear some very interesting musical talent. Back in its day MySpace was actually a good place to seek out some really interesting and eclectic stuff you'd probably never have otherwise have ever had the opportunity to find. And many bands today actually get their start simply by getting noticed through channels that for artists in the past would have been impossible. Even Justin Bieber, regardless of what you think of him, would never have been discovered had it not been for things he posted on YouTube. If it would have happened anyway, and considering his undeniable talent I think it would have, it would not have been until much later on, and the work to get noticed would have been much harder.

How many great musicians, do you wonder, did we never get to hear from simply because the path to being heard had only one course? How many simply gave up and got jobs in factories or office buildings?

This page is devoted to my view of music. Here I wish to share what I find to be interesting and fresh, both from signed and unsigned bands alike. Here it is about sharing covers, great original new stuff, my own covers and originals, and anything else I think is worth sharing here. I hope you will enjoy whatever journey we wind up on, and if you have any suggestions for me for bands to check out do feel free to comment any time. Or if you would like me to check out your own stuff, I'd be more than happy to see what you've got.

The most important take away here should be that music is about sharing. It is about fun. It is about being different and embracing that. It is about tossing aside the mainstream and making way for enjoying what makes each artist unique and different. It is about letting the fans and the listeners decide who and what ultimately makes the airwaves, and what defines our own "mainstream."