A new series of thoughts on music from characters Tim and Tip.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the video are solely those of the characters, not Grown Folks Music or the diseased brain of their creator(me). Enjoy!

Only slightly objectionable language is this clip.

Ahh… what better time to wax philosophically than a Monday morning. Yeah right. But something has been on my mind for a while now and I just wanted to commit a few words to what I’ve been thinking about.

I’m wondering if this concept of “Grown Folks Music” has always been with us? Is it a natural progression in musical taste as one matures? Or is the concept a fairly recent development( and by recent I mean the last 20 years or so) spurred on by a perception of a downgrade in the quality of popular music. Really and truly that’s what we are discussing here, popular music because there has always been great music that for one reason or another does not become popular so unfortunately it is not part of the discussion.

Look at this list of song titles and artists for a moment….

I’ll Be There-The Jackson 5
Master Blaster(Jammin)-Stevie Wonder
Love Takes Time-Mariah Carey
Bag Lady-Erykah Badu
Can’t Be Friends-Trey Songz

The reason I selected these songs is because they just happen to be the #1 R&B single this week of their respective decade from 1970-2010. What I’m curious to know was there a group of music lovers on 1970 who identified themselves as followers of a particular standard who had a disdain for The Jackson Five? Certainly there are persons who have always identified with other forms of music and loathe pop, but I’m curious to know if we can honestly look at these songs decade by decade, artist by artist and say that there was a critical mass of music lovers who yearned for a higher standard for their pop music and were vocal about it.

What say you? What are the origins of GFM? Recent phenomenon or has this concept been with us since the second generation began playing music the first generation didn’t like?

A great article posted by a great friend to GFM! Here is the direct link to the original blog post.

Posted by Kaniele on Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Why would you sign up for Ping?? That’s the question that lots of Apple and iTunes users have been asking in addition to artists. Ping is Apple’s version of Facebook/Twitter that allows people to network on their iTunes platform. The idea seems lofty; people are heavily using the other sites currently. To add another network would be to build up your followers all over again. Apple however has the benefit of being the proprietor of the largest record store on the planet. That power can be a blessing and a curse.

So let us dissect this a little bit….

Currently there is way more cons to the service than pros. One huge issue I have as a music fan is that many of the “indie artists” that I love do not have pages. They will need to be invited by Apple first. Twitter and Facebook don’t require this. The artists that have pages are obviously being handled by the labels rather than personally which again takes away the true networking that could be accomplished by the actual artists interacting. Also, the layout starts to get really cluttered after awhile. I can’t imagine what it will look like once people really start using the service. There is no clear benefit of adding friends versus artists or both. Concerns I have are royalty and packaging/pricing issues that Apple has historically had. I do not purchase from iTunes when I know that the artists are being shortchanged in any way. I would hope that Apple works this out to the artists’ benefit before this really gets going.

The pros that I see are in the potential of the service. If music blog sites (maybe even rather than artists themselves) utilized ping, it would allow you to explore the artists that are highlighted with links to previous/other work that they’ve done. What I love about iTunes is that you enter and artist and anything they are credited on will populate. Another pro of blog sites using the service would be getting a more personalized music experience based on the music you like which could in turn offer more selection combining the sites offerings with Genius. As a consumer, I am much more interested in variety. Having artist specific pages is encouraging the Stan mentality rather than musical diversity.

Another benefit would be adding a “one stop shop” for frequent readers of said blogs. If I had access to say “Grown Folks Music” on ping, I could see and shop all in one location. It would be in lieu of the websites or even Twitter and Facebook, but in addition to. I would also like to see DJ’s using ping more to highlight some of the artists that they incorporate into their mixes.

I realize that this is new technology and Apple has consistently shown that they will continue to revamp a product until its perfect so I have no fear that in maybe the next few months this will be a product I will use more. I just hope that they listen to both the indie artists and the fans in opening up their social network…so we can indeed network.

About the author: Dani Hill- Pretty random…just…you know…doin me. I appreciate sunshine in any form. Add me on Ping…Kaiulani Hill!!

You can also follow Dani on Twitter @KaiulaniHill

Time really does fly when you are having fun… I wanted to mark today by re-posting my very first GFM posting from one year ago today as well as provide some links to a few of my favorite rants and reviews.

You know this journey for me all began on Twitter. In the Summer of 2009, I began to notice some intriguing tweets from @grownfolksmusic, then a dialogue began between us and then as is often said: the rest is history.

Social Media is a tool and just like any other tool you will have persons who will use that tool to build and others who will either have no purpose at all or can unfortunately use the tool for destructive purposes.

I feel very fortunate to be aligned with a team of folks who are committed to the preservation of the rich musical heritage of great music of all styles and genres, throughout the ages, with an eye for highlighting those artists who embody that legacy in our contemporary musical conversation.

This certainly is no easy charge and with the sheer volume of musical output today we may miss some gems and sometimes we may highlight something that you disagree with, but at the end of the day please know that GFM puts the music first. No wannabe celebs here, there’s too music to listen to for that, there’s still too much work to be done to insure that subsequent generations aren’t even further disconnected from their musical heritage by market forces. Yes it’s that serious. I’m not anti-industry, I’m just anti-mediocrity. So whoever aligns themselves with the mediocre and tries to pass that off as music I will be critical of.

Finally, I really want to extend my most heartfelt thanks to the entire GFM Staff for being gracious enough to provide me with a forum for all of my rants and raves, providing me with a platform to get to know some amazing artists all over the world through the reviews and interviews that I have been assigned. Sometimes I think my family feels that I have a somewhat Snuffleupagusesque online life where they often chide me about who I allegedly interviewed… all thanks to GFM!

This has been a great 365 I cannot wait to see what the next 365 will bring…

First post for GFM August 27, 2009

The purpose of this post is to begin a discussion that I believe is long overdue. I’m talking about the scarcity of “bands” in Grown Folks Music over the last two decades. First let me begin with how I’d like to define “band” for the purposes of this discussion. Band – A self-contained musical ensemble comprised of singers, musicians and often writers, that functions with the sole purpose of advancing the musical identity of the group through live performance, recordings etc.

First for a point of clarity, I’m speaking about the scarcity of bands [as I have defined them] in the mainstream. There are numerous fantastic bands in every section of this country creating new and vibrant music that would clearly be defined as Grown Folks Music. As we continue this dialog there will be ample opportunity to highlight these wonderful groups and bring them to a much deserved, and wider audience. But I want this discussion to begin with a look at the broad media and musical consciousness of 2009.

Let’s begin with a simple exercise: Name three bands that you consider to be Grown Folks Music, who have had major visibility (songs charting, videos shown daily etc.)in the last decade. Okay you probably can name at least one. Now repeat the exercise for the decade of the 1990’s on back to the beginning of the recorded music industry. Do you notice a trend? What do you believe are some of the factors for the decline in the marketing of bands vs. solo artists or vocal groups? Are these factors social? Economic? What part has technology played?

Having played in numerous bands, I realize the difficulty in maintaining a cohesive unit of players over a few months let alone decades. But the fact remains although it is a struggle it can be done. Rolling Stones? U2? It’s not just the fact that these bands continue to tour because fortunately there are Grown Folks Music bands from bygone eras that continue to tour incessantly to this day. I’m sure I’m not the first person to draw this comparison but I often think of the P-Funk Allstars as a brown version of the Grateful Dead. P-Funk like the Dead has never needed a record out to draw hundreds of thousands of fans. But I digress. What’s most important in the discussion of groups like U2 and The Rolling Stones is that they continue to be relevant in the mainstream consciousness. That doesn’t happen by accident.

I’m really interested to hear your thoughts and opinions on this matter. Now remember at this point in our dialog we are starting at the broadest point possible. In other words, look at an artist that has a very broad appeal and ask why is there not a band equivalent in appeal to that artist. As you work through the exercise above (in the third paragraph) you will find that there have been moments where you have had bands with the same amount of appeal and there will be decades like this one where there are few bands with mass appeal. You may also find that there are decades where there is an inverse relationship and you will be hard pressed to find an artist or group with the mass appeal of a band.

Have fun and please drop us a line, we look forward to hearing from you. Now you’re with the band.

Some favorite rants and raves over the past year.

First interview I conducted ever in life and for GFM
Meshell Ndegeocello Interview

First review I wrote ever in life and for GFM
City Lights Vol. 2-Shibuya

First phone interview for GFM(I was a little nervous, Chinah Blac was so cool I was instantly at ease)
Chinah Blac Audio Interview

One of my many rants
Mac vs. PC

Download here.

Both contemporary and classic, Dayna Lynn’s music is called Progressive Soul-Jazz: where intricate harmonies make a bed for smoothly executed melodies. It combines the heart of soul music with the intellect of jazz. Her songs are carefully composed masterpieces where she is both songwriter and arranger. As food for the mind and water for the spirit, her lyrics create a looking glass through which her listeners see themselves and their world, and are thus motivated to make a change.

Dayna Lynn’s upcoming release, “The Call” (June 2010), is fresh and timeless. The music is familiar yet, unmistakably unique. The title track was written in 2005 and inspired by the violence and ongoing crisis in Darfur, Sudan. However, it is an anthem for peace everywhere and a herald to all people: peace is the answer. The album is full of soulful grooves and jazz-laced classic songs that seek to galvanize and empower the masses.

A graduate of Chicago’s premiere fine arts high school, The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Dayna Lynn is a singer, songwriter, pianist and flautist. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in vocal jazz from Webster University in St. Louis. She has music directed and composed/arranged music for several musical theatre productions including Congo Square Theatre’s Black Nativity (adapted by Mike Malone) and Ifa Bayeza’s The Adventures Kid Zero.

Dayna Lynn on Soundcloud

So I wanted to post this track from Kelly Rowland just to gauge what folks feel really makes music “grown”. Is the subject matter? Is it the music? What truly makes music “Grown Folks Music”? I’m kind of torn on this cut in the sense that I hear what Kelly is saying loud clear(which I can appreciate) but it’s kind of hard for me to consider this music grown when I keep hearing Rihanna or Ciara or Keri Hilson or (insert “young” artist here) singing this track. Maybe my old fuddy duddiness is starting to show. What are your thoughts? How would you make this call: Grown or not? Hit us up in the comment section!

How the series works is first a manifesto of sorts is posted for each focus area, followed by a commentary on each point of the manifesto with not only rhetoric but some workable solutions. We would love for this process to be as interactive as possible so after the initial posting of each manifesto we would love to hear your feedback and incorporate your ideas into the commentary portion of the series.

Remember this is all in love!

The Grow the Hell up Manifesto(Artist Edition)Commentary

1. Act your age not your shoe size.
You would think that this should go without saying, but just as in life as we grow and mature why should what we create be any different? If your world view is the same as it was when you were 17 and now your over 40 then either you were a very mature fully formed 17 year old or you’ve got a whole lot of growing to do.

2. Learn that the most important aspect of social media is the social aspect.
Some “artists” should not use social media. I’m not making that statement as some arbiter of all that is hip, but it took me a longtime to realize that a lot of people don’t live the lives that they sing about. In fact many, are often more intelligent in the lyrics than in real life. Also, it’s ok to engage with fans or other interested parties who follow your career. Of course you cannot possibly answer every tweet or request but every now and then it looks really good when you poke your head out of the ivory tower and speak to the commoners below.

3. Whenever possible, try to be as knowledgeable about the craft of music that you are involved in. The craft first, the business second.
This has been a recurring theme in many of my blog posts. I can never get over the fact that in music, it is often the people that know the least about it that are the most successful. How does that work? Again, I’m not advocating for a conservatory trained new society of musicians, but what I am demanding is at least know the basics. If I hear one more person gloat about how successful they are and how much they don’t know about music, there’s going to be a problem. Obviously there are some people who through their productions show how much they don’t know, but think about this for a minute: Would you really go to someone for any type or service or product who proudly boasted to you that they had absolutely no idea what they were doing?

4. You’re not hot until someone other than your “peoples”, moms or play cousins says so…unprompted.
If you say you’re hot, you are absolutely not. If you listen to people who are close to you who are afraid to tell you the truth, again you are not hot. Hot comes from when someone who does not know you, has nothing to gain from your success tells you that they appreciate what you do. Artists we’ve got to work something out with a middle ground between necessary promotion and humility. Truth be told a lot of artists and my other favorite buzzword “producers” need to stay on #3 for awhile before even considering #4.

5. Realize that if you don’t stay true to yourself, that whatever you produce, it’s been done before.
Please can we agree that you will sing, rap or whatever about what you know about? Why are you talking about putting out a “Club Banger” when you are at home every Friday and Saturday booed up watching Lifetime? I’m not advocating for a bunch of people to run out to the “club” because lord knows I’m usually at home watching the “History Channel” but again, I’m old. Let’s just make this agreement as we “Grown the Hell Up” we let our stay true to who we are. The other thing is, if you are going to make music turn off You Tube, BET, etc., etc., before you do so. When you listen to everyone else, guess what happens? Actually, you know what, you can listen to those outlets, so that you know exactly what not to do. Stop listening to everyone else, and especially stop listening to these “music industry” people because they know absolutely nothing about music.

6. Get out of your bedroom, off your laptop and in front of people.
Music sounds very different “out of the box” both literally and figuratively. Everyone needs the instant feedback of live performance. For better or worse it builds character, stamina and of course the benefits of building a following if you are good at what you do and an interesting live act. Also, it’s just a good idea to make music sometimes without the benefit of quantization, pitch correction or proxy.

7. Patience: Ask yourself are you trying to make cash or a career? If you are trying to make cash go study to be an attorney.
I cannot tell you how many silly circular debates that I have had with people about music vs. money. Let’s get something straight from the gate: Musicians play, write and produce music because they have to. It is an inner urge that has to be met. In other words if you have to use the bathroom you have to use it. You are not going to stop and think well how much are you going to pay me to use the bathroom? Because see if you can turn going to the bathroom on and off based upon how much money is on the table, I’m questioning whether or not you really had to go in the first place. If you want to do music, do music. If you want a certain lifestyle go get the training that those persons received who live that particular lifestyle. The money comes after the music and is only an added benefit to getting the music out. The money is not the benefit in and of itself.

8. Evaluate: Are you indie by choice or default?
Think about this one long and hard before you answer.

9. Define: Your definition of what it means to be grown/adult should not come from Vivid Enertainment, Skinemax or Joe Francis. Being grown means a lot more than what those companies sell. Being grown means being responsible, not perfect and certainly not a prude, but responsible.
Can we just talk for a minute? Being sexually provocative on record or video is so played out it is not even funny. You know why? Because doing that is not shocking anymore and it is certainly not revolutionary. The last person in my opinion who was able to pull it off(pun not intended)was Prince in the late 70′s, early 80′s. So I tell you this: Please, put it away, thanks the Management.

10. Understand that if you keep hearing, that your music is not that great…it might not be that folks are hating, it might be…
I cannot say it any nicer, some of you out there your music might just really suck. If we don’t get back to some damn standards and honest criticism the music is not going to get any better. Some folks don’t even need to consider leaving there day job, part-time job, Summer job or whatever. Why would someone “hate” on something that’s clearly not good, they’re not hating they’re doing you a favor. Here’s a little bit of advice: In order to receive criticism you have to be willing to listen…if you have a problem listening, you may have a problem making music because the two go together like corn flakes and milk.

Part of the labor of love here at GFM. This is done all in love, because we are all lover’s of great(not necessarily popular) music here. While I believe that we should spend a certain amount of effort to “Save the Music” that initiative may need to undergo some rethinking/re-tooling into a top-down as opposed to bottom up approach. Why should we ever encourage a child to learn an instrument or to write music so that they can be mediocre at best? Our children and our society deserve much more than the mediocrity that has become par for the course.

We want to know — who are your TOP FIVE favorite “grown folks music” artists or groups?

1.)  Just tweet us your list, retweet the contest, and you’ll be entered.  Don’t forget to tag it #gfmcontest so we can keep track of all the entries!  We’ll pick our favorites and feature them on the site over the week and hope you’ll join us in the debate (and appreciation) that follows! The contest ends on Friday May 8th at midnight…so get tweeting!

If you want to sign up for Twitter, click here.   Is Twitter not for you?   We still wanna hear from you. Leave a comment with your Top 5 and tell us why!

*Only Twitter responses will be eligible for this contest.