The Deeper the Music…

The More You Put Your Feelings Into Your Music…The Better

Just because I’m a “blogger” doesn’t mean that I’m just that. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English/Creative Writing last year. I never knew what I wanted to do with my degree and didn’t really even know if I’d use the writing at all. I learned so much more about myself and about the world while in college that I didn’t care what I took from the writing part. That thought was short lived, though, because I’m writing more than I ever thought I would. In reality, I learned more from being a writer and being in tune with myself and my feelings. Hell, I didn’t even want to have a blog website, now look at me.

It doesn’t matter what or who you write about, you write because you’re inspired by one thing/person or another. You make music for that reason as well.

The moral to my message is like the quote says, “When the pain penetrates, the music resonates”–You are typically inspired by pain, either to write or to make music. Our inner feelings and inner voice speak to us louder than any human being. The deeper the music, the more someone will remember/feel/share your pain. It’s the substance of what you’re saying that gets recognized. When you share your story, others relate to that, even if they’re not the same. I’m much more drawn to music that speaks to me rather than all that booty shakin’ shit. I love that stuff, too, don’t get me wrong but there’s a time and a place for it like in the club or if you need something upbeat to put you in a good mood.

Write with meaning, that’s how you’ll be remembered when you leave this earth.

The Soulful Jay Jones

Presenting Jay Jones

@JacobEJonesNap

You’ve probably seen him out downtown most likely playing his favorite instrument, the piano, at Howl at the Moon. If you’ve been to Howl, you know just how much talent it takes to master singing and playing the piano at the same time.  Howl at the Moon is a piano bar that takes requests from the drunkards in the audience. Jay then has to play whatever song they choose. With the different requests he gets, he and the band can improvise any song at any given time. The requests can be anywhere from The Eagles to Tim McGraw to Micheal Jackson or even Lil’ John. You can only imagine the range of music he can play just based on that.

Jay Jones playing the piano

Born Into Music

“I got my influence from my brother, as a kid my family was full of musicians and athletes. My older brother Devon played drums and would practice for hours with head phones on in my grandmother’s basement. He has toured since he was 17, you name the state or country, he has been there. My uncle played keyboard at Notre Dame in the 80’s, and my other uncle played bass and lead guitar.”

He told me when he was 7 years old there were all kinds of musical instruments in the basement at his grandma’s. When the adults left, they told Jay not to touch a thing. Do you think he listened?

Jay now makes a living performing at places such at Howl at the Moon in Indianapolis, and most recently The Penguin in Lexington, Kentucky which is also a piano bar with the same set up as Howl. After going with him last weekend to KY as his manager, I learned a lot more about Jay that I hadn’t known. I knew he was talented and did this for money. I was even aware of how significant his fan base already is. The thing I wasn’t aware of was just how talented he truly is. He can play the guitar, drums, the piano, writes songs, makes beats and occasionally plays the organ! Who does that? Jay Jones! He has

also performed at the CMA Music Awards.. Do your research, yeah that’s country.

Jay Jones playing the drums

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/jay-jones-24
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/jayjonespiano
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/JayJones808

Musical Influences–Besides the Fam

“Call me crazy, but I like to listen to Sly and the Family Stone, Jay-Z’s old stuff, The Eagles, Doobie Brothers, Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, that band that sang More than Words. I listen to all kinds of stuff. Tim McGraw got some good stuff, that Bar-B-Que stain song, John Mayer, Young lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Lenny Kravitz, Steely Dan..”

His musical influences are many which is why he makes different music– for different people and for different feelings. During an interview on Tuesday on eventlevel.com with Daniel Bradshaw and his crew, he told everyone he grew up with a wide range of music and mostly owes that to his older brother, Devon Jones. Because the family instilled such a desire for music in Jay, he takes on the sound of a soulful musician everytime he steps to the mic or the piano–Or both.

Jay Jones playing the guitar

“I would like to win an award like a BET, Grammy, MTV, CMA, and take one of those girls you see in the Drake and Trey Songs videos on a date.. lol or one of the nice young ladies off the Bad Girls Club. Lamon Brewster is a great friend of the family. His cousin Jo Jo and I are really good friends. Lamon is the former heavy weight champion of the world and also a great music producer. I wanted some of fans to be on the look out for the collaboration. Stay tuned to the tracks coming soon!

Azmyth Recording Studio

Azmyth Recording Studio and School?

If Azmyth Recording isn’t putting Nap on the map, then I don’t know who is. They have brought in talent and worked with names like Eminem, Mike Posner, Kirko Bangz and so many more. They are currently welcoming any student who is eager to learn about the behind-the-scenes magic and who wants to pursue a career in music. An engineer’s job is not an easy one and having Azmyth to consult and learn from is a great opportunity to build musical talent. They teach you every aspect of the job in order to prepare you for what really goes down in the studio.

Kold Kut

“Azmyth was started by Ryan Adkins after he became frustrated with high recording prices and the unfriendly corporate atmosphere, he decided to start his own business venture. In June of 1999, Azmyth Recording was born Azmyth School of Music Technology was started to feed the need of teaching the youth about our craft. We started in May of 2011. You can find more info on our website on www.azmythrecording.com.”

Ryan Adkins and Eminem at Azmyth

Two of Azmyth’s engineers are Ryan Adkins and Travis “Kold Kut” Moore. You can check out them and the other engineers on the staff page of the Azmyth website (http://www.azmythrecording.com/staff). Both of them have a representable resume along with Zig, Shecky,and Mike Lyons at Azmyth. Ryan is the studio owner/chief engineer and Mike Lyons is the studio manager/engineer. The other guys are producers/engineers and damn good at what they do. Their website is a great tool to find out more about  what Azmyth has done and what they will do

National Acts

According to Kut, Azmyth has worked with “local, regional, and national acts of all genres such as notable national acts: Eminem, Mike Posner, Kirko Bangz, Project Pat, and Aimee Allen. Just continuing to be the premier recording studio in the state of Indiana as well as building our school is our focus.”

Kold Kut and Mike Posner

According to Azmyth’s website, Ryan Adkins’ “work speaks for itself, working with many national acts such as, Eminem & D-12, Haste The Day, Young Buck, Emery, 8-Ball & MJG, Eboni Foster, Cappadonna (of the Wu-Tang Clan), Mike Epps, Aimee Allen, Lil Flip, David Chastain, Lamar Campbell, Brazil, Still Remains, Demiricous, Scott Russo (of Unwritten Law) and many more.”

Local Talent that Works with Azmyth

I’ve written about some of the acts these guys have produced– PI-C, Peter Haze, and John Overton. These links will take you straight to the article written about them.

That Boi JA– “Shots” The Mixtape 7.24.12

“Shots” The Mixtape

@ThatBoiJA1988

“I decided to do this particular theme for my mixtape because alcohol is so strong in today’s society, JA said. ” Not only that but I am calling it that because people drink for many different reasons.  I believe that this mixtape  is so strong and based off of feelings and what goes on in my life, which is why I’m giving it to you”

The first time I heard JA, I couldn’t help but be in shock. He gave me cold chills as he put a beat on and spit a song from his phone. Just to give you a snap shot that this guy is different —His father is a pastor so God is his number 1. He writes like no other artist I’ve written about so far. He is a full time artist and student. He is often inspired to be different than everyone and that he is. He most definitely has that competitive edge/advantage. Check out the release of the mixtape on July 24! A new single drops tomorrow at 6 p.m. to give you all a lil’ taste! Also check out the guy who promotes JA so well: @DaTPrOmODuDe

He doesn’t write just one genre of music– he eats, breathes and sleeps music, not just hip hop or R&B. If you are expecting to hear from him what everyone else is saying, then you better not listen to it but if you do, you’re going to like it. The best music has messages and you’re going to get plenty of them from JA!

“My brother brought hip-hop into my life at an early age.  The first rapper that I ever heard was Notorious B.I.G.  The way he told his story and his message touched my heart from the beginning.  I wanted to tell my story just like he did.  No matter what anyone said or how they felt.”

“I have been rapping ever since I can remember. Maybe 6.  I love real hip-hop and music that has a message in it.  In five years I plan on being known all over the world,” said JA. “I want my music to inspire listeners and let them know  that everyone is special in their own way.  I want to be the face of the new generation and bring truth to hip-hop.  I want people to know that there is some positive rap and that everything doesn’t have to be negative.”

Everyone goes in and out of certain feelings. Sometimes it’s hard for us to capture how we feel because if we say it out loud, someone might look at us like we’re stupid. But that’s why music is so important to our culture. It captures feelings we relate to and we don’t have to say a word. That is why JA wrote these songs for his mixtape. Everyone of them is a different feeling and he is honestly inspired so often so you can expect the good music to keep on comin’.

http://ja.bandzoogle.com/ja.cfm

“When I write my music,  its usually based off of a particular feeling.  Because I am dedicated to making honest and real music, I put everything that deals with me into my music.  Everything has to have a message,” JA said. ” I think if I was to just write whatever came to my head it wouldn’t be good and it wouldn’t have any substance.  I am blessed to be able to write fast, so once I have a topic and know what I want to write, the process goes by very fast.”

 

Hip Hop and Its Prominent Culture

Hip Hop Isn’t Just a Genre of Music….

Culture brings people together. Music brings people together and music is culture. When we have art of any kind, we get through the monotony of life. Sometimes we need that escape. Anything else we can zone into besides the routine of our everyday lives, keeps up going and it keeps us positive about the future. We have to fulfill our lives in other ways besides work and relationships. Music, painting and poetry are just a few examples of the art that, in a sense, saves our lives when nothing else seems to be going right. 

Hip hop is so incorporated into our American culture, you cannot deny the impact it has on this generation, and not to mention the generations before us. From the clothes we wear, to the music we listen to, to the language we speak, hip hop is all around us. It’ become s so engraved in our sociey that most of us don’t even pay attention to it or even know it’s there. And maybe I’m going out on a limb here but I think that interracial relationships have become more common over the years because of the culture as well.

http://h2c2harlem.com/

H2C2–Read up on it yourself!

Real Hip Hop Culture

In Harlem,  the Hip Hop Culture Center provides a visual description of the importance of the hip hop culture in America. The exhibit was developed to educate the youth about the culture and how it came to be. There’s a lot more to the culture than the music. Hip hop began in the 70’s so there’s a built up history that we need to teach the newer generation. The hip hop some of you are thinking of shouldn’t include children, but I’m not talking about the words or ideas (curses or sexual references) you hear in hip hop music because I know there are narrow minds out there and I know what you’re thinking. It’s about creative expression, however, according to H2C2’s website, and I couldn’t say that any different myself. It’s about teaching the youth about how we got to be where we are today and where we are going with the culture.