Sixth Review: The Rob Hornfeck Enterprise

   For my last blog post, I wanted to talk about a genre of music that is found at most bars across the country. The genre I am referring to is jam rock. This style of music is completely different than all the other artists and musicians I have previously talked about because of one factor, improvisation. Many musical groups have fully constructed riffs and sections of their songs. For example, the Washington Saxophone Quartet plays sheet music so they will always play the same parts. A large number of professional rock groups like Jukebox the Ghost create songs with the intention of playing the melodies exactly the same at each performance. On the other hand, jam rock starts with organized chord progressions, but then sections of the song are left open for musicians to solo. The idea of improvisation and soloing may seem simple, but it is actually extremely difficult to pull off. You need at least a basic understanding of music theory for improvisation. It takes most musicians numerous years to become good improv soloists, and years more to master it.

   The Rob Hornfeck Enterprise is a rock jam band that formed in 2001. The group was founded by none other than Rob Hornfeck himself, who plays guitar and sings. He is the frontman and the only original member of the project. Hornfeck has performed with many different musicians, but he consistently plays with another guitarist, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. I asked Hornfeck's keyboardist, Thomas Mirus, about the group's influences, and he told me, "The band is influenced by older jam rock groups such as Frank Zappa and Phish, but you can hear many elements of funk and classic rock too." Hornfeck released his first album entitled The Rob Album, in 2001, and has released 5 albums since then. The Rob Hornfeck Enterprise primarily performs around Northern Virginia, but the group has performed in concerts and events all along the East Coast. The Rob Hornfeck Enterprise's next concert is May 12th at Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church.

Fifth Review: V

   V, or Virtuous V, is different than the previous groups because he is a M.C., rapper, and music producer in the D.C. metro area. He attends George Mason University, and speaks out about social issues. V informed me that he addresses, "A broad range of subjects focusing on dealing with poverty, drugs, crime, and overcoming such challenging circumstances." His music reflects the same philosophy, and he conducts workshops on poverty, self expression, violence, drugs, and global warming.

   He performed at the Sustainable Living Roadshow at George Mason University campus as well as at the 2012 George Mason Battle of the Bands. His music endeavors are not limited to this area though. He has had concerts in venues all over the United States. V has even performed in Paris, France!

   V has a variety of influences including: Jeezy, YoungDro, Damian Marley, Clipse, IseLyfe, Luda, Webbie, India Arie, T.I., Jill Scott, Biggie, Pac, and Michael Jackson.

   V is working on releasing a new album tentatively entitled Code Switch. He explained that the album "explores stereotypes about young black males and provides solutions on how to destroy them."

   If you wish to find out more information about V, you can visit his ReverbNation.com page http://www.reverbnation.com/vturf.

Fourth Review: Washington Saxophone Quartet

   For this review, I wanted to highlight the Washington Saxophone Quartet, a group that has been together for over 35 years. They play mostly older classical music, but they are still very active. WSaxQ plays multiple concerts every few months, and will perform about a dozen concerts around the United States every year. The ensemble is composed of 4 saxophone players. Each player plays a specific instrument.

   Reg Jackson plays soprano saxophone,
the highest pitch sax.
It is the smallest of the four saxes.

   Jim Steele plays the alto saxophone, 

the second highest pitch sax. 

The alto is slightly larger than the soprano.

   Rich Kleinfeldt plays the tenor saxophone,

the second lowest pitch sax. 

It is larger than both the soprano sax and alto sax.

   Rick Parrell plays the baritone saxophone,

the lowest pitch sax. It is the largest saxophone.

   I asked Rich Kleinfeldt to describe the sound of the quartet, and he said, "The instruments evoke the refined sounds of a string quartet, the rich harmonies of an organ prelude, and the excitement of a jazz sax section." People who hear them perform for the first time are usually surprised at the sounds and textures that just 4 saxophones are able to produce.

   WSaxQ has released 5 albums and toured all over the world, including two trips to China. They are one of the most widely hear saxophone quartets in the country. Additionally, you can hear their recordings on NPR's broadcast of "All Things Considered."

Click on this video to watch an interview with WSaxQ.

To find out more information about the Washington Saxophone Quartet, you can visit www.wsaxq.com.

Third Review: Jukebox the Ghost

   Another modern band that is extremely talented is Jukebox the Ghost. This band formed in 2003 in this area and fall under the category of pop rock. All the band members attended George Washington University. The band consists of singer and pianist, Ben Thornewill, singer and guitarist, Tommy Siegel, and drummer, Jesse Kristin. After graduation, they all decided to go directly into the music industry. They started touring in 2006 and released their first debut album, Let Live and Let Ghosts, in 2008. Then Jukebox the Ghost got a break opening up for Ben Folds in early 2009. Their second album, Everything Under the Sun, was released in 2010, and they released their third album, Safe Travels, this year.

Here is a music video of one of their first singles.

   This band recently came to George Mason University for the Opening Ceremony of Rogers and Whitetop, two new residential halls. The event was to promote how the buildings were LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. This means that the buildings were built to certain sustainability standards. Jukebox the Ghost performed outside on the lawn, and afterwards, I got to interview them. They talked about what is was like to come back to this area and college. Ben Thornewill commented, "College is a weird place because it's like a time machine. The people here are always the same age and they always wear the same college hoodies." They continued to talk about how they integrate sustainable methods into their touring. Tommy Siegel stated, "The band has applied for a grant from the government to do a green tour that will have less environmental impact."

If you wish to hear the band's music or find out more information you visit their webpage at http://jukeboxtheghost.com/

Second Review: Bearfoot

   Like I stated in my first review, I love music of all genres. My last post talked about my rock band, The Summer Floods, but for this post, I will change musical styles. I wanted to look into electronic music so I am going to talk about a local DJ artist who calls himself Bearfoot. His name is Ramy Zabarah. Yes, he is the lead singer in the Summer Floods, but he devotes much of his time developing another side of his musical endeavors.

   If you are not aware, being a disc-jockey is completely different that being a musician. Musicians have to play music in real time. They create the music in the moment. It usually involves multiple people coming together to play a full song.

   When you are a DJ, you are using pre-recorded tracks and songs. You are also the only one who is manipulating the sound. Disc-jockeys find parts of songs and mix them with other songs to create an entirely new piece. They use techniques like sampling, which involve taking small segments taken from songs and cleverly incorporating them into your DJ mix. When I asked Zabarah about what you have to think about when you DJ, he said:

   "When I'm DJing, there are a number things I have to pay attention to. Firstly, and most importantly, I have to think about beatmatching, a method that's essential to mixing. It's the altering of pitches and tempos to match the two songs in the mix rhythmically so that they play in unison. Other things I have to pay attention to are the EQ's (that is, the lows, mids, and highs of the songs that are playing) so that there is no interference or 'clipping' in the mix. I also have to make sure that I'm utilizing the method of harmonic mixing, which is mixing songs that are either in the same key or in keys that correspond to each other on the major or minor scale. On top of all of this, I always have to think about what I'm playing next and when to drop it into the mix."

   Bearfoot is playing at many house parties and is looking to start playing more professional venues soon. If you would like to know more information about Bearfoot, you can find him on Soundcloud at soundcloud.com/bearfootmusic. If you use Tumblr, you can follow him at thebearfoottimes.tumblr.com.

First Music Review: The Summer Floods

   This music review blog will focus on modern music and artists. I am going to find local bands and artists that perform in the area and elsewhere. I will write more on rock music since that is my passion, but I will discuss many artists from an array of genres. I enjoy listening to most genres of music, but I try to appreciate all of them. Every style of music from classical to rap, has listeners that emotional connect with it. It is important for me to keep this in mind when I listen to music that I personally don't enjoy.  I figured the first band I would review is my own band, The Summer Floods.

   The Summer Floods, formed in the summer of 2011. Our name was chosen after our practice space flooded multiple times throughout the summer. Many times, the floods actually prevented us from practicing so the band figured that The Summer Floods would be the most appropriate band name for us.

   Our genre is under the umbrella of rock music, but each member of the band brings his own musical influences. The singer, Ramy Zabarah, enjoys rock, electronic, and hip-hop. The bassist, Matt Harrison, likes rock, indie, and funk music. The drummer, Carl Walker, listens to heavier rock such as punk and metal, but he enjoys listening to other genres too. My name is Cooper Drummond, and I am the guitarist. I like rock music from most decades. I was influenced heavily by classic rock, but modern bands like the Black Keys and the Strokes are my favorite bands now. I find myself listening to a variety of music from classical and jazz to old and new electronic music. When I interviewed Matt Harrison and asked him to describe our band's sound, he said, "I think The Summer Floods are a rock band with influences of indie, punk, and dance genres."

   The Summer Floods have played at many house shows, bars, and events on George Mason University. Here is a video of our performance at the 2012 Mason Battle of the Bands.

   To find out more information about The Summer Floods, visit facebook.com/thesummerfloods. Also, you can find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/TheSummerFloods and Soundcloud at http://soundcloud.com/the-summer-floods. If you wish to hear our first single or live performances, check us out on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/thesummerfloods.