Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Five Funky Stories:: Gravity Wave
Well now, HPX is well and truly underway, and so it's time to dispense with the random question asking, and get on to the live music watching. Well, almost time, as we've got a few more of these posts to get you fully fired up. This one here is with the rather interesting fellow you see below, Toronto's Gravity Wave.
Gravity Wave is mainly Mr. Ken Farrell, but he's been joined by a cast of contributors, including at one point members of the white-hot Rural Alberta Advantage. Farrell is a purveyor of, as the Ack said when he reviewed GW's last album, Conjecture, "stripped down, art heavy electro jams", and those jams are as interesting as the above pic and Ken's answers below would indicate he is. Farrell is releasing his new album, Gambol, on Nov. 3rd, so there should be plenty on new material in his set when he plays on Saturday at Gus' with The Gideons, Sports, Maylee and PEGWEE POWER!!! and The Elwins. On to the questions:
Name: Kenneth Farrell (or Party Leader or Gravy or The Dickinsfield Daredevil or Gruffy, depends what YOUR name is))
Band: Gravity Wave
Web: www.thegravitywave.com
1. From your perspective, is the music business in better or worse shape when compared to 10 years ago?
First, I wasn't in it ten years ago, so you're welcome music business, here I am. But thinking critically, I'd have to say: better shape. DIY recordings are sounding better and are getting cheaper to produce. Internet distribution is connecting artists and audiences with fewer middlemen carving in to the pie. The number of people who make a living from music seems to be in decline and the number of total of releases each year is escalating, so I get a sense that more and more, music is the product of love and not moneylust.
2. If we commissioned you to write a song about herohill, what would the title be?
Let's Get Centrifuged
3. Have you ever played a keytar?
Only a cardboard cutout of one, but even that prop was too "playing an instrument" for me. I gotta be free to sing and dance with my peoples. Don't get me wrong, Dan Werb rocks his keytar, but I'll stick to the choreography, thank you.
4. What excites you about most about making music?
It gets me higher than sex or drugs. I'm pretty good at all three, but music is special. I can play with it and break its rules and the less I care about the product the more it rewards me with results. It's the one process in my life that is free from doubt or insecurity or fear, and it has been my salvation in the darkest of times. If that's not exciting, what is?
5. What are your top 3 favorite songwriting topics?
1~ Unromance - Frank Zappa was right. The goal is not love. It does not end with love. It begins with love. The goal is to act lovingly. So, I don't write romantic songs that pine for a lover, I write songs that love the listener. 2~ Songs about songs - self-awareness, enlightenment, songs that know they are songs. 3~ Absurdity - art without meaning, which may not exist, and therefore merits an attempt to prove it, like the concept of 'hammer of peace', or this theorized force called 'gravity wave'.
Gravity Wave is mainly Mr. Ken Farrell, but he's been joined by a cast of contributors, including at one point members of the white-hot Rural Alberta Advantage. Farrell is a purveyor of, as the Ack said when he reviewed GW's last album, Conjecture, "stripped down, art heavy electro jams", and those jams are as interesting as the above pic and Ken's answers below would indicate he is. Farrell is releasing his new album, Gambol, on Nov. 3rd, so there should be plenty on new material in his set when he plays on Saturday at Gus' with The Gideons, Sports, Maylee and PEGWEE POWER!!! and The Elwins. On to the questions:
Name: Kenneth Farrell (or Party Leader or Gravy or The Dickinsfield Daredevil or Gruffy, depends what YOUR name is))
Band: Gravity Wave
Web: www.thegravitywave.com
1. From your perspective, is the music business in better or worse shape when compared to 10 years ago?
First, I wasn't in it ten years ago, so you're welcome music business, here I am. But thinking critically, I'd have to say: better shape. DIY recordings are sounding better and are getting cheaper to produce. Internet distribution is connecting artists and audiences with fewer middlemen carving in to the pie. The number of people who make a living from music seems to be in decline and the number of total of releases each year is escalating, so I get a sense that more and more, music is the product of love and not moneylust.
2. If we commissioned you to write a song about herohill, what would the title be?
Let's Get Centrifuged
3. Have you ever played a keytar?
Only a cardboard cutout of one, but even that prop was too "playing an instrument" for me. I gotta be free to sing and dance with my peoples. Don't get me wrong, Dan Werb rocks his keytar, but I'll stick to the choreography, thank you.
4. What excites you about most about making music?
It gets me higher than sex or drugs. I'm pretty good at all three, but music is special. I can play with it and break its rules and the less I care about the product the more it rewards me with results. It's the one process in my life that is free from doubt or insecurity or fear, and it has been my salvation in the darkest of times. If that's not exciting, what is?
5. What are your top 3 favorite songwriting topics?
1~ Unromance - Frank Zappa was right. The goal is not love. It does not end with love. It begins with love. The goal is to act lovingly. So, I don't write romantic songs that pine for a lover, I write songs that love the listener. 2~ Songs about songs - self-awareness, enlightenment, songs that know they are songs. 3~ Absurdity - art without meaning, which may not exist, and therefore merits an attempt to prove it, like the concept of 'hammer of peace', or this theorized force called 'gravity wave'.
MP3:: Gravity Wave - The Great One
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/gravywave
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