Music Festival

Along with the tracklist for Olivia Rodrigo’s hotly anticipated sophomore album, “Guts,” came its total time — 39 minutes — which has rather inexplicably led to hundreds of complaints online that the album is somehow short-changing her fans due to its apparently brief length. “So short!” one fan complained. “They really be calling anything a ‘Album’ nowadays huh,” groused another. “So basically an EP,” wrote another. “I think I’m speaking for everyone who feels like we miss when albums used to be longer than an hour,” one more articulate reader wrote.

It’s hard to know where to begin in refuting any such criticism, but we’ll dive right in.

First: 39 minutes is not a short album. In fact, that was around the average length in the days when vinyl ruled the music world and an artist could only fit a maximum of around 18 minutes on each side of a vinyl album without a loss in sound quality. There were exceptions, of course — Todd Rundgren and Elvis Costello are just two artists who indulged in “groove-cramming,” as the latter termed it on his 20-song 1980 album “Get Happy!” — but some of the greatest albums in history clock in at less than 40 minutes, including the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Revolver,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” Aretha Franklin’s “Lady Soul” (29 minutes!), David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars” and countless others.

Second: Size doesn’t matter — it’s what you do with it. Pardon the off-color analogy, but it holds as true for music as many other things. Some of the greatest albums in history are less than 40 minutes long — or even less than 30 minutes (see the classic Aretha Franklin and Creedence Clearwater Revival albums) and you’re not likely to hear many complaints. How many people even noticed that “Lady Soul” — which many feel to be Aretha’s greatest album — is less than a half hour long? Probably very few — they were too busy dancing or crying or making babies to it.

Third: In the TikTok era, a quick hit goes a long way. Album — and song — lengths have grown and shortened with advances in technology, and the current era is perhaps the most dramatic example. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, as vinyl sound fidelity improved and double albums became more common, songs and albums grew longer: Bob Dylan’s 1965 single “Like a Rolling Stone” was jammed onto one side of a 7” single; Stevie Wonder found himself with too much music even for two full vinyl discs on his 1976 “Songs in the Key of Life,” so he threw in an extra 7” EP with even more music.

This trend grew even more in the CD era, as artists rushed to fill every minute of the CD’s 80-minute capacity (or, worse, every minute of multiple CDs) and you ended up with nearly an hour and a half of music from one-hit wonders — and that trend has continued into the streaming age, as artists realized they could pad their streaming numbers by adding more and more songs.

But the popularity of music on TikTok has revolutionized songwriting as well as social media. Sure, countless artists are making songs blatantly, annoyingly designed for that platform, but it’s also trained some artists to play to the short attention spans of this era and make their point quickly, leaving the audience wanting more: Artists like PinkPantheress and Tierra Whack write complete songs, with verses, choruses and even bridges, that can clock in at 90 seconds or less. PinkPantheress’ 2021 EP “To Hell With It” has 10 songs at 18-and-a-half minutes, and it’s a fully satisfying listen. The “deluxe” edition of Ice Spice’s “Like..?” EP has 11 songs in 24 minutes (three songs and eight minutes more than the original version).

And even a relatively traditional recording artist like Sam Smith managed to fill their stellar latest album, “Gloria,” with 11 full songs covering a wide variety of styles within the 33-minute mark.

How many albums have a couple of hot songs and an hour of filler? Far too many to even begin listing. And it’s not like anyone except vinyl collectors will be buying Rodrigo’s new album, which can be heard in its full 39-minute glory for the cost of a streaming subscription after it drops next month.

One of my many edicts as an editor is “Don’t waste your readers’ time!” That applies to music as well. And on that note (mic drop).  

source

Fans of live music and Waco spring nights can sample both this weekend in two concert series, one long-established and the other a newcomer, kicking off their 2023 seasons.

Brazos Nights, the older of the two, will return in full to Indian Spring Park on Friday night, with long-established Texas country/pop/Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel capping a varied musical program, punctuated by a first-time aerial drone show between acts.

Saturday night features the launch of the Levitt AMP Waco Music Series at Bridge Street Plaza, the first of 10 Saturday night dates for the new concert series and one showcasing local musical, artistic and other talent each week. First up is Taushey Sias and the Waco Community Choir.

Brazos Nights, the city’s free concert series held monthly April through June with a Fourth of July finale at McLane Stadium’s Touchdown Alley, returns to Indian Spring Park for the first time in four years. City parks director Jonathan Cook noted that pandemic disruptions canceled the 2020 season and, coupled with Suspension Bridge restoration work last year, moved the music series to Heritage Square.

Moving Brazos Nights back to its longtime location made Austin’s Asleep at the Wheel, which has played several Brazos Nights shows over the years, an appropriate selection for the occasion, Cook said. The iconic band plays a broad range of overlapping styles, including Western swing, country, pop, blues and jazz, earning nine Grammy Awards in the process. Leader Ray Benson started the band more than 50 years ago and knows Waco well, most recently playing a Christmas show last year at the Waco Hippodrome. The band’s notoriously revolving lineup, now numbering more than 100 former players, also has featured several Waco musicians over the years.

Also bringing the music on Friday is veteran Waco mariachi band Mariachi Azteca, which will open the evening, and Austin soul/pop singer and guitarist Jackie Venson. The 33-year-old Austin native, who’s released four studio albums, recently won national attention for playing guitar with Alanis Morissette at the CMT Music Awards.

The drones will make their Waco debut between Venson and Asleep at the Wheel at approximately 8:30 p.m. with 150 drones outfitted with lights taking flight to make illuminated patterns in the sky.

The show will take place several hundred feet above the Brazos River between the Washington Avenue and Suspension bridges, with a Waco-themed program that, in honor of Saturday’s reopening, features a tip of the hat to the Waco Suspension Bridge. Visual effects company Sky Elements also has staged shows for the Grammy Awards, Dallas’ New Year’s Eve and Austin’s SXSW Music Festival.

In addition to the live music, Brazos Nights also will feature food and drink from several food trucks. Next month’s Brazos Nights concert has a Cinco de Mayo flavor with La Fiera de Ojinaga and Los Texmaniacs as featured acts.

Local vibes

Saturday’s Levitt AMP Music Series will combine live music and an outdoor setting, but with a different, closer-to-home vibe. The music will come from Taushey Sias, the Waco Community Choir, Tonee B. Shelton and DJ the.sweetest.t with visual art and activities also reflecting talent from Waco and Bridge Street Plaza’s neighborhood.

A market and other activities at the plaza will run from 5 to 9 p.m., with musicians performing between 6 and 9 p.m.

The new free music series comes as a result of a three-year, $90,000 grant from the Levitt Foundation in a program aimed at stimulating local music in midsize cities. Waco community support in a survey last year brought the grant home, making Waco one of 15 grant recipients and the only one in Texas this year.

The series’ first year will run Saturdays through July 1 with no concert on Memorial Day weekend.

“To the inspiring first-grade students at Heyer Elementary, keep being YOU.”

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Miley Cyrus’ foundation responded to the news of a Waukesha elementary school banning one of her songs from its upcoming first-grade music concert.

The School District of Waukesha said Cyrus’ song “Rainbowland” was ultimately found too controversial.

A classroom teacher suggested the song to the music teacher. According to the school district, the music teacher checked with the principal to determine if the song would be acceptable to use in a first-grade music concert. The principal then checked with a central office administrator. The two reviewed the song alongside the district’s “Board Policy 2240 – Controversial Issues in the Classroom.” In accordance with the policy, they determined the song “could be deemed controversial.”

Instead, the song “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog was selected.

On Saturday, the Happy Hippie Foundation tweeted: “To the inspiring first grade students at Heyer Elementary, keep being YOU. We believe in our Happy Hippie heart that you’ll be the ones to brush the judgment and fear aside and make all of us more understanding and accepting.”

The Happy Hippie Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Cyrus in 2014. It focuses on youth homelessness, the LGBTQ community, and other vulnerable populations.

In a previous statement, the school district said the decision was supported by Superintendent Jim Sebert, and at no time was the Board of Education involved.

The song, which is a duet with Dolly Parton, includes lyrics like, “Living in a Rainbowland where you and I go hand in hand. Oh, I’d be lying if I said this was fine. All the hurt and the hate going on here We are rainbows, me and you. Every color, every hue. Let’s shine on through. Together, we can start living in a Rainbowland.”

Likewise, Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog includes lyrics, “Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers, and me. Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star? Somebody thought of that and someone believed it. Look what it’s done so far. What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing and what do we think we might see?”

According to the board policy, “a controversial issue is a topic on which opposing points of view have been promulgated by responsible opinion and likely to arouse both support and opposition in the community.”

Flatline Movement tour another step to saturate music world with light, godly influence

DeAndre’ Burns said a song is the only thing a person will listen to hundreds and hundreds of times.

“I have a favorite sermon, but I have not listened to it 100 times. Same with movies,” he said. “But with music, you listen to it so much that you recite what is being said even if you don’t like what is being said.”

That’s the problem, he noted — hip-hop music is filling the minds of young people with messages that are tearing them down. And Burns and others are trying to find the solution.

“Our goal is to saturate the music world with what we have to offer,” said Burns, general manager of Flatline Movement, a ministry started years ago to reach urban youth through Christian hip-hop.

Right now, they’re working hard on that goal from the studio and planning tour dates for the coming months. They’re getting close to finishing their first solo project, which covers rap, rhythm, praise and even jazz, Burns said.

Burns is one of the artists, along with his son, Dillon; daughter, Christa; and seven others.

‘Blessed to work together’

“I’m blessed by what comes from all of us together. Altogether it’s 10 of us in the group, and our goal is to release two projects a year in addition to our solo projects. People are going to be tired of seeing us,” he joked.

But Burns knows in order to get the message out there, that’s what’s needed. 

Hip-hop is the No. 1-selling genre in the world right now, he said. “Over the years, it’s continued in its momentum, and it’s become a regular in most households, especially those with young people.”

And the influences are becoming darker, he said.

That’s why Flatline Movement wants to produce music that’s full of light, Burns said. “We have to use everything at our disposal to make sure people get to hear the gospel in a way they understand.”

That’s why the tour is important to them too — they want to get the word out and saturate Alabama with the message of the gospel through rap, he said. “We want people who host us to rest assured we’re coming with the gospel and only that, and we pray everyone would be able to hear it and receive the Lord where they are.”

Alternative message

Dewayne Rembert, pastor of Flatline Church at Chisholm and founder of Flatline Movement, said even Christian youth are listening to secular hip-hop music, so it’s a concern not only for unchurched youth, but also those growing up in the church.

“We need to do a better job as a church of giving them an alternative with a different message,” he said.

Burns said anyone interested in bringing Flatline Movement to their church, school or other local venue this year can reach out through the contact information on its website. 

“We’re excited about what the Lord is going to do. We’re ready for it, whatever it is He would have for us.”