Monday, September 14, 2009

The Question I'll Always Hate

Most of you know that this past week I had a little interview with KDHX for the Local Artist Spotlight, and I think overall it went pretty well. I may have gone off in my little tangents and side acting stories a bit much, but hey, that's me. I did, however, encounter a question I'm learning to hate more and more twice this week. The first time was obviously in the interview at the radio station. Just one simple question that I don't think I'll ever be able to answer confidently or with any absolute idea of what I'm talking about.

The question is:

"What does your music sound like?"

Not that this question isn't already hard enough to answer but we all know what that really means. It means, "Who do you sound like" or "What artists that I've heard do you sound similar to?". I'm not sure why we must always compare music with other music. It's true, I do it too, but can't our vocabulary extend beyond this general comparison?

I stumbled over the answer for about 3 minutes before I finally said, "I hate this question...I don't know how to answer it."

The same thing happened this past Saturday at bar. I can totally understand an owner wanting to make sure a disk doesn't sound like shit before he agrees to host a party, but God I hate that question! Just listen to the album! I got you a free copy! I could say that I sound like a female fronted MUSE with drops of Queen's vocals, Trail of Dead's rhythm's, and arrangements touch to the like of John Williams, but I won't. Why, because I'm not that sure that it even sounds like that.

I can say confidently that I don't think my recorded album sounds anything like Imogen Heap. I get that comparison quite often and Imogen has been a huge inspiration to me, but her music sounds more like the music I WANT to make but somehow falls short and in a whole different genre. Maybe the next album I could agree with that common comparison I get.

Anyway, enough about that riff-raff.

I booked, with the help of Nana, (actually SHE booked) a Listening Party at the Royal immediately after the Release of the Cd on the 10th of October. The Party is obviously free, and we'll sit and drink some beers and listen to my album...for free! But this is not the end of this news. For those of you who are already on the mailing list, you will receive a little ticket in your email that you can print off and bring to the Listening Party. In exchange for this ticket, you'll get a free (did you see that...FREE!) grab bag of Syna So Pro merch because, let's face it, you're special. I'm very appreciative of all you who willingly signed up on the list.

So if you want to get a freebie bag of Syna So Pro merchandise, you need to sign up on the mailing list. So easy.




And here's the flier for the CD Release show! Whoopie!

click to enlarge




Plus I'm playing a show at Lemp Arts Center with the awesomely talented Daniel Francis Doyle, and .e this Thursday! Come out if you can. It's a night of loop-de-looping!

...that's all I got...

~Syrhea

4 comments:

  1. Just deflect. Plenty of artists prefer not to explain their work in alternate terms, and I'd say it has the positive effect of increasing the mystery.

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  2. Sending you some sympathy... I am baffled by the same question translated into visual terms. Genuinely interested individual: "What KIND of art do you do?" Me (in my head): Yikes, how to explain the collision of poetry, fiber art, wood, metal, photography, darkness, mortality, beauty, sculpture, death and rabbits into intuitive, obsessive structures like I have never seen anywhere else? Me (aloud): "Welllll... it's kind of weird...". I think I've got to just start carrying around "baby pictures" of my stuff. That would be hard to do with music--

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  3. Yeah, I should probably come up with something a bit more wise...but I suck at that.

    Maybe I could just put it in my phone and play it for people...but then I'd be kinda douche-y.

    I think I should just avoid that question as much as possible.

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  4. Addendum:

    Lynn, Glad to see you've opened a blogger account. Now I see exactly what your art looks like!

    Again that is. It was nice meeting you at Cranky Yellow back in July!

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