MAYHEM Podcast

Same issue with the photos. Looks fine on iTunes, but as soon as I upload it, there are problems.

Comment for Dan Dunham's "Travis Barker"

Dan,

Great post. I’m not a huge fan of Blink 182 or pop-punk in general, but I can’t deny that Travis Barker is a great drummer with some outstanding skill. Being a drummer myself, I can definitely appreciate his speed, precision, and technical ability, as well as his skills as a songwriter. As I said, I don’t consider myself a fan of his music, so I haven’t really been exposed to much of his work as a drummer, but after reading your post, I decided to check out more of his recordings. While I still can’t call myself a lover of Blink 182, my appreciation for their work – specifically Travis Barker’s – has increased tenfold. Thanks for the well-written and informative post!

 - Zachary Dendinger

Darkness and Mayhem: Scandinavian 'Black' Metal

In the 80’s, heavy metal bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, Twisted Sister, and Iron Maiden were rising to fame and causing a large amount of controversy in the process. Accusations of devil worship and Satanic lyrics (among other nefarious things) were thrown at these bands by Christian organizations and media outlets worldwide. Heavy metal was rocking the music world, challenging conventions, and providing its fair share of musical innovations and techniques, and the fans loved it.

But near the mid-80’s, a new sub-genre of heavy metal was taking shape in Scandinavia. Heavily influenced by early thrash bands like Sodom, Sabbat, Destruction, Venom, and Hellhammer, as well as hardcore and crust punk like Sore Throat and Doom, this new type of metal was characterized by heavy, repetitive tremolo riffs, blast beats, raspy vocals, and lo-fi production. Taking its name from the Venom album of the same name, “black metal” was raw, relentless, and uncompromising, as well as largely unheard of. It wasn’t until the band Mayhem, and the controversy surrounding its members, that black metal was widely recognized by the rest of the world.

Formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway by guitarist Øystein Aarseth (“Euronymous”), drummer Kjetil Manheim, and bassist Jørn Stubberud (“Necrobutcher”), Mayhem released several demos before finally recruiting vocalist “Maniac” and recording the pivotal EP Deathcrush. Soon afterwards, Maniac was replaced by Per Yngve Ohlin (“Dead”), a Swedish vocalist from the death metal band Morbid, and Jan Axel Von Blomberg (“Hellhammer”) took over drumming duties.

Dead was known for his strange behaviour both on and off stage. He was known to bury his clothes under the ground for weeks so they would begin to rot, and then dig them up before going on stage. Self-mutilation and dead animals/raw meat were a common sight at Mayhem live shows. Shortly after recording Live in Leipzig, Dead committed suicide in 1991. His body was found by Euronymous at their house near Kråkstad. Incredibly, Euronymous, instead of immediately calling the police, took pictures of Dead’s body, one of which was later used as the cover of the Dawn of the Black Hearts bootleg album. Dead’s suicide was the first in a series of bloody and violent events that helped bring black metal into the spotlight.

After the death of Ohlin, bassist Necrobutcher left the band and was replaced with Varg Vikernes (“Grishnackh”). Varg had his own band, Burzum (orcish for ‘Darkness’), in which he played all instruments, and was signed to Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions label. Snorre Ruch (“Blackthorn”) and Attila Csihar were recruited to handle guitar and vocal duties, respectively. With the latest lineup complete, recording of the first Mayhem record, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, began.

The circle of friends that were involved with Mayhem and Deathlike Silence had adopted a dangerous fascination with Satanism and the occult, and a string of church burnings in Norway was linked to Euronymous and Varg of Mayhem and Samoth of Emperor, another early black metal band. This began to attract negative attention to Mayhem and the black metal scene, and bands like Burzum, Emperor, Impaled Nazarene, Bathory, and Darkthrone were lampooned by metal magazines and news publications alike for advocating a violent Satanic lifestyle. Their growing negative image wasn’t helped by the fact that Bård “Faust” Eithun, drummer of Emperor, was convicted of murder and church arson in 1992. Black metal began to see rising popularity amongst youth in both Europe and America, who idolized the musicians for their extremely controversial beliefs and the fact that they were willing to act on them.

On August 10^th, 1993, Varg Vikernes and Snorre Ruch drove to Euronymous’ apartment in Oslo. Upon arrival, Varg shocked Snorre by fighting with and subsequently murdering Euronymous, stabbing him twenty-three times in the head, neck, and back. Varg claimed that Euronymous attacked him and he was only defending himself, but nevertheless, he was captured several days later, convicted of murder and church arson, and sentenced to 21 years in prison. Without founding member Euronymous, Mayhem was no more. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was released in 1994 and dedicated to him.

Sathanas was to be the last album by the now infamous black metal band, but in 1995, Hellhammer reformed Mayhem with original vocalist Maniac and bassist Necrobutcher, and recruited new guitarist Rune Eriksen (“Blasphemer”). Three albums, Wolf’s Lair Abyss (1997), Grand Declaration of War (2000), and Chimera (2004) were released before Maniac was replaced once again – this time by Sathanas vocalist Attila. Ordo Ad Chao was released in 2007, and is the latest Mayhem recording to date.

Mayhem is a band that sparked an incredible amount of controversy throughout their early career, but helped shape an entire sub-genre of music that can be both angry and intense, but also sad and beautiful. Many parallels can be drawn between recent black metal recordings and neo-classical, ambient, and folk pieces, and the genres are often skillfully fused together by talented composers and musicians. I have been highly influenced by modern black metal, and the constant evolution of the genre is both impressive and fascinating. Darkness and blasphemy are no longer staples of modern black metal – it has broken free from its constraints and is now a powerful force in the extreme music scene, influencing countless bands both popular and underground, and continuing to push boundaries and challenge conventions.

Comment for Jason Vorpagel's "The DAW"

Jason,

Seriously great post. I love the way you organized your information and presented it in an easy-to-understand and informative way. The use of in-text citations was also a huge help, since I am always interested in checking sources and reading more about the topic at hand. Overall, I feel like this was an incredibly strong and well-written post, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t see much you can improve on at all. The grammar, spelling, punctuation was spot-on, and the information was clear and concise. You communicated your ideas in a very lucid and informative way without getting too technical, which is something to be proud of considering the topic. Very well done. I learned a thing or two about DAWs that I didn’t know! Thank you for this post!

 - Zachary Dendinger

Brian Eno: Musician, Composer, Producer, Innovator

Brian Eno is perhaps one of the most influential musicians and composers of the last century. His innovative recording techniques, experimentation, and groundbreaking ambient compositions have had a massive impact on today’s musical styles and trends.

Eno began as a painter, heavily influenced by the minimalist style, but it wasn’t long before he began his experimentation with music. At a young age, he experimented with tape recorders, and, along with his university instructor Tom Phillips, played with stripped pianos struck with tennis balls; “Piano Tennis”. This marked the beginning of Eno’s strange and astounding musical career.

It wasn’t long before Eno was offered a position in experimental art rock band Roxy Music as a keyboardist. His time spent in Roxy didn’t last long, however. After only two years with the band, he left in 1973 due to conflicts of interest with Bryan Ferry, the lead singer. Eno also stated he had grown weary of the life of a rock musician. It was then, beginning with his departure, that he began his solo career. He released several pop albums over the course of a few years including Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) and Another Green World, both of which would prove to be highly influential and received good critical reception, if not immediate commercial success.

In 1975, Eno began releasing what is, to me, his most influential recordings; a series of “ambient” records created using innovative tape delay and looping techniques. His first album, Discreet Music, is seen as a massive turning point for minimalist music. The following albums in the Ambient series, Music for Airports, The Plateaux of Mirror, Day of Radiance, and On Land, cemented his place in music history. Eno coined the term (or at least is most often credited with coining the term) “ambient music”, meaning minimalist, low-volume, and often heavily repetitive music that can sit in the background and be largely ignored or be the center of the listener’s attention just as easily.

Since the Ambient series, Eno has gone on to record a multitude of other works and collaborate with countless artists, up to this very day. He is perhaps the biggest influence on me as a composer. I find his ambient recordings breathtakingly beautiful and alien, and I am repeatedly blown away by each new album Eno releases. Truly, Eno is one of my most highly revered musical idols.

Kraftwerk: Electronic Music Pioneers

Kraftwerk (“power station” in German) have always been a strange and enigmatic group, constantly shrouded in mystery. Original Kraftwerk frontmen Florian Schneider and Ralf Hutter began working together as krautrock band Organisation, which released a single album through RCA, Tone Float, which received little commercial success. After the breakup, Kraftwerk was formed, and went on to release two experimental rock albums; Kraftwerk (1970) and Kraftwerk 2 (1972). Soon afterwards, they began experimenting more with electronic sounds , drum machines, and keyboards, and the release of Ralf und Florian would demonstrate this new sound. By the time Autobahn was released in 1974, the classic Kraftwerk sound had solidified.

Kraftwerk’s image is one of bizarre mystery. The band dressed up in matching outfits, clean shaven, and with combed back hair, looking like the image of the German Nazi Übermensch, or some sort of plastic mannequins or dolls. This tied in with the inhuman image that they created for themselves – they were not people operating machines, they were Die Mensch-Maschines: The Man-Machines.

In October 1975, Kraftwerk released Radio-Aktivität (Radio-Activity), a concept album whose theme was reflected by the title, which is a play on words (radioactivity meets activity on the radio). By this time, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos had joined on as electronic percussionists. The tribute to Europe (and its train system), Trans-Europe Express, was released in 1977, which helped further strengthen and develop the Kraftwerk sound. Express was, like their previous work, recorded in their Kling Klang Studio, which, for a time, the location of was kept a secret. With Die Mensch-Maschine (1978), Kraftwerk gained even more commercial success, topping the UK charts a few years later with the single “The Model”. Considered by many to be the quintessential Kraftwerk album, Computerwelt (Computer World [1981]) deals with the idea of computers essentially taking over society. One of the most famous tracks of all time, “Numbers”, comes from Side one of this groundbreaking album.

Kraftwerk’s use of machines to make music – synthesizers, vocoders, and drum machines, had a massive impact on the industry, and helped shape the electronic music genre. If not for Kraftwerk, it is more than possible that innovative groups and projects like Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers, and the Prodigy would not exist. To this day, I don’t believe there is another band that can pull off the Kraftwerk sound. The band has seriously influenced me ever since I first heard “Numbers” many years ago. The cold, calculating antiseptic sound of Kraftwerk’s tracks is at once both a celebration and a harsh critique of the increasingly computer-dependent world we live in. The industry owes Kraftwerk a massive “thank you” for pushing the limits of what was considered music, and creating a genre all their own in the process.

Podcast - The Velvet Underground & Nico

EDIT: Not sure why the photos are cut off. I used Garageband to create this and I made sure everything was sized correctly. If someone knows what went wrong, please let me know. Thanks!

Laman Richards' The Velvet Underground & Nico Entry

Laman,

First of all, thank you for a very well written and informative post. It’s obvious that you did good research and put a lot of time and effort into analyzing The Velvet Underground and Nico album. I can appreciate the fact that you didn’t really enjoy the album, as it is incredibly strange – even for today – but you still show the record and band the respect they deserve. You say it felt like you were “tripping”, and, I must say, that’s a fairly accurate representation of how this album makes me feel as well. I enjoy it, personally. Put on some nice headphones, play this album, close your eyes, and you’re in another world.

I didn’t notice any serious problems or errors with your post. Again, it was very well done. I see one or two punctuation issues, but other than that, I feel like this is a great post. Thanks so much for taking the time to write a good entry and provide us with plenty of interesting sources to follow. Take care.

Zachary Dendinger

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Before What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye was a well-known Motown artist, already having garnered much attention for hits like “Pride and Joy” and “Hitch Hike”. He was well-liked by the Motown consumer base and was known for his friendly personality and popularity with the ladies.

Producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield was simultaneously one of Marvin Gaye’s most valuable acquaintances and one of his worst enemies. With Whitfield constantly pushing Gaye to – and often over – the breaking point in his studio, there were many violent encounters, sometimes bordering on physical altercations. Though the relationship was tense, they had each other to thank for Gaye’s huge Motown success.

After the positive reception of “Grapevine”, renamed to “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, and the release of Gaye’s album In The Groove, Gaye began working on his groundbreaking and controversial album What’s Going On, which he would self-produce.

Tammi Terrell, a singer who often partnered up with Gaye, was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and died three years later in 1970. It was this traumatizing event that sent Gaye into a deep depression. Adding to his sadness were the regular letters from his brother Frankie who was serving a tour of duty in Vietnam. The letters described the violent horrors of war, as well as the angst and conflicted feelings of the soldiers – specifically black soldiers – who were fighting and killing for something they did not believe in. Gaye was a changed man. Motown was no longer enough for him. He wanted something more authentic.

It wasn’t long before Obie Benson showed Gaye one of his songs that he and Al Cleveland had written called “What’s Going On”. Gaye immediately identified with the lyrics, and agreed to self-record and produce the song. Unfortunately, Barry Gordy, Jr., head of Motown, didn’t like the result. “What’s Going On” sounded nothing like the usual Motown release, and Gordy deemed it “too political”, stating it had no chance of making money. In response, Gaye threatened to stop recording for Motown unless the song was released. Gordy relented.

The critics loved it. The populous loved it. What’s Going On and the title track were a hit. Fusing classical and jazz (both instrumentation and composition), What’s Going On was revolutionary in both its musical and lyrical elements, becoming the very first soul concept album, and one of the first soul albums to discuss political and environmental topics.

“What’s Going On” is a song that most everyone has heard. It is hugely influential and incredibly emotional. I have always very much enjoyed the song, but I had never sat down and heard the entire album all the way through. Doing so was a wonderful experience. The other songs echo the title track’s feel and message. There is one word for this album: powerful.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground are considered to be one of the most groundbreaking and influential art-rock bands of the century, paving the way for an incredible amount of avant-garde groups and genres in the many years to come. Their influence is felt throughout the music community – their songs are covered every year by new bands and you can hardly hold a serious conversation about rock without their name coming up multiple times. To this very day, no band has been able to reproduce the Velvet Underground’s game-changing style and musical feeling.

The primary members of the Velvet Underground were Lou Reed and John Cale, both of which are now famous names in the industry. John Cale, a prodigious pianist and violinist, was involved in several musical projects and ventures before meeting Lou Reed and forming the Velvet Underground. Born in Wales, Cale eventually moved to Manhattan to study music. Reed, a struggling guitarist and songwriter, was recruiting other musicians to play one of the new songs he had written. It was under these circumstances that Cale and Reed met for the first time. Intrigued by Reed’s songwriting, Cale performed with Reed’s band the Primitives for a short period with little success. After the demise of the Primitives, Reed and Cale, with the help of two additional musicians – Sterling Morrison and Angus Maclise (soon to be replaced by Maureen Tucker) – the Velvet Underground was born.

It was pop art icon Andy Warhol, who, upon discovering the Velvet Underground, helped them become who they are known as today. By suggesting the German model Nico join Velvet as a vocalist, the most well known lineup of the band was complete. Warhol helped the group combine art and music in his Exploding Plastic Inevitable show, featuring art and projections alongside the band’s music.

In 1967, the band’s debut album, produced by Warhol, The Velvet Underground and Nico, was released. Groundbreaking and inventive, the album featured haunting, deadpan vocals, “ostrich guitars” (guitars tuned to the same note), and droning, ethereal melodies. The record did not succeed commercially, but is now considered one of the most important albums of all time.

I have always been a fan of the Velvet Underground, and they have influenced me in countless ways. The strange vocals, the oddly comforting repetitiveness, and the weird and often morbid nature of the lyrics are all incredibly intriguing. Certainly the most personally influential album and band I have discussed so far in this blog.

The Beatles - Revolver

It was 1962, and the now famous Beatles were not doing well. The band had been turned down by several labels, and had failed two try-outs for Decca, and the future looked grim. It wasn’t until manager Brian Epstein eventually contacted George Martin of Parlophone Records that the Beatles finally got a break. While Martin was unimpressed with the band’s sound, his respect for Epstein lead the producer to extend an offer of a recording try-out at Abbey Road studios.

Again, Martin seemed unimpressed by the band when they arrived and performed at the studio. Martin specifically disliked the drummer, Pete Best, who would soon be replaced by Ringo Starr. While he disliked the music, he felt that the band themselves were likeable, somewhat talented musicians who were dedicated enough to possibly make things work. Martin decided to offer them a five-year contract at Parlophone, essentially single-handedly saving what would become one of the greatest and most influential rock groups of all time.

With Martin at the helm, several of the Beatles early songs were transformed into hits – specifically “Please Please Me” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”. Please Please Me was soon released and was a large commercial hit, topping the charts for an impressive thirty weeks. By 1964, the Beatles were massively popular. In only twenty-one months, the group had pushed out four albums’ worth of material. Beatlemania was already in full-tilt.

It wasn’t until 1966 that the Beatles’ experimental and groundbreaking Revolver was released, however. The public viewed the earlier Beatles as a group of friendly rocker heartthrobs, but slowly their image was transformed into one of very serious, very experimental artists. Utilizing new technology and techniques like ADT, tape loops, unconventional mic placement, spinning Leslie speaker vocals, and the deadening of Starr’s bass drum by placing a wool sweater inside, lead to a very strange and arcane feel throughout the album. Lyrics were often inspired by LSD trips, loneliness, and depression. The studio was an instrument for Martin and the Beatles, who, rather than being limited by conventions, altered the studio’s tools to benefit them.

Revolver is another album that I’ve been hearing my entire life, and re-examining it yields some very impressive results. I look at each song in an entirely different light, and I am endlessly amazed at the groundbreaking techniques present on this record. The songs are weird, sad, happy, often cryptic, but, like Pet Sounds, relentlessly authentic. Another great classic revisited and appreciated in an entirely new light.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Brian Wilson, Beach Boys frontman, received his first tape recorder from his father at the age of sixteen. He and Carl Wilson, his younger brother, would experiment with recording techniques, harmonies, and songwriting. This was the very first incarnation of the Beach Boys. It would not be long before they conscripted their cousin, Mike Love, and schoolmate Al Jardine, and recorded the single “Surfin’”. “Surfin’” was the beginning of something amazing for the music industry.

It wasn’t long before Gary Usher, a singer and guitarist who heard the Beach Boys’ rehearsing in his neighborhood, asked to speak to Brian and ended up joining the band. Usher and Wilson became fast friends, and began collaborating on classics like “409”. Soon enough, however, Brian’s emotionally and physically abusive father, Murray, who had taken over managerial duties, became envious of Usher, and eventually succeeded in removing him from the band. Murray’s abusive and hardline attitude scarred Brian for life, and had Murray remained in a managerial position, there is no telling what direction the band would have taken.

Soon, Brian Wilson took charge of production duties for the band’s third album, Surfer Girl, and it wasn’t long before Brian was considered by the industry to be an incredibly talented songwriter, producer, and artist. In 1965, The Beatles released Rubber Soul, which heavily influenced Brian. Wilson wanted to out-do what Rubber Soul had done, and, together with new songwriting partner, Tony Asher, they set to work on recording their eleventh studio album – Pet Sounds – a record that would later be recognized as one of the most influential releases of the time.

Influenced by Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” style production, the dreamy, ethereal production of Pet Sounds and the song-cycle construction proved to be very impactful on the industry; though its effects were perhaps not felt immediately. Pet Sounds takes the listener on a journey through the thoughts, emotions, frustrations, and joys of growing up and entering adulthood. The album, while perhaps not surpassing the initial popularity of Rubber Soul, was incredibly influential to both the industry and, specifically, The Beatles themselves.

Having grown up passively listening to The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds has always been my favourite album. The tracks are solid, emotional, often poetically beautiful, and always – most importantly – genuine. Listening to it again, knowing what I know now, I am even more impressed at its ingenuity and originality. Pet Sounds has helped inspire me to take more chances with my work, and to always push the boundaries and limits set by the industry. Truly, a classic album by a classic band.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my Music History II blog. My name is Zachary Dendinger, and I currently reside in DeLand, Florida along with my wife. I have been writing and recording music for the past 8 years, and my musical tastes include metal, electronica, jazz, and classical. I am a drummer, and have been playing the drums for over a decade. My goal is to be a live engineer and travel the world, touring with amazing bands and meeting interesting people. I am currently enrolled in the Music Production Bachelor of Science at Full Sail University, and I graduate in March 2013. Thanks for reading my blog!