Tag: Metal

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Covers Switching styles

Kazoo; More than a Novelty

Harrop, Helen. 2010. Have Fun, Make Art. [Photograph]
Harrop, Helen. 2010. Have Fun, Make Art. [Photograph]

January 28th is national kazoo day for America but for the international Kazoo lovers their holiday is February 19th.

What’s a Kazoo?

Let’s start with the first question; what exactly is a Kazoo?

Kazoo is one of the most common types of Mirliton. A Mirliton is an instrument or device where noises are produced while vibrating a membrane. This causes a buzzing sound. 

Fun Fact: Mirlitons are also set in the walls of some flutes (e.g., the Chinese ti) and xylophone resonators to colour the tone.

Fun Fact: The kazoo is said to have originated from the ancient African mirliton.

A Kazoo is a musical instrument resembling a flute, recorder or other wind instruments but quite shorter. The kazoo is a percussion instrument that’s structured differently than typical wind instruments. It’s designed to create a buzzing or timbral quality to the musician’s voice and a resonating membrane. To use a kazoo ones blows, or speaks through the membrane to produce the buzzing quality. For more diversity, the musician can completely or partially cover the membrane.

“In addition to these structural differences, a kazoo is also played different than conventional instruments. [With] brass instruments, the buzzing sound of the lips is amplified to produce the notes. In woodwind instruments, musical notes are created by the vibration of the reed. The kazoo relies on the voice of the musician to produce the sound. When a musician plays the kazoo, he hums into it and that causes the thin film to vibrate. This vibration changes with the sound of the voice giving it the buzzing quality, which is unique to the kazoo.” Explains Encyclopedia.com

Amplifying the voice, it’s a rather creative instrument with a unique sound. 

Why is there a national kazoo day?

Now to delve deeper into National Kazoo Day. This is a holiday to bring attention and awareness to this specific instrument and the impact that it’s had in history, and in childhood memories. January 28th was founded as National Kazoo Day.

There is also a website dedicated to national kazoo day and to the Kazoo itself. They explain why there are some discrepancies between the date of National Kazoo Day.

“Of course, kazoo players are not known to be perfectly precise, so feel free to celebrate National Kazoo Day on January 23, if you so desire, as some folks have the impression that the date is supposed to be the fourth Thursday in January. In fact, most people will agree that we should consider January 23-28, 2020, National Kazoo WEEK! So celebrate all weekend long!”

And of course, we’re bringing you some Kazoo covers to show that the kazoo is more than a novelty.

Celebrating National Kazoo Day with Kazoo Covers

Let’s start with some classic Micheal Jackson. blendingmelodies covers “Billie Jean” with a kazoo making sure to keep the smooth Jackson style with the energy of the Kazoo.

mean green lima bean‘s cover of “Seven Nation Army”, originally by The White Stripes uses both the Kazoo and the Ukelele to bring a rather subtle and sweet cover to their audience.

Undertale and kazoos. It doesn’t sound perfect on paper but in practice, it’s majestic. Brought to us by Tsuko G., The song Megalovania from Undertale is a perfect song to cover with Kazoos.

This cover of “Nightmare” by Avenged Sevenfold is not subtle and sweet like the previous cover. It may be the song itself, the kazoo, or the eeriness of Avenged Sevenfold but this cover is menacing. Fan Flat Crew has created this great and eerie cover.

Kinky Kazoo combines “Bad Guy” with a kazoo. It seems that “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish is a versatile song to cover resulting in amazing covers. This cover in particular proves that kazoos are musical and not just a novelty!

Aymen Benzarti and Yassine Amara combine “Despacito” and the kazoo. “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee is a fast-paced song with a lot of energy. Adding a Kazoo seems like an insane feat but they pull it off. 

 

Citations

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2020. Mirliton | Definition, Types, & Facts.

Harrop, Helen. 2010. Have Fun, Make Art. [Photograph]

Berghash, R. and D. Jachimowicz. U.S. Patent #4832653.

Nationalkazooday.com. 2020. National Kazoo Day.

Stewart, Barbara. How to Kazoo. Workman Publishing Co., 1983.

The Original American Kazoo Company, 8703 South Main Street, Eden, New York 14057.

 

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Categories
Covers Interviews Reviews Switching styles

Interviewing KDrummer 16

Photo by kaex0r Image available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaex0r414/236941395/ drum kit　ドラム

Music has had a substantial impact on my personality. It allowed me to express who I truly was, gave me confidence during moments of doubt, and, most importantly, it relieved me of any negative emotions daily.

KDrummer 16 in an interview with Switching Styles

Bringing you amazing drum covers brought to a whole and create new levels with practical and edited effects. These covers are hard, energetic, amazing and visually stunning. These visuals add to the drum covers themselves allowing them to “capture the beauty of drumming, and of course the drumming of the metal and hard rock genre.”

Starting in September of 2014, KDrummer 16’s YouTube channel has increased to 15,771 views and is ever-increasing. His love for music started way before YouTube, however. In fact, it started in his 3rd-grade music class.

“My friends and I watched this film that focused on the drummer quite a bit, and I thought how cool it would be to play like that. One day, my Dad came home from work with a tom drum in his hand; I was so happy to have received the first drum that I didn’t even realize there was an entire five-piece kit behind him!”

KDrummer 16 is a drummer with a lot of skill and even more attitude. He covers hard rock bands like Godsmack, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Mötley Crüe, Tool, Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold. These are the bands that have inspired his sound; aggressive, ecstatic, and fun.

“The musicians that inspire my sound are Danny Carey of Tool, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, and Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold. Carey challenges me to play complicated fills and in odd time signatures, Bonham taught me to play loud and maintain a solid groove, and my ecstatic playing is all thanks to The Rev,” he explains in an interview with Switching Styles.

KDrummer 16 Covers

Covers give him a chance to connect with people. They appeal to people because it can show a different side to their favourite songs.

As he explains, “A drummer may decide to put a half-time feel over an upbeat feel, and it changes the entire emotion the song is trying to convey. If one really likes a song, they will find different ways to enjoy it, which always leads to covers”.

With Covid-19 continuing from the summer to the winter, it continues to impact musicians just like KDrummer 16. Artists are not able to conduct their music business as they usually have. Instead, it’s harder to tour, record music, and collaborate.

“It’s up to fans to find new ways to support their favourite musicians. Fortunately, though, artists are finding creative to connect with their fans through virtual concerts, unreleased material, and live streams.”

KDrummer 16 Drum Covers

Here are Switching Styles’ favourite drum covers from KDrummer 16.

Let’s start with his personal favourite drum cover. Not only because it’s fun and wild but being able to take on the persona of a killer clown makes it all that much more awesome.

“IT is the End” Originally by Ice Nine Kills

“7empest” Originally by Tool

“Whatever” Originally by Godsmack

“Show Me How to Live” Originally by Audioslave

“Deathwish” Originally by Red Sun Rising

“Riot” Originally by Three Days Grace

“Bodies” Originally by Drowning Pool

“Crazy Tran” Originally by Ozzy Osbourne

“To Be Loved” Originally by Papa Roach

“Smooth Criminal” By Alien Ant Farm

Comment below which drum cover hit the spot!

Categories
Covers Reviews

“Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish

Photo taken by Andy Wright at https://www.flickr.com/photos/rightee/4357634/

Introducing “Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish.

Switching styles is bringing you spooky covers of “Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish. Halloween comes with it a mirage of spooky imagery, of other worlds. Death, graves, burials, are all perfect examples of Halloween imagery. This song shares that same Halloween imagery. This is why we’re bringing you some Eilish covers to liven up your ghoulish parties.

Released in 2019 within When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? , which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums chart. Its eerie lyrics and instrumental makes it perfect for October. But its amazing rise on charts and eerie sound are not why it’s a Halloween choice to cover. The concept behind the song itself is creepy. Billie Eilish wrote the lyrics from the perspective of a monster under her bed. That makes the song just that much more creepy.

Eilish explained that the song “is literally from the perspective of the monster under my bed. If you put yourself in that mindset, what is this creature doing or feeling?”

This was because of Eilish’s own experiences with sleep paralysis. This is a terrifying syndrome where ones’ mind ‘wakes’ up before the rest of their body. This leaves them able to perceive their environment but they can’t move. This syndrome comes with creepy hallucinations and paranoia.

“I have these terrifying dreams,” she said in an interview with OK! Magazine. “Sleep paralysis, night terrors. It’s like the whole night is terrifying and then I wake up.”

Billie Eilish Covers

Below are hair-raising covers of Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend” for your listening pleasure.

“Bury a Friend” Spooky Cover by Creature Feature

“Bury a Friend” Metal Cover by The Animal In Me

“Bury a Friend” Acoustic Cover by Adam Christopher

“Bury a Friend” Remixed Cover by KIM! and NSG Dark Room

“Bury a Friend” Cover by Saint Rien

“Bury a Friend” Giant Mbira Cover by PomplamooseMusic

“Bury a Friend” Cover by Germano

“Bury a Friend” Rock Metal Cover by NateWantsToBattle

“Bury a Friend” Cover by Lizz Robinett

“Bury a Friend” Metal Cover by Nik Nocturnal

Let us know your favorite cover below in the comments!!

Categories
Covers Interviews Switching styles

KDrummer 16 Q&A

Photo by Felipe TofaniFollow and is available here https://www.flickr.com/photos/gastaum/5417517748/

KDrummer 16 is bringing you amazing drum covers, brought to a whole and creative new levels with practical and edited effects. These covers are hard, energetic, amazing and visually stunning. These visuals add to the drum covers themselves allowing them to “capture the beauty of drumming, and of course the drumming of the metal and hard rock genre.”

Switching Styles has had the pleasure of interviewing KDrummer 16 below.

How did you start in music?

I started showing interest in music and drumming back in the 3rd grade while in music class. My friends and I watched this film that focused on the drummer quite a bit, and I thought how cool it would be to play like that.

One day, my Dad came home from work with a tom drum in his hand; I was so happy to have received my first drum that I didn’t even realize there was an entire five-piece kit behind him! From there, I wanted to learn as much as I could, so my Mom enrolled me in drum lessons at our local music center.

What impact has music had on you personally?

Music has had a substantial impact on my personality. It allowed me to express who I truly was, gave me confidence during moments of doubt, and, most importantly, it relieved me of any negative emotions daily. I either put on some of my heaviest songs or went downstairs to play my heart out to help clear my mind.

How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never been on the internet?

My sound on my drum covers varies vastly between each video, but in general, I always play with an aggressive, ecstatic, and fun feel. I encapsulate the viewer with improvisation where it suits and always ensure my playing is as confident as it can sound.

Who are the musicians that inspire your sound?

The musicians that inspire my sound are Danny Carey of Tool, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, and Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold. Carey challenges me to play complicated fills and in odd time signatures, Bonham taught me to play loud and maintain a solid groove, and my ecstatic playing is all thanks to The Rev.

What appeal do you think covers have compared to the original songs to a general audience?

Covers really appeal to audiences because it allows musicians to show audiences how much their favorite songs can change. A drummer may decide to put a half-time feel over an upbeat feel, and it changes the entire emotion the song is trying to convey. If one really likes a song, they will find different ways to enjoy it, which always leads to covers.

Why do you perform covers of songs?

I perform cover songs because I love making videos, so it’s even better to make videos with drumming involved! My videos are drum covers at heart, but with some of them, I focus more on telling a story through the music and leaving the viewer in awe with what they saw. With what I mentioned earlier, too, I love improvising and showing people how I think the drum parts should sound in certain songs.

Which one stands out as a favourite? How come?

My favourite cover I’ve done is easily Ice Nine Kills- IT Is The End Pennywise Drum Cover. A close runner-up is either Tool- 7empest Drum Cover or The Ultimate Meme Compilation Drum cover, though.

The Pennywise cover is my favourite because it tells a story, the song is fun to play, and it was just wild being able to take the role of a killer clown doing a drum cover!

Why specifically drum covers?

The reason why I record drum covers is pretty much because drums are the only instrument I’m good at!

What’s the process of creating these covers?

The process of making my drums covers are pretty straightforward. It always starts with a unique idea for a cover; how can I do more than just a song’s cover and make it stand out on social media?

Then, I learn the song and make sure it’s ready to be recorded. Since I don’t have too many cameras, I record multiple takes of the cover to ensure I get all the camera angles I’ll be happy with.

Next, I take any unique shots where there are either a different setting I’m playing in, or cinematic shots I’d like to incorporate into the cover.

Finally, I start editing and putting all of my best takes into a cover filled with practical wonders, post-effects, and angles that will keep the viewer interested long enough to enjoy the entire video genuinely.

How has Covid-19 impacted the music industry?

Unfortunately, the music industry has been impacted by Covid-19 significantly. Artists are unable to tour; it’s more challenging to record new music, and musicians cannot meet up. The music industry is losing millions of income, and it’s up to fans to find new ways to support their favorite musicians. Fortunately, though, artists are finding creative to connect with their fans through virtual concerts, unreleased material, and live streams.

How do online platforms like YouTube or Spotify impact the music industry?

Electronic platforms such as YouTube and Spotify are incredibly beneficial to the music industry. Both allow artists to share their material conveniently with posts, connect with fans through live streams, and promote new music with teasers and other such methods of creating anticipation amongst fans. I’ve discovered many new bands and songs through the internet that I would’ve never heard if such technology didn’t exist!

What are some of your fondest memories while making music?

Some of my fondest memories while creating music have always been in a group session. I was in high school jazz and marching band, and the memories from those two bands are impeccable. Nothing is better than nailing a drum solo you’ve worked tirelessly on to perfect during a live performance, and the feeling of being on the football field after a near-flawless performance is incredible. The rhythm section in Jazz Band and the drum line in Marching Band are two close-knit groups that I am more than honored to have been part of and to call a second family.

What are some obstacles throughout your music career? And how did you overcome them?

Obstacles I have overcome throughout my musical career is remaining calm and focused during a performance. Freshmen year of high school, I was incredibly nervous during shows, and I often caught myself messing up simple rhythms due to it. But throughout my high school career, I learned to embrace that nervousness and turn it into concentration. Yes, I still get very nervous before every performance, but now I strive to put on the best possible show I possibly can by acting like it was just regular practice where my entire focus is on the music and being the base for the rest of the band.

What advice would you give to new and young musicians?

Advice to new and young musicians, it may be overused, but it’s true, don’t ever give up. When you’re trying to learn how to do a six-let, linear fill split between both the hands and feet at a tempo of 180+, it may seem impossible during your first few attempts. Still, with time, concentration, and commitment, you’ll be playing it in no time and showing it off to impress your buddies! Also, find something you love to do and stick with it. Don’t ever let it go because everyone needs a release in life, and for most musicians, music is our release, and it’s the engine that keeps us rolling.

What are your future plans?

For my future plans, I just graduated high school in the Spring of 2020, so right now is a time of crucial decisions! A few of my friends and I are currently working on forming a band, I’m getting some credits at a community college before I transfer to a university, and I’m definitely going to keep producing YouTube videos for the world to enjoy. If all goes as planned, I’m either going to end up being a drummer for a band, a roller coaster engineer, and quite possibly both!

What more would you like to know about this amazing drummer? Comment below!

331ERock EMeets Switching Styles; Musical Q&A

331Erock is the name of a youtube guitarist with fantastic fingering skills. In addition to just over one million subscribers, this musician has collected more than 136 million views. That's impressive. And then you listen to his music and it becomes even more impressive.

331Erock is the name of a youtube guitarist with fantastic fingering skills. In addition to just over one million subscribers, this musician has collected more than 136 million views. That’s impressive. And then you listen to his music and it becomes even more impressive.

Behind the youtube channel, is Eric Calderone, a metal guitarist. He describes himself as a “Tattoo gettin’ comic book readin’ guitar strummin’ point and clickin’ tv watchin’ movie buffin’ wifey lovin’ average guy.”

Most of his music contains metal guitar covers of anything you could want. With the titles “… Meets Metal”, he combines nostalgia, film, fantasy, and video games with the metal genre. The majority of his covers are metal covers of gaming soundtracks. these gaming soundtracks like Castlevania, Silent Hill, Battlefield, Duke Nukem, God Of Way, Assasins Creed, Undertale, Super Mario Bro, Overwatch, and Halo. This list is full of amazing nostalgic content perfect for any kind of nerd there is. Each of these music videos takes anywhere between 35 to 40 hours each week.

One of his fantastic playlists is “Memes Meet Metal”. It’s exactly what you think it is. Metal covers of meme music. This playlist includes The Trololol Song, Careless Whisper, The Nyan Cat Theme And Never Gonna Give You Up (everybody loves a good rickroll eh?).

Collaborating with other fantastic artists such as Jonathan young in a “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher” Cover.

Fun Fact: Let’s not forget that he’s a metal musician with an impressive background. Calderone received the 2013 “‘Dimebag Darrell Shredder’ Award” at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.

Calderone told Live Wire in an interview that it wasn’t his first video, Pirates of the Caribbean, that got him started as a youtube musician. instead, it was his cover of lady gaga’s “bad romance” – his 12th video.

“And then my brother mentioned, “Hey man, this chick Lady Gaga is kind of big right now. Maybe give her a listen? Maybe you can do one of her songs.” I was like, “Yeah. okay,” Calderone explains.

Before his cover of Lady Gaga, he would get excited about the 80 subscribers. After he uploaded the video, his views were beyond triple digits.

“I woke up the next morning and my inbox, it was something stupid, like 1100 messages in it. I was like, “What the hell?” I went through the inbox and it was all the YouTube stuff. I was like, “What’s going on with this?” I went on and it had 125,000 views and I was like, “Oh my god! This is awesome!” That’s kind of the one that started it,” he continues.

The youtube channel provides a range of songs with a metal twist thanks to Calderone’s guitar strumming. Check them out!

Let us know what you think in the comments below!!

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May the Tunes be with you; A feature on Galactic Empire

Over the past few years, it's become much much more than a gag.

This is for all of our lovingly nerdy readers, so please be prepared for some space puns. We introduce you to the metal Star Wars cover band, Galactic Empire.

Bringing you the orders from the empire itself with metal beauty, Galactic Empire is a metal band made up of Bass Commander (bass), Red Guard (guitar), Dark Vader (lead guitar), Kyle Ren (guitar), and Boba Sett (drums). Together they made a sound that’s out of this world. It all started in 2015 as a mere gag for an opening band. Over the past few years, it’s become much much more than a gag.

“These instruments are crude but should be adequate to shred some faces as we journey across the galaxy. We have been doubling our efforts to complete our debut full-length album in time for the Emperor’s arrival. If you are not part of the Rebel Alliance or a traitor, buy our single on iTunes and prepare to succumb to the Dark Side upon our album’s release,” says Dark Vader of the Galactic Empire.

Performing classic pieces from the iconic soundtrack of the Star Wars films, the galactic empire brings musical tribute to the works written by John Williams. Williams is a world-renown composer, conductor and pianist with over 6 decades of experience. He is widely known as one of the greatest film composers of all time contributing music to films such as the Star Wars Franchise, Jurassic World, The BFG, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and so much more. Williams is one of a kind with a rather old school mentality.

“I work very much in what some would consider old school, in front of the keyboard with pencil and paper. The piano is my favourite tool. Over the decades there has been so much amazing technological change in the music business, but I’ve been so busy I’ve never retooled,” Explains Williams.

Galactic Empire has done some fabulous collaborations with other bands. They have toured throughout the world and with a great range of bands. While touring in the winter of 2018, they opened for Mac Sabbath. During BabyMetal’s Japan tour in 2018, the Galactic Empire was invited as a special guest. Now those concerts would have been amazing to see!!

While touring in the winter of 2018, they opened for Mac Sabbath.
During BabyMetal’s Japan tour in 2018, the Galactic Empire was invited as a special guest.

But there’s still time to see Galactic Empire in concert. During 2020 and 2021, they are heading to a galaxy near you with their tour of starry goodness in the fight between the light side and the dark side.

Reviews from earlier concerts certainly speak up the Empire. This is not a show you want to miss regardless of your obligations to the light side.

“I was really happy to see these guys on their first tour. The stage props and costumes were really well done. Above all, the musical arrangement was amazing, and the set list was totally rad. They made the 8-year-old Star Wars fanatic child and a 22-year-old metalhead in me party at the same time. 10/10 will see them the next time I can,” comments Iman Haque.

Here are some of their popular covers for your listening pleasure! Feel free to find their tunes on iTunes as well.

Comment below your thoughts and as always, may the force be with you!

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Categories
Interviews Reviews

WthCnvctn New Single; Inse(Cure)

Dark. Hard. Emotional. That’s what WthCnvctn delivers and what they keep delivering. Be ready because soon they have delivered more of their deep metal music.

February 28th is the day well awaited by fans as it’s the day that their single Inse(Cure) dropped! This single is available on all streaming platforms for your listening pleasure. That’s not all. Teaming up with Art Unleashed, they created and presented an ambitious lyric video that visually goes above and beyond the typical. Made with a 3-D workspace (similar to those used to create video games), the lyric video is a visual and musical treat.

Instead of releasing an entire album with much space in between releases, the band is releasing singles at a faster rate. Bringing their audience a different way to enjoy their music, WthCnvctn is releasing a single every few months. This means less wait time for fans. This is a way to give each track the attention and appreciation they deserve. Compared to an article with several tracks telling a single overarching story with a similar message, WthCnvctn will release several singles to delve deeper into the message of the song. Inse(Cure) is the first of their new singles that has been released with another one coming in the spring of 2020.

 Inse(Cure) is a powerful and emotional track. Matched perfectly, the lyrics and instrumental bring forth both of those elements. Starting with a distorted beat and a modern intro, the song draws you in. Then the harder metal drum beats follow with vocals in the background showing their metal passion. Slamming the listeners into a punk chorus, metal guitar and drum riffs allows a tune for the hardest of metalheads. Within the middle is a guitar solo that’s not only sexy and decisive but went into production with a single take — a feat not easily made.

This song combines elements such as modern distortion, punk choruses, and metalcore rifts. Like the band itself, this song shifts and melds different genres not letting one single genre do it justice. Combined seamlessly, insecure has elements of punk, pop, emo, metal, and grunge. It’s a combination that not many bands can do but WthCnvctn does it well.

“The song dives headfirst into a dark setting absolutely abolishing genre norms,” reads a press release from the band, ” elements of more than a few genres are seeping through the cracks of every corner of the song.”

Altogether the musicians combined their talent to create a song that’s as metal as it is emotional. The lyrics are dark and depressing with the music style to match. Here are the first lyrical stanzas of the song.

We’re going nowhere in these broken fucking body bags
I see the light but only peeking through the curtains and I
Know it hurts, I know it hurts, I feel you
Life’s the hearse and we deserve the worst view
I think I hear them singing

I take it back, wish I never loved you
I really thought, you would tell me the truth
Stop caring, stop caring I’m okay
I’m only chasing a high,
Never mind
Never ending lullaby
They’re singing no one’s gonna love you

These lyrics bring forth a story that many of us feel every day. Insecurities are prevalent with human beings in general.

“We’ve all been hurt before, Inse(Cure) is a song about pain and it’s art so it’s open to interpretation. If the shoe fits it’s for you and your situation,” explains Sabian Ryan.

This is what the song Inse(Cure) highlights. Insecurities are unfortunately universal. WthCnvctn audience shares similar insecurities to the band such as the most prominent one of not being loved. Originally, Inse(Cure) was called by a different name. They had a working title of Chasing the high but instead went with Inse(Cure) as it fits better with the lyrics and feels of the song itself. They made the right choice as chasing the high denotes something almost futile because Inse(Cure) allows for interpretation. The lyrics showcase the insecurities of the band members and their listeners. The title and the subtle inner text of cure shows that with each insecurity there is a chance of fixing it or growing from it. Ryan wants this song to reach the people that need to hear it, that have a situation that they need to work through, and the band shares that sentiment.

Inse(cure) is a project inspired by more recent events in the band’s journey, unlike previous releases. This is a dark song that draws inspiration from the stress of now whereas earlier songs were stresses and pain from the band’s past such as “Chemical Camouflage”, “Sink / Swim”, “Let It Go” and “Cigarettes & Sin”. That being said, the punk sound of this single is a tribute to the band’s earlier songs while still staying true to WthCnvctn’s sound.

“This one was probably the most natural song we’ve ever written since “Let it Go”,” they explain. Change is inevitable but it takes some time to adapt and to move on regardless of the changes.

Starting in 2015, they set out to form a band that combines aspects of the music they love; Melodic Guitars, Punk Rhythms, Grungy Bass, Fast Drums, Drop Tunings, Punchy Leads, Devastating Breaks and Chaotic Vocals. Not only did they combine them, but they turned it into something entirely new.

Sabian Ryan (vocals), Kyle Johnson (Bass/vocals), Aj Howse (drums) and Keelan Roussel (Guitar) bring forward a sound that’s all their own. Their sound has been described as metalcore, punk, grunge. This is quite similar to the band’s overall musical aesthetic.

“With such a unique approach to genre-blending, there’s room for anyone who likes the dark side of music to sing along or jump in the pit” said Ryan emphasizing that their music and thus their audience is varied and diverse.

This independent band hails from Edmonton Alberta. It’s not just a location to them, though. It’s home. It’s a starting point to be more than just a local band. Music is about connecting to their audience and impacting each listener in a positive way. In 2016, most if not all of their performances were #BOYEG events with the earnings being donated to charities including Zoe’s Animal Rescue, Edmonton Humane Society, YESS, YRAP among others. It’s not just Edmonton that they have their sights set on. Their audience is excited about the release of Inse(cure) and the release of further music from WthCnvctn!

Sabian beams when talking about the release and his band mates, “I’m really proud of my boys for coming together to make this happen — and there’s a lot more on the way.”

*Sponsored by WthCnvctn*

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Gregorian Chant; Religion within Music

Feature Photographs taken by Manuel Jesús Rodriguez of The Cathedral of York
Feature Photographs taken by Manuel Jesús Rodriguez of The Cathedral of York

The Middle Ages (476 AD — 1492), is an era controlled by the church and saturated with fearful respect of the church and of the Christian God. The Church ruled with an iron fist because of their ideas of divine rights. On this note, the church was the only one recording the history of music at this time. Everything we know about music from this period was recorded by the church. Churches were the few people able to read, write and play music. Because of this, churches were the main ones producing music. Thus, nearly all music would serve the purposes of the church. And honestly, they prefer it that way. Most of this music was under the genre of Gregorian chants, (aka plainchant, plainsong).

Pope Gregory the Great receiving inspiration from the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove; Carlo Saraceni, c. 1590; National Gallery of Ancient Art, Rome.

Gregorian chants got their name from named after St. Gregory I, who was pope during (590 to 604). However, it was in name only. Charlemagne, king of the Franks (768–814), brought this new style to his kingdom. The use of St. Gregory I’s name is to give it some authority and authenticity.

Gregorian chant is a very monophonic tune, meaning there isn’t typically musical accompaniment to the voices. Its range is narrow, thus it’s rather monotone and doesn’t have many notes within its range and has limited motion in terms of moving between note ranges. This genre is based upon public religious worship in terms of lyrics, which is called a liturgy. Liturgy is the main part of its phrasing since it’s a religious or sacred genre of music. What this means is that most of the lyrics revolve around the church and the church’s uses.

Here’s an example; “In Paradisum” by an anonymous musician. It’s a ninth-century antiphon plainchant used during a funeral. Typically, it’s sung at the end of the Requiem Mass as a final blessing while the body is taken from the church to the cemetery for burial.

In paradisum deducant angeli
In tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres
Et perducant te
In civitatem sanctam Jerusalem
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat
Et cum Lazaro, quondam paupere
Aeternam habeas requiem

Which translates to….

May angels lead you into paradise
Martyrs receive you at your arrival
And bring you
To the holy city Jerusalem
May the choir of angels receive you
And with Lazarus, once a pauper
May you have eternal rest 

Sacred music (religious music) such as Gregorian chants were slowly on the decline while secular music (non-religious music) such as troubadour music and operas are on the rise. In the eras after the Middle Ages (600 and 1600), it was all but replaced. As well, we start seeing an increase in instrumental music as opposed to vocal music around 1450 and the start of the renaissance. This is said to start with the notes in the margins of religious texts called marginalia. This was a practice as monks got bored with copying the same thing over and over.

Knight Duels Giant Snail; British Library, Royal MS 10 E IV

Creativity within religious texts paved the way for creativity in general. It grew from there and started the separation between the church and the people.

Headless Duel in the Summer volume of the Breviary of Renaud and Marguerite de Bar, Metz ca. 1302-1305

Going towards the renaissance, a revitalization of thought, art and of course music. Gregorian chants, plain chants or plain songs are a genre of the middle ages, an era long past. There are bands that continue the chant such as Gregorian (with a name very much on the nose), The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos, and Adoration of the Cross.

In a beautiful combination of old and new, there are Gregorian chant covers of some modern hits making something altogether different. Several cover bands are using Gregorian Chants to blend the past into the present with chilling beauty.

We talked about Gregorian a bit before as a modern Gregorian chant band. Here are two of their covers. Starting with “Losing my Religion” originally by REM, this is a great meta cover. Gregorian Chants fell out of general use because of the transition from sacred to secular; thus the loss of religion. 

Next from Gregorian’s album, The Dark Side is their haunting cover of Evanescence’s “My Immortal”. The original is hauntingly beautiful yet Gregorian adds a whole new level of haunting beauty.

Rebecca Gorzynska has a phenomenal voice. In her Gregorian chants, her voice shines. This is a cover of  Salve Regina also known as Hail Holy Queen.

Pop songs, folk songs, Latin songs; those all make sense to transition into a gregorian chant. There’s a logical transition from one to another. However, hip hop is a genre that you wouldn’t expect in a gregorian chant. Sam Penrhyn-Lowe has provided a Gregorian chant cover of Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect“. Granted it’s a lot faster than a Gregorian chant but it’s still monotoned and absolutely gorgeous.

Chants For Kids have done their own rendition of “Ava Maria” with adorable kids. This cover is beautiful and sweet in its own way.

Metal and Gregorian chant is not a combination that first comes to mind about Gregorian covers. Nonetheless, it works so very well. This is a metal cover of “Miserere mei, Deus” of Gregorio Allegri, with Gregorian vocals by the Tenebrae Choir and metal instrumentals by The Pulltabs.

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame; HellFire Cover Songs

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is up there on the list of dark Disney films that seem a bit more realistic than whimsical.

No! You listen! All my life, you have told me that the world is a dark, cruel place. But now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you.

Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Introducing Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame stood out for me as a kid and as a young adult. Like many Disney movies, it has a villain, a love interest, a hero, an underdog as well as drama, suspense and no shortage of Disney magic.

However, it has dark undertones that, as an undergraduate and a Journalist, I found and keep finding interesting. There are ideas of toxic religion contrasted against charitable religion, as well as the idea of misinformation used in widespread forms as well as in specific situations.

The interactions between the characters highlight issues of emotionally abusive relationships, unwanted sexual and romantic attention, unrequited love and so so much more. There are so many contrasts to show not only that the world itself is complicated but that there is a fine line between good and bad.

Disney, this is really pretty dark. Though there are some other dark and chilling movies that Disney has created including The Fox and the Hound, Bambi, Old Yeller, and The Black Cauldron. To be honest, The Black Cauldron still makes me tear up. Regardless, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is up there on the list of dark Disney films that seem a bit more realistic than whimsical. According to IMDB, This film, “due to its dark and sexual themes, nearly became the first animated Disney film to receive a PG rating from the MPAA in the U.S. since The Black Cauldron (1985)”.

Well enough about the deep tangent analyzing a children’s film for its dark and not-so-subtle undertones. The audience is here for the music.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Soundtrack

Since this is a musically inclined blog, let’s discuss the soundtrack (which also has seriously dark undertones, but that’s a topic for later on).

The soundtrack includes rather emotionally deep songs including The Bells Of Notre Dame, Out There, Topsy Turvy, Humiliation, God Help The Outcasts, The Bell Tower, Heaven’s Light, Hellfire, A Guy Like You, Paris Burning, The Court Of Miracles, Sanctuary, And He Shall Smite the Wicked, Into The Sunlight, and Someday. Many of the songs within this soundtrack are rather different than those of other Disney films mainly because of the topic and feel but the Gregorian chanting in some of its songs stands out. These Latin chants are actually adapted from real Gregorian chants. One example is a portion of Dies Irae used during the scene where Quasimodo’s mother is murdered by Frollo.

This movie and its resulting music are rather dark with some seriously real undertones. Thus this article will focus on one of the darker songs. “The song “Hellfire” is considered one of the darkest songs written for a Disney film, and was nearly cut from the film,” quotes the trivia section on IMDB. Now for the list of damning HellFire Cover Songs. 

HellFire Cover Songs

We’re going to start with a cover by Mariah Rose Faith and that beautifully exemplifies my point from before. Heaven’s Light and Hellfire are songs about love in one way or another for the same women but from a very different position.

Cover by Jake Turner-Clarkson

Cover by Joel Maroon

Cover by Elsie Lovelock

Acappella Cover by Peter Hollens

Cover by Julia Koep

Cover by Florenza

I hope these HellFire Cover Songs weren’t too dark for you. There are some additional renditions of Hellfire to somewhat cleanse your palette and give a bit of a laugh.

Here’s a literal parody by Thadudette and Gordy Driver that puts this dark song into a wholly different context of fantastic nerdy references.

 

I hope to have balanced out the dark with a few jokes. Let me know what you think of these HellFire covers in the comments below!!

Covering the Amazing Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is a film released in 1964. Julie Andrews plays the character of Mary Poppins, a beautiful nanny that transforms misbehaving kids into well-behaving kids with the use of fun and a little bit of magic.

“There’s the whole world at your feet.”

Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins is a film released in 1964. Julie Andrews plays the character of Mary Poppins, a beautiful nanny that transforms misbehaving kids into well-behaving kids with the use of fun and a little bit of magic.

This movie is one of the most whimsical films that Disney has done (in my opinion). It contrasts dreary England with the imaginative magic of a whole new world. That contrast makes the whimsy that Mary Poppins brings forth to the children and the audience for that matter, all the more sensational.

Adding to the whimsy is a typically cheery soundtrack. The soundtrack includes Sister Suffragette, The Life I Lead, The Perfect Nanny, A Spoonful of Sugar, A Jolly Holiday, Chim Chim Cheree,  supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Stay Awake, I love to Laugh, Tuppence a Bag, Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, Step in Time, A Man has Dreams, Over the Waves, and Let’s go Fly a Kite. These are all amazing songs sung throughout the film to highlight emotionally charged scenes. The highlighted song for this article from the gorgeous 1964 film is, of course, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Check the highlighted covers below!

Cover by Harry Connick, Jr.

Parodied Cover by The New Fangled Four

Cover by Ryan Cassell and Bella Cassell

Metal Cover by Andy Rehfeldt and Sara Hatchett

Cover by Deredia

Cover by Miche Fambro

With so many amazing songs within the film, it’s hard to choose a single one to showcase the different covers available on the internet. But here are our honourable mentions.

Mary Poppins A Cappella Medley by Backtrack

Chim Chim Cher-ee by Amanda Castro Band

Let me know in the comments which cover was your favourite!!!
Or if your favourite isn’t on this list, tweet me @styleswitching