NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Labeled fans are still waiting for the Jonezetta story. Several parts have been teased in previous episodes, about how they were one of two general-market bands signed to Tooth & Nail (The Classic Crime being the other). The band's sound drastically changed between their first and second record, Cruel to Be Young . But today rather than digging into Jonezetta's story, we're going to explore the career of Cruel 's producer, Aaron Sprinkle , as Cruel to Be Young has become a cult classic and an essential piece in the legendary producer's catalogue. Using just tracks that I've written about over the year+ I've been blogging, I made a playlist celebrating Aaron Sprinkle's career. IT'S NOTHING PERSONAL . I'm going to post the Spotify playlist here and talk briefly about each track and why it is quintessential Sprinkle. This is an unofficial list. I may be missing some from my blog, and there are certainly other artists such as MxPx , Poor Old

Written by Bob Dylan , yet often remembered as The Jimi Hendrix Experience's biggest radio hit, "All Along the Watchtower" is one of the biggest songs in rock music. Dylan's songwriting earned the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature. The cryptic lyrics of today's representative song, taking inspiration from Isaiah 21:5-9 , have been speculated to be about everything from a conversation between Dylan and Elvis Presley to an allegory for the Vietnam war or the apocalypse. Maybe it's because of Forest Gump    but the guitar solo on Hendrix's version of  "All Along the Watchtower" feels like a zeitgeist soundtrack to the chaotic '60s--a time of war, drugs, assassinations, and Civil Rights.  "THERE MUST BE SOME WAY OUT OF THIS." "All Along the Watched Tower" deserves its own post, and may get a lengthened post next year; however, today, I'm sharing a playlist in honor of the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There are 17+

"I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I. Don't want a lot for Christmas." *struggles to change the radio dial amid gridlocked holiday traffic* "There's just one thing I need" *hurry up with my damn latte! I think I'm going to die. Why the hell is Starbucks playing Christmas music mid-October?* "I don't care about the presents" *internal Elaine monologue 'I think I'm going to die in this department store. Ma'am, why must you spray the perfume so close to my face. I can't breath! What the earth begins to shake and we're stuck in here forever underneath mannequins and holiday shoppers and that damn Mariah Carey song stuck on repeat?'* "Underneath the Christmas tree" "No" *raising a strict finger to students who should be studying in the back* "Not before Thanksgiving." "I just want you for my own/ More than you could ever know." Every year Christmas music get earlier and earlier. "Make my dr

Last month I talked about Eisley , the named-for- Star-Wars  sister-cousin band from Tyler, Texas. Their major label debut garnered indie cred, but due to some issues in the music industry, the band's label de-prioritized their sophomore release, delaying it almost a year from its recording and mastering. As for promotion, the record label pulled radio support as they weren't sure which format to market the band and canceled plans for a second music video to the band's only non-radio single " Invasions "  and never released the video for today's song, " Many Funerals ." Eisely can be added to the list of Christian-adjacent bands, such as MuteMath , Copeland , Mae , The Juliana Theory , and Anberlin , that were failed by major labels. Some of these groups saw initial success, whether radio, video, or touring, but ultimately they were left abandoned by the major label. Although RadioU plays some of their latest singles, by the end the  Room Noises cy

  Every band has tackled the Covid-19 pandemic in different ways. Many bands are selling live-stream tickets. Some have decided to give free concerts on social networking. Cleared from the time-consuming task of driving across the country, setting up equipment, and tearing down only to drive to the next city, musicians have been able to produce music in new ways. It doesn't hurt that all of their equipment and professional microphones are in their basements. Last year, Emery produced a show on their Twitch channel , in which they played their songs. They often had guest vocalists from other bands, such as Hawthorne Heights , Silverstein , and Dave Elkins  of Mae . Emery reimagined some of their songs and the guest vocalist's band's songs too. The collaboration of " Embers and Envelopes " was a beautiful updated take on Mae's first single.  I KNOW YOU HAVE SACRIFICED TIME, LIFE, LOVE.  I've been having a bad few weeks. It seems that no matter what I do, I

  Between their debut album Destination: Beautiful and their fan-favorite sophomore record The Everglow , Mae released Destination: B-Sides , which includes live and acoustic renderings of some of the standout tracks, songs that didn’t make it to the record, and demos that would make it onto The Everglow.  The chorus of “Sun” contains the the lyrics  “Destination Beautiful,” making “Sun” like the title track of the album, and one of the the most memorable tracks in the middle of the album, and it has one of the finest melodies on the album after " Embers and Envelops " and "All Deliberate Speed." IF YOU’RE WILLING, LET IT GO . In a 2018 two-part episode of Labeled (now available only to Patreon  subscribers), Mae's lead singer Dave Elkins talked about the inspiration for the songs on Destination: Beautiful . Many of the tracks had to do with a disagreement between Elkins and members at his church. Elkins wrote many of the songs, including the first track “E

  Some people listen to music casually. It’s on in the car, you dance to it at the club, you sing it at church. Maybe there was a song you love from high school. Then there’s those for whom music is a Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience. If words on a page can evoke every sense, can’t music do the same? Throughout history people have reported seeing colors when they listen to music. In 2003, a group of musicians from Norfolk, Virginia debuted on Tooth & Nail Records with Destination:Beautiful . After their second release, the band’s success scored them a deal Capitol Records, but the band landed in the purgatory of distancing themselves from Christian radio but being too Christian and too indie to be marketed to the pop or rock markets. After the release of the independent eps (m)orning , (a)fternoon , and (e)vening , the band took a break and came back to Tooth & Nail Records releasing their second* Self-titled record. IT'S A LOSING GAME. Unfortunately, Mae ’s passion doesn

In 1954, when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, Chief Justice Earl Warren declared that American schools be integrated "with all deliberate speed." What does that mean? I think that if you are trying to speed something up, being deliberate about it, you press your foot on the execrator and the car gains speed. You go as fast as you can go, looking out for cops and and pedestrians, but your intention is to go quickly to your destination. Apparently, I'm wrong. Chief Justice Warren's meaning was that the change be gradual as not to stir the anger of the states. Don't let change happen too quickly. WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?   Now is this even related to  Mae 's song? The lyrics without considering the quote by Chief Justice Warren, made me think about the band's dreams. Perhaps internal band strife with management, particularly as they are almost making it. In fact, in an earlier season of  Labele