Interview with Swedish boogie woogie pianist Johan Blohm

Boogie woogie pianist Johan Blohm (born in 1962) is a Swede who spent his youth listening to his father’s country and rock -n’ roll records. The imprint of Jerry Lee Lewis, his musical idol, may indeed be noticed as part of his singing and piano style.

Could you tell how your discovery of boogie woogie music was?
My earliest encounter with truly authentic boogie woogie was once when I watched a historical video recording on television showing Albert Ammons with Pete Johnson jamming a fabulous duet, the actual track was -Boogie Woogie Dreams- and I was mesmerised with the grove combined with the power that came out of these two pianos. Since that day I have been an absolute Boogie Woogie fanatic.

Did you already play the piano before that day you heard boogie woogie sounds?
You bet, I did indeed play piano for a few years before I discovered genuine Boogie Woogie music. I began playing piano when I was about six years old and right up until I became about thirty years old I performed rock -n’ roll as well as country from the style of Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich and Mickey Gilley. And this is what I continue to play most of the time but these days I spice it up slightly playing boogie woogie.

What boogie woogie written music books did you benefit from whilst mastering this specific music genre?
I haven’t ever used any specific written music books, I taught my own self to perform boogie woogie. I really can’t understand written music. I paid attention to the ancient pianists such as Albert Ammons, Amos Milburn, Pete Johnson and Freddie Slack and gained techniques and also inspiration through them.

I taught myself everything I play, almost everything I perform is more or less improvised and doesen’t sound the same every time. The flipside of teaching your own self is that you don’t get every aspect correct though the good thing is basically that you get a unique style, haha!

Who were your big examples in music in general and also boogie woogie specifically?
My personal boogie woogie idols are the players I mentioned before. My all-time musical idol is Jerry Lee Lewis, no person will ever come near him in terms of playing rock -n’ roll piano and/or performing. Hank Williams, Gram Parsons, Charlie Rich, Patsy Cline along with Merle Haggard are also good examples of my musical heroes.

Do you have dreams for your own work and if so, what exactly are these?
On a basic level I will be satisfied if I am able to play my songs and make a living with playing until I am very old. But I also want to be able to do concerts around the globe and have my music extend to everyone who love piano rock -n’ roll as well as boogie woogie. And I wouldn’t mind If I could easily earn some income along the way as well!

What makes me more than happy happens I perform a show for an crowd that is genuinely excited about my music and that’s really being attentive experiencing and enjoying the concert. Often times I’ve found myself performing in a bar where nobody is there to listen to the music, they simply have to get drunk and don’t care about the music. If only I were playing more often for genuine boogie woogie fans and do less of the uninspiring performances in bars but in reality it’s important to take what you can get, everybody has bills to cover.

What can recreational boogie woogie pianists do in order to arrange their first concert? To be honest, I actually don’t have a very good solution, I’m afraid. In my youth I used to be looking for locations myself, I called all of them and made an effort to convince these folks to book me. Once every 10th attempt or so the managers did. Eventually I got tired of this and I got connected with people in the industry who were far better at organizing gigs than I would ever be. I feel the key is to get yourself a booker who is able to help. However it’s a struggle, nobody really wants to book you when you’re unknown and also you won’t get known if you don’t get any gigs.

Download Tamil Songs For Free In Mp3 Format From Reputable Websites

There is no doubt that music is one of the best creations that have been introduced to mankind. It helps us to express our emotions and reduce the stress of daily life. It is very therapeutic and many people listen to it to cheer them up and brighten their days. One of the best ways of healing without medicine is to listen to music.

It is not uncommon to see people listening to an MP3 player or to their iPod when exercising, walking on the road, or driving to work. Many people find that they can exercise better to the sound of pulsating music. People listen to Tamil songs and Telugu songs that they download from popular sites such as songs.pk and enjoy playing them over and over. People who undertake long journeys carry their MP3 player on the train or flight and listen to music with their eyes closed. This is a great way to pass time without getting tired or restless.

If you own an MP3 or an iPod, you can download any of the latest Tamil songs or Telugu songs that are currently being screened on the silver screen. You can download movie songs, devotional or classical songs as well as folk songs when you visit popular websites that allow you to download for free. Some sites may charge you a nominal fee for downloading. It is important to check out the clarity when you visit these websites and to ensure that they do not encourage viruses and other spyware to affect your player.

Indiansongs.pk is a reputable site that allows you to download the latest songs that are sung by renowned singers. Some music artistes encourage some sites to download their music to build up their fan club faster as this will provoke the listeners to watch the movies or purchase the albums.

Download songs from sites such as songs.pk if you are interested in adding them to your collection. You can listen to them when you are walking on the street or relaxing at home. After a hard day, there is nothing more refreshing than lying back and listening to your favorite songs. There is a distinct difference in listening to radio music and listening to your very own MP3 player. There are no advertisements and short breaks or unnecessary chatter. You can enjoy listening to music sung by your favorite artistes and replay them whenever you are in the mood.

Read the reviews online of the various websites that offer free downloads. Once you are assured of the quality of the website, you can start downloading their numbers. Some sites also allow you to request certain numbers for your listening pleasure. This is the best way to create your own music album and enjoy a wide collection of regional songs that appeal to you. Each one of us has our own likes and dislikes. There is no need to impose your music on another person if they are not particularly interested in your taste of music. In the words of Shakespeare, If music be the food of life, play on!

How Much Does A Music Producer Make

Learning how to make money as a music producer is difficult at first, it is possible though. Producers can typically start off recording artists for free, and working with different bands and artists.When you get really good at your craft, people, artists, and businesses will hire you to producer their albums. On the low side a working producer can make around $15 grand a year, for the top music producers they can make upwards of $10,000,000.00 a year.

Two main variable determine your salary, your location and your quality of work.Nashville, Los Angeles and New York offer the most work, money, and available work to music producers than any other city. This is because the music businesses that will hire you are located in these cities. These cities are known cities that high end music producers work in or live in, music producers make more money in these cities.

Here are what some of the top producers make a year:

– P. Diddy over $27 million
– Timbaland rakes in a healthy $21 million each year
– Dr. Dre approximately $20 million
– Pharrell Williams of (N.E.R.D) rakes in 17 million

Experience and quality of work matters! The better service you can offer, the more artists and labels will want you working on those albums. Word of mouth is the name of the game in being a successful music producer.As your skills develop, you will get more work and make a name for yourself. At some point you will begin to start working on major albums.

One benefit of being a music producer is that you get to make your own schedule. Producers are typically paid on a project by project basis.They are typically hired by a record label to aide an artist in producing a album that will produc high sales. The album is the component that the music producer typically works on and focuses on the arrangement, sound, recording, and album quality.

With a little time, hard work, networking, and patience you can become a successful music producer yourself. You have to pay your dues as a music producer, all millionaires in any field have to start somewhere.

Comparing Hard Core Rap Groups Like Dayton Family To Horror Rap Groups Like Dark Lotus

This best way to demonstrate the difference between hard core rap and horror rap groups would be to compare different lyrical samplings of each side by side. However, its smarter to start with the difference in backgrounds and mentalities of hard core rap groups like Dayton Family and horror rap groups like Dark Lotus.

Dayton Family is a hard core rap group from Flint, Michigan, who named their group after one of the most crime-ridden streets in their crime-ridden city, Dayton street. That should say enough about the attitude of these hard core rappers. Its not often that an environment such as the one Dayton Family originates from breeds anything other than gritty, honest, street-heavy rap. You wont hear anything lighthearted in Dayton Familys rhymes, and when they talk tough, theyre not kidding around.

If there was ever any doubt about Dayton Familys cred, said doubt vanished once founding members Bootleg (Ira Dorsey) and Backstabba (Matt Hinkle) were each incarcerated separately during the turning point in the bands short career. These two imprisonments undoubtedly hindered the quality and quantity Dayton Family was able to produce as a hard core rap group throughout its career.

Now Dark Lotus, on the other hand, is different in many respects. For one, Dark Lotus is a horror rap super group, so each one of Dark Lotuss members was an established horror rap artist in his own right before joining up with Dark Lotus. That said, the themes present in Dark Lotuss horror rap music really is not far off each of its individual members own horror rap music.

For those unfamiliar, horror rap themes usually include but are not limited to death, suicide, murder, violence, Satanism, and other terrifying themes. Unlike Dayton Family, you will not see Dark Lotus rapping about the hood, drug dealing on street corners, or about cops in a derogatory fashion (at least not often).

Dark Lotuss horror rap, in contrary, is much more personal, introspective, and spiritual. Often times you can find Dark Lotuss horror rap artists bemoaning the fact that they are still alive and wishing to die, thoughts that often travel into the supernatural with talk of souls traveling to different destinations.

One common link between Dayton Familys hard core rap music and Dark Lotuss horror rap music is their origin. Members in both groups come from impoverished, street-centric adolescences, and thus have much of the same fodder for their rhymes. Though they may approach these topics from two different angles in horror rap and hard core rap, when you boil it down, Dark Lotus and Dayton Family are the way they are for very similar reasons!

Resource Box
The Dayton Family, one of hard core raps most notorious Midwestern groups, and Dark Lotus, arguably the largest horror rap super group of its kind in the world (definitely in the Midwest), may write different styles of music, but they come from similar backgrounds. To learn more about Dark Lotus and their music, please visit http://hatchetgear.com/bands/darklotus.html.

Repairing A Music Box

One of the most beautiful gifts that someone can give another person, especially a wife or daughter, is a music box. Through the gift of music, they will be able to keep a persons memory alive through the music of the music box, which can play on for decades.

Music boxes, sadly, can also break down. So, to maintain the music that may mean so much to the person who received the musical gift, it may be required that you begin to learn about repairing a music box.

Most problems in music boxes are caused by a malfunction in the starter of the music box. Thankfully, this can often be repaired at home without having to get it repaired at a shop. There are three different types of starters for music boxes, and knowing how to fix each one will make you very versatile. As well, always remember to be very delicate as you could cause more damage to a music box in your attempt to repair it.
Wire Starter

This type of music box plays when the lid is opened and pressure is released on a metal stick, and stops when the lid is closed. When the pressure is released on the metal stick, a spring pushes the spring up and moves a connected wire down, which releases an air brake and causes the music box to play. These are the types of music box movements you need to be aware of to repair it.

You should try changing the angle of the spring with pliers. You may have to adjust it quite a bit, up and down, left and right, depending on if the music starts, doesnt start, or starts but wont stop.

You can also pull the metal stick, which may be caught on something or slightly bent. If bent, it should be replaced.
Button Starter

When a button is pushed on the box, a metal plate moves the starter mechanism, which releases a latch from the wheel of the cylinder in music boxes. This releases the air brake that allows the box to play.

In these, check to make sure that the button mechanism does not have a loose nut, and if it does, tighten it. This will hopefully allow it to connect with the metal plate to start the music. You can also adjust the plate and move it closer to the starter button.
Pin Starter

These are used in toy music boxes, where the pin blocks the air brake. When pulled, the music plays, when pushed, the music stops.

If the box does not play, make sure that the pin blocks the air brake and that when it is pulled, it releases the air brake. The pin should not be too long and if it is, it may need to be filed down. If it wont stop playing, then adjust the position of the movement and make sure that the pin is not too short. If it is, put some tape on the end to lengthen it.
Summary

Music boxes are wonderful gifts for someone you love, but like anything, they can break down and it is important that when you have a music box, you know how to repair it. Thankfully, many are easy to repair and all it takes is a basic knowledge of the inner-workings of music boxes and other types of musical gifts.

It is easy to do, people love them and you can really shine with a well-made music box, so why are you not making music boxes yet? You may find that when you give a musical gift like music boxes, that you have developed a love for putting music boxes together and it could turn into something you do a lot more. It could end up being one of your favorite hobbies in fact.

Everyone loves music, everyone loves the gift of music and there isnt a person on the planet who will not appreciate the gift you have given them when you take the time to put it together for them. Two centuries after they began to be mass produced, it is still a gift that warms the hearts of millions.

Music Box Movements, Springs and Stem Pins can be purchased from http://www.giftsonline.net/catalog/Music_Box_Movements.html