Although the Zac Brown Band did not take home the award for best country album, they did take the lead and win Best New Artist. Shortly after their win was announced, the band took the stage and began their performance with their rendition of "America the Beautiful." This is not a song that I ever imagined hearing at the Grammys, however, I was very moved by their rather touching and heartfelt version of the song. This country band had no problem with showing everyone their love for this country, even in these hard times.
"Zac Brown Band" is all over twitter at the moment. Many people are congratulating the band on their win while even more people are exasperated that they've never even heard of the band before and are extremely impressed by their performance. One tweeter even said, "I did not expect that sound from the Zac Brown Band. Why do I keep thinking all country music will sound like old men singing on a farm?"
The Zac Brown Band really blew everyone away tonight when they took home the award for Best New Artist, and was able to make a big statement right away with their live performance of "America the Beautiful." Their entire performance proved to all viewers that they deserved the award they received.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Now it's Presidential...
Just like you and I, even the most famous musical artists have opinions about the men who run our country. Whether they have positive or negative thoughts about our presidents, artists don't hold back what they have to say. And even better, they say it in musical form. In 2006, Neil Young made a protest song against President Bush titled "Let's Impeach The President." In the song he points out many of the things Bush has done to hurt the people and the country he is supposed to represent.
However, not all music written about politics is negative. When it came close to election time last year, many artists composed songs to support their favorite candidate. The video below is of a song by Raphael Saadiq and C.J. Hilton, "Young Politics," supporting President Obama during his campaign.
Musical protests, expecially those concerning elections, are great because they are heard by so many people. Music often leads listeners to look more into the meaning of the lyrics, which may even result in a change of opinion about the person. And finally, music is heard EVERYWHERE and songs are never just played one time. Songs get played over and over and are heard by someone new everyday. Music is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to get a message out to the public.
However, not all music written about politics is negative. When it came close to election time last year, many artists composed songs to support their favorite candidate. The video below is of a song by Raphael Saadiq and C.J. Hilton, "Young Politics," supporting President Obama during his campaign.
Musical protests, expecially those concerning elections, are great because they are heard by so many people. Music often leads listeners to look more into the meaning of the lyrics, which may even result in a change of opinion about the person. And finally, music is heard EVERYWHERE and songs are never just played one time. Songs get played over and over and are heard by someone new everyday. Music is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to get a message out to the public.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American activist and a striking leader in the American civil rights movement, aiming to outlaw racial discrimination and bring back suffrage. Musical artists across the decades have been writing and composing songs to honor the great Martin Luther King Jr. and what he stood for.
It is hard to believe that even after all of King's progress and the strong efforts of so many other activists, how common racism still is today. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a national holiday in1986, however, was not officially observed in all 50 states until 2000. South Carolina was the last state to recognize Martin Luther King Day as an official holiday, when the governor signed a bill on May 2, 2000. Before this, there was much controversy concerning Arizona’s reluctance to recognize the holiday. Arizona Republican Governor Evan Mecham opposed the state holiday and was originally supported by Senator John McCain. McCain later changed his position on the matter and showed encouragement towards recognizing the national holiday. The musical group Public Enemy did not take Mecham’s opposition lightly. On their 1991 album Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black, they released a protest song titled “By The Time I Get To Arizona.” The song describes assassinating the Arizona Governor, Evan Mecham. The music video depicts the members of Public Enemy killing Mecham with the use of a car bomb. The video illustrates Mecham in a very negative light and makes use of many images and video clips of explicit acts of racism. Public Enemy’s very controversial and violent protest song is just one of many songs that have been created to support, honor, and remember Martin Luther King Jr. and the difference that he helped create.
It is hard to believe that even after all of King's progress and the strong efforts of so many other activists, how common racism still is today. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a national holiday in1986, however, was not officially observed in all 50 states until 2000. South Carolina was the last state to recognize Martin Luther King Day as an official holiday, when the governor signed a bill on May 2, 2000. Before this, there was much controversy concerning Arizona’s reluctance to recognize the holiday. Arizona Republican Governor Evan Mecham opposed the state holiday and was originally supported by Senator John McCain. McCain later changed his position on the matter and showed encouragement towards recognizing the national holiday. The musical group Public Enemy did not take Mecham’s opposition lightly. On their 1991 album Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black, they released a protest song titled “By The Time I Get To Arizona.” The song describes assassinating the Arizona Governor, Evan Mecham. The music video depicts the members of Public Enemy killing Mecham with the use of a car bomb. The video illustrates Mecham in a very negative light and makes use of many images and video clips of explicit acts of racism. Public Enemy’s very controversial and violent protest song is just one of many songs that have been created to support, honor, and remember Martin Luther King Jr. and the difference that he helped create.
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