I really wish we didn’t have to use these terms, because I don’t base my influences and admiration on things like tension and release or active and didactic tendencies. However, these terms did help me realize certain things about SOME of the people I admire.
I am a music girl. I am not a video game fanatic, I don’t go too in depth with movies, and I really a lot on stick figures. However, I love my N64, I watch way too many movies, and I paint a lot! I just get most of my creativity through music. I play music, I make music, I listen to music. My life and future revolves around music. So for this blog, I am going to talk about music influences.
Defiance, Ohio. I started listening to Defiance Ohio when I was in high school. Like most high school kids, they are immature. I will not lie, I used to be one of them, until I started listening to Defiance Ohio. I just made them sound ‘cult-ish’, but they aren’t. Defiance Ohio is a DIY punk band from Columbus, who created a new version of punk music. Defiance Ohio is a great example of contrast and affinity in music. They still have a punk-ish sound, punk vocals, punk lyrics like any punk band would have. In contrast, they use folk instruments like the violin, cello, banjo, upright bass, and acoustic guitar. This difference of instruments compared with the similarities of the punk style created a whole new genre: folk punk.
I admire Defiance Ohio for many reasons. First, they take risks and make wonderful music. They don’t make mainstream bulls**t music just to get paid. Their music is real and talk about real things that everyday people face. They give there music away for free, because they know not everyone can spend money on it. They care about their fans and want t reach out. They refuse to play on a real stage because they don’t want to be like everyone else. I admire them more many reasons, but mostly because I don’t want to turn into a ordinary, capitalistic, drone that isn’t happy.
Defiance Ohio also uses a great deal of text and subtext in there lryics. For example, the song Sweet Dudes and Sweet Ladies says that if they were to die today, they would have lived it the right way and that nothing would change. They talk very generally about how they friends are good people, and people in general. However, the implied meaning goes more in depth. The song is about being honest to the people you are close to, facing your fears. There is a slight call to action in this song as well, it is be the person you want to be.
The second artist I want to mention is a pop punk band called Set Your Goals. There music has changes the way I think. I admire them strictly because of how brilliant they are. They are respectful and don’t try to impress anyone, but somehow one of the most popular pop punk, hardcore bands in the US. They tell it how it is.
Set Your Goals’ songs range from active to didactic. For example, the song An Old Book Misread gives them hints on what they are talking about, but never fully tells you that they are talking about the bible and religion. This shows an active theme in this song. While for instance in SYG’s song, Gaia Bleeds, they are telling the listeners what is going on in our world, “the rising of septic tides as refuse litters the Pacific Gyre”, and that we are doing nothing about it, “Cover your eyes and ears”, “turn the other cheek and pretend” or that we are making it even worse, “Killing like we’re allowed”. This shows a didactic theme.
PS. I really recommend people to listen to both Defiance Ohio and Set Your Goals if you are looking for something new to listen to.
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