Packard Forbes

Music and the Evokation of Emotions (Scribed Dec 2006) There is a friend of mine who once asked in a blog if it was an excellent thing when music evokes certain feelings or reminds you of something or someone. My response to that question is an emphatic YES. SD and I have referred to this as music that GRABS you and does not let go. It grabs you right in the stomach, right in the soft underbelly and it is music that defines you and it can define how you are feeling or your feelings, and can define your creativity. You can't stop listening to it...you want to hear every beat you want to know every chord, every hand motion during a guitar solo, every layered effect, every fill, and feel how the song encompasses you. Somehow, the artist or artists are speaking and playing directly to you and your wife, husband, gay lover, something you are trying to achieve - a goal if you will, past memories, people who are with you now and those who are no longer with you but you wish they were. Sometimes when you see the artist live, the feelings can be even stronger. Sometimes the music can invoke anger, pain, sadness, or love. My first experience with a band or music that grabed me was Iron Maiden's Live After Death live concert album. A kid I new had the VHS and the double live vinyl and I was instantly hooked. It was just one of those things where the music was live, powerful, sort of evil. The one thing that I found amazing was that Iron Maiden sold out something like 4 or 5 shows at the Long Beach Arena with NO radio play. No one would play thier stuff but somehow they sold out the arena...so much for good music. However, many years later there was a group that really grabbed me hard. That is the Pat Metheny Group. I was finishing up high school (fucking sucked major ass by the way but that is another story) and I heard of a band called the Pat Metheny Group. The album (on cassette) that I bought was Still Life (Talking) and when I listened to it, I hated it. Absolutely hated it. It was not until the next year when I was DJing at the college radio station that I got a hold of another PMG album. This time it was Letter From Home. There is one song on there "Slip Away" where Pat uses these really intricate yet very, very open chords and I got this very exciting and free feeling when I listened to it. It was tres coole. After listening to Letters, I went back and listened to Still Life and loved it. It was at that time that SD and I along with my dad went to go and see the PMG at this run down - bombed out - no heat shitty theatre in Springhole. It was the best. I remember sitting next to SD and hearing him say "man this is different but very intense". Soon thereafter I started to learn more about jazz but man, it was that one song "Slip Away" that did it for me. There have been other times in my life where there has been music that has just grabbed me. Some to this day I still listen to and still others have gone by the wayside. One experience that I had was picking a song for my wedding to Flouise. I chose "Dream of the Return" on Letters. The lyrics are sung in Portugese but the emotion that it evoked in us was a enough for us to have it as our first song to dance to. I might need to mention that neither Flouise or myself speak or understand Portugese. There are literally a 100 songs that I can identify and evoke strong emotions, most of which are on my gay-pod at anyone time. I think it is important to also look at how the artist is trying to portray or sing or play his or her song to evoke such emotions. What about the intake of Steven Tyler's breath after the verse "Everytime I look in the mirror..." on the song Dream On? What about the song Waiting for a Girl Like You when Lou Gramm's vocals on the words "more than a touch" resonated in the studio recording? Chris Martin's vocals on Clocks "(am I) part of the cure, or am I part of the disease (singing)" is very powerful to me. What about the gutteral scream right from the bottom of his belly of "Here They Come, Here They Come" from Smokin Johnny G of the Smashbandits? Sometimes emotions can be evoked just through lyrics alone. One of my favorite songs by the band Live is "Meltdown" on the Distance to Here CD (great CD by the way), the lyrics: Fire! amongst the dreamers, you are, you are in my heart. The way that Ed Kowalczyk sings it is just very powerful. There are other times when I have been grabbed by a song that has no lyrics like "Slip Away": Principles of Lust by Enigma or "Qui tellia peccats mundi" from Bach or "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini. Both pieces by Bach and Puccini are tear jerkers and are just completely beautiful pieces of music that I could listen to over and over. Other times emotions can be evoked by just having a particular group or artist play a piece. There is something to be said about seeing the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sejie Ozawa play the overture to 1812 but it is something very special to see the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra play "The Grand Canyon Suite" or "Our Town" by Copeland. I also love "America the Beautiful" played by Keb Mo'. Keb strips the song down to the very basic roots and it is beautiful. As I was recording today I could not help but think of all the influences that I have when it comes to music and how much of it I enjoy and how much of it evokes emotions that remind us of people, places, ideas, pride, and anything else that does it for ye. And sometimes when emotions are high, some of the best creativity comes out. I believe that I am blessed to be able to feel music. Packard's New Power Bass Riffs (Scribed Dec 2006) According to SD, he has been waiting for new bass riffs since 1989 which is total shite (he must be having one to many Guinness). Through the 90's and early 00's (whatever the term is for the 00's - I forget),..SD has sent me his work and asked me to work on some music with him and I just was not motivated to create such. My dad died in 1997 and that was it for playing for quite a while. He was a musician (guitar) and to this day the one significant regret is that..SD and myself never played with him or recorded anything. It makes me very sad and regretful and this is probably one of the largest reasons for my absence from the bass or playing with..SD for many years. My dad sounded a lot like Johnny A. Check him out if you want to learn more about some great music by a very under rated guitarist (Johnny A that is, not my dad!). Rest assured, I listened to all of SD's work through the 90's (some good some not so good) and as a departure from music I was working with a lot of film - mainly 35 mm stuff and was traveling a lot and working on outdoor-landscape photography. A little diversion: SD's Gin, Blow, Satan is some of the most absolutely fucking succulently delicious creative work he has ever produced outside of Nor'Easter. Continuing: I am very happy with my (photography) work but I usually do not share it with people. It's mine and I just want it that way. I never took a class in photography, I prefer experimentation and trial and error. I have photographed most of the light houses in the northeast, foliage and farms in new england, much of the city of boston (greatest city in the new world), and documented my travels throughout the states and Canada with Louise. My work in photography was probably one of the only things that I have done that has not been polished, over produced, or square (POPS for short). I used an Olympus 35 mm with a very basic light weight tripod. I used only a polarizing filter and no light guages or anything like that. I think some of my photographs are publishable. WOW, that was a long way to get to this point where over the past 2 - 3 years..SD has encouraged me, hounded me, flogged me, sworn at me, chastised me like I work for him in Thailand, and beat me like a rented mule (you get the picture) to start playing and get him some new work. I finally got a chance to head up to Detroit over the past few years and SD has really been an inspiration to me. One night after visiting the city of Detroit, SD got me to the Dungeon for a Michael Landon Moment and asked me to play his 5-string (but strung with only 4 strings. SD thinks it's all punk r-r-r-rock, I just think it is uncomfortable). We played on some borrowed equipment. It was fun and I got started thinking again about some riffs. During that session, SD said it sounded "very Packard Forbes" which today I still take a compliment. I love playing with SD. I have been thinking about and working on some new bass riffs since about May of this year. I have many influences as the riffs detail and they really don't fit any one particular genre. I have been influenced by the Smashbandits (with a PF twist), Tchaikovsky, Dave Mathews Band's bass player, the Pat Metheny Group, the Silver Bullet Band, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Flea mainly). Two of the tracks are basic bass rock and punk riffs and the other two are like a jazz-fusion (I can see SD rolling his eyes right now) type of thing that I hope SD can find something to do with them. I finally got down to it today after going through some things that have evoked very strong emotions - some of which I have not ever felt in my life. It's sort of strange and I have heard that strong emotions can lead to creativity.