Gospel Music (or) The World According to a Black Kid

[Metro Jacksonville]

Gospel Music (or) The World According to a Black Kid



Do you remember that kid Charlie, from Dead Poets Society, who, during a school assembly,  "receives" a call from God in which God expresses His support for making Welton Academy co-ed? Well that character strikes me as being a kind of kindred spirit to Owen Holmes, no stranger to the Jacksonville music scene as a member of Black Kids. Of late, however, he has been moonlighting as the quirky brain behind the anti-folk/folk-punk outfit Gospel Music. Their album "How To Get To Heaven From Jacksonville, FL" is made up of fun, deconstructed pop songs with sing-a-long lyrics delivered in an easy, deadpan with a "don't give a damn" swagger. This music sounds as if it's meant to have been used for Jon Waters' long lost "accessible" Rom-Com.


Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-jan-gospel-music-or-the-world-according-to-a-black-kid

[fieldafm]

I can't believe that a column named 'Pump up the Volume' has no mention of J Dash's album being released today.  This is a local artist that will sell the most albums since Limp Biscuit... yet not a peep about this album?

No offense to Owen Holmes, but kind of a missed opportunity considering the potential enormous day in Jacksonville music history, no?

Full disclsoure: I have downloaded a couple of Holmes' songs from Amazon.

[Tacachale]

Nice article, Paul. Keep up the good work.

[pumpedupPaul]

@fieldafm This column is mostly musings to spotlight what I believe to be special but maybe under-known goings on in the Jax musical community. Full disclosure I have never heard of J Dash previous to your post but I will check his stuff out. Jax's hip bop scene is one that's kind of an enigma to me right now--I've yet to really know what/where the pulse is as far as that goes. But rest assured that if I find some value in a local discovery I will most definitely highlight it. If you have some knowledge about some  of the underground happenings in hip hop/r&b/soul/gospel/etc. definitely let me know because i would  to cover it. Thanks for your comments.

@Tacachale thanks for your kinds words! And for reading mine.

[IamAmerican]

Yeah, PUTV, what about JDASH!?

Thanks for the words Paul. I enjoy your articles. I listened to the album after I read your review and it's nice. I do, however, take issue with your statement:

"Art at its core demands that you, at the very least, fall to one side of the fence that is presented. At its best, art demands that you take notice and tends to ease the jolt of this necessary confrontation with its inescapable quality. "

So, art is confrontation. Art builds a fence and the participant must make a decision?...that is its base nature ("very least"). Are you saying that art is inherently a dividing line? I'm not sure I buy that line of reasoning. Maybe, in our un-evolved and unsophisticated twisted view of the arts and if the dividing line is a simple/superficial "I like this" or "i don't like this" then maybe. If the fence is whether you like it or not, then maybe all art, at minimum, demands a choice. But that's not what you are saying. Or, is it?

Then "Art, at it's best" is making the confrontation easy by creating a sense of enchantment, "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down." Is that art at it's best?

I think I see where you are going with those statement but they seem rather lofty and not necessarily accurate. I'm not sure I believe the rather assumptive statement that art requires decisions be made. I'm open to being corrected but first I have to decide whether JDash is art at its best or worst.

[IamAmerican]

I've decided JDASH is art at its $$$

[pumpedupPaul]

@Iamamerican I think you trivialized my statements on art to an extent that yes, if you equate my views as you have, then they are silly statements. But the reality is that art--good and bad--is always controversial and yes draws lines in the sand. I nickelback art? Is gwar? Is 2 live crew? Is the statue of David? Is any Jackson Pollock? Dogs playing poker?  As far as speaking to the inescapable quality of a piece, I'm referring to when a piece of art in whatever form is so unnerving, so breathtaking, so moving that it quite literally cuts through all the bs and we in some fashion express a gratefulness for being endowed with such gifts--hardly a "spoonful of sugar" type scenario. And yes J Dash does indeed have the distinct smell of freshly minted c-notes...

Thanks for your comments!

[fieldafm]

I've decided JDASH is art at its $$$

How elitist of you.

So, have you actually gone beyond a Youtube viewing of 'Wop' and seen any Fusebox Funk shows over the last 10 years or actually listened to the other songs on his solo album that just came into stores today?

I think you'll find that there is a DEEP level of soul and funk beyond a dance song he made years ago in college. 

I have attended a lot of live shows here locally and for the most part find that 80% of it is less than appealing... but I would never go so far as to dismiss them as artists b/c my personal preferance lied elsewhere.  That's pretty narrow minded.

[pumpedupPaul]

It's rather disingenuous to claim someone is elitist when they say something sounds like $$$$ when you yourself said this is an important release in the pantheon of Jacksonville locals who made good and will be the biggest seller this side of limp bizkit for a jax local.  Its clearly NOT meant to languish in the underground, but it also lacks the depth of say dead prez or public enemy or tribe or even jay z. But something that sounds like $$$$ doesn't mean it worthless--EMINEM proved that!

[buckethead]

@Iamamerican I think you trivialized my statements on art to an extent that yes, if you equate my views as you have, then they are silly statements. But the reality is that art--good and bad--is always controversial and yes draws lines in the sand. I nickelback art? Is gwar? Is 2 live crew? Is the statue of David? Is any Jackson Pollock? Dogs playing poker?  As far as speaking to the inescapable quality of a piece, I'm referring to when a piece of art in whatever form is so unnerving, so breathtaking, so moving that it quite literally cuts through all the bs and we in some fashion express a gratefulness for being endowed with such gifts--hardly a "spoonful of sugar" type scenario. And yes J Dash does indeed have the distinct smell of freshly minted c-notes...

Thanks for your comments!

Beauty (art) is in the eye of the beholder.

Gwar is absolutely art. 2 live crew was a groundbreaking art form... Statue of David? The nudity! *looks for censorship "easy" button*

nickleback is an abomination, therefore can also be considered art. The art of baking with too much sugar and vanilla.

[fieldafm]

but it also lacks the depth of say dead prez or public enemy or tribe or even jay z.

It's clear then you have not attended any of the hundred or so Fusebox shows around town in the last 10 years.  Certainly JDash is not in the category of Tribe Called Quest (nor will that type of collaberation probably ever happen again on a mass scale), but to dismiss someone without ever hearing their actual sound beyond a dance song that happened to get picked up after languishing around for 10 years is the very definition of disingenuous.

You don't have to like his music, but to dismiss an artists' entire body of work which you clearly have no understanding of (by your own admission) simply b/c one commercially appealing song made money is yes... elitist. 

You don't have to wander in obscurity to have talent, less be dismissed as not having 'depth'.  The fact that someone makes money on a song, doesn't make them any less of an artist?  Is John Mayer not a good blues guitarast b/c he also makes songs frat boys get laid to?
 

[IamAmerican]

@pumpeduppaul, I didn't trivialize your statements...I read them.

I'm saying to say that all art is controversial seems incredibly assumptive. Unless, the controversy is a matter of taste (like/dislike)then, sure, all art is controversial. I like Justin Timberlake and ABC Person does not, let's debate. I'm not debating "what is art" I'm debating that art is not always confrontational. And if it is, analysis of art should move beyond simple personal taste.

Which is why I am saying that the way we evaluate art based on like/dislike is superficial, un-evolved,  unsophisticated and sure controversial. But beyond that, not all art is confrontational. In fact, I think the way you write your reviews does move beyond like/dislike.

You wrote, "I'm referring to when a piece of art in whatever form is so unnerving, so breathtaking, so moving that it quite literally cuts through all the bs and we in some fashion express a gratefulness for being endowed with such gifts"

Exactly! Where is the controversy?

@fieldafm, Thank you...? The answer to your question is no. And, yes, you're right I shouldn't dismiss him because my initial response is "really, we need more of this?" I listened to no more than 1 minute of his music.

I can't help but think there are tones of sarcasm in your words. Even if there aren't maybe we can discuss the art of marketing bad music.  Boo-yah!

[pumpedupPaul]

@buckethead yeah I wasn't suggesting that any of those weren't art. I agree with you for sure!

@fieldafm I actually do really dig the Fusebox Funk stuff---I had known of them but had no idea he was involved in that. I have to say though that while I love No Doubt...I struggle enjoying Gwen Stefani's solo work. The talent that J Dash clearly has isn't necessarily as on display in this current format, but I do need to hear more of the record and regardless this is good conversation!

[IamAmerican]

@fieldafm, I don't think anyone is arguing that an artists shouldn't make money. I made a quick statement based on a very superficial listen. But you speak to a great point and bring up another great topic, does presentation matter? Yes. JDash may be one of those rappers that I'll listen to and say to myself...oh s#$%, this guy is freakin' amazing. JDash, initial presentation to me is lil'wayne like music. And, I'm not a very big fan of lil' wayne. BUT the art with lil wayne is the presentation not the music.

[IamAmerican]

In fact, I think lil' wayne marketing is incredible. "Cough syrup" come on, that is amazing.