What’s in a name? Not what you think
BY MIKE PODSEDLY When you begin to listen to Inside The Gates Radio, either through the free app or the player on the website, the first visual is the title and artist of what is currently playing. This information alerts you to whether you have heard it before or is performed by an artist you favor. Titles convey a hint as to the contents and play an important function in songs, books and movies. Song titles are usually contained within the lyrics so you are likely to hear the title again but in context. Sometimes the title may be tacked on later and never heard in the song. Popular music reflects the current culture while new sounds and themes reside among the fringes, a precursor to changes in musical direction. In the 1950’s and 1960’s increases in disposable income led to more time and money directed to leisure activities. Teens had purchasing power which allowed them to have significant influence in the music industry. Rock and Roll songs were played on the radio much more than any other genre. With the advent of TV, The American Bandstand was a logical extension. The after-school show featured clean-cut average teenagers dancing to the latest hits. There was also a guest artist to lip-sync their songs. The most memorable segment asked participants to Rate-A-Record on a 35 to 98 scale leading to the phrase “It’s got a good beat, and you can dance to it.” that everyone associates with the show. Bandstand went national in 1957 and lasted until 1963. A weekly show then continued the format until 1989. The primary themes of young love and rebellion were reflected in the songs topping the charts during that period. Dancing was instrumental for teens to meet and impress the opposite sex. A survey of hit song titles during that time include many references to dancing as well as demonstrating how to do them. The Temptations suggest we “Take A Look Around” at some of the songs that were being played in the 1950’s. Danny & the Juniors invited us to remove our shoes so as not to mar the gym floor and join in “At The Hop”. Bobby Freeman asks the obvious question “Do You Want To Dance” while Chris Montez is more inclusive in “Let’s Dance”. Chubby Checker introduces a mild form of oblique exercise called “The Twist”. The Isley Brothers took it one step further with “Twist and Shout”. Joey Dee and the Starliters added a little sweetener with “The Peppermint Twist”. The Drifters focus on the most important part of the evening in “Save the Last Dance for Me. Martha And The Vandellas seek to expand the party by “Dancing In The Street”. Little Eva found her step with “The Loco-Motion” which was followed up by “Let’s Turkey Trot”. Dee Dee Sharp was prolific in her variety of dance crazes with “Mashed Potato Time”, “Ride!” and “Do the Bird”. In an effort to keep the party going The Dovells said “You Can’t Sit Down” especially when doing the “Bristol Stomp”. Bobby Rydell made it easy for teens on the low end of rhythmic skills with the “Sway”. After discovering someone you like on the dance floor the vagaries of young love come to the forefront. Imagine The Everly Brothers panic over breaking curfew with a girl when they struggle to “Wake Up Little Suzie”. Ricky Nelson dreads meeting the girl’s father as he tries to navigate his choices when he realizes “It’s Late”. Dion laments the range of emotions, both happy and sad, he faces being “A Teenager In Love”. Approaches to finding love vary despite The Monotones writing the “Book of Love”. The “Dream Lover” pictured by Bobby Darin is for a lifetime and not a short fling. Buddy Holly thinks about striking up a romantic relationship “Everyday”. Once you become a steady couple The Flamingos describe the feeling as “I Only Have Eyes for You”. The Miracles took it a step further declaring “You Really Got a Hold on Me”. Smokey Robinson penned two songs of unconditional love, first for Mary Wells in “My Guy” and then for the Temptations to extoll the virtues of “My Girl”. The Shirelles brazenly declare that “Baby It’s You”. Facing being apart for the summer Brian Hyland promises to send a daily letter that’s “Sealed With A Kiss” while on the other end The Marvalettes ask politely “Please Mr. Postman” do you have a letter for me? Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs pleads for his girl to “Stay”. When she doesn’t, Neil Sedaka confronts the situation saying “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”. Gene Pitney has a sadder reaction saying “Only Love Can Break A Heart”. Del Shannon stands in the rain and questions what went wrong with his little “Runaway”. The Supremes reflect on the situation asking “Where Did Our Love Go”. Dion’s remedy is to avoid attachments by becoming “The Wanderer”. Frankie Lyman & The Teenagers are left to sum up the journey by asking “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”. The answer of course is because we do. The sophisticated Inside The Gates listeners may find many of these songs trite now but for those growing up during that time they were important social guideposts. Plus, they led to the greatest era of rock music just ahead. Check out our website insidethegatesradio.com for past articles, music trivia and station news.
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"No Sing Along For Me"
BY MIKE PODSEDLY I enjoy the great music of my generation that is played nonstop on Inside The Gates Radio. I experience the emotion and memory produced by the music that has been documented in earlier articles. One thing that is missing is my ability to sing along in a pleasant voice that the music deserves. I elicit groans and pleas to stop when in the company of others. This condition has been consistent throughout my life and has led me to be a closet car and shower singer. I can trace this lack of ability to sing to an event that occurred back in the fifth grade. My class was to perform a choral presentation at a school function. We had a tiered platform, robes and the works. After the music was selected it became imperative to rehearse for the upcoming show. I had memorized the words and was ready to go. After a few practice sessions I was pulled aside and directed to pantomime instead of singing. This evaluation was to plant the idea that singing was something I should avoid at all costs. This feeling has persisted into my senior years. While helping launch ITG Radio I began to listen to music more often. I heard many different vocal styles that I had not paid attention to before. I wondered why my voice did not come close to being within this rather wide range of recorded musicians. So, I put on my research hat to determine the cause of my seemingly outlier of a singing voice. I first came upon a test for being tone deaf on musical-u.com. I put on my best noise cancelling headphones and began the test. It was divided into three sections, all comparing two tones. First was responding whether the tones were the same or different, second consisted if the sequence of tones went up or down and lastly if the tones were higher or lower. I was surprised by my score of 83% correct. I could eliminate being tone deaf as a reason for my poor singing voice. On the musical-u website they offer training to improve your musical ability. They state that there are two aspects to singing in tune, voice control and hearing the notes. Voice control is about 20% of what it takes to sing while the ability to hear the note you should sing compared to note you are singing makes up the other 80%. As in most activities, the brain must be trained to recognize pitch and tuning. I found another article that supported the assessment that that pitch accuracy is primary cause of bad singing. There is an interview with Sean Hutchins, while he was at BRAMS (International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research), studying the neuroscience of music. “Hutchins says that even though nearly all of us are equipped with the biological hardware to produce a wide range of notes, bad singing is rampant. ‘Singing is a complex expression,’ he explains. ‘The majority of people, around 60 percent, have a difficult time’ with it. (Discover Magazine, Can't Sing? Blame Your Brain, James Dziezynski, June 22, 2014). The problem was not the perception of a note but the ability to reproduce the sound with their voices. Hutchins’ conclusion: “Our brains have the ability to signal the voice to produce the correct note, but have mapped out the wrong output to match a perceived note. ‘Our brains are quite good at perception, which is why so many of us enjoy listening to music without being great musicians,’ he says. But those same brains give our vocal cords faulty instructions.” There are many articles debating whether musicality is an innate or acquired skill. Aside from those rare individuals who are born with perfect pitch, I believe it is a skill that requires both an aptitude and practice. People born with physical assets such as height, speed, stamina, etc. are drawn to sports activities if they wish to exploit their advantages. The same holds true for people that test well may focus on academics. I have heard comments from musicians about the need to practice regularly or they see deterioration in their skill level in a relatively short time. This complaint is often repeated by participants in sports such as golf, tennis and many others. After several interruptions to my golf game, I would remark that it felt like I was starting over when I got back to the course. It appears that for me to improve my singing voice it would take a vigorous and sustained effort to train my brain to match the notes in my head to those coming from my vocal cords. Given my age and a myriad of other interests, this will not happen for me. I will proudly continue in the company of the 60% of the population that are considered “bad singers”. I will continue to experience the music on Inside The Gates Radio library, the greatest music of our lifetime! Please visit our website insidethegatesradio.com for information about connecting options, download apps, live show schedules and station news. Send us an email to ITGRadio@bigcanoepoa.org to express your questions, comments or suggestions. Inside The Gates Radio Embraces Cover Songs
BY: MIKE PODSEDLY Cover Songs have an important place in the rock music universe. I have looked for cover versions of songs because the interpretations by other artists are fascinating listening. Covers range from duplicating the original performance to putting a whole new spin on the song. In popular music, a cover version, remake, cover song, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by someone other than the original artist or composer of a song. No matter how unique and different your version is, someone else legally owns the song and is therefore entitled to royalties. By requesting a mechanical license, you are ensuring that the original creator of the song is getting their fair share of the sales of the cover. The advent of the singer/songwriter era, around the late 60s or early 70s, many artists’ songs had greater lyrical and musical depth leaving room for an evolving re-interpretation of a song’s feel or meaning. Using someone else’s hit song has often been a way for a new act to get heard and recognized. Nowadays, a “cover-version” of a writers’ song is considered a high compliment. It means that the effort has garnered attention and appreciation to the point of other stylists wanting to add their interpretation to a song they find appealing. I have selected a list of cover songs that I consider significant in some way. I have added some comments to each song of interest. “Twist And Shout” (1963) cover by The Beatles of The Isley Brothers: In the beginning of their career The Beatles covered a lot of songs. This one was especially attention getting. “House Of The Rising Sun” (1964) cover by The Animals of Unknown: This song is so old, its origin is unknown with many theories. “With A Little Help From My Friends” (1968) cover by Joe Cocker of The Beatles: These versions couldn't sound less alike. The Beatles version sounds vanilla, while Joe's is gospel soul bliss. “Everybody’s Talkin’” (1968) cover by Harry Nilsson of Fred Neil: Nilsson had been a computer programmer at a bank in Los Angeles. He released “Everybody’s Talkin'” on his 1968 album, “Aerial Ballet”. The next year it stole the show as the featured theme song of the 1969 cult classic film, Midnight Cowboy. The song helped solidify Nilsson’s career as a countercultural poet with no master. “Woodstock” (1970) cover by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young of Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded the definitive song about the Woodstock festival. She did not attend but watched the TV coverage from her hotel room. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young did appear, playing an acoustic set followed by an electric set around 3 a.m. “Me and Bobby McGee” (1971) cover by Janis Joplin of Kris Krisofferson: This was written by Kris Kristofferson, but it was Janis Joplin's hit cover that gave his career a lift. The song was released after she died of a heroin overdose. It was the second song that was #1 in US after the artist had died. “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds” (1974) cover by Elton John of John Lennon: As the story goes, Elton made a bet with Lennon that he could make a #1 hit with it. After he lost, Lennon came out of retirement during Elton's show got up on stage for 3 songs. “Blinded By The Light” (1976) cover by Manfred Mann's Earth Band of Bruce Springsteen: This cover version from went #1 in 1976. Ironically, Bruce used to perform the Manfred Mann hit “Pretty Flamingo” in early concerts. “Cocaine” (1977) cover by Eric Clapton of J J Cale: Another song that was recorded and released originally by J J Cale. The success of the song led to Cale getting a record deal enabling him to have enough money to make music on his own terms. “Ooh Baby Baby” (1978) cover by Linda Ronstadt of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Linda was not a songwriter, so it was about picking the right song. Her styling was the key to her success. She covered many songs but this was a perfect choice for her. “Walk Away Renee” (1983) cover by Rickie Lee Jones of The Left Banks: Rickie was a great interpreter of Rock and has done an entire album of covers. This one is from the highly praised "Girl At Her Volcano" LP. “Alone” (1987) cover by Heart of i-Ten: “Alone” first appeared on i-Ten's 1983 album with little success. They heard that Heart was looking for a power ballad and Alone came to mind. They liked everything about the song except for the first line of the chorus. DJ Reactions After investigating cover songs I wanted to get reactions from the Inside The Gates DJs, a most knowledgeable group. Dinnis Keefe has a live show on Saturday evenings at 6:30pm titled SoundSense. He has been in the radio and recording business for years and his experience is reflected in his show commentary. “Everybody wants to cover a Dylan song. First off, the songs are almost all lyrically marvelous and melodically obliging. It’s hard not to look and sound good with one of these tunes coming out of your mouth. And frankly, Mr D’s original renditions usually leave some room for refinements.” Keefe described what he looks for in a cover saying “For taking a song as far as conceivable from its original intent and turning it into something astonishing, if not unrepeatable. Bettye Lavette’s ‘Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook’ takes the gold. Start with George Harrison’s ‘Isn't It A Pity.’ Listen sitting down to avoid injury when your knees buckle.” Alikhan shares his favorites Shiraz Alikhan has a live show on Sundays at 4:30 pm named San Francisco Nights. He was in a cover band here in Big Canoe for several years called Off the Record. He also performs a lot of covers at the Acoustic Showcase performances Alikhan commented about “’With a Little Help From My Friends’. John and Paul wrote this for Ringo to sing on ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and deliberately wrote a melody with limited range. Cocker put himself on the rock music map with his aching, soulful version at Woodstock which became a kind of anthem. That concert and the movie documenting it displayed Cocker's rather eccentric singing style that some people mocked. He was good natured during his ‘Dueling Cockers’ appearance on SNL in 1976. Then John Belushi joined him on another great Cocker cover, Dave Mason & Traffic's ‘Feeling Alright’”. Alikhan further pointed out that “We have a great cover of Procul Harum’s ’A Whiter Shade of Pale’ by Annie Lennox and also have a terrific cover of ‘Ain't No Sunshine’ a Bill Withers classic by Joan Osborne in our library. My wife really likes this version.” Looney’s Tunes too Craig Looney has a Live Show on Sundays at 6:30 pm appropriately called Looney’s Tunes Looney remarked that “Cover songs are the topic and I think all of the ITG Radio DJ's are huge fans of them. I enjoy them so very much that I started a new regular segment on Looney's Tunes, Cover Me Up. Each week I play an original track from an artist/band and go to great lengths to find an interesting cover version. The covers I most enjoy are versions that consider the original as a foundation and build it into something unique, respectful of the original, but distinct in their own interpretation. I have found some great ones during my research, including Simon & Garfunkel's ‘Scarborough Fair’ covered by the band Sea Level, Simon & Garfunkel's ‘Sound Of Silence’ covered by the artist, Disturbed, Aerosmith's ‘Sweet Emotion’ covered by Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon and Johnny Cash's ‘Ring of Fire’ covered by Ruthie Foster” Please visit our website insidethegatesradio.com for information about connecting options, download apps, live show schedules and station news. Send us an email to TGRadio@bigcanoepoa.org to express your questions, comments or suggestions. BY MIKE PODSEDLY
I watched a TV documentary on EPIX recently titled “Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time” directed by Alison Ellwood that sought to capture one of rock music’s greatest eras. Constructed from old videos and photos augmented by new interviews, it told the story of this landmark music scene. Many of the songs generated during this time are mainstays in the Inside the Gates Radio vast music library. The golden years of the Laurel Canyon scene, roughly 1967-74, saw the birth of the singer-songwriter movement and the rise of huge stars, from folk-rock bands like the Byrds and the Mamas and the Papas to Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, the Flying Burrito Brothers, America, and the Eagles—many of whom played on each other’s records. Artists didn’t initially move to Laurel Canyon because it was a musical mecca. They moved there because it was a cheap place to live, with easy access to L.A. and clubs like the Troubadour and Whisky A-Go-Go that would give new artists a shot. Musicians gravitated to places that were inexpensive and then their friends gravitated there. Pretty soon, no one but musicians lived there. There were so many artists that had gotten out of folk music because folk had gone out of fashion. The music produced there has often been labeled as folk or soft rock for its mellow sound, but the canyon was a melting pot, cross-breeding the genres of folk, psychedelia, pop, blues, country and rock. Laurel Canyon bloomed with melodic, atmospheric and politicized songs that defined the moment, made by artists who defined a generation. Laurel Canyon was an idyll for musicians, a place secluded from the bright lights of Los Angeles, where they could breathe the same air and create freely, together. During the show photographer Henry Diltz, who saw and documented much of the scene, narrates the encounter where David Crosby recalls inviting his protégé, an unknown Joni Mitchell, to a party arranged by Cass Elliott to welcome Eric Clapton on his first visit to America. Clapton sat mesmerized, Crosby recalls, by Mitchell’s unique guitar-fingering style. In a new interview for the show, “We were living in the very center of this beautiful bubble of friendship, sunshine, sex, drugs and music,” says Graham Nash, the British Invasion veteran who defected to Southern California, where he became a charter member of Laurel Canyon society, hooking up with David Crosby of the Byrds and Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield at the Laurel Canyon home of Joni Mitchell, Nash’s girlfriend at the time, to form Crosby, Stills & Nash. The heyday of the Laurel Canyon music scene may be over, but that’s the point. Lisa Robinson wrote in a February 8, 2015 Vanity Fair article entitled “An Oral History of Laurel Canyon, the 60s and 70s Music Mecca”, “Scenes aren’t meant to last. They sparkle with activity, flourish, then burn out.” It’s never forgotten though — the musical style and sound lives on, continuing to inspire and influence the artists of today. Gary Tripp from Long Live Vinyl.net compiled a list of 40 albums in terms of Laurel Canyon-ness. I have selected some of the great albums released from his list during this time have endured time and genre changes. They are big part of “the Greatest Music of our Lifetime” played on the Inside The Gates Radio rotation. “Buffalo Springfield” (1967): Buffalo Springfield’s songwriting power trio of Young, Stills and Richie Furay combined to produce a timeless and stupidly influential release. “Crosby, Stills & Nash” (1969): The harmonies and the confessional songwriting of CSN’s debut has come to define the Laurel Canyon sound. “Sweet Baby James” James Taylor (1970): After recording his debut in the UK for The Beatles’ Apple label, Taylor decamped to Laurel Canyon, adding to the ranks of straggly-haired, denim-clad, introspective singer-songwriters. “Ladies of the Canyon” Joni Mitchell (1970): Moving away from the airy folkiness of her first two albums, the singer-songwriter’s transitional third opens her up as an artist of boundless talent. “Déjà Vu” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970) Crosby, Stills and Nash were bolstered by the arrival of Neil Young into their fold. the album’s magical harmonies and memorable songs mark it out as a milestone of the movement. It remains the quintessential Laurel Canyon LP. “If I Could Only Remember My Name” David Crosby (1971) Surfing the wave of Déjà Vu, David Crosby invited his mates to help him out on his solo debut and Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Grace Slick and Jerry Garcia, among others, answered the call. “Tapestry” –Carole King (1971) Carole King had written a string of hits for others as a songwriter in New York’s Brill Building, but on “Tapestry”, she was singing for herself. Its perfectly crafted songs marked it as one of the quintessential singer-songwriter albums of the 70s. “Songs For Beginners” Graham Nash (1971) Nash recorded his first solo album in the wake of his split with Joni Mitchell, and many of the songs lament the time spent together. “For Everyman” Jackson Browne (1973) Equal parts bluesy folk and piano-driven ballads, Laurel Canyon resident Jackson Browne. The serene songwriter was able to enlist a star-studded supporting cast including his buddies Glenn Frey and Don Henley, while Elton John, credited as “Rockaday Johnnie,” contributes some piano. As a side note, the genius of Jackson Browne was presented in a midweek special show by Craig Looney on Inside the Gates Radio Live. Please visit our website insidethegatesradio.com for information about connecting options, download apps, live show schedules and station news. Send us an email to ITGRadio@bigcanoepoa.org to express your questions, comments or suggestions. Greetings From Inside The Gates Radio. I asked a number of our station listeners for their opinions about Inside The Gates Radio and thought you may enjoy their comments. I have not edited any of their input. As these are folks I know, there are a number of comments about my live show in particular. Shiraz Alikhan and Dinnis Keefe have excellent shows and faithful listeners as well, but I wanted to share the following kind words to give you all a perspective of Inside The Gates Radio. Perhaps...just maybe...it will inspire you to listen to your community radio station just a bit more. Of course, if you haven't taken the opportunity to listen...please do so.
Deb Boardley, Toledo, Ohio Early last summer, 2019 BC (Before Coronavirus), a few of my music loving friends had just returned from Jazz Fest and they were talking about listening to Inside the Gates Radio. That Sunday night I tuned in and was so impressed with the music and Craig Looney's knowledge and insights about music. I have been a "regular" since then. I love the live show, and also frequently listen to the streaming music throughout the week. There are a couple of reasons I enjoy the station. This is the music I have enjoyed my whole life. But ITG is so special because it is not the "same old, same old". I often find myself listening to a favorite artist, but realizing that I never heard "that song". It is GREAT and I wonder how I missed "that song". I also enjoy the song quizzes - and learn fun facts every week. Finally, the live shows are so much fun because it is a shared experience. I do know the Toledo crowd - but hearing names of people tuning in from Big Canoe, Chicago, DC, Nevada, West VA and NE Ohio, etc., it feels like kindred spirits - connecting through music. It is far better than when I took my portable radio to the pool! Thanks so much for ITG! It is a gem! Ben Godwin, Big Canoe Inside the Gates Radio is my go to station for music while I am working, reading, or relaxing. On Sunday nights we enjoy listening to Looney’s Tunes as we have a cocktail and make dinner. Craig’s selection of artists and some of their lesser known tunes make for an entertaining evening with a mix of familiar and new music. We are looking forward to a great summer with music from Inside the Gates Radio! Tim Hanofee, Big Canoe Like many or most of the ITG listeners, I grew up listening to the music LooneyMan and the other “jocks” play for us. The diversity, the history, the back stories provided in the Live shows brings back wonderful memories and offers us the opportunity to drift back to our youth. The ITG music is always phenomenal, the live shows are sublime! Lisa Keating and Phil Odenweller, Hendersonville, NC Our introduction to Craig's show was an eye-opener from the get go and continues to be so! We look forward to settling in on Sunday evenings for a blast from the past and an entree to new artists. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity and we take full advantage of it! Kudos to Inside the Gates Radio! Dale, Cherie and Wrigley Hood, Big Canoe Let me just say, that it is a breath of fresh air to be able to relax and enjoy music and songs from artists that you would otherwise never hear because radio stations tend to only play what are considered to be the hit songs they recorded. Kudos to our Inside The Gates radio station for introducing these great songs to its listeners as well as artists and musicians that we are hearing for maybe the first time. Keep Rocking Inside The Gates! Pud and Deenie Ritter, Las Vegas, Nevada A New Sunday Tradition in our household is listening to Looney’s Tunes on ITG Radio. The songs played and the historical commentary by Craig Looney bring back memories of times past but not forgotten. Tell all your friends to tune in to be completely entertained, they won’t be disappointed. Sara Bennett...Lawrenceville, Georgia How do I love thee ITG.... 1. Great music 2. Great music 3. Great music 4. No commercials 5. Awesome live shows 6. Awesome live shows 7. On the air 24/7 8. Every time I listen to a live show, I learn something new about the artists. 9. It's so great I tell everyone to listen! 10. Did I mention GREAT MUSIC??? Terry Nicholson...Big Canoe Hello, my name is Terry Nicholson, a resident here in Big Canoe, GA. Retired, I spend a tremendous number of hours each week in my woodworker’s shop constructing various items for friends, family, myself and other that request custom made products. I must admit, I was, and still am a fan of Pandora, which helps pass the time between saws, planes, sander and other noise making apparatus. When Craig and the team first opened up “Inside The Gates Radio”, I split my listening pleasures between Pandora and ITGR, but gradually moved more and more towards ITGR for a number of reasons. The variety of artist, songs, and music exceeds the expectations I was after. Also, I get to hear the “shout-outs” from my friends and neighbors, not to mention my own, which totally impresses my grandchildren to hear their BABA on the radio. I totally endorse and recommend Inside The Gates Radio to anyone that wants to hear great music, whether working, exercising, relaxing. Rick Kanfer...Dunwoody, Georgia ITGR...“The radio station that drives emotions” By combining a unique collection of Rock, Blues, and Jazz from many different eras, with a heavy concentration of VERY deep tracks, Inside The Gates Radio truly brings you an emotional experience. That’s what I like the most about ITGR - it's not something to be played in the background while you read or play spades, rather it's positively foreground. You need to focus so you can derive the most pleasure, the most enjoyment. ITGR makes you feel you're not alone in this crazy world. It amps up your energy and eliminates your depression. It is truly soul-fulfillment. Please visit our website www.insidethegatesradio.com and go to the 'FAQ' link on the home page to get precise instructions on how to connect with us. Inside The Gates Radio from beautiful Big Canoe! By MIKE PODSEDLY Published in Smoke Signals August 2020
Last month I discussed the phenomenon that certain music creates vivid memories of our personal life events. But what about the rest of the music that we like to listen to? A key motive for listening to music is to influence one’s emotions. This is precisely what the Inside The Gates Radio team has tried to create and with some outstanding feedback from our listeners...we believe we are on the right track. You don’t need to be a professional musician to feel the positive, transformative effects of music. A recent global survey by consumer electronics company Sonos interviewed 12,000 people across 12 countries and found that listening is essential to human happiness, and that music might be the key to reducing stress, improving productivity and being healthier. More than half (54 per cent) of respondents said that music had made them either laugh or cry unexpectedly, and three out of four respondents said they listened to music to reduce stress. Another 52 per cent said they were happier when listening to a favorite song, and that music helps boost their mood at work (58 per cent). If you have ever listened to music and found yourself in tears, or sensed that something has shifted inside of you, it’s because that piece of music has resonated with you. The Sonos-led study reflected this – one in three respondents said they used music to help them think of new ideas when they were stuck and that it inspired them to do great work. And the fitness-focused know that fast-paced music can have a direct link to performance, with 81 per cent of respondents saying they used music to help them meet their fitness goals. “Music has a huge power to transform our lives in many different ways. One of the key things is emotions – it helps us express ourselves, often things we are not able to express with words. And it helps us reduce stress. We all need that,” music therapist Esther Wong says. Music has a variety of noises and factors that can have you experiencing any of these moods and much more. Music has a practically limitless number of moods. The cerebellum is highly activated by our favorite songs, triggering increased blood flow to the legs. This may be part of why dance is so closely associated with nearly every genre of music. The region of the brain most impacted by almost every type of music in the world is also the area that makes us want to move, even if this is just tapping our feet or bobbing our heads. Listeners to our live shows have expressed that they do indeed dance and sing along to the music. With the explosion of personal speaker and headphone products, listening to music is a much more private experience than ever before. Access to music has never been easier due to streaming. Rock music with its wide range of sounds has actually been shown to have a hugely positive impact among listeners. Researchers have observed that sad music acts as a kind of catharsis for sad listeners, which explains why we are drawn to the genre when we're feeling blue. Many people make thoughtful choices when selecting a song, artist or genre to suit certain moods and situations. Inside The Gates Radio has simplified your choices by having a cache of the best rock music ever recorded. All these tunes have been thoughtfully assembled and are available with a mere click. In sum, music is capable of rousing both emotional and physiological responses. Music even works more rapidly and intensely upon the mind than any art, because it requires so little conscious reflection. Inside The Gates Radio is generally associated with Rock music as a quick descriptor of the music played. The content of the station’s library is a bit more complex and eclectic. The sub-genres experienced while listening to the song rotation at any given time can include Hard and Soft Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Swamp Rock, Pop Rock, Country Rock and even Jazzy Rock. All this is available without any effort by the listener. Please visit our website insidethegatesradio.com for information about connecting options, download apps, live show schedules and station news. Send us an email to ITGRadio@bigcanoepoa.org to express your questions, comments or suggestions. BY MIKE PODSEDLY Published in Smoke Signals July 2020 Issue
“THE GREATEST MUSIC OF OUR LIFETIMES” is our slogan that is backed by science. Studies show that music can be a particularly effective cue for bringing one back to sights and sounds of events from across our life spans. These have been labeled MEAMS, Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories. The link between cues and associated memory have been demonstrated in several controlled settings with a variety of participants. Favorite songs are typically listened to much more frequently over one’s lifetime than films or books. Our preferred music is rooted in adolescence and early adulthood. Research revealed songs released when the participant was 10 to 30 years old are preferred, better recognized and elicit heightened emotional responses compared to songs from other periods. There is also a bump in ages 40 to 50 years old. For example, if you are 70 years old today then the music from 1960 to 1980 would be called your favorites. There might also be some favorites from 1990 to 2000. The average study participant listened to music 30 min to 1 hour per half day. The number of MEAMS reported was positively associated with the volume of music listening in total. MEAMS can be effectively evoked most often in situations where your attention is not explicitly focused on music. Most MEAMS were experienced during background listening. They can occur while driving/traveling, doing housework, at work, relaxing, socializing, etc. MEAMS were reported as involuntary rather than deliberately retrieved. Another finding I found interesting was that there was no significant difference in the occurrence of MEAMS between musicians and non-musicians since I fall in the latter group. Older adults reported more positive emotions in response to their MEAMS as expected. They also reported having more vivid memories. MEAMS are a relatively common everyday experience which serve to transport us back to life events that are often highly vivid, positive and social in nature. MEAMS have a role in maintaining one’s life narrative and evolving sense of self. This might also explain why people tend to reject the music of younger generations due to the lack of MEAMS experienced by them. Personally, I have been constructing a timeline of significant events during my life as defined by me. I have then noted what songs bring the sharpest recall of each of these events. The process is not this clean because sometimes the music suggests the events and other times the events might lead me to the selection of the music. If you haven’t listened to our station yet, do what our loyal audience does:
Please visit our website insidethegatesradio.com for information about connecting options, download apps, live show schedules and station news. Send us an email to ITGRadio@bigcanoepoa.org to express your questions, comments or suggestions. |
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