As we find our voice again, we strive to bring some good news into the world of ironic irony pressed flat and folded into little geometric patterns on the ironing board of sarcasm.
This week, here in the United States of America, we’ve seen a change of administration and with that, we rotate out our former poet laureates, the tag-team duo of Kid Rock and Ted Nugent, with that of Amanda Gorman. As a music tech site, we strive to leave politics at the ba wit da ba wit the dang the diggy door but we can still celebrate the artistry that goes into the world around us.
Amanda Gorman reads ‘The Hill We Climb’
The youngest poet laureate of the United States at just 22, Gorman was asked to write and recite a piece for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
When day comes we ask ourselves: where can we find light in this neverending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what just is, isn’t always justice. And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do it. Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished. We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming President, only to find herself reciting for one.
An amazing piece by an amazing woman. You can read more of her process in the link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/books/amanda-gorman-inauguration-hill-we-climb.html
…as an aside, the ‘ba wit da ba’ lyrics from Kid Rock above was a throwback to old skool rapper Busy Bee’s 1982 Making Cash Money.
NAMM: Believe in Music Week
Reader Sean Flannery, better known to older members of the Sonik forums as ‘Q’, before he descended into madness and started his own social media empire, brings us this information. (Editor note: we may be confusing two different entities. Please fact-check before hitting ‘publish’.)
Believe in Music Week is a new digital event, featuring education, entertainment, and live music, providing a platform to power our industry’s recovery and support those in need. Registration is free.
"While it remains unsafe for us to gather in person in January, Believe in Music Week will use new, intuitive technology to connect us all to harness the incredible energy that happens when we come together. With a robust marketplace to launch new products and share brand stories, Believe in Music Week will also feature networking and matchmaking for our buyers and our sellers, education for all segments of the industry, and live music and concerts to engage music makers across the world."
https://attend.believeinmusic.tv
What Are We Listening To???
50 years ago, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On was released in January 1971. It is just as poignant today as it was when it was written.
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, yeahFather, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
Knowledge is Power
Have you ever wondered why the snooze button on your alarm only gives you NINE minutes of additional sleep? I have. It is questions like this that keep me up late at night only to later make me want to sleep in. This morning, I hit the snooze three additional times, giving myself another twenty-seven minutes of unrestful sleep.
Even in the early hours of the morning, when you're repeatedly hitting the snooze button to catch just a few more minutes of sleep, you've probably wondered why that beloved feature only gives you another nine minutes in dreamland. Nine minutes seems like an arbitrary timeframe. Why not make it an even 10?
What does this have to do with music? Absolutely nothing. However, it has everything to do with procrastination and Getting S#%+ Done!!! In the coming weeks, we hope to explore the nature of how to get off your booty and make music once again.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/22761/why-does-snooze-button-give-you-only-9-more-minutes-sleep
Gear Reviews From Around The Net
Dreadbox Typhon reviewed by Daniel Fisher
In Sweetwater’s InSync blog, long time friend of Sonik Dan Fisher reviews the tiny Typhon analogue synthesizer with some amazing digital effects. Sounds amazing and when herd immunity finally takes hold in Northern Indiana, I may have to take a drive to Fort Wayne and listen to this myself.
Sonikmatter: Mind + Music + Technology
Tell us in the comment section what you like and what you dislike about this newsletter. Or what you are looking forward to in music in the coming year. Our aim is to stay true to our mission of bringing the best of Mind + Music + Technology…and anything else that embodies art, passion, and creativity. What sparks joy? Or did we leave this phrase back in 2020?
You may also message our postmaster at Zampino@sonikmatter.com