Musicians Unmarked Manifesto

We, the Musicians Unmarked, are a group of very talented individuals who strive for success in music production. However, we refuse to succeed in the manner of allowing the record company industry take our money and prostitute us out as consumerism propaganda. We will remain unmarked by anything other than our music, especially, record companies. We are pleading with other musicians to stop the “selling of themselves” for fame and remember what you once loved and believed in.

In our opinion, the primary monster plaguing musicians is the mainstream recording industry. They are vicious lions seeking to devour any profit they can from us, the musicians. If you decide to sign with a recording label you get a big sum of money that you must pay back once you start making money. Then, you only receive about one-third of everything you profit from record sales, concerts, and merchandise sold while touring. Meanwhile, the record company makes the majority of their money doing nothing but selling you to the media. The record companies aid in your fame, but it is not because of  your music. This is why we, the Musicians Unmarked, disapprove with signing your soul over to the conniving devils of the mainstream recording industry.

Moreover, another consequent of signing with a record company is that you become the most valuable tool for marketing. You are transformed from the object of consumerism into the channel for consumerism. For example, millions and millions of headphones called Beats where sold at a high price last year because Dr. Dre endorsed them. Many musicians who have become celebrities are used in commercials to advertise weight lose products as well as cleansing and beauty products. Musicians, did you really think this would be your life: advertising for something other than the magnificence of music? The art of making music for the world to love and enjoy is demolished by the demand of advertising yourself to make more money due to the fact that the record company has made most of it’s money from your talent; you have not. Therefore, you feel forced into this lifestyle of promoting everything else except for what you truly believe in, your music. We, the Musicians Unmarked will not stand for this! We will not take part in this monstrosity and we beg of you to recant your decision and to think about how much you have given up to these companies just to record your music.

We, the Musicians Unmarked believe that musicians should be doing what they do best and that is MUSIC! We refuse to be marked by the mainstream music industry!! Making it through hard work and never giving up is the answer for success. It is outrageous that record companies get most of the profit from record sales and we will not support this. As musicians, let us not loose sight of our love for what we do. We can change the world through music and we do not have to sell out to mainstream music corporations to do that. We can make it without them! Macklemore and his producing partner Ryan Lewis have paved a beautiful road of success in this for us to follow down. They stuck their middle finger up to the mainstream record company industry and made a fortune themselves by purely making and recording their own music. Macklemore addresses these issues in his song “Jimmy Lovine”. He raps,

“We'll give you a hundred thousand dollars

After your album comes out we'll need back that money that you borrowed

So it's really like a loan

A loan? Come on, no

We're a team, 360 degrees, we will reach your goals!

You'll get a third of the merch that you sell out on the road

Along with the third of the money you make when you're out doing your shows

Manager gets 20, booking agent gets 10

So shit, after taxes you and Ryan have 7% to split”

 Furthermore, we propose a plan of action to boycott major recording companies. We, the Musicians Unmarked will never sign a contract with these vipers no matter how much money they dispense and will not relinquish our stance on this issue. We will use every kind of social media available to us to get ourselves out there and known. We will sell our record ourselves even if that means doing so on the streets like Immortal Technique did on the streets of New York. We believe that hard work, talent, and perseverance is enough to make it. We will record our own albums with the advanced technology that has been provided throughout the years. Anyone can virtually record their music from the comfort of their own home. We will have to work vigorously to get to where we want to be just like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Together we can succeed above and beyond mainstream record companies who lust for the blood of young, naive, and fame hungry artists. Hear my plea, musicians do not have to be the puppets of consumerism and big corporations any longer. 

In conclusion, you must all be urgently informed of this atrocity. The Musicians Unmarked maintain that we will not sign with any major recording company and we encourage all you other musicians to take heed and do the same. We will dedicate our time and efforts into making music and getting it out there in the world for other people to enjoy, because that is what music is about and if we can make money doing it then that will be great too! We will protest mainstream record companies and refuse to buy into to their slimy little schemes. We will use all types of free social media to get our songs and albums out there into the world and we will play and perform in as many bars, clubs, weddings, etc that we have to and get our name out there. If we have to work fifty times harder to do what we love and get people to love it to then we definitely do that. For it is better for all our work to come from us than to sell out to a major mainstream record company. Consequently, we will not allow our music to be put on the back burner and let consumerism be our avenue for success. 

WE WILL PRODUCE OUR OWN MUSIC OR DIE TRYING!

Personal "Short" Manifesto

So! I did not have time to listen to an album and fill you guys in about it. However, our lovely Professor told us that we could create a personal manifesto with a word generator. I decided to take this challenge and a challenge is what it was. I'd like to apologize for the quality of this artist piece because it did not turn out how I thought. But, it will suffice for the point I am trying to get across.

I was sitting in my family bible study tonight; thoroughly enjoying because it was encouraging as everyone was voicing their struggles and exhorting one another in Christ. And I though, "why do people not love the "Christian" when they are so open like this?" And here lies the problem... Many "Christians" especially in the southern culture that we live in are the first to call someone out on "sin" instead of people as Christ did. He was the friend to tax collectors and prostitutes; many people would be horrified that now. People are vicious and instead of shedding grace on others they are quick to condemn.

I took our assignment for this morning and revamped my original self help, make yourself better creative... thing? I made into something that I have been thinking about and always think about. I will write out for you what it was supposed to say but the word generator that I plugged my phrases into made it into a confusing chaotic mess.

It's supposed to say...

Be Open to change. Live HOPING in Christ. Do all that you can for your NEIGHBOR. Don't CONDEMN others. Stop being HYPOCRITES. START being open and HONEST about your life. Your not Perfect only JESUS was. NEVER forget Christ took on DEATH for you. ALWAYS forgive for YOU have been forgiven. WELCOME grace and LAVISH it upon others. CREATE trusting relationships. Bring LIGHT into a World of DARKNESS. Learn for YOURSELF, never just BELIEVE something someone SAYS.

I really do apologize for how bad the art turned out! Until next time....

Immortal Technique

And now I will introduce to you one of the few rappers I actually listen to, Felipe Andres Coronel, stage name "Immortal Technique". Coronel was born in Lima, Peru but as a child moved to Harlem, New York where he spent most of his life. In Coronel's teenage years he got arrested several times for minor offenses while still living in Harlem. He was having to fight to survive. He graduated from Hunter College High School and enrolled into Pennsylvania State University. Shortly after getting into Pennsylvania State he got arrested for assault-related offenses against some students.

While Coronel was in prison, for a year, he taught himself about religion, philosophy, science, and political issues. Once out of prison he took several semesters of political science classes from Baruch College in New York. Also, while Coronel was in prison he would have freestyle rap battles with other inmates which continued after prison in various New York underground hip hop scenes.

I preface all this information about "Immortal Technique" to help you understand his music better. He is not another Kayne West or Jay Z, talking about the girls, money, drugs, and the ghetto life that they never really lived. Coronel lived in Harlem and had a really rough life and more than anything his incredible music has life; it is raw and real.

I told you about his education background because his music is extremely intelligent. He really goes deep into different philosophies, ideologies, and political issues that are going on in our world. His music is brilliant and it speaks on real issues plaguing our country. These issues may be controversial but he is speaking out. He is trying to make a difference in the world by rapping what he feels the people should know. He gives a voice to the poor, oppressed, and misunderstood. Which is amazing because Coronel himself not only speaks on these issues but he takes action as well.

Coronel does not sell his music through a recording company but does everything himself. He started out just selling albums on the streets of New York. He bought an orphanage in Iraq with the money from his success to help educate forgotten children there. There is so much I could say about "Immortal Technique" but then this post would go forever so I am going to recommend his albums as well as his documentary "The Revolution".  I would like to warn all listeners that his music is pretty rough and raw so be ready it! :D


                                                                                          ANGELS AND DEMONS - IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE ( LYRICS ON SCREEN ) .wmvby PARRALTX 276,792 views 


                                                                                          Immortal Technique - The 4th Branch (Lyrics)by Raul Gavidia 566,212 views 

Kings Kaleidoscope

So..... My intentions were to write about an underground hip-hop artist this week, but I incidentally had a change of heart at the last minute. I will, however, save my hip-hop artist for later so be awaiting in anticipation! ;D

I'd like to introduce, for those of you who do not know them, Kings Kaleidoscope. They are one of my favorite Christian bands of all time, and I do not have many. You may be thinking; "crap this crazy girl is about to preach to us with her Christian music..." haha. Well that, my friends, is not my motive for this blog. This band has incredible talent and expertise in music.

Kings Kaleidoscope is an indie rock worship band from a particular campus of Mars Hill Church. Mars Hill Church is a massive church that is based out of Seattle, Washington. It has recently expanded so much that locations have developed, not only in various other cities in Washington, but also several other states such as California, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona. Kings Kaleidoscope is simply one incredible band that leads worship at Mars Hill Church at the Ballard campus in Seattle, Washington.

Led by Deacon Chad Gardner, the band is made up of about a dozen extremely talented musicians. There is an enormous amount of diverse instrumentation including a string trio, a horns section, two drum kits, and I simply can not leave out the occasional cymbal or two.

There is so much work and brilliance put into this worship music. The most beautiful thing I love about their work is that they take old hymns, you know the ones we all HATE singing in church that make us feel like we want to cut our ears off,  and recreate the sound, rhythm, and virtually every aspect of the song. They take these old deceased, loathed hymns and revitalize them; pumping them full of life, vibrance, and immense creativity. It's quite beautiful and it truly does awaken the soul.

For those of you who do believe that there is a God and specifically Christ Jesus, this band will truly bless you. For those of you who may not believe or find your searching for something to believe in or, perhaps, you have lost all hope in belief this band is genuinely inspiring. Rarely, in media, we find bands made up of many types of musicians all coming together to create a symphany of authentic sound. Kings Kaleidoscope is that band and I would completely and totally recommend them to anyone of any walk of life. ENJOY!! :D


                                                                                          King's Kaleidoscope - All Creatures/Come Thou Fountby Josiah Kaufman 37,543 views 

The Philosophy of Music

The dim lighting cast shadows around the avocado colored walls as Skipper Boatwright situated himself on the southwestern designed couch in his office. The office contained a big black desk with books and music sheets spread out on top of it. Bookshelves surrounded the walls and at the center of the room was a stand where three guitars and a banjo were displayed. Picks sat on multiple surfaces of the office as if to allow him, wherever he was, to pick one up and begin playing on one of his many stringed instruments. On the coffee table there sat a black modern tea set, along with several coffee cups. In his hand was a glass of Chimay that he gently sipped as he crossed his legs and awaited whatever might be ahead. 

He was calm, cool, and collected as his bright, sky blue eyes glanced up, down, and around the room. His green netted trucker hat sat backwards on his dark brown hair which was cut very short. He was wearing a button down shirt beaming of bright green and dark gray shorts accompanied by brown, worn out sandals. His stature and appearance spoke volumes about his nonchalant, philosophical, and self-controlled personality. He was assured and composed while he casually dove into his past concerning where his influence and love for music started.

Skipper grew up in Millington, a small provincial city north of Memphis, Tennessee. When Skipper was a child he was only allowed to listen to K-Love, a christian radio station. “I grew up in a very conservative, evangelical christian home where my parents, specifically my mother, did not allow me to listen to anything but K-Love,” he said,  “so from a child on into middle school I only listened to christian music, deprived of the classics and good quality music.” He was not introduced to any other types of music until many years later when he was in  the fifth or sixth grade. It was then that he began meeting friends and other people who would open the door to experiencing different types of music. 

Once in middle school Skipper said he discovered a loop hole to his mother’s rules about music by being introduced into christian “ska” bands. He explained, “The genre “ska” is a mixture between punk and reggae.” One of his best friends, who was a family friend from church, had an older brother who was five or six years older than him. When Skipper’s family would go visit their family, because they had moved away, he would stay in the older brothers room. This older brother would have “ska” music playing every night.  The bands were called Five Irony Frenzy and Relient K. These bands were not necessarily labeled christian bands, but the lyrics and content were perceived to be so and Skipper’s mother approved of them.

Skipper began venturing out into punk music, that was not christian, once he transferred to a new private school in the seventh grade. He developed new friendships that impacted his genre choices and eventually evolved his interest into heavier and heavier music. “I really enjoyed the fast, upbeat heavier music especially songs that used double bass. I began to crave and search for that style of music and still enjoy it to this day.”  

When Skipper started the eighth grade, his love for music came to a peak and inspired him to pick up a guitar and make music himself. At this point in his life, he was enticed by bands like Blink 182. The rebellious kind of artists. He stated, “I was drawn to music that you’re average person did not like listening to. I think that comes from a rebellion against my mom because she had such tight constraints on my music choices growing up.” He taught himself how to play the guitar and inevitably started a punk band with a guy from church, Michael Wade. They would meet every weekend with songs and music that they had written throughout the week and practice for hours and hours. Eventually their band came to it’s demise when Skipper decided that he wanted to write christian music and Michael did not. 

A year later, Skipper met some guys from school and they introduced him to a peculiar genre of music called hardcore. “When I first listened to hardcore with the screaming and breakdowns, I knew that was what I was looking for, that was what really set my interest in pursuing heavy music.” The bands that influenced Skipper and his friends were, ironically, christian hardcore bands. Many people describe hardcore lyrics as deep, guttural yelling like what you would think a demon sounds like. Skipper mischievously smiles as he says, “If music were to take on a film genre, I think hardcore, specifically heavy music, would be horror.” They were attracted to hardcore artists for various reasons such as the lyrics, instrumentation, and the screaming.  This flattery encouraged them to start a christian hardcore band on their own called “A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die”. 

A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die, with Skipper as the lead guitarist, practiced about once a week. They started by playing other band’s music and Skipper, not knowing how to read music, played by ear. Once they mastered other band’s music and different cord progressions, they began to write their own music. After a year of practicing, they were asked to play at a friends birthday party. During their encore, the cops showed up because a neighbor had said that they were being too loud. Following this, the band got connected with a booking company and  would play a show at different venues in Memphis about every three to four weeks. Several times they opened up for very talented and well known hardcore bands.  

The main venue they played at was on Lamar Avenue called “The Dregs”. A booking company in Memphis had opened it up due to the suffering of local venue opportunities. It was not a great part of town and the venue shared property with a liquor store, so most people were inebriated before and during the show. Several times the band would get cussed out or things thrown at them when they would try to talk about their faith. Nevertheless, they continued to play and show the love and grace of Christ during those times.

The band played continuously for about two years until the end came, with most of the band graduating high school. Everyone was planning to go to college which meant that the band would inevitable have to break up. Skipper says he would have loved to take a year or two off of school to tour but several guys were not willing to do that and it would have been difficult to replace them. Therefore, the band had their last show at a lodge in Atoka, Tennessee. Skipper said it was probably the best show they ever put on which made it even more challenging to break up. 

Now, five years later, Skipper still has an irrevocable love for music. His taste in music has changed, but he still enjoys some good hardcore music. He listens to various genres of music, although, he says he does not care for most mainstream music. When asked to elaborate, he responded: “I guess, um, because it sort of models what my mom would say: ‘This is what your supposed to listen to. This is what your supposed to like.’ I feel like that is really what mainstream music does. It puts crappy music before you and says, ‘This is what you supposed to listen to. This is what your supposed to like.’ So I hate that and rebel against that.” 

Some artists that have influenced Skipper which are not mainstream consist of Iron and Wine, Sigur Ros, a genre called post rock,  and Immortal Technique, an underground hip-hop artist. These artist are unique and bring something different to the table than most mainstream artists. Immortal Technique, for example, is a raw, underground hip-hop artist from Harlem, New York who “tells it like is and doesn’t hide anything. He is really big into conspiracy theories, political topics and more concerned with morals and ethics. . . He wants people to wake up from their slumber and listen to what he is saying.” Skipper excitedly stated. The content in an artists album is what really thrills Skipper. He is interested in the philosophy as well as the musical talent of an artist. This became clear as his blue eyes grew big and he leaned forward and said, “There are so many bands out there that are putting forth different philosophies and I love listening to each philosophy behind each piece. It’s a huge influence on my musical choice.”

Skipper has not completely gotten out of playing music. Every now and then he will pick up his guitar and play by himself or for his wife. Recently, he got asked to lead his church praise band on Sunday mornings and is venturing out of his normal box and to sing as well. He has never been the frontman for a band before and says that this is a new experience. But, also says he is willing to do it. He is simply delighted to be playing once more and is glad he can do that in his local church. Music will always be something that Skipper cherishes whether he is performing or not. “In one of my favorite quotes from Friedrich Nietzsche he says, ‘Without music life would be a mistake.’ There is something beautiful and true about that statement.”