I had the great pleasure of welcoming Shear Magic to the studio during my last episode. These guys are amazing! If you haven't seen them perform, make sure you check out the show! 

During our conversation I learned that barbershop quartets are still alive and going strong with numerous competitions across the country. Since I welcomed the quartet onto my show, I thought it would be fitting to do a brief history on the music style that is barbershop quartet.

As the name implies, a barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing without any instrumental accompaniment. Typically the quartet consists of a lead, bass, tenor and baritone, all of which sing in harmony to create the distinct barbershop style sound. Traditionally the singers are all male, but over the years women were invited to join. Fun fact: all female barbershop quartets are sometimes called beauty shop quartets. 

The origins of the barbershop quartet are a little iffy, but its often considered as an "old American institution" despite its global influence. Some believe that the barbershop quartet began in the late 19th and early 20th century; though the style waned during the 1920s. Then the music was revived by the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America in the 1930s. Today the Society is referred to as the Barbershop Harmony Society.  The first meeting was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938 an invited only male performers. Women later created their own organization, the Sweet Adelines International in 1945.

Pretty cool right? I knew barbarshop quartets existed, but I never would have guessed it was still so popular today. Have you ever heard a barbershop quartet perform before? Let me know in the comments what you think about babershop quartets and tell me who you think I should feature next on the Stanford Lee Show!

​Over the past couple of weeks, I shared a couple of throwback episodes that featured some of my favorite songs. If you haven’t seen them yet, you should check them out. They’re a lot of fun and are all about the music. If you’re looking for more you can always backtrack and check out the episodes they were featured in. 

​Episode “Appalachian”
This episode shares a little bit about my family history from the Bluegrass state. From southern riches to murder, this episode has it all.
Song “Back on the Honky-Tonk Road”

Song “Back on the Honky-Tonk Road”
Episode “Endless Horizons”
Honky-tonk is more than just old school country. From it’s down home origins to it’s place in the music industry today, honky-tonk has a lot to give. Watch this episode to learn about the greats like Buck Owens and Hank Williams and how they made their mark on the music genre.

​Song “Small Towns”
Episode “Tiny Cities Undone”
What’s the big deal about small towns? Watch this episode to find out. Guest starring on this episode is Stanford Lee’s good friend and go to drummer, Eric Aguiar. 

​Song “Tab at the Bar”
Episode “Fake as a $3 Bill”
Do you remember the fake $3 bill introduced by MAD magazine? That was crazy right? This episode shows how that event inspired my writing and what I really think about the keeping up with the jones’ mentality. 

​Song “Shores of Botany Bay”
Episode “A Wealth of Fish”
It’s nice to day dream isn’t it? One of my dreams is to visit the barrier reef off the coast of Australia. I sure hope the reef will still be there when I do. But thinking about Australia got me thinking about Scotch/Irish tunes. Don’t ask me how my mind works, it just happens. Any who, my research lead me to “Shores of Botany Bay” and then this episode happened.

Song “Drunken Sailor”
Episode “Seafaring Pranksters”
Arggggg ye mateys! This pirate inspired episode is fun for seaferers and land lubbers alike. What did pirates do to gain justice? Watch this episode to learn about the intriguing details and sing along with me to the tune of “Drunken Sailor.” You know you want to.

In my latest episode of the Stanford Lee Show I talked about what we used to think the future would look like and what it really looks like now. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the life I have now, but man I wish we had some of those cool flying cars like the Jetsons had. ​Come on, you know you want one too!

While I did my research for this episode I came across some super cool futuristic houses. Have you seen them? The funky UFO looking homes by a Finnish architect Matti Suuronen are really cool to look at. They came in a variety of colors and the inside looked surprisingly spacious. I would love to be able to walk into one in real life. Fun fact: Did you know that there is an entire village filled with these futuristic homes? It's been uninhabited for years, but the structures still stand and attract tourists fairly regularly.

The Wanli UFO Village stands in New Taipei, Taiwan and is filled with Futuro and Venturo structures. The village was created by Su Ming who envisioned it as a holiday resort; however, with rising oil prices and a less than satisfactory interest from the public, the park eventually fell into disrepair. While the fine details of the resort's production and eventual downfall are unclear, the area is still available for visitors to walk through and take pictures. 

Have you ever been to the UFO village? Let me know in the comments below and tell me what you thought of it!

Reference
Mark "Abandoned Taiwan: The Futuro Village at Wanli AKA UFO Houses" ​https://www.kathmanduandbeyond.com/abandoned-taiwan-futuro-village-wanli/.

It’s been one crazy year, so busy that I had to stop the blogging to focus on some super cool stuff. But never fear, blogs are back and I’m ready to share all of my cool stuff with you guys. But first, let’s do a quick recap for the year so far.

January
I started the year off with a bang with a very special episode featuring Michale Graves and his crew. We shared our most memorable new years stories which ranged from being too drunk, an alien abduction, chasing the girl, and accidentally hanging with the band. It was a lot of fun having Graves and his gang with us in the studio and I think you'll have just as much fun watching the episode too. If you haven't caught it yet you should check it out on the good ol' YouTubes.

Speaking of subscribing, in honor of the return of my blogs, I'm holding a giveaway. All you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter and you'll be entered for a chance to win free merch from my shop! Don't wait, do it now because the contest ends today! 
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Just so you know, I value your privacy and I definitely don't want to junk up your inbox. So I promise I will never share your information with anyone and I won't spam you every day for every little thing. Go ahead and subscribe now. You won't regret it.

While you're at it, don't forget to follow me on social media. I post often and there's a lot of fun stuff up there. Watch me play some music, talk about gear, and perform a variety of shenanigans and overall goofiness. See  you guys there!

Lately I’ve been making a big push to put myself out there on social media. All I can say is, it’s rough. I feel like my days are packed now with taking pictures and creating videos for TikTok. By the way, did you know that I have a TikTok now? If you didn’t, now you know and you should definitely check it out now.

I am no stranger to expressing myself musically. It’s an activity I always felt that came naturally from me. My understanding of social media was the same, that is until I actually starting working in it. Yes, it’s a place where I can share my music, stories, and adventures with the multitude of people online, but I’m learning that there is a lot more that goes into. Beyond cool pictures, and meaningful captions, promoting myself online requires technical and marketing knowledge. Every platform has its own set of content dimensions, rules, and algorithms and it can get really confusing really quick.

I’m learning now that a balance is needed to make things flow smoothly. It’s so easy to get lost in a sea of content, deadlines, and engagement practices. Social media management is seriously a full time gig. At some point in the scheduling process I have to remember what I’m doing it all for, the music. My music and my need to share it is what started me on this social marketing experiment and I always need to remember that.
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But despite the confusion of algorithms and marketing jargon I am committed to staying on track with my social media goals. Over the next month I will be rolling out more content for everyone to enjoy. Make sure you follow me on all of your favorite platforms to see all the cool stuff I will be up to. 

​Everyone who knows me knows that Bakersfield is one of my biggest musical influences, but what happened after Bakersfield is also just as strong of an influence on the music I write today. That influence would be Outlaw Country. Following the Bakersfield popularity in the 1960s, Outlaw Country was most popular in the United States throughout the 1970s and 80s. Popularized by legendary artists like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Outlaw Country is characterized by it’s folk rhythms with honky tonk and rockabilly influence.
 
With ties to blues, honky tonk, rockabilly, and rock and roll, artist influences predating the genre came from artists such as Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley. Others would argue that the movement can also be attributed to the Beatnik movement due to the similar belief that the artists felt “out of place” in society. While these artists set the stage for what would later become the Outlaw Movement, artists like Jennings and Nelson propelled the movement through their rejection of the Nashville sound. Author of Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville, Michael Streissguth referred to Jennings and Nelson as outlaws in a gutsy move to ensure their own recording rights to produce and record with the studio musicians they wanted.
 
Outlaw music is focused on opposition and going against social norms. As a result, the content is largely presented through the eyes of “outlaws,” and criminals on the run while broaching taboo topics like substance abuse and poverty. Visually Outlaw artists rejected the glitz and glamor of Nashville music, trading rhinestone suites for leather jackets and clean hair cuts with long hair. Musically grand orchestrations were stripped down to bare bones leaving only the most basic concepts of country music in its wake.
 
The genre began to decline in the early 1980s. While the decline was attributed to the rise of contry pop, some argued that the genre began to die as it’s artists and audience “grew up.” Hank Williams Jr. made a statement about this in his song “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” as his colleagues started to “settle down” leaving behind their wild parties and frequent drug use.

Being a performer I’m all too familiar with the idea of putting myself out there. There is a level of intimacy that happens when you stand up in front of a crowd of people to play a song. Being an introvert Its an almost out of body experience as the thoughts inside my head are suddenly exposed and broadcasted to my audience. The process is nerve wracking and exhilarating all at once and I can’t imagine a life without performing.

I’ve been writing and performing music for years. The guitar has always been my go-to instrument and my songs are written from my personal experiences and observations. They are uniquely personal thoughts that I choose to share with those around me, and because of that, performing in front of an audience is an act of vulnerability.

Being vulnerable can be a terrifying experience. Exposing my inner most thoughts open me up to the possibility of criticism and rejection, but on the other hand it can be a rewarding experience that opens the door for praise and new opportunities. While the downside can be rough, the positive potential outweighs the negative and is what keeps me performing as often as I can.
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After years of performing, I’ve learned a few things to help me face the music, of performing that is. The biggest component of confident performances is being confidant in my skill. Practice makes perfect and refining my skill is key to ensuring my best show possible. In addition to having the skill, self-care is also important. Now I know, I am not the best about self-care. Thankfully for me I have an awesome wife who takes care of me. Finally, visualization and reflection help me get in the zone and constructively consider areas for improvement. These three things help me tremendously when it comes to performing and keeps me sane while experiencing the highs and lows of performing professionally. 

Last week I talked about Cow Punk and it got me thinking, there are a lot of sub genres under the Rock and Roll moniker. Ranker.com has a pretty extensive list of sub genres ranked by top 100. On that list I see a lot of variety, but in an effort to keep things brief, let’s review the top 5 subgenres, alternative, blues, heavy metal, grunge, and punk rock.

Alternative Rock

Also known as alternative or alt rock, Alternative rock can trace its roots back to the 1960s, although the term itself was not coined until the 1979 by Rockpool Newsletter journalist Terry Tolin. He used the term “Alternative Music” to describe the music he wrote about, highlighting the post-punk musicians he wrote about. The subgenre eventually gained national attention as alternative bands such as R.E.M, and The Smashing Pumpkins began to sign with major record labels.

Blues Rock

A fusion of blues and rock and roll, Blues Rock is heavily influenced by hard, southern, and heavy metal rock. The subgenre began as rock musicians started to perform traditional blues songs, such as the Rolling Stones who put multiple blues songs on the pop charts. While Blues Rock is believed to have started sometime within the 1960s, it’s popularity drifted away until a resurgence in the 1990s thanks to the likes of popular artists like the White Stripes, John Mayer, and Blues Traveler.

Heavy Metal

Also developed during the 1960s, Heavy Metal shares roots with blues, psychedelic, and acid rock. It’s known for it’s heavy sound and frequent use of sound distortion, loud volume, and extended guitar solos. Despite the subgenre’s aggressive sound, the music is strongly linked to listeners with a strong sense of self and community. Infamous heavy metal artists include Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Metallica.

Grunge Rock

Sometimes referred to as the Seattle Sound, Grunge Rock began in the 1980s in the musical subculture of the Seattle area. Mixing punk rock and heavy metal, Grunge Rock is known for its association with angst, and common themes like trauma, social isolation, and self-doubt. While the subgenre was a marketing strategy of Seattle based independent record label Sub Pop, the music grew in popularity in the early 1990s thanks to the efforts of bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.

Punk Rock

Characterized by its fast-paced rhythms and anti-establishment sentiments, Punk Rock began in the 1970s in rejection of mainstream rock. The term itself was coined in the 1970s by American rock critics and was used to describe popular acts like MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges. The UK’s acceptance of the subgenre in the late 1970s birthed a punk subculture glorifying rebellion while setting new fashion trends. 

I recently released a Stanford Lee Show episode, “If Cowpunk Was a Thing” and I just wanted to follow up with a deeper explanation of the genre. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the video yet, you should because it’s a lot of fun. I also do a live performance and there is some banjo action in the mix. Check it out on YouTube or Rumble. I promise, you won’t regret it.

Now What is Cowpunk?
Also known as Country punk, Cowpunk is a punk subgenre that started in the UK during the 1970s and gained attraction in the United States in 1980. It is a mix of punk rock, country, folk, and blues with a noted attitude and style. Famous country punk artists include Social Distortion, Hank Williams III, Jason and the Scorchers, and The Beat Farmers.

The name “cowpunk” was first coined in 1989 as a mix of cowboy and punk. The New York Times later recognized the term in 1984 in an effort to label the country spiked punk and new wave music of the time. Many bands during the 80s helped form the style of cowpunk as the began to incorporate classic country songs into their lineups but with faster tempos.

Country music is no stranger to the rock and roll world. With the popularity of rockabilly music throughout the decades, and country’s grass root, home grown folk sounds infiltrating various music genres, it comes as no surprise that cowpunk would gain traction. And despite Nashville’s attempt to control the sound and purity of country music, rebellious artists and music cultures like Outlaw Country’s Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, helped pave the way for country music’s broad reach throughout the music industry.
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Because of the development of genres its clear to see that country music has a definite influence in the music industry and shows that genre fluidity is important for the development of new and great music. So rock on country folk, keep working for the music!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m completely in love with the new piano at the studio. With the past two episodes being focused on the piano, I thought I would do a quick post about the amazing instrument and it’s origins.

The Piano

Everyone knows it. The iconic piano brings to mind images of black and white keys, phantom echoes of Fur Elise, and possibly even flashbacks of a stern teacher correcting your posture as you fumble through a round of phalangeal acrobatics, but what is the piano really and how did it come to be one of the most widely known instruments in the music world? Let’s discuss.

The birth of the piano is attributed to Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristifori in 1709, although it’s ancestors are believed to stretch as far back as prehistoric times. Because creates sound through the vibration of strings when struck by hammers triggered by the pressing of keys, the piano is categorized as a string instrument, thus claims kinship to it’s string ancestors.

Viewing the piano in the same family as primitive strings stretched over bows can be farfetched, it’s earliest ancestor can be traced back to the 14th century with the invention of a dulcimer. Following the invention of the dulcimer came the clavichord, and then finally the harpsichord. Yet despite the harpsichord’s popularity, the instrument failed to provide the large sound that musicians wanted.

Enter Cristifori. He first exhibited his new invention in Florence, then named the gravicembalo col piano e forte, meaning “soft and loud keyboard instrument” which was later renamed pianoforte, then shortened to piano. The earliest surviving piano is dated from 1720 and can be seen at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Despite the passing of hundreds of years, not much has changed from Cristifori’s pianoforte. Today pianos fall within three categories, grand, upright, and digital. Grand pianos are highly sought after by professional pianists who seek the best sound for performances. Upright pianos are perfect for home musicians. With the onset of digital pianos, musicians are offered new opportunities to learn, perform and compose thanks to new technologies and software.