I accidentally stumbled upon Zach DuBois' original song "Back Home Again (Indiana)" on YouTube this past summer and out of curiosity pressed play. The song instantly sparked an interest and I watched nearly all of the singer's videos, most of them being covers of popular country songs from artists like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Kenny Chesney. His videos had thousands of hits and I wondered how I had never heard of this kid before.
I don't usually go crazy over YouTube stars, but I thought there was something special about Zach. Although I loved his renditions of songs like "I Don't Want This Night to End," and "Fly Over States," I was pleased to see that he also was a songwriter with several original songs.
Now Zach's released a full-length album titled Destination Unknown, full of original songs that prove he's got the songwriting chops to make it in Nashville. His songs are full of traditional country themes of home, love, and wondering where life will take you next, but I think Zach has an original voice and talent that would be valuable to country music. He can appeal to the young audience with the perfect tailgating song "Beer for Breakfast" and "Destination Unknown" for that college student that is embarking on the next step in life. But he also contains that essential universal appeal with songs like "Home to Me" and "Forever in Your Eyes." Most of all, the album has that special autobiographical characteristic. The music really tells his story and you can get a sense of who he when you listen. It's personal--a characteristic, I feel, that is what's missing from a lot of music these days.
Country fans, fellow Hoosiers, check this guy out. Maybe I'm a little biased since he and I are both not only Hoosiers, but also apparently from the same northern region of the state. I relate to him and his music on that level--it reminds me of home. We're both small-town Indiana kids chasing our dreams in music. But no matter how biased my opinion may be, I hope to see Zach make it further in the country industry. It would be great to have this Indiana boy represent our home state in Nashville.
When I learned that the Blown Away tour was going to be rolling into Indianapolis on the last weekend of my Thanksgiving break, I took that as a sign of fate that I was supposed to attend. I dragged my mother with me all the way up to the nosebleed section at Bankerslife Fieldhouse on Saturday night as I anticipated seeing the artist I have adored since I was 12.
To see a few photos from the show, check out the Photos tab.
If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I love watching award shows. So naturally I decided to check out the American Music Awards tonight. This was actually the first time I've ever actually seen this particular awards show, but I figured I had a decent idea of what to expect--Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, and all the other pop superstars that rule the current music industry.
The AMAs celebrate various popular American genres including pop, country, alternative, and even EDM. But after seeing several of the performances and the winners, I began questioning the value of this awards show to the music industry.
Award ceremonies like the Grammys, the Oscars, and the Tonys are all traditional and significant parts of the entertainment culture. They are the nights where we celebrate the best of film, music, and theater in America and recognize artists for their contributions and work. Then, as I discovered tonight, there are some shows that recognize not necessarily the best artists, but simply those with the catchiest songs on the radio. These shows make it seem as though bringing home trophies are what defines an artist.
While there are several artists that performed and won at the AMAs that I believe do represent American music well. I enjoyed the performances that Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Carrie Underwood put on. Then there were the performances by Ke$ha and Carly Rae Jepsen that made me think about what we represent as being the best of the best in America.
I don't necessarily have a problem with any of the artists the won or performed at the AMAs. I may try to hide it by turning the volume down or putting my head phones on when I listen to Justin Bieber and One Direction on occasion, but I love pop music. I believe there are many pop musicians that are valuable to the industry. Pop is fun. It brings people enjoyment and happiness. It's the music we blast when driving down the highway or belt out in shower. After all, it's not as if every single song ever written has to make some huge statement or have a deep life meaning. Because of that, pop is still very much a part of our culture and, therefore, can be said to add some value to the industry.
But then Carly Rae Jepsen won Best New Artist and Justin Bieber won Artist of the Year, and I started to think about where to draw the line between loving this music for fun and representing it as the best America has to offer. "Call Me Maybe" is an enjoyable song to dance to when you're goofing around with friends, but it's not, in my opinion, an award worthy song . But these are the kinds of songs that receive the most praise and recognition.
Popular American music used to be Elvis, The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson. These artists were considered "pop" in their day and I don't think anyone can question the contributions they made to music or their artistic merit. I wish I had lived in the times when these artists defined American music. Instead, the legacy of my generation will be "Call me Maybe," "Baby," and "Tik Tok." I guess it's all subjective as to whether or not my generation's music is defined by these songs. What makes music worth recognition and praise is all up to the individual. That's what makes music so great, after all.
