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Tidelands’ Gabriel Leis Writes About His First Record

07/11/2012 By

My First Record is a music column where we ask musicians about the first record they remember listening to, bought with their own money or was passed down to them. Whether it was a CD, vinyl album, cassette tape or even an 8-track (we haven’t run into anyone yet whose first music was downloaded, but we won’t be surprised when we do) we’re curious about the first record a musician remembers listening to. This week we welcome a post from Tidelands’ Gabriel Leis.

When we say record, for my generation this means cassettes.

My first memories of music of my own were mix tapes my step-mother used to make for my sister and I. There was one in particular I remember pretty well. She always used those high quality metal fabricated blanks, and the label was hand drawn with silver ink bleeding metallic blue outlines. This particular mix had some songs from the Flashdance soundtrack, Styx, Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, and a bunch of other cool shit that turned me on to pop music in general.

During this period, I kinda went back and forth between living with my mom and dad, and at this critical cultural juncture I was fortunately living with my dad and step-mom in Mill Valley, California, home to one of the greatest record stores that ever was, Village Music. Yes, they sold cassettes as well. The first records I ever remember buying were Kick by INXS , probably to impress my first girlfriend in the 7^th grade, who I more recently saw as a contestant on Project Runway (even then I liked the arty ones) and Give Thankx by the reggae artist Jimmy Cliff. I have no explanation for this pairing, but adolescence is a confusing time, all memories are slightly suspect, and I don’t really need one anyways.

Gabriel Leis is the male half of the San Francisco based duo Tidelands. Leis, along with his female co-conspirator Mie Araki (drums, keyboards vocals) have created an extraordinary music which draws on such disparate genres as folk, prog-rock, and classical. This mesmerizing mix of flavors should come as no surprise: Araki studied jazz, classical and European music. Leis has composed for cello, violin, and trumpet and has even experimented with loops. You’d be hard pressed to find a collective that sounds anything like Tidelands.

Filed Under: My First Record Tagged With: Hall & Oates, inxs, jimmy cliff, Michael Jackson, Reggae, Tideland, tidelands

My First Record: Sam Densmore

04/20/2012 By

The first record I remember buying was a 7″ – Men At Work / Down Under. I was 9 or 10 years old and glued to the Top Forty Radio shows – both Dick Clark (RIP) and Casey Kasem. “Down Under” was a huge hit. I just liked the way it sounded. Music was completely fascinating to me.

(EDITOR’s NOTE: Men at Work’s Greg Ham found dead)

Close on the timeline were Michael Jackson/Thriller, Def Leppard/Pyromania and Loverboy/Loverboy. I would get odd jobs around the neighborhood. Mow a lawn or split some wood for my mom. My brother-in-law had a big record collection too. He was 15 years older than me and had all the rock records that were popular at the time. So, I’d go over to their house, play some Atari and rock out with Ted Nugent, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd and Loverboy records. There was also a kid in the neighborhood who would get 11 cassettes for a penny from Columbia House. He’d sell ‘em to the neighborhood kids for $1 each!

My First Record: Jhameel

03/02/2012 By

One of the first records that truly inspired me was Plans by Death Cab for Cutie. I remember this girl I had a crush on in high school told me about them, so I went online and pirated the album. That one illegal download changed my life.

The lyrics on that record are so masterful, it really gave me perspective on how you can have intricate literature in pop music. They had such diverse instrumentation as well, and used electronic sounds in a surprisingly organic way intertwining perfectly with their classic indie rock setup. I remember listening to that album on my high school campus, being so immersed in their special brand of loneliness. It really spoke to me back then, and helped me grow into the artist I am today. One of my career goals is to have the opportunity to write music with Ben Gibbard :)

Jhameel is a pop musician based in Oakland, CA. He was once set on the path to officer-ship in the United States Army. Although his linguistic skills in Arabic, Spanish, Korean, and Russian would have been highly rewarded in the military, Jhameel quit the program before signing an irrevocable contract due to personal beliefs about U.S. presence in the Middle East. He then earned a degree in Arabic from UC Berkeley within just two years, graduating summa cum laude. Immediately after, he began his career in music.

Jhameel creates explosively funky music comprised of soul-stirring guitar, immersive synthesizers, triumphant brass, and athletic, melodic vocals inspired equally by Prince and Michael Jackson. He plays each and every instrument on his records himself, creating catchy melodies that settle easily into your mind with human lyrical themes that continue to challenge the heart. Jhameel’s skills extend to the mixing board too, as he produces his own music.You can download his music and watch his videos at http://www.jhameel.com

Filed Under: My First Record Tagged With: Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie, Jhameel, Michael Jackson

My First Record: Ben Bassett of Vintage Blue

02/09/2012 By

I can picture it now, the first album I ever remember owning. I may have only been a few years old, but I can picture the cover of the album in my head right now. Red, Yellow and Blue stripes across the front and I seem to recall some skeletons. I was so young that I really could not even tell you the names of most of the songs on the record, but if I heard them now, you would catch me singing along. “There’s a little black dot on the sun today.”

As for the first record I ever purchased, that is a whole different story. I grew up with a step-brother who was ten years older than me and was into Guns n’ Roses, real early Metallica and those hair bands of the 80’s. By the time I had eventually moved on from Sting, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson I was ready to rock. I remember gathering up some cash from allowance and whatnot and walking down to the music store in downtown Chico and buying (what was then a pretty new technology) a CD!

My First Record: Elliot Jacobson (drummer for Jenny Owen Youngs, Ingrid Michaelson)

02/07/2012 By

The first record I bought was Michael Jackson’s Dangerous.

It was on a cassette, of course. I remember the sweet smell of the new packaging. I listened to Dangerous from top to bottom before and after school everyday. I would stare at the elaborate cover artwork and read the lyrics over and over. My favorite song was “Black or White” and I would request it at the roller rink so much that I would annoying the DJ.

Dangerous was not only the first record that I bought, but also my first MJ record. It marked the beginning of a childhood obsession with MJ specifically as a performer. Because we didn’t have cable, I couldn’t watch any music videos at home. So I had my mom rent Moonwalker, and the dance scenes blew my mind. That’s when I learned about the Jackson 5 and became aware of the seemingly endless artistic genius of Michael Jackson. To this day, every time I hear any of his music, I am amazed in a new way.

My First Record By elizabeth!

01/04/2012 By

I grew up immersed in jazz music, listening to Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach on records – and sometimes live, courtesy of the local performing arts organizations. For a rural girl in Vermont, I had a great deal of exposure to excellent music. My father plays the bass and trombone, and I would often tag along with my mother to hear him play. I soaked it up.

At the kitchen table in the mornings, we would listen to the oldies station, which my mom loved, and hear great songs like “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations and Jonathan Richman’s “Sunshine.” Jazz and folk blended with Motown, and I went off to school dancing and humming.

As I grew older, I began to assert my independence….using the car radio dial. My dad worked at a great, eclectic radio station, and also listened to NPR….but I always wanted to turn the dial higher to where Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston lived. I loved those pop sounds, the predictable tempo, the huge production values!

I remember the first time I was asked to share my musical taste…. I was in the sixth grade, and I carefully labeled my cassette tapes so that they would be returned to me: “Elizabeth – 6C” (C for the name of my homeroom teacher). Clutching them tightly, I proudly displayed my favorites: Michael Jackson’s “Bad” and Tracy Chapman’s debut album. Even now, I have these tapes (and I should really download them!) and think they sum up the dichotomy that exists for me in music. I still love those pop sounds that Michael Jackson made, and the arranging is incredible… but Tracy Chapman was able to evoke just as much emotion with just her voice and guitar.

Nice Playlist, Brah: Loudersoft’s Christmas Songs Shortlist

12/12/2011 By

Looking for a hip Christmas playlist for your boring office party? Look no further. Click to Stream:

1) “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues
I can’t tell you how many times in a row I played this song the first time I heard it, snowed in with my housemates in Seattle, dreaming of New York City. Okay, it’s pretty much the toughest Christmas song ever written, but there’s something magical about Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl trading blows in this song. It’s a hate that can only be love.

2) “Jesus Christ” by Big Star
In the mid 90′s, I formed an indie label for the purpose of putting out a Christmas 45 by The Screaming Santas, featuring members of The Posies, Super Deluxe and Tubetop (all Seattle pop bands). I realized, perhaps too far into the process, that it required a lot more work than I was ready for, and records barely made it out the door in time for the holidays. It was later re-released by Collective Fruit, and got better distribution. The track they covered, quite beautifully, was this Alex Chilton-penned Big Star classic. If you ever find a very rare copy of the vinyl, it has “ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ” printed along the inside. It’s the Christmas alphabet — no ‘L’.

My First Record: Mark Fain of Gun Lake

12/02/2011 By

My hometown is called Gaylord, Michigan, and the main reason anyone other than golf aficionados knows of its existence is that it’s in your way if you’re driving through Northern Michigan on Interstate 75. It’s a small town that gladly embraces the title so obviously, John Melloncamp is our folk hero, and I’d better shut my mouth if I try to say otherwise.

What I’m saying is that, while fortunately situated within one of Michigan’s many beautiful areas, I was not raised in a hotbed of indie-rock shows and music eclecticism. I’ll give my parents some credit though. Every birthday, we kids were awoken by the home stereo blasting “Birthday” by the Beatles.

My first record was actually a first “twelve cassettes for the price of one” from Columbia House Record Club. I have no idea what all of those were.

I think Boyz to Men and Kriss Kross were in there, the latter of which encouraged me to wear my jeans backwards on the day before my mom confiscated the tape. The first one I remember really loving though was Michael Jackson’s Dangerous. It sounded so heavy and cool to me. Everything on the album was a hook and M.J delivered my favorite ones angrily and passionately. Then there was “Heal the World,” which was like listening to rainbows. It should have been cheesier than the new Taco Bell menu, but that melody was too pretty.

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Filed Under: My First Record Tagged With: CMJ Music Marathon, Gun Lake, Heal the World, Michael Jackson, Michigan

My First Record: John Elliott

07/25/2011 By

The two albums we had in the house growing up were Chicago’s Greatest Hits and A Mannheim Steamroller Christmas 2. I heard them a lot, Chicago on cassette and Mannheim Steamroller on compact disc (for those thin synths and digital bells). There was no vinyl around. My parents weren’t really music people. Dad threw out all their records from the 60s and 70s when they got married. “Nothing in there, I’m sure.” Some Beatles, some Dylan, whatever.

I was a cassette kid, that’s how it timed out for me. I was young and crazy about popular music just as the cassette was enjoying its brief heyday. I eventually made the switch to compact disc in high school, but not without a fight. I loved the two sides with an intermission. I loved the lost art of the mix tape (mix CDs do not compare). I got really good at guessing length of tape left and making the transitions seamless with barely audible pops.

I did, however, have one record. It’s in a box in a basement somewhere now, where it’s been since late in Reagan’s second term.

It arrived like a magic thing one afternoon. My sister and I were in the playroom and Mom came back from the mall with presents. This was rare. It’s one of those moments I can see as clear as the one I’m in right now. It was later in the day, the light was getting orange. The playroom was a dark and dusty, mysterious place.

Mom came in with one of those paddles with a ball tied to it (with the cheapest rubber band ever made). I was pretty stoked. Then she got more serious and made us understand that something special was about to happen. She reached into a big bag (seemed huge) and Thriller by Michael Jackson emerged in slow motion.

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Filed Under: My First Record Tagged With: Mannheim Steamroller, Michael Jackson, Neil Young

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