Poetry and Music. Live performance in Miami.

The Poetry of Music

In the winter issue of the British magazine, Poetry Now, to which I am
overseas columnist, I wrote:

"It is the theme of music which has influenced the content of this
issue's column and, if by any chance I do succeed in sticking to plans,
the theme of music will be continued in the next Spring 2001 issue
too."

My column in the previous issue was devoted to two writers/publishers
who both explained what influences music had played in their writing
and lives in general. The fact is that, throughout the history of
mankind, words and music, and ultimately the combining of the both, is
one of the things which has sets us apart from other creatures. The
more I have thought about it, the more I have realised that poetry and
music are almost inseparable, or at least have so much in common.
Repeatedly, music has been added to poetry (Desiderata always comes to
mind for me) and conversely, poetry has been added to music. Even the
word 'sonnet' means 'little song', although some of the more
contemporary pieces labeled 'sonnets' do not have any 'song-like
qualities' by any stretch of the imagination!

Lyrics, then. Putting aside the arguments of those in the 'extreme
modern academic camp', who dismiss anything vaguely 'rhyme-like' as
being 'doggerel', or simply 'not poetry', what are musical lyrics if
not poems?
And of course, just as there are many styles of poetry, the same is
true of music and lyrics.

As for myself, I have always had a broad taste when it comes to both
poetry and music, as is probably true for many of both the Poetry Now
and Emotions magazine readers and contributors. And although, by dint
of fact as columnist for Poetry Now, contributor to and reader of
Emotions, and as a poet, I move in the circles of poetry and writers as
a fish swims in water. But, until last year, I had never had the
opportunity to move in the circles of and/or behind the scenes of those
in the world of music.

Another thing I wrote - the opening sentence of my column in the
previous issue of Poetry Now - was:

"It's strange how life can take twists and turns, whereby what you set
out to do, and what you end up doing, leaves you wondering about such
things as fate, destiny and so forth."

Call it fate, call it destiny, rather than gently dip my toes into the
waters of the music scene, I was taken by the scruff of the neck, last
October (2000), and hurled into the deep end, when I was invited to the
fourth annual Florida state finals of a major American music
competition - Lucky Strike's Band To Band Program. It was not a formal
invitation, but rather "You really must go and listen to a band called
THE STILL, who are one of the three semi-finalists and tipped to win
the Florida state finals. You're a journalist so you should go and
interview them!"

Protesting that I had no desire to drive south for 5 hours to Miami,
least of all to listen to a Rock 'n Roll band at midnight (Rock 'n Roll
is something I can take or leave, veering more towards the 'leaving'),
PLUS I do not write for music publications, I knew this was not
something I could be coerced or persuaded to spend my time on.

Even when, 'mysteriously', a demo tape arrived in the mail and I played
the three songs; Watch, Bring Me Down and Crashing, whilst I was more
than just a little impressed, particularly with the lyrics of the
beautiful ballad, Crashing, my preconceived notion of what a Rock 'n
Roll concert is like, still left me unpersuaded to attend.

Yet again, by not adhering to my credo of 'never assume - never
dismiss', I envisaged 6 foot tall, burly individuals, sporting tattoos
and hurling cans of beer at heavily armed police, undertaking a drug
bust, myself dodging a convoy of Harley Davidson motorbikes racing up
and down the pavement (or sidewalk, I should say)!
This image was completely shattered when I received a phone call from
Eric Vanderslice, who chuckled when I bluntly stated my reasons for not
wanting to attend - hurling beer cans, police raids etc. Eric, the
drummer for THE STILL, assured me that if I needed protection, he would
ask Jimi the song-writer/vocalist's mother, along with several of the
family and parents of the other band member's, to take me under their
wings. As for drugs, I might be lucky enough to come across someone
willing to share an aspirin, should I develop a headache, because there
was no denying that these types of concerts are loud.

Loud or not, I couldn't deny that, as I replayed several times what has
now become my favourite song, Crashing, these were some real powerful
and beautiful lyrics - poetry.

One concert later, and finding myself cheering when THE STILL were
announced as the Florida state winners, thus reaching the final
upcoming US wide championship of just 15 bands, I was looking forward
to speaking with the four band members and finding out what inspires
them to produce beautiful music and lyrics. The publicist, Andrea
Kramer, for Lucky Strike's Band To Band Program was also put in touch
with me, in order to send me a press kit and give me a better picture
of the significance and overview of the competition.

Now in its fourth year, the Lucky Strike's Band To Band Program has, to
date, awarded over $80,000 in cash and prizes. The 15 finalist bands
are now embarking on regional tours to compete for the United States
championship with Lucky Strike providing a $6,000 stipend to each band.
Fans can receive a free CD on which each band has one song recorded,
and a free phone number to call and vote for their favourite track. At
the end of the competition in April, the band with the most votes will
win a $15,000 prize and perform with a nationally recognised artist.
The other 14 finalists will also all receive cash prizes for having
reached the finals. Other opportunities arise for the bands and, of the
15 finalists last year, several were sought after by major record
labels. One of the uniques aspects of this program is that, whilst on
the one hand it is competitive, on the other hand there is also a
strong sense of comraderie and networking between many of the
contestants, which is encouraged and endorsed by Lucky Strike.

Just before THE STILL jetted off north from Florida to North Carolina,
having recently attended a venue in Georgia, they gave me some of their
time so that I could find out what makes them tick, creatively (and
poetically).

The four members are; Lead guitarist - Kenny Fields, Bass guitarist -
Mike Frankenbush, Drummer - Eric Vanderslice and Jimi Daniels - Song
writer and vocalist. Not surprisingly, they have many similarities in
their backgrounds - all attracted to and influenced by a diverse range
of music, by no means confined to Rock 'n Roll. They all have played
for several different bands, from school age upwards, all admit to
having been influenced and or encouraged by their parents, and between
them are individually well travelled around the US.

What has led to their ongoing individual and collective success,
without exception, is a deep passion and sheer hard work for what they
do, not taking for granted the fact that they are all very talented
individuals.

As the songwriter, Jimi explained, "I've never had a plan for writing
the lyrics that I write. I take inspiration wherever I can find it.
Many of the things I write about are personal experiences from past
relationships or encounters. Sometimes I'll write in the third person
from the outside looking in on a situation and who that effects."

Several of the lyrics reveal that, beneath his charismatic stage
persona, Jimi is a true poet and romantic at heart. A typical example
are some of the lines, from Crashing -

I am just a man though I've got one plan,
It's simple to extremes,
It shines a light amidst the ever cloudy dreams&;#8230;
I'll never be just what you want me to -
It's time to cross that bridge of love&;#8230;

Similar themes of hopes, dreams and love, appear in some of the lines
of their other songs, including Hindsight, which appears on the Lucky
Strike's Band To Band finalist CD.

With the hand that you've been dealt with
In a crossfire here in time
I will be there to be one with your heart&;#8230;

Jimi also added, "To me, an expression of feeling is worth being heard,
especially when it's from the heart, whether vocal or
instrumental."

Certainly, the band has a unique instrumental style when it comes to
expression. Kenny explains that "It wasn't until the late 90's that I
met a group of musicians that I could really express myself with. This
resulted in forming a band called Mirror Mirror that quickly became one
of South Florida's band, but unfortunately the band did not stay
together for long, not least because of a number of record industry let
downs," (as is prevalent in the music industry in general.) Except for
a brief interlude with one other band, Kenny took a break from the
music scene but, like dedicated writers who take a break from pen and
paper, only to be lured back again, Kenny met up with Jimi to start
writing again, subsequently joining up with Eric and Mike to form THE
STILL.

Mike, originally from Chicago, has a similar story to tell, having
dabbled with other instruments before settling on the Bass guitar, and
gaining experience playing with several bands, before moving to Florida
to join THE STILL
"I am finally playing the Hard Rock I love best," Mike comments, and
this certainly shines through on stage.

And the group, as a whole, more than just 'shine' on stage. 'Explode',
is probably a better description, with Eric Vanderslice, surrounded by
a mountain of drums, giving the group a visual impact which words alone
can not do justice to in trying to describe the experience. The rhythms
and beats he produces, gives the backbone to THE STILL's performance,
on which the band hangs their music and words, with a dynamism I have
never seen before. (Yes I did my fair share of going to concerts in my
youth - in the days of Pink Floyd and Genesis&;#8230;)
One of the high points of THE STILL's performance was a drum solo
exceeding 3 minutes (I timed it!), rather like a powerful poem which
sustains a strong meter from first to last stanza. And Eric confided in
me that, as well as playing in the band, he has an increasing interest
in writing poetry! As with the other band members, Eric attributes his
passion and professionalism for music, to the grooming and
encouragement he received from his mother, whereby he explains "I was
introduced at a very young age to the world of theater and film, in
which my mother worked."

In all, my first exploration of the music world, behind the scenes as
well as from an audience perspective, simply further enhanced my
perceptions of the parallels and commonality between poetry and poets
and music and musicians. It is somewhat of an irony that, generally
speaking and in my opinion, poetry is greatly undervalued, whilst music
is often very much taken for granted. It is encouraging to see,
however, the likes of Lucky Strike encouraging and rewarding new found
musical talent, as Poetry Now and Emotions does the same for new found
poetical talent, both in the form of competitions and public exposure.
How further that talent will go, in reaching a wider and wider
audience? Well that is down to fate and destiny.

For more information about THE STILL, they have their website at
www.thestill.cc

Copyright, all rights reserved, David Taub (NUJ), first published -
Poetry Now magazine (UK), Spring 2001.
Scheduled for reprint in Emotions magazine (California) - September
2001.

If you enjoyed reading this piece and/or have any comments, you are
welcome to email me at UKpoet@aol.com