a slightly different purpose... my mind wandering

[slimkim]

ok. i am going to analyze the band for a moment because i like to get into this every now and then, plus i was very pensive this weekend.

so i was listening to some of their older material 2003 and 2004 and then some of the more recent shows.. 2006 to date.

(This may be obvious, so excuse my John Madden moment.) You can really hear the difference in the growth of Jim as the vocalist and leader of the band.

back in 2004, their shows were ALL about the music. you can hear it in his voice, the way they play together.. the intros and outro...it is truly a beautiful thing.

Specifically, if you listen to that 1.24.04 show... i know i am stuck on it since it was my first time hearing them, but it really is a great show that i got to see. and they sounded grrreat! the Sooner is perfecto. as well as Lowdown, etc... etc... probably close to a perfect setlist, to my tastes.

But listen to jim's voice and how he carries his voice in the club, strong passionate and meaningful. you can just feel that he and the band aren't playing the stage yet. they are just trying to get the music out. and that they do... it is a beauty of a show. And it is all about the music.. too many bands forget that.

As the band increased its fan base and critics started to get the word out, new band members came on, record label, etc but jim remains. and you can see the growth in jim in the way that he sings ( ha!)

there is showmanship incorporated into the shows from 2006 on... and jim was destined to be that showman. i think the stage presence that he and the band have developed is perfect for who they are and the music they play.

i think the music from 2006 on is ever so slightly different. not good or bad, better or worse... just different.  It is still powerful and meaningful. Jim still sings with focus and purpose, but just done with almost a different purpose. hmmm. Again, i am certainly not placing any value judgement as to which is better, but it is just great to hear and enjoy.

anyway, i just thought i would share that. and please feel free to agree, disagree or abstain.


slim i am

[ycartrob]

I saw them first time in 2003 and there was plenty of "showmanship" (Jim didn't wear shoes, everyone had long hair (I mean, loooong hair), the witty comments from stage, having a guy in  a bear costume on stage, etc...)

but what I have noticed over the past couple of years is their changing up of songs, rather than modyfying the showmanship aspect. I personally was expecting the sort of thing you are fishing for at the Nashville show in August, but I was pleasently suprised by how their music has just become more powerful.

As far as Jim singing for "a different purpose", I just don't see it. (plus, I really don't know what you mean by " different purpose")

[slimkim]

I saw them first time in 2003 and there was plenty of "showmanship" (Jim didn't wear shoes, everyone had long hair (I mean, loooong hair), the witty comments from stage, having a guy in  a bear costume on stage, etc...)

but what I have noticed over the past couple of years is their changing up of songs, rather than modyfying the showmanship aspect. I personally was expecting the sort of thing you are fishing for at the Nashville show in August, but I was pleasently suprised by how their music has just become more powerful.

As far as Jim singing for "a different purpose", I just don't see it. (plus, I really don't know what you mean by " different purpose")

hey tracy
thanks for the comments.

well, what do i mean by different purpose? my friends often say that i speak in code because i tend to look at things in a sometimes strange or different kind of way. it's not always right, but it is usually an observation and/or opinion by looking at things from a different angle.
to quote from dead poets society... it's standing on a table vs on the floor. i am seeing/hearing the same thing differently.

it might be that i am demented. social but demented.

anyway, again i did see them in 2004 but i went to them blind. so i wasn't all into the show and it was the first time. i have since seen them several times as well as videos.

guess what i mean is that, and this is purely my opinion, when one gains a critical mass of attention on a micro or macro scale, it can change slightly or dramatically that person's behavior, actions, aura and what not. and it is either consciously or subconsciously. the mind and perception of how we are received is very powerful.

so just listening to the music and not necessarily the visual, i think he sings with a slight different purpose now. they are more listeners, more critics, more eyes and ears. and to some extent you have to adapt a bit. not so much as throw away your entire essence, but it has to be a bit different.

again, i put no value judgment on either way. i love it no matter. i just got all kinds of pensive this weekend listening to the music.

does that make any sense?

i think it would be a great question for jim in an interview.

slim i am