I have always been a big fan of musical video games like Guitar Hero, RockBand, and even Karaoke Revolution – at one point in my most intense “fanhood,” I was playing almost perfectly on the Expert Levels with those fake electronic guitars in my hands. But shredding Classic Rock songs always just seemed like a game to me. I had seen the six-year-old Guitar Hero prodigies on Oprah as they played even the hardest songs completely flawlessly in front of a live audience, but even that just seemed like a trendy, yet strangely-acquired, skill to have. I had never once considered that maybe there could be a real marketable opportunity here (in the realm of fake instruments) within the rock music industry, until last weekend.
I am a huge fan of people-watching…I would admit that it is probably one of my favorite things to do, if that wasn’t such a creepy thing to say. But in all honesty, let me tell you about one of the coolest people-watching experiences I’ve encountered in a while. I was sitting in the Atlanta airport (absolutely prime people-watching opportunity), waiting for my connecting flight, when I all of a sudden heard a piano. It was soft at first, and then it started to get a little louder. I started looking around, trying not to be too obnoxious about it, but with no luck of finding a giant 500 pound musical instrument. So I looked back down and continued playing a game on my phone… It was then, with my head down, that I spotted out of the corner of my eye a teenage boy playing the piano through an App on his iPhone. His fingers glided fast enough to be texting at least fifty words per minute, and the sound was phenomenal. I’m not super musically talented, but I love and appreciate music to its core, so I started watching and listening as he began to draw a crowd.
It gets better. It was like the people-watching-gods were looking out for me, because out of nowhere, a second piano tune chimed in. Everyone turned and watched this newcomer, a 20-something young man with equally impressive piano-iPhone skills, walk over and sit down across from the original musician. What ensued from there was part battle, part duet… basically a jam session over a couple of iPhones. I was going crazy watching this impromptu concert. I had never experienced anything like it.
Fast-forward now to a few days ago, when I came across something equally amazing on the internet. A Brooklyn band, Atomic Tom, held an entire mini-concert on a New York City subway, performing with nothing but a few iPhones. The footage, also filmed using an iPhone, is incredible (definitely take a few minutes and check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAllFWSl998). Not only did they play an entire band’s worth of music over iPhone Apps, but they rocked. The subway audience is caught on camera tapping their feet and nodding their heads while four iPhones take the place of a microphone, electric guitar, bass, and drums. If this stunt doesn’t earn the band a gig somewhere in New York City, it will be appalling. If anything, I fully support the YouTube comments stating that the band should be highlighted in the next iPhone commercial.
I don’t know where the future lies with these types of musicians… when thinking back to Guitar Hero, part of the fun of the concept was that anyone could be a rock star. Would a band like Atomic Tom make it in the face of the rock legends out there now? Probably not, but for now the concept is so new and exciting that I really think there’s a potential market and fan base out there. I know from witnessing the piano-jam in the airport that it's almost unreal to watch and listen as a series of quick taps (on a device that makes phone calls!) produces real harmony. These boys and iPhone musician all-stars should run with it while they can -- especially while the Atomic Tom video has racked up over 1.8 million views since it was posted merely 5 days ago. Who knows, they could be opening us up to a whole new generation and style of Rock-n-Roll. As for me, I'm hitting up the New York City Subway the next chance I get...I don't want to miss out on their next big show!
Jackie Swoyer is a Junior Business and Enterprise Management Major, Concentrating in Marketing and Minoring in Economics.
I love musical video games. Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution make me feel like a different person. Something about those games makes me feel like a better person. During a good round of Guitar Hero or Karaoke Revolution I feel like I have reached self-actualization on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I am transformed. I am no longer a normal person. The game builds my confidence. It is like I have reached my fullest potential and am truly a star. It is like I am the music. I feel free to sing, dance, and jam simultaneously. Now, all I want is an iPhone or an iPad. I can only imagine being able to take these games on the road. It is probably better that I don’t have one. My perception of me as a talented singer and musician is probably far from reality. People all over the world should be grateful I haven’t gotten my hands on that technology. I can only imagine what the people watchers would say about me.
ReplyDelete-Leigh Vogedes
I’ve always loved stopping in the city to listen to the people who drum on buckets, and this reminded me of a bizarre version of that. It also interested because my last blog post was also dealing with technology and how it has warped traditional ways of doing things, in this case playing music. I don’t know enough about the industry to speak on whether or not a future lies in this, but it reminds me of the message behind Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Music is a way of fulfilling needs up the pyramid. Each individual gains some sort of satisfaction, joy, and/or peace of mind through music, and when a piano is not available, technology has blessed them with the ability to make music through other mediums. When they play together, they are able to move up the pyramid. Just the act of playing together gives them a sense of social belonging, and from there they can fulfill their esteem needs through the reaction of people around them and the constant back and forth to do better, and finally fill their self-actualization as they are pushed to maximize their own skills and can see the amazement on the faces of people around them.
ReplyDelete-Zan Smith
Digital music has always fascinated me with the possibilities of carrying an instrument, like a piano, in your pocket. I was never musically inclined as a child and was given the recorder in elementary school because I couldn’t play anything else. Sad, I know but oh well. And I am an avid people watcher as well so I can only imagine what people say when they watch my musically untalented self trying to play Guitar Hero in Best Buy. However, that has all changed with the post digital music phenomenon that is emerging. I know feel that I, too, can play an instrument. And I can play that instrument anywhere at any time. It makes me feel a self actualization that Maslow discusses. I feel that I have transitioned and have a sense of belonging with those musically talented people now thanks to technology.
ReplyDelete-Chrissy Moreyra