Moving Music

Raise your hand if you know somebody who is or has been on psych meds. Ok, you can put your hands down. That was almost everybody; why? Is it that so many people are unbalanced? Could it be possible that many are over medicated and over prescribed? Are we running from issues or does the medication help us “balance” our response to the rest of the world? The answers may not be what we want to hear but to make the inquiry seems, at least, responsible.
Burke and Amy, from the Columbus! Something New podcast, reached out to us about speaking with Chris Shaw from the Topher James and Biscuit Brigade band. He had interviewed with them and it seemed like a good fit for Moving Music. Chris Shaw chose a movie that confronts the delicate balance between over prescribing psychological medication and healing the affected. Presented as a coming of age story with a solid soundtrack, “Garden State” delivers an examination that is honest and telling. Here is our review and discussion about the film and his music.
TC

Is it possible to overstate the affect the Beatles continue to have on music, art and life? I can’t imagine so. It can literally be measured by life before and after you genuinely procure their music. John, Paul, George, Ringo, and producer George Martin changed everything. They were the lyrical voice of a whole generation and wrote the living soundtrack other artists aspire to. There will never, ever be another era of its kind. The Beatles advanced the process by which music is written, recorded and received. The writing duo of McCartney and Lennon is the blueprint by which modern music is crafted. It is so beautifully aligned in world history that without it means we live in a different world. The Beatles are eternal art. The beginnings of this wonderful moment in time were captured by director Richard Lester in the movie “A Hard Day’s Night”.

Chuck Oney and I met while working at the same TV station in 1998. He was deep into his music and the daily work we both were challenged with. Our working relationship would be only several months brief, but in live TV some moments live beyond their time value and we got to know each other. Since those days, he has won an Ohio Music Award for Best Rock Song and 3 Emmy Awards for his work on WOSU PBS local show “Broad and High”. When I caught up with him recently I had to ask what his most influential movie would be. Without a moment’s hesitation he passionately exclaimed “The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night”. My mind leapt as I realized we had another grand artistic connection. Here now, for you to witness our testimonial are The Beatles…

TC

In the 1980’s there was a flurry of fantasy based movies that seemed to be in every theater, year round. From "Labyrinth" to "Willow" and in between, audiences just couldn’t get enough. Ridley Scott lent his talents to one such movie, “Legend”. Ridley showcased a young Tom Cruise, just before his brother, Tony Scott, gave him the lead role in “Top Gun”. "Legend" lived within the Tangerine Dream soundtrack that included Bryan Ferry and Jon Anderson from the group Yes. That soundtrack lifted "Legend" above other fantasy films for young viewers like Matt Buchwalter.
Matt and I met in the early 90s through mutual acquaintances. We had worked with a lot of the same musicians over the years and developed a dialog. His love for music gave him the ride of his life when he became the drummer for Shadowbox Live, where he held that role for over 20 years. When I asked what his film would be there was no hesitation from this self-proclaimed nerd. “Legend” remained in his conscience particularly for the music. It is a fun fantastical ride that takes you beyond this time and land. Moving Music explores the imagination of Matt Buchwalter as he explains how this film influenced him.
TC

It was 1999, and Prince’s song became the year’s unofficial soundtrack as the party began. Computers had not yet made it through a new millennium and many people thought the world was going to end. The old prophesies of Nostradamus seemed to target 1999. Many movies leading up to this time event, including “Strange Days”, “End of Days”, “The Matrix”, “The Omega Code”, and “Dogma”, picked up on this theme. However, one film escaped my attention during the party. Hype Williams, the premiere hip hop music video director, fashioned a tale that combined a vague apocalyptic theme with a story right from the ‘hood. I can’t believe it took me this long to rediscover and watch “Belly”.

Demari Faust and I met just outside The Ringside Café in Pearl Alley the fall 2015. He was shooting a music video with another video artist, Mook. I patiently waited till the camera stopped, introduced myself, and continued a dialog with both of them. After hearing “Demmy’s” music I wanted his interview. When asked, he did not hesitate to reveal the movie that moved him, “Belly”. He has mad respect for Hype Williams, and committed this film to memory. I am thankful for the chance to see what I missed during the party of 1999. This latest offering of Moving Music comes with the sting of this story.

TC

We all have family we are born with, but what of the family we choose? Eric Gnezda is the older brother I chose. We met at a local Christmas Eve radio show in 1992 and have been locked in ever since. His determination to make a living at what he loved, music and songwriting, inspired me. Through the years, Eric has proven life is a team game. Always giving, always cheering for others. We have worked together dozens of times and he has lent a big brother hand to lift me up when I have fallen in life. As we traveled to and from gigs, our discussions ran the whole range of subjects and emotions. He guided me when I needed it the most. We have played music together, watched our children grow up, and bonded as brothers. We even have our own language with inside jokes. He has meant the world to me.

So, when Eric told me he wanted to reach the world through “Songs at the Center”, which now airs on over 150 PBS stations nationwide, I could not have been more proud. He has found a way to really help other artists express themselves through this project. The passion by which he does this is infectious and daring. He motivates others to reach within for answers, always encouraging collaboration. I read his written memoirs, spent hours talking with Eric and considered myself to know him very well.

Eric has been a personal inspiration for Moving Music, so I was thrilled when he agreed to be interviewed. My big brother and friend revealed things during this interview I did not know. His connection to “The Longest Day” was larger than life. As a boy, sitting with his father in a 1962 theater, he would get the lesson that lasted him a lifetime. Watching this epic film, personally guided by his father, left an indelible impression. TC and Eric have a discussion that left me wanting to know even more. If you have a seat belt, you better buckle it. This one is for my brother, Eric Gnezda, and his father.

Ty

SOME ADULT LANGUAGE

Violent events of the last decade, and even longer, have made us skeptical on the direction of mental illness reform. What can be perceived as a threat from beyond actually lurks within the walls of what is known to us. A closer examination reveals a kaleidoscope of things we do not yet understand. If a wide net is cast, then what is to be done with those that don’t really fit into the bucket they are thrown in? Did we misunderstand, mislabel, misguide, mislead or do we just want to forget and ignore the hard truth? Are they walls we actually erected within ourselves? There is no one answer solution.

Our first Academy Award for best picture comes with this examination. Kirk Douglas purchased the script that became a Broadway play, and later, his son Michael, partnered with Saul Zaentz, to produce this 1975 best picture. Milos Foreman was the perfect director given his experience originating from a stifling Czech Republic communistic regime. Louise Fletcher and Jack Nicholson won Academy Awards as they portrayed a truly frightening, and very tangible story about the struggle for control; and the consequences for losing it.

Mark Rhodes and I actually, not kidding, met at his side job. We hit it off right away and realized we knew the same musicians and possibly had been around each other before. Our love of music and movies drove the conversation and his film selection was right in my wheelhouse. This interview was a dance of like minds hoping to point out the potential issues of mental health reform and the idea of control. Institutional control, and for that matter, control in general, should be examined, checked, and challenged. We even discuss our pets of the past, lest we forget. This collaboration is offered as the movie that moved Mark Rhodes.

In loving memory of Lando, Ringo, and most recently Ginger.

TC

PG RATED

It was the summer of 1984, I was 13 and MTV was King. Miami Vice had not yet made its place on a Friday night TV schedule. Music videos were coming into their own as “mini movies”. An artist like none other kept peeking through and blurring the lines of Rock’n’Roll. Prince had written a story that was tailor made for a hungry MTV audience; He boldly presented a full length autobiographical film that played like a long form music video. The public ate it up and “Purple Rain” won an academy award for his effort. We all know how Prince made his way to stardom, and sadly, how he died last year. What remained hidden in plain sight is just how this affected other future artists like Wade Barnett. Wade is a blues guitarist who showed up on the local music scene, seemingly out of nowhere, and maintains a strong presence. I met Wade a few years ago in a cigar shop. For cigar lovers, it’s in part the conversation that occurs while smoking together that endears us to the shop. Wade and I began a dialog that took us right to Prince. This depiction of live music politics and the hidden private life of an artist seemed to make its way into his own artistic creed. As a musician and artist, he holds Prince in high regard. His passion for this film is certainly shared by many, but Moving Music reveals Wade’s personal bond with the iconic movie that moved him, “Purple Rain”.

TC

In the mid 1990’s, I was a live television director and Shaun Booker was singing for two of the most serious working bands in Columbus, Ohio. When I heard her, I knew I was listening to a local gem with attitude. From that first collaborative live broadcast we developed a bond and a special working relationship. I have proudly watched, and listened, as she has become an international artist and vocal ambassador for this Columbus artistic community. She’s right, she is the blues. A combination of struggle, perseverance and confidence rides on top of her voice. Her interpretation of the blues demands attention. The only thing missing was deeper insight to her personal influences. I could not have a better start for Moving Music than with her. Shaun chose the 1976 movie “A Star is Born” specifically for the emotional connection she had to it in the 70’s and even now. It is a story that she has, in many ways, lived and certain aspects of the movie parallel her own experiences. You, the listener, are about to be in the room as she dives deep within herself to deliver further understanding.

TC

What is it about a movie or album that buries itself deep within our conscience? Almost everybody has one that moves them. For artists, the experience is often life changing. Before the opening score and fanfare of our 1st show, we wanted to give a sneak peek into Moving Music. This preview of intimate dialog represents what can be expected in coming episodes. So please allow Shaun Booker, Mark Rhodes, Eric Gnezda, Wade Barnett, Matt Buckwalter, Demari Faust, and Chuck Oney to borrow your ear for this special offering of Moving Music.