The events of 2009 has forced me to take a hard look at my life, my business and my future. 2008 was the year I started teaching, something I’d always talked about doing, but was frankly too scared to put into practice. Somehow I overcame my fear and now, after a full year of giving classes and workshops, I’ve realized that teaching is something that I really enjoy doing. The challenge of explaining my concepts of making music to students of all skill levels gives me a satisfaction that I wasn’t really prepared for. I’m glad I took up the challenge.

2009 was also the year I met two of my musical heroes, jazz keyboard player Jeff Lorber and Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick of the legendary UK jazz / soul band Incognito. To watch these two masters at work really helped me put my own musical aspirations back into focus. I also met some extremely talented musicians during not only my regular teaching gig at the Popakademie, but also as a guest instructor at the Academy of Music in Dinkelsbühl, where I had the pleasure of performing with my good friend Alex Auer for the first time in 4 years. I’ve worked with some fantastic musicians, writers and producers in 2009, both on stage and studio.

Less fantastic in 2009 was the saga of my rock band iO; though we started out the year with a kick-ass live concerts in Rabenau and Brno in the Czech Republic, the future of the band was placed in doubt as my bandmates informed me that they were reforming their old band Guano Apes to play a series of european festivals in the summer. When their tour was over, they informed me that they were going to work on a new CD as Guano Apes, which will all but kill the prospects of a future iO CD. That’s really a shame, since iO has such potential. However, we’re hopeful that we can come together some time this year to make music together…

So, what have I learned from 2009?

…which brings me to my list of things that I learned from 2009. I’ve always been a believer in the notion that one can always learn something out of any situation, no matter if it’s positive or negative. So, given all that I’ve experienced in ’09, heres my list of wisdom:

1. The show must indeed go on.

2. NEVER take things for granted.

3. Seeing life through only one lens is never a good thing.

4. If you think you’ve had too much, you probably have.

5. Sometimes, doing stuff you’ve always dreamed of doing is fantastic. Sometimes, it’s not.

6. Get your mind right, and the rest will take care of itself.

7. If it takes more than three days to write a song, something’s wrong with the song. Not always, though.

8. Not everything that tastes good is good.

9. The best thing about new things is that they sometimes help you to appreciate the old things.

10. Kids grow fast.

11. Making a plan and sticking to it are two TOTALLY different things.

12. The phrase “don’t hate the player; hate the game” is just as relevant now as it was in the early ‘90s.

13. Though you may be better than most people at what you do, there is ALWAYS someone who is better than you.

14. When two grown people of completely different viewpoints can’t have a civil conversation about anything, NOTHING will get done.

15. We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.

16. Going to bed angry sucks.

17. Fighting (in a relationship) can be good.

18. Sometimes, it’s better to just shut the f*ck up.

19. We all need balance in our lives.

20. It’s never too late to be the “you” you’ve always wanted to be.

An example of hit song making is one of the biggest hits of 2007: “Apologize” from the band One Republic. There are two versions of the song; the original version which appears on their album “Dreaming out Loud”, and the remix version, produced by (now) legendary super-producer Tim “Timbaland” Mosley which appeared on his “Shock Value” album. The interesting thing for me is that the Timbaland version ended up being the “hit”, since the original version of the song is musically far superior to the remix version. here’s my analysis of why Timbaland’s version is more “hit worthy” compared to the original:

1. It’s simple.

In listening to the album version of “Apologize”, there are lots of little things (the cello opening in the beginning, the spacious nature of the arrangement, the interaction of the different instruments, the overall mix of the song) that make the song musically pleasing to my ear. By comparison, the Timbaland version is reduced to it’s “core” sound elements: Bass, beat (including human beatbox-enhanced rhythm effects), piano, vocals, and some synth effects. By stripping out the musically pleasing but superfluous elements of the song, the remix version is more accessible to a wider listening audience.

2. It’s complexly monotonous.

As mentioned in example one, the original version of “Apologize” contains very subtle interactions between particular instruments: the cellos play harmoniously with the piano, the beat is very sparsely programmed, giving the other instruments and vocals more space, allowing for more musical movement. In Timbaland’s version, the dominant theme in the track is the drum groove which, while complex in structure (again, the human beatbox effects combined with the main beat is a Timbaland signature production technique), is extremely monotonous, almost hypnotic in nature. A hit song always has a mesmerizing effect on the listener.

3. It’s short.

The original version of Apologize clocks in at 3:28 minutes. The remix version is 3:04. The vast majority of today’s hit music clocks in at under 3:30, mainly in order to be radio friendly (by allowing radio stations to have more time for commercials), but psychologically to create a sense of wanting more in the listener.

4. It has a chorus AND a “hook”.

One of the questions aspiring songwriters have asked since the beginning of pop music is “what’s the difference between a ‘chorus’ and a ‘hook’ in a pop song?” The simple explanation is this: the chorus is the part of the song that gives the song it’s lyrical / melody recognition; in other words, it’s the repetitive part of the song everyone eventually will sing, hum, or whistle along to. The hook is the part of the song that immediately grabs the listeners attention (it “hooks” the listener into the song). The hook can be a sung melody, an instrumental line, or a musical effect; it’s the thing the makes a listener go, “Aaah, I know that song!” In the case of Timbaland’s “Apologize” there are multiple hooks; the piano intro, Timbaland’s signature “ehh – eh – eh” vocal riff, and the chorus itself. A true hit song has both a strong chorus and one or more hooks, and in many cases the chorus is the hook. Both concepts are designed to grab attention and hold onto it.

5. It has one or more gimmicks.

This aspect of hit songwriting relates directly to the previous point; all hit songs have a gimmick or “ear worm”, an element that makes it stand out from the rest of the pop music pack. The gimmick in Timbaland’s version is his signature vocal riff, which doesn’t appear in the album version of “Apologize”. A gimmick can be anything, from the sublte to the obvious; a guitar riff (“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith or “My Girl” by the Temptations), a drum groove (“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson), a synth melody (“SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake or “Clocks” by Coldplay) or the song itself (belgian pop star Milow’s version of “Ayo Technology” by 50 Cent, performed with acoustic guitar). The next time you catch yourself whistling a song you just heard on the radio that you swear that you hate (we’ve all done this at one time or another), ask yourself; why is this song in my head? More than likely due to the song’s use of gimmicks.

Sadly, we live in a culture of disposable media, as evidenced by the incredibly short life span of a hit pop song, blockbuster movie, or popular video game. there’s lots of fierce competition for consumer’s money, so songwriters and other creative types must pull out all the stops to grab the most attention for their wares. A little understanding of how the formula of making hit music works goes a long way towards helping aspiring artists further realize their dream of superstardom.

It is this pattern of innuendo and subtle race-baiting followed by wild-eyed confusion and denial that is the essence of guerilla racism. Such hit-and-run tactics are vital to cause of stoking fear and anger within a certain portion of the American population who long for a return to the America of old; a demographic of white, conservative “christians” who have seen there ranks dwindle in what is becoming an ever more culturally diverse country. Being labelled a racist in 21st-century America is in many ways political and cultural suicide, so to engage in such demonization is an effective, more sinister way of fueling racial animosity.

Many on the political right have made the bizarre claim that it is those on the left and members of the so-called “liberal media” who are fanning the flames of racial hatred by associating any and all criticism of President Obama as racism. Such a notion couldn’t be further from the truth, however; the President gets plenty of criticism from the left, the current health care debate and Obama’s refusal to fight for a public option or his refusal to prosecute Bush administration officials regarding torture being an example. The difference is that the current criticism coming from the right is almost completely lacking in rationality, coming only as a means to score political points against Obama. There is also a startling amount of violence in the rhetoric coming from the right, which was recently called attention to by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Her words (which were promptly and expectedly attacked by the right-wing media) made a point that shouldn’t be lost on any American who knows about our turbulent history: When rhetoric coming from the right is this vitriolic, political violence is inevitable. Our flag has more than once been stained by violence caused by a right-winger who took conservative rhetoric a little too seriously.

So, how does Malcolm X’s famous quote apply to racism in 21st century America? Simple: the guerilla racism occurring today can be given an alternate name: cowardice. To be a racist in America today takes courage, and those who would fan the flames of racism through these subtle and dishonest tactics show just how much courage they lack.

The notion that Obama isn’t a natural born citizen of the US is wrong on so many levels,
and is so easy to disprove. As the father of two biracial children born on foreign soil (Germany) to a non-American mother, I can tell you with absolute certainty that even though Obama’s father wasn’t American, Obama has automatic US citizenship because his mother was a US citizen, regardless if she was under 18 when she had him. It also does not matter where he was born; as long as his mother did not renounce her citizenship, he is a natural born American citizen. Period. A child does not automatically lose their US citizenship when they are adopted by a non-US citizen (as was the case when Obama was legally adopted by his Indonesian stepfather), since citizenship and custody are two totally separate issues. The fascinating irony of the whole subject of Obama’s birth certificate is that it was brought about by a woman named Orly Taitz, a laywer and dentist living in California who herself isn’t a natural-born US citizen, but born and raised in the former Soviet republic of Moldova.

In her arguments against Obama she places great emphasis on the fact that his father wasn’t a US citizen, not realizing that in the US, as opposed to other countries, priority is not given to the father’s birth origin over the mother’s; even if Obama was born in Kenya, as the “birthers” believe, he would still be considered a natural-born US citizen because of his mother. I guess she also forgot that even if both of Obamas’ parents were illegal aliens, he’d still be a natural-born citizen because he was born in Hawaii (a fact that has now been confirmed twice by Hawaii state officials).

What makes the “birthers” so fascinating and disturbing is the general makeup of the part of the US population who are believers in the movement: older, white Southerners. Ironically, this is the demographic that makes up much of what is left of modern Republican Party base. Sadly, this movement speaks to a much bigger problem facing the GOP; the changing racial makeup of the US and the inability of many Republicans to deal with it. The “birther” movement is most definitely immersed in racial politics, despite having Alan Keyes as a vocal supporter. Keyes, who is black, was overwhelmingly defeated in his bid for the US Senate representing Illinois in 2004 by – you guessed it – Barack Obama. Shockingly, many Republican leaders are of the belief that this kind of race-based politics will work well for them in the upcoming 2010 and 2012 elections, although the election of 2008 proved that exactly the opposite is true. The most obvious sign of GOP racial politics is the opposition among conservatives of Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. At face value, the notion that Sotomayor shouldn’t be appointed to the court because she’s a so-called “reverse racist” is just plain silly, especially given that she’s more experienced as a judge than anyone else currently sitting on the court. That coupled with the latest imagined controversy on the right regarding Obama’s comments on the arrest of a black Harvard professor in his own home by a white police officer, with several prominent right-wing media celebrities calling the President a racist because of the remarks, and you can start to see a pattern of racial division being instigated by the right wing. Fortunately, America is changing in its views about race: the 2000’s are definitely not the 1970’s. The GOP has in the “birther” movement and its outdated, failed race-baiting strategy a serious problem going forward, especially given that they need African-Americans and Latinos if they ever want to win elections in a meaningful way in the future.

With only 26% of Americans calling themselves Republicans, The last thing the GOP needs right now is a complete takeover by the lunatic right. They’re circling the bowl, and if they don’t take the right steps to stop the madness coming from the far right of their party, there will be no stopping the flush.

Feeling quite numb, I spread the word to the people around me that the King of Pop has died. The most common reaction was, “are you kidding me?” People couldn’t believe it. My colleagues Tiffany and Worthy, two singers who like me are known for their interpretations of Michael Jackson hits, were just as shocked as I was at the news of his death. At the time, the reports were still unconfirmed, and as the word spread through the club, many people were pulling out their cell phones, trying to get any info that they could. Even as we took to the stage to perform our second set, I constantly checked my phone while on stage to get confirmation. When the news was confirmed, a feeling of sadness and shock came over all of us on the stage: Michael Jackson, the superstar whose music and stage performance influenced an entire generation of musicians, was gone.

Most Europeans love affair with Michael Jackson began with “Thriller” and the albums that came after that; the American fascination with Jackson began much, much earlier, in the late ‘60s, as he was a child. I grew up on the music of the Jackson 5 (later called just “the Jacksons”), but I was always amazed by Michael; his voice, his moves, his charisma were all things that would influence me in my own pursuit of a musical career. As I was discovering my own voice, I did so singing Michael Jackson songs; one of my goals as a 12 year old was to hit the low notes in the line of the song “Billy Jean” that goes:

“…so take my strong advice / just remember to always think twice.”

As a teenager, where I realized that I wanted to be a musician, my inspirations were Prince and Michael Jackson; Prince because of his skills as a musician, and Michael for his talent as a singer, dancer and performer. I had the red leather “Beat It” jacket, the white studded glove, and the Jheri curl, just like every other kid in my neighborhood did. I was hooked to MTV whenever they showed MJ’s videos, and I drew portraits of him for my friends. “Billy Jean” is, without a doubt, one of my top 5 favorite songs ever. Even into my 30s, his music would influence my approach to performing and songwriting, even as I recently became a “rocker”, his presence can be felt. Michael Jackson is a text-book example of how to win over an audience and connect to fans unmatched in today’s show business atmosphere.

Given the troubles he’s had in recent years, it’s very easy for people to forget just how influential MJ was in the world of entertainment. He was the first child star to win a Grammy, for his first solo single “Ben”. He was the first black artist to be played on MTV. Though he didn’t actually invent the moonwalk, he made it famous. He has given millions to charity. He is to this day the biggest selling artist of all time, with over 700 million records sold over the course of his career. There will never be another like him, and he will be missed by not only millions of adoring fans, but musicians of all genres mourn his passing. A new generation is also discovering his genius, through artists like Usher, Justin Timberlake, Neyo, etc., who openly admit to owing their success to Michael Jackson’s influence. Michael Jackson was bigger than Elvis, the Beatles, and Madonna, and his influence and legacy will be felt for generations to come.

As the night went on, and the loss of such a great entertainer and musical ambassador started to sink in, I broke the news to the audience in the club. Many were shocked and visibly shaken. I then asked the audience to join me in a celebration of his life and his music, at which point we played “Thriller” in his honor. The crowd loved it; they danced and sang along, just as Michael probably would have wanted it to be.

The King is dead; long live the King!