Tell me your name, tell me a story, edition #1 - Matt Beat / Electric Needle Room

I decided to start a new column on this blog, where various personalities of distinction music related and non music related, will be approached on a spontaneous basis, and will be asked to tell me their name along with a story. Of course many of the people featured in this column are people that I am familiar with musically or non musically, some of them I have already met, and some of which I have not met before. Anyways, enjoy!

edition #1 - Matt Beat from the band Electric Needle Room
(non omitted text below)

"I am a big history dork, and I have always been fascinated with the lives of the ordinary people who have led our country as President. For a few years, I've envisioned writing and recording songs about each of the 43 Presidents of the USA. I finally got around to recording the first song, about George Washington, in the fall of 2009, and I've been recording them ever since. As a true dork, I am recording them chronologically, and I am currently recording a song about Grover Cleveland. I'm halfway done with the project! I'm releasing the first batch of President songs on Presidents Day (go figure!) 2011. I'm actually trying to raise money right now to properly release the album. To find out the details of this, check out http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1845346621/the-presidents-of-the-united-states-of-america-alb. To hear the songs already recorded, check out http://electricneedleroom.bandcamp.com/track/george-washington. I like to think the songs are not only catchy, but educational as well!"

Music Recommendation #27: Haleiwa

Haleiwa hails from Sweden. The project is a solo effort of Mikko Singh, whom I’m quite fond of musically, largely because he is doing his own thing. In comparison to his previous offering, his most recent offering “Pura Vida dude”, also has a diverse assortment of instruments. The fact that the instrument selection is so diverse and also that he places what appears to be an unusually large emphasis on his instrument play are just some of the enablers in his creation of a distinguishable sound, with all practicality his own.

There is an abundance of interesting information among Mikko’s notes, and here I offer a passage he has made “Pura Vida Dude. Go out and live life. Skate Forever. Peace and love. Let’s be kind to each other, the earth and the animals. Meat is not food. Beans, fruits and vegetables. Healthy and positive lifestyle. Meditation, prayer and contemplation. Freedom of mind. Positive approach on things. Laughter and jokes. Waves breaking over a tropical beach. Have dreams. Fun and create. Palm trees. Two dolphins came by to say “Hello!”. Friends. Hope and meaning. Goodness. Sunlight.” Disclaimer: Bono had no part in that passage.

If there were more musicians like Mikko whom began to show the musicianship qualities of which he hones so well, we would most definitely feel a better known impact and importance of this artist on a music community far and wide, but until then, enjoy his songs.

Haleiwamusic.com