What is Indie?

This question seems to be asked a lot lately. Much like the SNL sketch, What is Burn Notice?, it's a question that has yet to be answered definitively, even by Ashton himself (the starter of the inane trucker hat trend). The term Indie generally is applied to independently published or produced music, books and movies. However now the term seems to be loosely applied to music with an "indie" sound, quirky movies with an "indie" feel or look to them and even people who live an "indie" or hipster lifestyle and listen to "indie" music and watch "indie" movies. Gah! How confusing is that?
I recently read an insightful article on pastemagazine.com entitled "Is Indie Dead?" Nietzsche analogies aside, this article attempts to answer the question of what Indie really means today and questions as to whether it really is, like much of the English language today, a word that has lost its original or true meaning.
Part of this is because a lot of originally indie bands are technically no longer indie since they signed with mainstream record labels. One of the biggest upsets in indie music was when the Prince of Indie, Ben Gibbard and his band Death Cab for Cutie signed with a major label. Fans everywhere questioned whether they can truly be called indie anymore. Especially since they did a song for the Twilight soundtrack which is most certainly a more mainstream move. Perhaps Ben Gibbard's marriage to Zooey Deschanel, the Queen of hipsters, was an attempt to keep up the band's indie image. (On a side note Zooey Deschanel has her own indie-pop type band, She and Him, which has a sound like old 60's pop). Isn't the whole point of being Indie that you are just a bunch of regular Joe's making music for music's sake with no aim towards mainstream publicity and success? I mean of course they want to be successful but not so much into it all for the money and glory like mainstream artists right?

But shouldn't everyone be happy that such new and innovative music styles are becoming more popular? Shouldn't we be happy that indie is the new cool? Isn't that what hipsters have been trying to tell us?
The paste magazine article also examines how quirky became the trend with movies like
Napoleon Dynamite and Juno. Both of which are hilarious, artsy and have incredible soundtracks. Who knew these set a gold-standard for quirk? I certainly didn't. I love those movies for their quirk and individuality and I thought I was being cool and unique by listing them as favorites. I guess I was just buying into another trend just when I thought I was escaping from one.
But honestly I think that if you enjoy this quirky indie trend embrace it. Don't worry about whether people think you are a poseur or just buying into a trend. Because honestly I love indie sounding music because it's different. It's what I like regardless of whether or not it's legit indie made and produced. (and regardless of whether or not I get labeled a hipster for listening to it). Some of these bands even have a similar sound to some of the greats. Peter Bjorn and John are Beatles-esque and Josh Ritter is like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen combined into one magical musical wonderful package. But Arcade Fire sounds like no one else on the planet. I could write a whole other post on their trippy, slightly creepy, post-modernism-ish sound. Why else would they have used their music for the "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer.
But what all these bands have in common is that they are unique. They each make music in their own way regardless of what the public: mainstream, alternative, indie, or otherwise thinks. And that's what I think is what makes them truly authentic and truly indie in my eyes.

Five Iron Frenzy, they were really, really, really good.

Once upon a time in a Galaxy far far away at the turn of the millennium, there was a great ska band known as Five Iron Frenzy, or FIF.
They were a great band that gave us the gift of six years (1997-2003) of awesome, goofy, humorous, and trumpet filled ska songs. They were even sillier than Relient K. Like wayyy sillier. One of their best EP's, Quantity is Job 1, includes "These are not my pants" (The Rock Opera). This goofball song series is about the epic saga of pants without an owner and is done in different styles of music ranging from Meatloaf to heavy-metal. There is an awesome youtube rendition of it where some teenagers with too much time on their hands re-enact the entire opera.

One of FIF's best songs is also found on this EP, My Evil Plan to Save the World. Probably one of the catchy-est songs ever.

Relient K did a tribute to them on their last B-sides/EP: "The Bird and the Bee Sides." Their tribute consists of two songs: "Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying" and "Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying (Wannabe Ska Version)."
Both are full on tongue-in-cheek Relient K-ness which is truly an homage to the great FIF.
Thus with Relient K, I say: "Five Iron Frenzy, they were good, they were good, they were really really really good. Five iron frenzy And when you see them
We really really think you should Thank them for being so cool and so awesome And thank them for being so neato."

As American as Apple Pie

It's the fourth of July! The day our country declared that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

So today I am going to list a few things that to me are just American-ness at it's best. Now these are not the stereotypical things people think of when they think of America. There's definitely more to this country than eagles, George Washington and loud tourist clothing.

So what do I deem filled with Americana?

#1. Bruce Springsteen.
Now I know most people think of genuine American music as country, but Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is THE American Band. All of his songs just have an American feel to them and fill you with that fervor that makes you feel glad to live in this country. Even if he does sing about the grittier side of our country, it's still super American. The song that epitomizes this feeling the most, is I would have to say, "Born to Run."

#2. School House Rock
Where else did we learn not only grammar and math, but American history? It's one of the only chances we had as kids to see our cartoon Founding Fathers dancing like chickens and pursuing happiness.

#3 1776-the musical
Here we also get to see dancing and singing Founding Fathers. Not to mention that they weren't all that different from us. They had tempers, emotions and crazy personalities. And that Congress wasted just as much time back then. Plus it made politics look really fun. Not to mention I fell in love with John and Abigail Adams and how sweetly their marriage was portrayed.

#4 The Music Man
This movie is just the epitome of small town America. Which is why I love it. Of the times on family road trips, when we have driven through Gary Indiana, or Iowa, we always think of it fondly.

#5 Norman Rockwell Paintings
He captured the hometown family feel of America perfectly. His iconic images portray a simpler and happier time, but I think that it still exists in America today.#6 Will Smith
Because he is little Willie from Philly, the All-American boy. And he also is the hero in many films, particularly Independence Day seems rather relevant.


#7 Liberty's Kids
Because this show was just awesome. It was funny, cheesy, and taught us lots of cool things about the American Revolution. Not to mention it had a wicked theme song.

#8 American Girl, by Tom Petty
This song is just plain awesome and pretty full of American-ness.

#9 Chuck Taylor Converse All-stars
Because these sneakers are so comfortable, just plain awesome, and superly American. And they come in lots of different colors so you can get red, white and blue if you so desire.


#10 Wizard of Oz
This is THE American fairy-tale. It had the best characters and who didn't want ruby slippers after watching it? The little Kansas farm girl going on a strange and wondrous adventure. Very American.

#11 Star Wars
I couldn't resist doing a #11, and if the Wizard of Oz is the American fairy-tale, Star Wars is the American epic mythology. It's the American ideal, a small-town farm boy going up against the evil Empire. That's what's great about America, we fight for the little guy.

Happy Independence day to all! God Bless our wonderful country, the United States of America!