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TyronneGreat Article About Jon Peter Lewis & My Views...
March 29th 2008 00:25
Hello Music Lovers
I discovered a fascinating and insightful article about my good buddy Jon Peter Lewis over at Pop Culture Madness website.
*It is important to stress that I DID NOT write the article in question, but I do have some comments to make at the end of it which is why I am including the article with my own thoughts and views - don't worry, they're positive!
Your text goes here
****Jon Peter Lewis called for "a little less conversation, a little more action," on his star-making 2004 American Idol turn, and today, he's heeding that advice.
Jon Peter Lewis is primed for a major pop breakthrough courtesy of sophomore album Break the Silence. The first single set to release digitally on all major digital service providers, is the title track, an assured, infectious mid-tempo cut that recalls equal parts Ben Folds, Duncan Sheik and vintage Beatles.
Emotionally charged and overflowing with brainy pop hooks, "Break The Silence" finds Lewis offering the offbeat wit and inviting persona that made him an Idol cult favorite. Produced by Chris Garcia (Santana, Michelle Branch) and featuring the talents of drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Indigo Girls) and guitarist Nick Lashley (Alanis Morissette, Natasha Bedingfield), Break The Silence is the sound of a talented young artist on the rise.
"I played a show recently and there were probably 150 girls in the audience and 10 guys," he recalls with a chuckle. "I was reflecting on that and I'm thinking, 'and that is why I'm doing a record on relationships.' I don't want to say [the album is] mellow, though, 'cause there's a lot of fun on it." Indeed, while there's no shortage of addictive someday-singles on Silence, Lewis considers writing more involved, personal "album tracks" his forte. Hinging on a delicate, forlorn piano melody, "No Fire" is his favorite, a bittersweet remembrance of an ex-flame that finds the vocalist lamenting, "No spark, no warmth, no fire." And yet, the record offers almost a polar opposite in "Winning Streak," an upbeat, "cautiously optimistic" testament to happiness in love. The title track likewise brims with confidence, blending influences from Ben Folds to the Beatles. ("I couldn't get enough," Lewis says of his first time with the Fab Four. "I was so moved by what I was hearing. It was a life-changing experience.")
While JPL was once part of what he dubs an "all-star chorus" on the American Idols Live Tour-his acclaimed, left-field cover of OutKast's "Hey Ya" was backed by both Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia ("an Oscar winner and a Grammy winner," he beams)-today, he's directing the ensemble. Just a few of the talented helping hands on Silence are producer Chris Garcia (Santana, Michelle Branch), executive producer Don Grierson (Heart, Cheap Trick, Duran Duran) drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Indigo Girls), guitarist Nick Lashley (Alanis Morissette), and even Lewis' cousin Blake Mills, providing urbane "indie-style" guitar work.
"I love to write music," Lewis explains, "but if somebody is writing songs that are just as good, if not better, for me as a singer, I'm not gonna refuse. If you surround yourself with good people, it's important to listen to those people." It's an appropriately democratic approach from a young man who grew up in a military family. ("There's an athleticism I admire that I got from that masculine lifestyle," he theorizes, "my propensity to be really competitive; kind of this sense of honor and integrity.") Lewis's father had his own taste of fame tickling the ivories in '60s surf heroes the Marketts, who were immortalized on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. And while Jon continues to devote his life to music, his Plan B is pretty damn impressive." I was getting ready for medical school, getting all my microbiology out of the way, all my physics," he reveals. "I still have this dream of taking the MCAT and doing really well on it. Lewis might want to hold off on that a few years. Today, and for the foreseeable future, he's part of the conversation and the action.****
*Here is where I am submitting my own thoughts in my own words below:
The reason I brought the above article to people's attention is because there are issues brought to light in the article which lead me to believe Jon's new album has the potential to not only be a huge success musically, but could also prove to be hugely influential and groundbreaking in the sense that it could make a positive impact in changing the world for the better.
It's interesting what Jon says about how few guys there were in the audience, I could be wrong but it's just my personal interpretation, but I think he's making a comment about how most guys view the topic of "relationships" as not very masculine for whatever ridiculous reason. I don't mean that last remark as an insult to Jon's thoughts or anything, but it's more of a very critical viewpoint of mine in regard to society's antiquated ideology that guys aren't supposed to show emotion and affection, you know, the stereotypical *GASP THE HORROR OF IT ALL* type of reaction people automatically attribute to guys being in the least bit enthusiastic and affectionate. This attitude of society in general is something that really bugs me, and has bugged me for a long time.
Although Jon is making light of it in his usual good-natured, happy-go-lucky way, I am glad he brought the issue up, because it is a serious social issue.
This is why Break The Silence is going to be such a groundbreaking and inspirational album from Jon - because I believe he says it's perfectly OK for guys to show their sensitive side, and he's even encouraging it. Jon's making a very positive step toward "breaking the silence" regarding "how people are supposed to be" according to society, and how they really are and should be viewed - as thinking, feeling, sensitive human beings.
This is what I feel and the message I gain from listening to Jon's music. Different people gain different insights and viewpoints, and we can't all agree, but whatever we feel about Jon's music, it's important that we DO feel something, and strive to be passionate about it.
Cheers, Michael
I discovered a fascinating and insightful article about my good buddy Jon Peter Lewis over at Pop Culture Madness website.
*It is important to stress that I DID NOT write the article in question, but I do have some comments to make at the end of it which is why I am including the article with my own thoughts and views - don't worry, they're positive!
Your text goes here
****Jon Peter Lewis called for "a little less conversation, a little more action," on his star-making 2004 American Idol turn, and today, he's heeding that advice.
Jon Peter Lewis is primed for a major pop breakthrough courtesy of sophomore album Break the Silence. The first single set to release digitally on all major digital service providers, is the title track, an assured, infectious mid-tempo cut that recalls equal parts Ben Folds, Duncan Sheik and vintage Beatles.
Emotionally charged and overflowing with brainy pop hooks, "Break The Silence" finds Lewis offering the offbeat wit and inviting persona that made him an Idol cult favorite. Produced by Chris Garcia (Santana, Michelle Branch) and featuring the talents of drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Indigo Girls) and guitarist Nick Lashley (Alanis Morissette, Natasha Bedingfield), Break The Silence is the sound of a talented young artist on the rise.
"I played a show recently and there were probably 150 girls in the audience and 10 guys," he recalls with a chuckle. "I was reflecting on that and I'm thinking, 'and that is why I'm doing a record on relationships.' I don't want to say [the album is] mellow, though, 'cause there's a lot of fun on it." Indeed, while there's no shortage of addictive someday-singles on Silence, Lewis considers writing more involved, personal "album tracks" his forte. Hinging on a delicate, forlorn piano melody, "No Fire" is his favorite, a bittersweet remembrance of an ex-flame that finds the vocalist lamenting, "No spark, no warmth, no fire." And yet, the record offers almost a polar opposite in "Winning Streak," an upbeat, "cautiously optimistic" testament to happiness in love. The title track likewise brims with confidence, blending influences from Ben Folds to the Beatles. ("I couldn't get enough," Lewis says of his first time with the Fab Four. "I was so moved by what I was hearing. It was a life-changing experience.")
While JPL was once part of what he dubs an "all-star chorus" on the American Idols Live Tour-his acclaimed, left-field cover of OutKast's "Hey Ya" was backed by both Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia ("an Oscar winner and a Grammy winner," he beams)-today, he's directing the ensemble. Just a few of the talented helping hands on Silence are producer Chris Garcia (Santana, Michelle Branch), executive producer Don Grierson (Heart, Cheap Trick, Duran Duran) drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Indigo Girls), guitarist Nick Lashley (Alanis Morissette), and even Lewis' cousin Blake Mills, providing urbane "indie-style" guitar work.
"I love to write music," Lewis explains, "but if somebody is writing songs that are just as good, if not better, for me as a singer, I'm not gonna refuse. If you surround yourself with good people, it's important to listen to those people." It's an appropriately democratic approach from a young man who grew up in a military family. ("There's an athleticism I admire that I got from that masculine lifestyle," he theorizes, "my propensity to be really competitive; kind of this sense of honor and integrity.") Lewis's father had his own taste of fame tickling the ivories in '60s surf heroes the Marketts, who were immortalized on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. And while Jon continues to devote his life to music, his Plan B is pretty damn impressive." I was getting ready for medical school, getting all my microbiology out of the way, all my physics," he reveals. "I still have this dream of taking the MCAT and doing really well on it. Lewis might want to hold off on that a few years. Today, and for the foreseeable future, he's part of the conversation and the action.****
Jon Peter Lewis Is Love
Thumbs Up For Jon Peter Lewis
*Here is where I am submitting my own thoughts in my own words below:
The reason I brought the above article to people's attention is because there are issues brought to light in the article which lead me to believe Jon's new album has the potential to not only be a huge success musically, but could also prove to be hugely influential and groundbreaking in the sense that it could make a positive impact in changing the world for the better.
It's interesting what Jon says about how few guys there were in the audience, I could be wrong but it's just my personal interpretation, but I think he's making a comment about how most guys view the topic of "relationships" as not very masculine for whatever ridiculous reason. I don't mean that last remark as an insult to Jon's thoughts or anything, but it's more of a very critical viewpoint of mine in regard to society's antiquated ideology that guys aren't supposed to show emotion and affection, you know, the stereotypical *GASP THE HORROR OF IT ALL* type of reaction people automatically attribute to guys being in the least bit enthusiastic and affectionate. This attitude of society in general is something that really bugs me, and has bugged me for a long time.
Although Jon is making light of it in his usual good-natured, happy-go-lucky way, I am glad he brought the issue up, because it is a serious social issue.
This is why Break The Silence is going to be such a groundbreaking and inspirational album from Jon - because I believe he says it's perfectly OK for guys to show their sensitive side, and he's even encouraging it. Jon's making a very positive step toward "breaking the silence" regarding "how people are supposed to be" according to society, and how they really are and should be viewed - as thinking, feeling, sensitive human beings.
This is what I feel and the message I gain from listening to Jon's music. Different people gain different insights and viewpoints, and we can't all agree, but whatever we feel about Jon's music, it's important that we DO feel something, and strive to be passionate about it.
Cheers, Michael
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