Embracing Music From One Global Hemisphere to the Next

It would be dishonest to say that there were not any perks to living in a culture so heavily dominated by Korean pop music. While it is completely out of the scope of even my quite eclectic taste, the dazzling dance moves, unconventional fashion style, rapid, heavy hitting bass line and high pitched vocals do tend to grown on even the most stubborn expat. In addition, it is nothing short of a treat to see the gorgeous female artists dancing on the plethora of television screens which inhabit most if not all establishments that never cease to display their latest music videos.

From shiny silver bathing suits to bright white wigs, stars of both genders put on nothing less than a circus of a music show. Amongst the electric explosions on the stage before them and puffs of party fog that they dodge or emerge from, they dance at a varying continuous speed with moves so complex it requires live performances to be lip synced rather than sung live. K-Pop, as this genre which musically governs the peninsula is so often referred to, also makes a strive towards Western culture. Artists utilize the bilingual technique of “Konglish” by including both Korean and English phrases in almost every song.

While these slight characteristics may rub off from Western pop culture, K-Pop is certainly in a world of its own, comparable only, through my knowledge and travels, to J-Pop, the strikingly similar Japanese pop scene which inhabits its neighbor to the east.  It was certainly an adjustment to hear such songs everywhere I went, but as mentioned, I did grow accustomed to them, and am glad that I was immersed in such a unique music culture. There are artists and songs I never knew existed, and I will now always remember where I was in Korea when such hit songs came out-how the people reacted, the places that played them, and the early millennial K-Pop dance moves.

Nonetheless, it is good to be back in my hometown surrounded by a more familiar scene. Many exceptional Western albums have come out in 2011, and it is nice to be in a place where they are more appreciated and discussed. Aside from this, it has been especially nice to be in a region where rock and roll, a genre that is seen so rarely these days, even in the land of the free, seems to be making a comeback, from within at least one group, that is.   

New Jersey’s up and coming band The Embracers have shocked not only the tri state area, but several other regions of the country by bringing back a style of music so many are, in this day and age, discouraged from trying to perfect. Practicing a less layered but more effective technique, this band is, as an understatement unique, bold, and nostalgic, a trio of adjectives one does not often hear together. Perhaps it is due to this style of minimalism, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that a more laid back approach to music can create a sound that translates incredibly in recordings and even better in front of a live audience.

Another distinctive feat is the band’s concentration of back-up vocals coming from drummer Mike Neglia, an option most notably used by classic musician Levon Helms, a rock and roll God known equally for his singing and drumming in 60s and 70s legends “The Band.”

In addition to the music of local talent The Embracers, what may be most fascinating is the tale of their very formation. Neglia and bassist Mike D’Amico were band mates long before The Embracers existed. Coincidentally, this took place at my very own alma mater-Seton Hall Prep. Having both attended the West Orange school, they played in the high school band of over one hundred fifty students. Neglia (class of ’05) and D’Amico (class of ’04) reunited in college when they both attended Rutgers University. While D’Amico played the alto saxophone at the Prep, he traded in one addiction for another, picking up a bass guitar that he seldom put down. Not long after this him and Neglia began jamming in the dorms and joined up with harmonica playing, lyrical genius Matt Condon, who was merely eighteen at the time.

Nearly five years later, The Embracers stand five members tall, accompanied by dynamically talented guitarists Mike Slaff and Marlon MacPherson. As fate would have it, Slaff and MacPherson used to play together in Temperature Hot Muppet, a band who often opened for The Embracers during their early days at the Crossroads in Garwood.

With Album “Look What I Stole For Us Baby” on iTunes and another on the way, what started as musical chemistry in a West Orange high school band could very well reach national recognition. From the South By Southwest Tour in Austin, Texas to local venues such as Maxwell’s in Hoboken, The Embracers have certainly made a name for themselves and have a very bright future ahead of them. It is as exciting as refreshing to hear and see a band as young as them pushing for this often overlooked melting pot of rock, funk, and blues. It is times like these that I wonder if Neil Young was not being overly optimistic in saying that “rock and roll will never die.”

While it has certainly been a treat to be enveloped in a different music scene thousands of miles away, it simultaneously helps me appreciate great local talent now that I am back in my old neighborhood.  It is amazing to see artists strive so hard in what can be such a musically confusing environment these days.

It is undoubtedly a privilege to be in a hotbed of rising talent and in a time that may be The Embracers biggest push yet, as additional new independent songs are going to be released biweekly on www.youtube.com/theembracers. Their album is also conveniently available on the music link of their facebook page www.facebook.com/theembracers, and they can be followed on twitter @TheEmbracers.  While I saw a performance by them the other week, I will continue to take advantage of this situation by seeing them on December 23^rd when they play at the Bitter End in New York City, as well as January 6^th at the Crossroads.

I spent time in Korea and consumed an era that I could never reach musically in the States, just as I will now immerse myself in the rock, funk and blues that not only cease to exist in Korea, but in most of contemporary America as well. With The Embracers in the picture, though, this very well may have changed.