Monday, Dec. 08, 2003 - 3:12 a.m.

The Rhythm of the Night

Category: Kittens

Last night I went to ProtoTista (now called Euglena Edu) for a special Symbiotic Saturday open mic night. I rehearsed some of my old raps, plus I thought I’d amuse myself by turning some stomachs with an a moving a capella rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” (I can sound decently like Jon Bon Jovi when I try, except I go into a weak-sounding falsetto on the highest notes). I brought CDs of my raps' backing tracks (music by My Very Busy Friend). I didn’t end up using them, because it immediately became an impromtu jam session.

Alder was playing his Roland Handsonic hand drum and Roland V-Drums, Dan Erth was doing effects using a Kaoss pad, a guitarist named Tim was playing droning and/or funky grooves, and an electric violin player named Ralph played with a soaring passion that repeatedly took my breath away.

Among the songs I sang:

“Take the Power Back” by Rage Against the Machine

“Trapped Under Ice” by Metallica

“Let the Sunshine In” from Hair

“2 Minutes to Midnight” by Iron Maiden

“Bullet in the Head” by Rage Against the Machine

“Copa Cabana” by Barry Manilow

“Closer” by Nine Inch Nails

Richard Cheese’s version of “Guerilla Radio” by Rage Against the Machine

”Beds Are Burning” by Midnight Oil

Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy

“Police State” by Me

“Finale” from Pippin

“Vogue” by Madonna

”The Mission” by Queensryche

“The Rhythm of the Night” by El DeBarge

“Welcome to the Terrordome” by Public Enemy

“Birdhouse in your Soul” by They Might Be Giants

“Racist Friend” by They Might Be Giants

“Killer” by Seal

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson

“Flight of Icarus” by Iron Maiden

“Backmask” by Mindless Self Indulgence

“Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth

“Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” by Megadeth

“Bored” by Death Angel

“Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears

I got accolades from the other musicians, and Alder sent out a mass email saying this:

“i think what really pushed us over the edge so early was Nexus' singing. a fine, clear voice, lots of passion, near perfect rhythm great rap & lyrical skills, latitude and diversity. several times, he listened to what we were doing instrumentally and picked out the perfect lyrics: rap, rage against the machine like, political lyrics, "the rhythm of the night", and my favorite: something about "copa cabana" when we fell into a latin beat.”

It was really nice to hear those compliments, because although I thought I was mostly kicking ass, it’s reassuring to know that I’m not (just) living in a world of self-delusion. Apparently, I’ve come a long way from my teenage years, when my goals for singing were in this order 1) be as loud as possible 2) inject as much pedantic drama as possible. 3) imitate the styles of cheesy heavy metal singers. Finer points such as singing on pitch, subtlety, rhythm, control, and technique only made it onto my map much later.

I felt totally in my element. Now I’m kind of shocked and disturbed because I’m suddenly realizing how important singing is to me, and how much I’ve neglected it. How can I withhold my talent from the world? How can I withhold it from myself? Why the hell am I not in a band?

I was relishing this opportunity so much, I didn’t know when to quit. I sang for around 4 hours, until my voice was so hoarse, hardly any sound was coming out. Surely, singing “Birdhouse in your Soul” in the style of death-metal accelerated this process, but at least afterwards my voice was so raspy that I sounded just like Seal when singing “Killer”. I wonder if it’s normal for me to always go hoarse when I sing. Even now, when I usually remember to use support and keep my larynx relaxed and open, I always go hoarse after an hour or less, even when I keep my screaming to a minimum. If anyone reading knows the secret to vocal stamina, please share it with me.

newest archive guestbook email rings profile Diaryland