MUSIC

13 Musicians Influenced By Psychedelics

Some wild stories from great musicians who dabbled in hallucinogens.

Harry Styles at Capital's Summertime Ball 2022

Photo by Matt Crossick_Global_Shutterstock

The story of psychedelics is intertwined with the story of music, and tracing their relationship can feel like going in circles.

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MUSIC

7 of the Best Anti-War Songs

The best protest music transcends time and is always relevant. Today, we need it more than ever.

Photo by Tong Su (Unsplash)

This morning, Donald Trump authorized a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran's top security and intelligence commander.

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience - How Jimi Hendrix Changed Touring

Jimi Hendrix would've turned 77 years old today.

During his short 27 years on earth, he changed the fabric of music forever, leaving behind a body of work that would leave an indelible impression on millions.

Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington, and began playing the guitar at 15. At 16, he received his first acoustic guitar from his father—an acoustic Supro Ozark—and from there, the young prodigy started performing with his first band, called the Rocking Kings.

He kept playing throughout his time in the army, and after being discharged, he started playing as a session musician. Initially gaining traction in Greenwich Village, he eventually formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bass player Noel Redding.

The group's first single, "Hey Joe," came out in 1967, and soon after, the infamous "Purple Haze" was released. Hendrix established himself as a legend with "Wild Thing," and then Electric Ladyland. In 1968 he started his own studio in New York City, Electric Lady Studios. In 1969, he split skulls with his blistering Woodstock rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner," a version that embodied a deep-rooted rage at America and its violent heart.

The Life and Career of Jimi Hendrixwww.youtube.com


Hendrix died in 1970, but his legacy is eternal. Described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music" and widely renowned as the world's greatest guitar player ever, he's notorious for his innovative fusion of blues, funk, and psychedelia, blending tradition with visionary use of pedals and various technologies.

What exactly made Hendrix's music so exceptional? In terms of technique, he was endlessly inventive and relied on an ever-expanding wheelhouse of signature skills. For music theory buffs, Hendrix used a chord called the Dominant 7#9 chord. Often called the Hendrix chord, it's notorious for its expressive tension. Hendrix also typically tuned his guitar a semitone below concert pitch, enabling him to perform intense bends (a technique that involves bending a string to change the note, which creates Hendrix's signature wailing guitar tone).

What Makes Jimi Hendrix Such a Good Guitaristwww.youtube.com

But Hendrix's extraordinary technical and musical skills were made transcendent by some unnameable factor, something that had less to do with technique and more with an ability to tap into the energy at the core of music and life.

Regarding Hendrix's cover of his song "All Along the Watchtower," Bob Dylan said, "It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them."

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower (Audio)www.youtube.com

Guitarist John Frusciante perhaps touched on what made Hendrix so truly great when he said, "He's bending sound, taking care of music in every dimension. Where most people think of it in two dimensions, he's thinking of it in four."

Jimi Hendrix - Solo Little Wingwww.youtube.com


The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Hey Joe (Audio)www.youtube.com

MUSIC

Remembering Jimi Hendrix, 47 Years On

The late, great Jimi Hendrix died 47 years ago today, but his legacy has never faded.

Jimmy Hendrix

Photo by Freddy Kearney (Unsplash)

Jimi Hendrix was the kind of musician whose love for his craft outshone even his virtuosic skill.

His passion endowed everything he created with a kind of transcendent fire, and even now—nearly half a century after his death—you can still hear that ecstasy coming through each note of every one of his recordings.

James Marshall Hendrix died of asphyxia on September 18, 1970, after a whirlwind four-year career that would imprint him on music's legacy forever. He spoke frequently about the extent of his love for his craft, giving new meaning to musicianship and inspiring artists everywhere to pick up the guitar.

He was a major inspiration to guitarists like Elton John, Santana, Joe Satriani, and Orianthi. Freddie Mercury called Hendrix his idol, saying, "He sort of epitomizes, from his presentation on stage, the whole works of a rock star. There's no way you can compare him. You either have the magic or you don't. There's no way you can work up to it. There's nobody who can take his place."

Hendrix also made waves as a protest musician, giving voice to the rage and optimism that defined the 1970s. Perhaps most famously, his cover of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was powerful Vietnam protest and a cry of rage at the state of the nation, as well as a tribute to an America that never existed.

He had a tremendous amount of wisdom to give, too, and he knew how to bridge the gap between humility and liberation, between sadness and joy, between love and independence. "Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours," he once advised.

His style was iconic, emblematic of the counterculture movement's best aesthetics.

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He was also an incredible lyricist. His songs were about love, but they were also about pain, religion, and the passage of time; they bridged the gap between bone-deep weariness and hope. As he once said, "Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction."

Of course, when he started to play the guitar, nothing else compared.

What Makes Jimi Hendrix Such a Good Guitaristwww.youtube.com



MUSIC

On PONYBOY, Jimi Somewhere Navigates Growing Up

We talked to the up-and-comer about nostalgia, change, Coppola, and whether he actually shot his dog.

At 17, the now LA-based artist, Jimi Somewhere, was a Norwegian kid dreaming of moving to the US to pursue his musical dreams.

Today, he's 20 years old and releasing his first EP, PONYBOY, after a string of singles including the infectious "I Shot My Dog."

JIMI SOMEWHERE - I SHOT MY DOG / 1st PLACEwww.youtube.com

Despite all this, life was better—or at least less complicated—when he was 17. Or at least that's the thesis of his most popular song, "1st Place," which forms the heart of his nostalgic and infectious EP . Like the movie from which it draws its name, the EP explores the simultaneous discomfort and thrill of leaving home and striking out on one's own.

In a way, Jimi Somewhere's music is youth incarnate. Intense, saturated with feeling, and yet still buoyant and dreamlike, existing somewhere outside of time, PONYBOY is tailor-made for savoring sunsets by the ocean or late-night drives in the heart of summer while knowing that soon, nothing will ever be the same.

Popdust caught up with Jimi Somewhere—real name Benjamin Schnandy—to talk about Los Angeles living, famous friends, songwriting therapy, Coppola movies, and that simultaneously universal and intimate experience called coming of age.

What was the move from Norway to LA like? How was meeting Kevin Abstract, getting connected with all these producers and having all that happen so quickly?

It all felt really organic. I was scared before leaving since being so far away from home on my own for so long felt super scary, but it all ended up flowing really well. I've met Kevin [Abstract] a couple of times, and he is the nicest guy, so it was cool even though I was always nervous. When it came to the producers and stuff, it was so much fun. Me and Milo Orchis (the producer behind all my music) hadn't been in any session with other people before LA, so it was interesting to experience that.

What was growing up in Norway like? What music did you cut your teeth on? Do you feel like being Norwegian influences your work?

Growing up in Norway was great—it was also a bit boring. I listened to all kinds of music during those years. My dad is heavy into Supertramp, Pink Floyd, Elton John, and all those 80s artists so that's what was playing in the car when I was a kid, while my sisters played a lot of Coldplay, Green Day and U2 in their rooms. Other than that I got heavy into hip-hop in elementary school and used to listen to a lot of 90s, early 2000s stuff. And then later I got into pop punk and folk-rock. I really love all kinds of music [so long as it's] made with passion and has some emotion to it. Emotion is what I'm drawn the most to.

I do think being Norwegian influences my work. I think that growing up unable to understand a lot of the lyrics in the music I listened to made me pay more attention to the melody and flow. I think that's a strength in Scandinavian music in general. We've got great melodies.

A lot of your songs are about coming of age. Has your music helped you process growing up?

Yeah. Writing is therapeutic, and it helps me deal with stuff that feels overwhelming. When I feel bad or sad I can turn those dark feelings into something worth something, which makes it feel better, like my sadness isn't wasted.

How do you write your songs? What's the process?

I don't really have a routine or anything, but usually, it starts with Milo bringing me chords or a small idea he had, and me just sitting down with it and starting to write. I write really fast; it just pours out.

The emo-suburban-coming of age story is a very specific one, and it's been prominent for a while, especially with artists like Kevin Abstract and Roy Blair really pushing that imagery. Do you feel connected to this narrative? What about it inspires you?

Overall I guess I'm inspired by it because I grew up in a suburb myself. I don't overthink it or anything. I just try to replicate the feelings I've experienced in different situations and make them into songs. In general, I'm just very nostalgic as a person. I'm always thinking about things that have been.

What inspires you in general? What makes you want to share your voice through music?

I have a need to express myself. It's always been there. I've written songs for as long as I can remember, so it's just in my nature. Whenever I've gone through something or experienced something, I just put it into words and melody.

What's the story behind the name "I Shot My Dog"? It's a pretty intense title.

I had this dog in elementary called Noddy that we had to put down because he was getting aggressive and bit this girl in my class. It was really sad and broke my heart. In the old days, farmers used to shoot their dogs when they had to put them down. So instead of singing "I put down my dog" I chose to write "I shot my dog." I thought it had more punch and felt more cinematic. But for everybody asking, for the millionth time, I didn't actually shoot a dog.

Your new EP is called PONYBOY—what made you choose that name? Why do you feel connected to Coppola, and how does film influence your music?

I chose the name just because I felt so connected with the movie. Coppola's Ponyboy is who I want Jimi Somewhere to be. The whole feeling in that movie is so special, and I definitely found myself thinking about it while writing. Film influences all my music pretty heavily. I love movies, and I watch one almost every day. My favorite movies are always spinning in my head whenever I write.

Where do you see yourself going in the future? Where do you want to be?

I've been thinking about that a lot. Watching Billie Eilish doing what she is doing right now is really inspiring. That's the position I want to be in—to be able to create freely whatever I want, whenever I want and still have it top the charts. That's the ultimate dream, but I'm happy as long as I get to do this for a living.

JIMI SOMEWHERE - BLUE SKIESwww.youtube.com



Eden Arielle Gordon is a writer and musician from New York City. Follow her on Twitter @edenarielmusic.


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