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| Self-titled album cover featuring Ronald Gregory Erickson the Second |
Sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car in 2010, I was listening to Pandora Radio. Little did I know I would soon listen to a song that would affect me for years to come – Ronald Gregory Erickson the Second by STRFKR. It is quite a simple song, essentially made up of only 5 different lines repeated with a slight variation over a bassline and drums, but it is like nothing I have heard before and like nothing I have heard since. It is hard to put into words the feeling you get when you listen to the song but it is something similar to that of a desperately lazy Saturday when you have too many things going through your head and too many band aids on your heart.I have linked the youtube video for Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second below so that you can hear it for yourself.
This song, while being one of their most popular songs, is a good example for the type of music that STRFKR creates. The majority of their music, however, is blurring the lines of dance music. For example, in their album Being No One, Going Nowhere, there is a song called Open Your Eyes. This one is much more elaborate when compared to Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second - it has very dynamic expressions throughout the chorus, verses, and bridges. It is also a song that rides on the ride and a very poppy, dance beat. The uniqueness in this song is within the melody, personally. The vocals are pulled back, making it seem as though Josh Hodges, the lead singer and front-man of the band, is barely trying to move his lips. It soon breaks free in the chorus with a vibrant amount of energy which is just as quickly taken away, and the process restarts, slowly building back up to the chorus. Hodges expertly keeps your heart beating and your head suspended throughout the song before the abrupt end. |
| Josh Hodges |
Josh Hodges is a very creative front-man for the band. In an interview with staff reporter Sivani of Neon Tommy, Hodges explains how music was a kind of “rebellion” in his life. “…my parents, they never really encouraged me to play music, but I think that’s why I sort of did music, really…I guess I never liked to do things that I was supposed to do or told to do.” This rebellion as a child to play music is that of the relationship between the child and adult creator as explained in Gardners, Creating Minds. Hodges also explains some of his creative process in this interview, “a lot of times, it’ll start with a sketch… it’ll be like a melody or a baseline or beat or something that I write and then I might be able to build on it.”
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| Shawn Glassford (left), Keil Corcoran (mid), and Josh Hodges (right) |
So how about you go and listen, just listen. Don’t let your phone or your work distract you, just close your eyes and hear the music all around you.
I really enjoyed reading your post, especially because you seem to have such a strong connection the artists. I loved the way you described how the song made you feel because I can think of a few songs that make me feel just like that. Sometimes you hear a song, it feels like it was written just for you, and it's a truly surreal experience. The artists' creativity, rebellion, and love for music shines through their work and can make people feel any range of emotion. My favorite part about your post is the end, when you challenge us (the readers) to actually listen to music, not as background noise, but truly listen. All in all, I loved reading about STRFKR!
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