Music Write-Ups
How do you know Chris Earley?
How many MP3s do you have on your hard drive?
A lot of my college days were spent listening to these guys. An independent band from Provo, Utah made up of a few guys who just liked to play music. I would make sure to catch them every time they showed up to my college. Sometimes it was literally only me and my friends dancing to the mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, or what ever Ryan decided to play on the quad that day at SUU.
Now Ryan Shupe and The Rubberband have signed on with a major label Capitol Records CD, and make thousands of people dance at music shows like the Telluride Music Festival where one journalist described their performance last summer thusly “Next came the ‘post-heehaw funkadelic hip-hop newgrass’ of Utah-based Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand, a drum-driven group that generated a lot of buzz and is sure to be back in the future based on the crowd response”
So good luck to Ryan and the boys and I hope you enjoy their sounds as much as I do.
-Kristian Olsen
I was standing outside the Zebra Lounge just before Thanksgiving. It was a cool night, not unlike most nights in San Francisco. What made this night so special was the party going on inside. Gathered in the club were about 150 of the most wonderful people I know. Dedicated, intelligent, and powerful individuals. These are the kind of people that were always chosen first in the neighborhood pick-up game because you know they were going to be the difference maker.
As I stood outside listening to the sounds of laughter, Chris Earley, possibly one of the nicest guys on the planet, approached. In his eyes I could see the depth of humanity. He came to me to apologize. Fearful that he had in some way offended me. You see, Chris had invited me to be a part of the Song of the Day Club. I had submitted one song and then disappeared. In his tendered hearted way, Chris asked if he had done something wrong. Oh no I replied, I have just been busy. A lame excuse of course. I had not been busy but lazy.
In that question, Chris made me realize that in a very real way we are all connected. That our actions, no matter how small, may have a profound effect upon another. This is our world for only a short time. And in that time let us make the most of it, and as Chris helped me to learn let us be mindful of our actions so that we may maximize the joy in people we may never even meet.
So to you Chris goes one of my favorite songs of all time. Thank you for your kindness, for your example, and that memorable conversation outside the Zebra Lounge on a cool San Fransisco night.
-Kristian Olsen