Interactive Playlist: Songwriting-Piano vs Guitar

Interesting idea. I don't think there is a "best" for songwriting, but I do have a pairing in mind involving a band on Prog Archives. I will think about this a bit.

This may not compare songwriting but does compare songs by essentially the same artists where keyboards is the prominent instrument in one group and guitar is in the other. I like the pairing since I had been listening to these two albums lately.

Valdez is a crossover prog band formed by singer/guitarist Simon Godfrey (Tinyfish, Shineback) and bassist Tom Hyatt (Echolyn) with drummer Scott Miller and keyboardist Joe Cardillo. Their debut album This came out in 2015. The music heavily featured the keyboards of Joe Cardillo though Simon Godfrey is the principal songwriter.

A few years later, the band begins work on a second album but Joe Cardillo leaves. This results in a lineup change and new guitarist Karl Eisenhart (Pinnacle) takes the lead role (rather than replace Joe Cardillo with another keyboardist) with songs being reworked.

Without Joe, the band felt they were no longer Valdez, so they became Tribe of Names. There's a different feel as the keyboard centric Valdez was perhaps more 'delicate' compared to the electric guitar driven sound of Tribe of Names. The Tribe of Names album Evolver came out in 2022 as the band spent 18 months recording through the pandemic and lockdown.

I want to pair two particular songs but neither have videos on YouTube so here are links/embeds to Bandcamp.

(EDIT: Still no video but decided to replace the Valdez song I originally posted.)

Valdez - Thirteen



Tribe of Names - Mayfly



EDIT: After writing this up, I did find a YouTube video of a live streaming performance of Mayfly.




Edited by mathman0806 - September 10 2023 at 06:34

^I nominated that song a few years ago in an early interactive poll.

https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=123331

I didn't want to repeat a song and preferred the keyboards in the one I suggested. Though for the sake of keeping the nominees in a YouTube playlist, then it's fine.

mathman0806 wrote: ^I nominated that song a few years ago in an early interactive poll. https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=123331 I didn't want to repeat a song and preferred the keyboards in the one I suggested. Though for the sake of keeping the nominees in a YouTube playlist, then it's fine.

Edited by Mila-13 - September 13 2023 at 13:06

Sorry it taking a while to get down to this -- been very involved in other things as well as trying some things of my own at PA (and started work on making an arts platform which I hope to become a full-time thing eventually).

I do tend to go with my gut, and von Hausswolff and Holter were the first two artists to come to mind. I decided for whatever I choose to go with live performances, which is limiting. In both cases I went with songs that I have not covered before let alone the performances. I know variety was asked for and these artists share similar ground, but I find these sufficiently different (and I like certain cohesiveness when pairing TBH). And yes, both are keyboards, but one is a piano and the other is a pipe organ.

The first is Anna von Hausswolff performaing on a grand pipe organ in New York.

Anna von Hausswolff - Funeral for My Future Children (live at Christ Church, NY)



Anna von Hausswolff is a singer-songwriter organist (pipe and otherwise), piano player, and keyboardist generally.

The second is the singer-songwriter Julia Holter on grand piano.

Julia Holter - Betsy on the Roof (live)




Edited by Logan - September 16 2023 at 10:01

Logan wrote: Sorry it taking a while to get down to this -- been very involved in other things as well as trying some things of my own at PA (and started work on making an arts platform which I hope to become a full-time thing eventually).

Mila-13 wrote: Logan wrote: Sorry it taking a while to get down to this -- been very involved in other things as well as trying some things of my own at PA (and started work on making an arts platform which I hope to become a full-time thing eventually). Hi Greg, I'm glad that you found the time to participate in this poll! I have noticed that you have started quite a few new threads lately. I found some of them quite interesting and I have considered joining in, but in part I was a bit owerwhelmed by the sheer amount of music that was presented. I will think again where I might be able to contribute. :)

It's not like I put much thought into this, sorry. I know mine are not that diverse. Similar moods, and two kinds of keyboards, but I do like to go with the first things to spring to mind. Problem is, that's an associative brain exercise and so those two will be ones that I already associate with each other.

My PA topics are mostly for stress relief. I have tried some list type ones to try to get a better feel for what other people's favourite music is, and if it becomes more interactive, that's a great bonus (I like it when we have some conversation, some listening to each other's choices and comments to go with the lists). I should have specified right from the start that people mention one or two tracks from their lists that one wishes to highlight to make listening to other's choices easier even if one just scans it to see if it likely might appeal.

I am excited about making my own arts site and platform, which I hope will be a useful resource and good/ encouragaing community support for creative people and people interested in the arts of different stripes.

Anyway, thanks for taking on another Interactive Poll, Mila.

Edited by Logan - September 16 2023 at 13:45

I prophesy disaster wrote: I decided to join in. However, I thought the topic needed the further condition that the two songs be by the same artist. So I chose both tracks by Peter Hammill:

Edited by Mila-13 - September 16 2023 at 13:05

I know the person who designed one of my brother’s websites for his business, but he charges big bucks. I am into a plethora of music instruments, know lots of course, although piano is a particular favourite of mine. Do you want to replace one of my selections since pianos and organs both are keyboard instruments?

Edited by Logan - September 16 2023 at 15:20

^ I had planned to come up with another duo, cello and guitar, but then those are both strings based. Actually, scrap my selections, and I'll try to come up with something different anon if I can think of anything that I like and think others will. I probably should have thought this through more.