Nice to Meet You: Jon Aanestad
Newcomer Jon Aanestad just might change your mind about singer songwriters with his new EP.
Berklee is like the Rydell High of
music colleges. From Quincy Jones to Gwar, it's produced some of the most
memorable musicians to date. Jon
Aanestad, a Berklee alum himself, is another Berklee cat that has the
talent to share in the success of his predecessors. Aanestad started his
love for music at age five when he picked up a violin and started plucking
away. Since then he's branched from his classical roots into jazz and
bluegrass, and added the guitar and mandolin into his armory of instruments.
Aanestad exercised his creativity in several bands during his time at Berklee
but always concentrated on his personal material. He recently released
his first EP Songs From a
City, characterising his initimate style of songwriting and
proficieny in composition.
Unlike many of Berklee's singer songwriters (ahem, the drop out John Mayer),
Aanestad has something that sets him apart from the pack -
sincerity. Even if you're not a fan of his style of music, there's
something about Aanestad's delivery that makes you believe the words that he
sings. In the song "High Heel Hangover," though the subject
matter may seem corny to some, is never feels like Aanestad is singing these
words just to get the ladies or a major record deal (although I'm sure both of
those would be nice). He's singing them because this is what he wants to
sing about. The way he presents these subjects about women and living in
the city on the EP is also quite interesting. No matter where you go to
school, no one can teach you how to be a good writer. People can refine
your style but never can they improve it to the point that you're Ernest
Hemingway. Aanestad's personal creativity lends itself to not only lush
composition but also smart lyrics. "I read someplace, somewhere,
that no new music was ever written, just new lyrics," said Aanestad.
"I'd like to think that most of my songs tell a new story, and that the
music helps tell that story." He sticks to a subject matter he knows
about and cares about, and it makes all the difference.
"A Girl Like You" is one of my favorites off of Songs From a City. Little known fact: I'm a sucker for a good
song, no matter what the genre. Give me song classic 90s Illinois pop
rock or a boy with shaggy hair and an acoutic guitar and I'm good for about
five hours. But I would never consider adding Boys Like Girls or Metro
Station to my music library. I have some standards I need to uphold to
keep my street cred. Plus those bands are terrible. I have no
qualms about adding "A Girl Like You" into my collection. It's
well-written, well performed and well, a pretty darn good pop song.
Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Sep 22, 2009 @ 9:00 am