Roland — My Writing

Enjoyment to Creation: The Journey to Becoming a Musician

One of the most wonderful things about being a musician is that it’s a lifelong journey. There is no endpoint or destination when learning an instrument. As writer James P. Carse says, some ambitions we encounter are “finite games,” and some are “infinite games.” The former includes sports or solitaire, while the latter comprises art and music.

Yet even decades of pursuing music can include significant ups and downs—challenges that can be difficult or dissuasive. Thank goodness others can help us through these pitfalls. These accomplished performers share insights about what it means to follow their love of music. From rock and roll frontwomen to Grammy-nominated artists to songwriters to the stars, these are the musicians putting time and effort into achieving their sonic dreams. Find out what they have to say about starting out and beyond.

EssayJake UittiAugust 14, 2024Roland

A Few Minutes with Philip Woo

When it comes to piano and electric keyboards, Philip Woo is a legend. His stature looms large in his Seattle hometown, current residence in Tokyo, and throughout the music-loving world. As musicians know, it takes thousands of hours of training, rehearsing, and ruminating to achieve a dream, and Woo put in the work. That discipline shows up across his bottomless discography. Woo has met and played with everyone from Kenny G and Roy Ayers to the families of Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones. He opens up about British Invasion influences, the artistic hub of Seattle’s Garfield High School, and what keeps him dedicated to his craft.

Q&AJake UittiMarch 8, 2022Roland

Key Figure: The Piano Takes Center Stage

Music history is rife with piano-playing frontpeople of all kinds. There is, of course, the tradition of pianist singer-songwriters like Carole King, Billy Joel, and Fiona Apple. At the same time, the piano is the main instrument of arena act vocalists like Chris Martin of Coldplay and Queen’s Freddie Mercury. All these artists take advantage of their piano prowess to craft their songs. Yet they also command the spotlight because of their skills on the keys. Now, there’s a new generation carrying the torch, bringing the legacy of piano-playing frontpeople into new genres and formats.

EssayJake UittiFebruary 4, 2022Roland

Track Talk: “Prince Ali” by DCappella

There are a few ways to change the game. One option is to find a magic lamp and summon a genie: a big blue friend who can flash and make dreams come true. Another is to take a tried-and-true musical form like a cappella and marry it to cutting-edge technology from Roland. The result could be sounds no one’s ever heard before. The latter is what composer Deke Sharon, singer Antonio Fernandez, and the members of Disney a cappella group, DCappella, accomplished. They created a dubstep rendition of the timeless Disney song, “Prince Ali,” from the 1992 animated classic Aladdin.

EssayJake UittiJanuary 5, 2022Roland

A Few Minutes with Stas THEE Boss

For Stasia Irons aka Stas THEE Boss, there’s nothing better than music discovery. Not only does the bicoastal artist and musician love finding hidden gems for herself, but she also revels in gifting them to others to experience, appreciate, and enjoy. Irons values the internal nourishment that a musical revelation provides on a deep level. In fact, she’s devoted her professional life to ensuring others around her experience that feeling, too.

ProfilesJake UittiSeptember 1, 2021Roland

John P. Kee: A Lifetime of Uplifting Audiences with Song

Reverend John P. Kee says he’s never told this story to anybody else. When he was ten years old, he says, he went to the movies. At the time, he’d grown up in the deep country in North Carolina, but in this big new movie theater, Kee saw the film, The Sound of Music. It changed his life. The orchestration, piano, oboes, and all the other instruments “captivated” him. At that moment, he says, he knew whatever he was experiencing in that theater would be part of the rest of his life. And, as time would prove, his instincts were right.

ProfilesJake UittiAugust 10, 2021Roland

Portugal. the Man on the PTM Coin and Artistic Currency

If you’re a fan of contemporary music, chances are you’ve likely heard a great deal about “cryptocurrency,” “NFTs,” and “blockchains” in the past weeks. For example, the popular band, Kings of Leon, recently announced that the band would release its most recent LP as an NFT, or a “non-fungible token.” Another popular act at the center of this moment is Grammy-winning, Portland, Oregon-based Portugal. the Man. The band recently released its cryptocurrency, PTM Coin, the first group to do such a novel thing.

ProfilesJake UittiMarch 22, 2021Roland

Chong the Nomad and the Quest to Create

Seattle-based electronic music producer, Alda Agustiano—aka Chong the Nomad—knows how precious a single note can be. This is especially the case when that note is personal, unique. Hers. Upon playing one of her elaborate tracks, listeners can identify Agustiano immediately.

It wasn’t always this way.

For a time, Agustiano tried to mimic other musicians and musical styles: a productive, if over safe strategy. Still, it was also a bridge to a new sonic vantage point. From there, Agustiano saw exactly who Chong the Nomad was as an artist: a singular purveyor of sound. One track in particular of hers pointed the way.

ProfilesJake UittiAugust 4, 2020Roland

DoNormaal: Desert Days, Rapping, and Reinvention

With each day, prolific rapper, DoNormaal (born Christianne Karefa-Johnson), distances herself from the fantasy. It’s easy to get lured, of course—to want the big record contract, the money, glamour, fame, and fortune. The music industry dangles tantalizing goals before artists like gold at the end of the rainbow.

ProfilesJake UittiAugust 4, 2020Roland

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