Category Archives: creativity

Technology and the Arts – The 2022 Reunion Special (12.13.2022)

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After 7 years*, John LeMasney and Brian Kelley return for a special reunion episode of Technology and the Arts, as they catch up on things and once again explore the connections between technology and art. Also, tonight marks 16 years since the debut of the Technology and the Arts podcast on Dec. 13, 2006.

(*Brian was off on the date of the last episode by 11 months during the recording…oops.)

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Five years later…

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Hi. This is Brian. So…the Technology and the Arts podcast ended close to five years ago. At the time, John LeMasney and I were in the middle of a season in which we were taking viewers/listeners behind the scenes as we tried to collaborate on writing a song together remotely.

We started by sharing some ideas we had worked on independently. My contribution was the simple chorus below and a potential title, “Lay It On The Line.” The lyrics reflected how I felt, as a privileged white male, in the wake of Ferguson and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. I wanted to express the importance of not being silent about racial injustice and to be vocal in support of BLM.

bktandem · TechArts – LayItOnTheLine 10-29-2015

John shared some guitar riffs and I soon realized the one at the start of this clip might work as a verse with my chorus.

John William LeMasney · First Draft

Shortly before the podcast came to an end in December 2015, I used a piece of John’s guitar riff in this rough demo to see if the two pieces could work together.

bktandem · FirstDraft LIOTL_mockup

This “draft” version of the song was to be a framework for us to construct a final version. Obviously, it still needed a bridge section, which is why it ends abruptly after the second chorus. Even after the podcast ended, I wanted to complete the song, but a bridge remained elusive and I moved on.

Fast forward five years to 2020 and police brutality and injustices against Black people continue. Black Lives Matter protests flood the nation’s streets again, and it brought me back to “Lay It On The Line.”

Instead of working from the original “framework” GarageBand file, I decided to rebuild the song from scratch, which resulted in a bit of a key change and some rearranging. I didn’t use John’s guitar riff this time, but it still heavily influenced the verse sections.

In my head, I always thought the bridge would just be a simple breakdown into a solo section before one last chorus. But I could never get it to sound right. Then, I thought about Todd Rundgren’s “Just One Victory” and the “Hold that line, baby, hold that line…” backing vocals, and hit upon a new idea for the elusive bridge.

I decided to incorporate similar melodic backing vocals into the bridge, introducing a key change and some new chords in the process. Suddenly, the simple breakdown section I had envisioned became a bit more complex. But with the bridge complete, I was now able to complete the framework of the song. It’s still really a demo, but the song John and I started writing together nearly five years ago is finally finished, structurally.

bktandem · Lay It On The Line (2020 Demo)

And then, because I wanted to give a nod to that original stripped-down draft recording of the chorus, I also created a “quiet mix” version.

bktandem · Lay It On The Line (Quiet Mix Demo)

LAY IT ON THE LINE

Music by Brian Kelley & John LeMasney
Lyrics by Brian Kelley
Arranged by Brian Kelley

Look all around you
And see what’s at stake
A movement is coming
Which side will you take
Battle injustice
Or stay on the side
Will you stand up and fight
Or will you just run and hide?

Take a look at yourself
Are you doing anything that can help
Take a look in your heart
It’s time that you start doing your part

Life’s not worth living
If you don’t take a stand
And champion the causes
Of your fellow ‘man
Your apathy’s weakness
Your silence a joke
How can you sit there
When the system is broke
Time to wake up your mind
And lay it on the line
Gotta lay it on the line

How can you keep saying
That nothing is wrong
When what’s come to light
Has been like this all along
The shield has been broken
The trust is betrayed
Lives have been stolen
By the system we made

Take a look at yourself
Are you doing anything that can help
Take a look in your heart
It’s time that you start doing your part

Life’s not worth living
If you don’t take a stand
And champion the causes
Of your fellow ‘man
Your apathy’s weakness
Your silence a joke
How can you sit there
When the system is broke
Time to wake up your mind
And lay it on the line
Gotta lay it on the line

Bridge
It’s time to wake up and understand. It’s time to support your fellow ‘man
(Now is the time)
It’s time to step up and do what’s right. It’s time to get up and join the fight.
(For us to understand)
It’s time to wake up and understand. It’s time to support your fellow ‘man
(We must unite)
It’s time to step up and do what’s right. It’s time to get up and join the fight.
(as one common ‘man)

Take a stand

(Instrumental-solo)

Take a look at yourself
Are you doing anything that can help
Take a look in your heart
It’s time that you start doing your part

Life’s not worth living
If you don’t take a stand
And champion the causes
Of your fellow ‘man
Your apathy’s weakness
Your silence a joke
How can you sit there
When the system is broke
Time to wake up your mind
And lay it on the line
Gotta lay it on the line

© 2020 Brian J. Kelley/John W. LeMasney

Technology and the Arts: Series 3, Ep. 5 – 10.06.2014

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Technology and the Arts: Series 3, Ep. 5 – 10.06.2014

Exploring the connections between technology and art…this week’s primary topic: the global gallery—how technology and digital media platforms allow for the sharing of creative works around the world…hosted by Brian Kelley and John LeMasney.

Technology and the Arts: Series 3, Ep. 4 – 09.30.2014

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Technology and the Arts: Series 3, Ep. 4 – 09.30.2014

Exploring the connections between technology and art…this week’s primary topic: science and technology, and the direct roles and influences they have on creative works…hosted by Brian Kelley and John LeMasney.

“Technology and the Arts” webcast returns with themed shows in 2014

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Technology and the ArtsA new, 10-episode season of the “Technology and the Arts” webcast will make its debut at 10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, and run weekly through Monday, Nov. 10, 2014, on its Web site (http://technologyandthearts.com) and on its YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/technologyandthearts).

Hosted by John LeMasney and Brian Kelley, “Technology and the Arts” explores the connections between technology and art. In 2014, each episode of Technology and the Arts will focus on a specific topic of discussion, such as cord-cutting, art as community service and the “greening” of art through technology. Please see the full schedule at the end of this press release for more information.

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Technology and the Arts – Ep. 64 (09.13.2013)

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Technology and the Arts – Ep. 64 (09.13.2013)

Technology and the Arts – Episode 64 (09.13.2013) features lightly edited audio from a live Google+ Hangout On Air conducted September 10, 2013. This installment of the podcast features discussion of Paul McCartney’s new album and legacy, the recent NASA moon mission launched from the Virginia coast, Evernote, Google’s removal of the video response feature on YouTube, the mostly underwhelming announcement of the iPhone 5c and 5s, new technology and its potential impact on classic works of art, setting up a staging/development site with WordPress…and more! File size: 18.5 MB. Time: 1 hr., 15 min., 25 sec. Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney.

Technology and the Arts S02E04: 6-second version

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Since John and I are taking off this week, here’s a 6-second version of last week’s episode to hold you over:

Technology and the Arts 2.0: Series 2, Ep. 4 – “Vine” Cut Edition

If you watched last week’s episode, you will know that John said we should post a 6-second version of our webcasts to the Vine video sharing service if we “want to be famous.” So this is what such a “Vine” cut of the Technology and the Arts webcast would look like. Enjoy…and we’ll see you again next week with a new episode.

Technology and the Arts – Ep. 63 (08.30.2013)

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Technology and the Arts – Ep. 63 (08.30.2013)

Technology and the Arts – Episode 63 (08.30.2013) features lightly edited audio from a live Google+ Hangout On Air conducted August 27, 2013. This installment of the podcast features a discussion on the NSA’s PRISM spying program, Kevin Spacey’s impassioned defense of the Netflix business model, Facebook’s just-announced shared photo albums, the Iowa City Library Local Music Project…and more. File size: 22.5 MB. Time: 1 hr., 31 min., 30 sec. Hosts: Brian Kelley and John LeMasney.