Setting the Tone
In the book “This is Your Brain on Music,” writer, musician and cognitive neuroscientist David Levitin uses brain scans to demonstrate what most of us likely intuit when we listen to our favorite song – music “activates every region of the brain that has so far been mapped.” In essence, music is celebration.
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Keith Marks is the founder of Avant, a non-profit group whose aim is to enrich lives by revealing the power of music through diverse arts experiences, primarily, of the avant garde variety. At their seasonal concerts and during his weekly WJCT radio show of the same name, Marks takes curiosity seekers on a musical journey, exposing them to styles they might not otherwise hear. In this, he creates powerful shared experiences, be they in person watching a performance or collectively in the car over the airwaves.
“There’s some special level of communication that happens,” he explains. “It’s something deeper than words, when we enter into the realm of musical communion.”
Music doesn’t even have to be the primary focus to be transformative. Even as a backdrop, its influence is powerful enough to have a dramatic effect on nearly any situation.
“Music has the power to set the tone, create a mood and subconsciously affect a group’s dynamics,” says Marks. In the restaurant world, it can make the difference between a mediocre experience and an exceptional cause for celebration, likely without your even noticing.
When Tylor Seaton shows up for his shift at Black Sheep Restaurant, his first order of business is to choose the station for the dining room.
As a guitarist, bassist and vocalist, Seaton has contributed his talents to various rock bands since the late 1990’s. As a DJ, he’s hosted punk/emo/metal nights opposite dance parties, a hobby he’s parlayed into his day job in the service industry. Just as he would survey the room at a bar or nightclub and select the perfect track to move the crowd, he considers what to play (and what not to play) in order to elicit the most appropriate mood that will result in an optimal experience for the restaurant’s guests.
“We are in the hospitality industry,” says Seaton. “We want you to have a good time. A nice cocktail, excellent food, a rooftop view and some Hall and Oates is sometimes all it really takes to turn a bad day into a good one.”
Ivan Skenes has also spent time in the worlds of music and food. An accomplished musician whose technical skills on the guitar border on the mystifying, he’s provided the melody to ensembles whose styles range from soaring instrumental post-rock to progressive jazz to his latest project, Nightcrawlers, an afro-beat group that blends American funk and jazz with traditional West African rhythms.
When Skenes worked the line in busy restaurant kitchens, loud, heavy music fueled his shifts, helping him keep up with the frantic pace of the tickets firing off one after another. Now that he works as a corporate chef and can afford to take his time, he prefers more cerebral selections like jazz and world music to inspire him in the kitchen. He also leans towards artists like Herbie Hancock when he’s hosting private events for his catering business, Feed and Seed. “It’s important to create an atmosphere without taking away from the food,” Skenes explains. “You don’t want anything abrasive. Always go with something that’s going to stimulate people and make them feel comfortable without distracting them.”
The right soundtrack can transform any occasion. Next time you’re hosting a dinner party, toiling away in the kitchen or just making a simple weeknight dinner, skip the silence and let the music carry the celebration.
IVAN’S PLAYLIST FOR PREPARING THANKSGIVING OR CHRISTMAS DINNER
“Miss Modular” by Stereolab
“Palm Grease” by Herbie Hancock
“It’s All Around You” by Tortoise
“Happy Friends” by The Greyboy Allstars
“Fahrenheit Fair Enough” by Telefon Tel Aviv
“Hottentot” by John Scofield
“All That You Give” by The Cinematic Orchestra
“Airborne” by Jaga Jazzist
TYLOR’S BIRTHDAY DINNER PARTY PLAYLIST
“Close to Me” by The Cure
“Lips Like Sugar” by Echo & the Bunnymen
“I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) - Pomo Remix” by Hall and Oates
“Here Comes My Baby” by Yo La Tengo
“The Perfect Kiss” by New Order
“Don't You Want Me” by Human League
“Cities In Dust” by Siouxsie and the Banshees
“Time” by Merchandise
“Dig for Fire” by The Pixies
“Last Night” by Scientists
Let us know what tunes you’re enjoying while cooking and dining.
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