Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin
Kellen Abston performs 'Active'
Clip: Special | 9m 19sVideo has Closed Captions
Kellen performs 'Active,' a song inspiring people to want to make change.
Kellen performs 'Active,' a song he says best shows his artist statement of “claiming ownership and responsibility in your own life and inspiring people to want to make change” and take part in the human experience.
Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin
Funding for Re/Sound: Songs from Wisconsin is provided by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, the Focus Fund for Education, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin
Kellen Abston performs 'Active'
Clip: Special | 9m 19sVideo has Closed Captions
Kellen performs 'Active,' a song he says best shows his artist statement of “claiming ownership and responsibility in your own life and inspiring people to want to make change” and take part in the human experience.
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- Klassik: So "Active."
I feel like, and as time has gone on, this song probably best encapsulates, I guess, like, my artist statement, my mission statement.
And that is claiming ownership and responsibility in your own life and inspiring people to wanna make change, to feel like they are a part of this human experience and not just watching it happen.
So for me, most songs start with piano.
I mean, a song like "Active" is literally just two chords.
Starting with those chords, and that dictates what the melody is, kind of where I want to go with my vocal inflections.
And then usually do a combination of, like, bass and drums.
Everything kind of starts from here.
[heavy beat] [piano notes] Some of the best pop songs, the science and the intricacies and, like, the art of keeping something simple without dumbing it down, so, like, that's the space that I try to exist in, of, I want this to be accessible.
I want this to have color, but I want it to be something that you can latch into.
♪ Can't be passive, gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ [piano notes] ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ In this life, you can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ In this life you can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive, you gotta get active ♪ [uptempo beats] ♪ Yeah, please take your time ♪ ♪ Relax, relax, hold up ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Relax, relax, hold up ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Relax, relax ♪ ♪ Relax, relax ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Relax, relax ♪ ♪ La, da, yeah ♪ [stuttered reverberation] ♪ Ah, yeah ♪ ♪ Relax, relax ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Relax, relax, hold up ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ [deep bass beats] ♪ One, two, three, let's do ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ Ha-- ha-- ha-- ♪ ♪ Happening ♪ ♪ In this life, you can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ We want all the smoke ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ And these ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ It is happening ♪ ♪ In this life, you can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ We want all the smoke ♪ ♪ I've seen some things, I've seen some things ♪ ♪ Some things that cannot be erased ♪ ♪ Confront my demons face-to-face ♪ ♪ I'm in a space of elevation ♪ ♪ The elevator cannot take me down or take me out ♪ ♪ The pace of my own race ♪ ♪ I might as well go crazy ♪ ♪ See it's been raining in a purple hue ♪ ♪ When kingdoms fall, this Prince will do ♪ ♪ My print is new, this ink is fresh ♪ ♪ And dripping through the pages ♪ ♪ Burn some sage ♪ ♪ And grip these raging views of distant nations ♪ ♪ Why be patient ♪ ♪ When you can just mold a new civilization ♪ ♪ I'm alive, nation's wanna stop a fella ♪ ♪ But I been rocking hella stages ♪ ♪ Slaying them per usual ♪ ♪ Just use the tools of ancient movements ♪ ♪ Move the fools who are just way too complacent ♪ ♪ This groove's adjacent, never parallel ♪ ♪ I pair with hells in heavenly bodies ♪ ♪ My reverence is godly, but I'm no patron saint ♪ ♪ These patrons can't even afford these pieces ♪ ♪ Peace I cannot paint with all this hate around me ♪ ♪ Surrounding with sounds in stereo ♪ ♪ Oh, there he go ♪ ♪ Speaking that “new-new” in mono ♪ ♪ But U2 like Bono can shred the hate ♪ ♪ If you were more aware of the things that scares you ♪ ♪ Stare it in the eye and tell it ♪ ♪ Yo, I dare you to climb the stairs to a higher place ♪ ♪ Not unlike Heaven ♪ ♪ I preach to reverends and the pastor ♪ ♪ If your pasture is not green ♪ ♪ My fertilizer will get you there so much faster ♪ ♪ Ooh, ahh ♪ ♪ Whoo ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Relax, relax ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ Please take your time ♪ ♪ And you... ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ In this life you can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ We want all the smoke ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ And these ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ Happening, it's happening ♪ ♪ In this life, you can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ We want all the smoke ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ [reverberating] ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ We want all the smoke ♪ ♪ You can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening, yeah ♪ ♪ In this life, you can't be passive ♪ ♪ Gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe, yeah ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ ♪ In this life, you can't be passive ♪ ♪ Gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ I've seen some things ♪ ♪ That you would find hard to believe, yeah ♪ ♪ These ain't nightmares ♪ ♪ These ain't dreams ♪ ♪ This is happening ♪ [echoing] ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be passive ♪ ♪ You gotta get active ♪ ♪ Can't be ♪ Whoo!
Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin
Funding for Re/Sound: Songs from Wisconsin is provided by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, the Focus Fund for Education, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.