I like to keep things relatively lite on my blog. Later this week, I'll be back with the usual music, movies, sports, off-color jokes, pop-culture references, etc.
Today though, I just want to say a big THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart to all of our country's veterans, living or deceased. I know that my readers are all over the political spectrum and regardless of what you may think of the current war in Iraq, I urge you to thank any vet you may know for serving our country.
On holidays such as today, I believe that we should forget whether we are Republicans or Democrats, and instead try to remember that we are all Americans: free citizens of the greatest country in the world.
I hope all my readers can agree, regardless of our own politics, that we owe all of our vets a debt of gratitude. Keep in mind that when you celebrate Veteran's Day, you're not only honoring those living or those who you may know. You're honoring vets who have long since passed on, who served our country and protected the rights of family members and strangers that they would never meet.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Moving away from Main Street
Let me give you a quick scenario: If you feel nauseous whenever you see a commercial for American Idol (or any other Get Famous Fast reality show) and you want to kick in the teeth of all your coworkers and friends who loyaly watch the show, don't despair. You're not a freak. You're a music fan who appreciates actual music.
If you're anything like me - number 1, I feel sorry for YOU - you just want to know where all the artists have gone. Furthermore, you'd rather shower at San Quentin then be subjected to the mainstream crap that MTV (in conjunction with Rolling Stone) force-feeds us daily. Not to say that all mainstream music is bad, there are some great mainstream artists out there. Take John Mayer for example. On the surface, he appears to be just another American-Eagle wearing, Starbucks drinking sissy that Jann Wenner (editor-in-chief for RS) wants you to have on your iPod. But if you listen to his albums (notice I said ALBUMS not SINGLES) you'll find that Mayer, aside from being a modern day Guitar God, is an actual artist. My contention of Mayer's "artist" status was recently confirmed in an interview he gave to - of all publications - Rolling Stone. In the brief interview, he stated that music fans today are: "a 'skip forward' generation...Artists spend a lot of time choosing the order of their songs...its an album, not a Choose Your Own Adventure Book." After this slight against singles-downloaders, Mayer went on to say that the music industry needs to develop talent and abandon the "throw it against the window and see if it sticks mentality."
If you didn't like John before, I'll bet you do now. In keeping with Mayer's idea of developing talent, I thought I'd take the time to point out some artists that you may not have heard of, but are (and have been) out there making great music. And, believe it or not, Myspace is a useful tool when seeking out good, lesser-known artists. And you thought Myspace was only good for drunken titty-slips and child molestors.
You'll find that a lot of these lesser-knowns have plenty of talent, but are what I like to call "fall-betweens." They don't really fit into one genre and are hard for major record labels to market because, like it or not, its still all about radio play. If you're too rock for country or too folky for rock, you're doomed to continue making great music that MTV will be unaware of for all eternity...Maybe that isn't so bad after all....
Check out:
Shooter Jennings and The .357s - are gaining a little more noteriety after 2 great albums and a recently released third (a little bit more country) album that features a cover of Dire Straits' "Walk of Life." (rock/southern rock/country)
http://www.myspace.com/shooterjennings
Shelby Lynne - won a Best New Artist Grammy in 2001 (despite having been around for 15 years prior) and has been more or less out of the mainstream spotlight since, save a cameo as Johnny Cash's mother in Walk The Line and "Killing Kind" being featured on the Bridgett Jones soundtrack. Shelby is a soulful solo act who reminds us of a less poppy Sheryl Crow. Her lyrics and voice are tremendous and she has a Dusty Springfield cover album hitting stores in February.
http://www.myspace.com/shelbylynne
Ryan Bingham - is straight out of Austin, TX dishing out some really killer country/roots/americana music. I've heard his newest album, Mescalito and I'd compare him to a talented Gary Allan...who can play well...and writes his own music. OK, he's not that much like Gary Allan. check it out.
http://www.myspace.com/ryanbingham
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - are a brilliant rock band out of Vermont. They list The Band, JJ Cale, Led Zeppelin, and everything in between as their influences. Check out their newest album: This Is Somewhere. You won't be disappointed because these kids from the Live Free or Die State (oh, that's New Hampshire but really...what's the difference?) bring it smooth and rock hard. They're currently touring with Gov't Mule.
http://www.myspace.com/gracepotterandthenocturnals
North Twin - is an alt. rock/country-influenced group out of Seattle, WA. Their influences range from Elvis Costello to Johnny Cash. Check 'em out. I recently had a listen to Falling Apart - their newest album - and its the type of music that makes you wish that you were listening live, knocking back a few cold ones while these guys rock out.
http://www.myspace.com/northtwin
Deadstring Brothers - are a blues/rock band out of good 'ol Detroit, MI. Their newest album, "Silver Mountain" rocks and rocks HARD. David McPherson from American Songwriter quips that: "It's a shame more people don't know about this kick-ass band." Be sure to give "Sacred Heart" a listen if you visit them on myspace, its a tight track from their previous album: "Starving Winter Report."
http://www.myspace.com/deadstringbrothers
Also check out these groups:
Girl Nobody - to release your inner Suicide Girl when mom and dad won't let you get that Prince Albert. http://www.myspace.com/girlnobody
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - will make you laugh and groove extra hard after ingesting an eigth of mushrooms. http://www.myspace.com/ezrafurman
A lot of these choices aren't for everyone. I just wanted to point you all in a good direction to hear some bands you might not have heard otherwise. The White Stripes rock, but its always good to hear some tunes you won't catch every single time you jump into the car or turn on the radio.
Feel free to e-mail me or respond to this blog if you want some recommendations or want to recommend something you think I should hear.
***** A VERY BIG p.s.
If you think I'm totally in the wrong here and you believe MTV is where its at, maybe you should hang out with this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc
"LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!" *******
If you're anything like me - number 1, I feel sorry for YOU - you just want to know where all the artists have gone. Furthermore, you'd rather shower at San Quentin then be subjected to the mainstream crap that MTV (in conjunction with Rolling Stone) force-feeds us daily. Not to say that all mainstream music is bad, there are some great mainstream artists out there. Take John Mayer for example. On the surface, he appears to be just another American-Eagle wearing, Starbucks drinking sissy that Jann Wenner (editor-in-chief for RS) wants you to have on your iPod. But if you listen to his albums (notice I said ALBUMS not SINGLES) you'll find that Mayer, aside from being a modern day Guitar God, is an actual artist. My contention of Mayer's "artist" status was recently confirmed in an interview he gave to - of all publications - Rolling Stone. In the brief interview, he stated that music fans today are: "a 'skip forward' generation...Artists spend a lot of time choosing the order of their songs...its an album, not a Choose Your Own Adventure Book." After this slight against singles-downloaders, Mayer went on to say that the music industry needs to develop talent and abandon the "throw it against the window and see if it sticks mentality."
If you didn't like John before, I'll bet you do now. In keeping with Mayer's idea of developing talent, I thought I'd take the time to point out some artists that you may not have heard of, but are (and have been) out there making great music. And, believe it or not, Myspace is a useful tool when seeking out good, lesser-known artists. And you thought Myspace was only good for drunken titty-slips and child molestors.
You'll find that a lot of these lesser-knowns have plenty of talent, but are what I like to call "fall-betweens." They don't really fit into one genre and are hard for major record labels to market because, like it or not, its still all about radio play. If you're too rock for country or too folky for rock, you're doomed to continue making great music that MTV will be unaware of for all eternity...Maybe that isn't so bad after all....
Check out:
Shooter Jennings and The .357s - are gaining a little more noteriety after 2 great albums and a recently released third (a little bit more country) album that features a cover of Dire Straits' "Walk of Life." (rock/southern rock/country)
http://www.myspace.com/shooterjennings
Shelby Lynne - won a Best New Artist Grammy in 2001 (despite having been around for 15 years prior) and has been more or less out of the mainstream spotlight since, save a cameo as Johnny Cash's mother in Walk The Line and "Killing Kind" being featured on the Bridgett Jones soundtrack. Shelby is a soulful solo act who reminds us of a less poppy Sheryl Crow. Her lyrics and voice are tremendous and she has a Dusty Springfield cover album hitting stores in February.
http://www.myspace.com/shelbylynne
Ryan Bingham - is straight out of Austin, TX dishing out some really killer country/roots/americana music. I've heard his newest album, Mescalito and I'd compare him to a talented Gary Allan...who can play well...and writes his own music. OK, he's not that much like Gary Allan. check it out.
http://www.myspace.com/ryanbingham
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - are a brilliant rock band out of Vermont. They list The Band, JJ Cale, Led Zeppelin, and everything in between as their influences. Check out their newest album: This Is Somewhere. You won't be disappointed because these kids from the Live Free or Die State (oh, that's New Hampshire but really...what's the difference?) bring it smooth and rock hard. They're currently touring with Gov't Mule.
http://www.myspace.com/gracepotterandthenocturnals
North Twin - is an alt. rock/country-influenced group out of Seattle, WA. Their influences range from Elvis Costello to Johnny Cash. Check 'em out. I recently had a listen to Falling Apart - their newest album - and its the type of music that makes you wish that you were listening live, knocking back a few cold ones while these guys rock out.
http://www.myspace.com/northtwin
Deadstring Brothers - are a blues/rock band out of good 'ol Detroit, MI. Their newest album, "Silver Mountain" rocks and rocks HARD. David McPherson from American Songwriter quips that: "It's a shame more people don't know about this kick-ass band." Be sure to give "Sacred Heart" a listen if you visit them on myspace, its a tight track from their previous album: "Starving Winter Report."
http://www.myspace.com/deadstringbrothers
Also check out these groups:
Girl Nobody - to release your inner Suicide Girl when mom and dad won't let you get that Prince Albert. http://www.myspace.com/girlnobody
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - will make you laugh and groove extra hard after ingesting an eigth of mushrooms. http://www.myspace.com/ezrafurman
A lot of these choices aren't for everyone. I just wanted to point you all in a good direction to hear some bands you might not have heard otherwise. The White Stripes rock, but its always good to hear some tunes you won't catch every single time you jump into the car or turn on the radio.
Feel free to e-mail me or respond to this blog if you want some recommendations or want to recommend something you think I should hear.
***** A VERY BIG p.s.
If you think I'm totally in the wrong here and you believe MTV is where its at, maybe you should hang out with this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc
"LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!" *******
Responses
You know what's good about today? At least the Dolphins can't lose...its their bye week. If there was a way to come out of a bye with a loss, I'm sure they'd figure it out. The Heat are 0-2 and the Canes can't trust their backup QB to put the ball in the air. What a time to be from South Florida. At least, we may get A-Rod b/c Cabrera is out of there faster than a white woman in the first lifeboat on the Titanic.
Normally, I write on Tuesdays - and I still plan to come out with a new one this Tuesday - but I wanted to write a little something to respond to some of the responses.
Tony brought up Running Down A Dream - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I'm a huge fan of music DVDs and I picked this one up the day it came out. I'm glad Tony brought it up because for one: its an excellent DVD. Two, it makes me think about a bigger discussion point: who is the "best American band ever?" When people talk about great bands, the usual suspects are always The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc. Those, of course, are all British bands. But what about the USA, man?? We invented rock and roll!!!
My roommate consistently argues that Aerosmith should be considered the best American band of all time. Certainly the Eagles should be up there. But...as Jefferey Lebowski said: "I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man." For my $, the Eagles just don't have the longevity of an Aerosmith (1971-1980 and 1994-present and 1970-present, respectively), but if we're going to talk about longevity, consistency, and creativity; The Heartbreakers definitely deserve to be in the argument, and frankly, get my vote as America's #1 band.
The DVD chronicles the formation of the band (as Mudcrutch) in Jacksonville, Fl to their growth as an American institution. I agree with Tony: music fans need to check this one out. Like all great musicians, Tom Petty is staunchly anti-commercial. At several points throughout his career, Petty fought the music industry (once insisting that his label lower the price of his album so kids could afford it) and has firmly entrenched himself as an artist first. Even if you're not a fan of The Heartbreakers', check out this DVD. It truly gives the viewer an appreciation for how difficult it is for bands to remain together and remain creative over 3 decades of a rapidly changing landscape.
The Devil's Rejects
My other response is again to Tony, as well as Nichole and a few others who questioned me as to why The Devil's Rejects wasn't on my list of top 5 horror movies.
I'll begin by saying that I like Rob Zombie. A lot. He's intelligent and a great student of the horror genre...something that's apparent if you've ever seen any of his music videos with White Zombie or as a solo act. I wasn't a huge fan of House of 1000 Corpses because the movie didn't have much of an identity. Not the case with The Devil's Rejects.
Rejects has a grainy, almost spaghetti-western look to it, reminiscent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The cast is perfect. Its full of great character actors like Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, Michael Berryman, Ken Foree (the original Dawn of the Dead) and E.G. Daily (ya know, she's the voice of the Rugrat's Tommy Pickles). The sets are fantastic and the violence isn't at all over-the-top: its just plain disturbing. Example A: Motel Room scene - possibly the most threatening and menacing scene on film.
I love the movie. BUT...the reason I don't see it as a top 5 is simple. I see it as more of an homage to its predecessors than an original piece. NOT TO SAY, I don't think this is an original movie. In a world of remakes, this is as original as it gets. I think the film is terrific, but part of me feels like the movie draws a little too much on its influences, and simply pushes the envelope from there.
Example: The look of the film, the Firefly house and the idea of a whacko Texas family grabbing up unsuspecting teenagers and torturing the bejesus out of them reminds me a little too much of TTCM. I'm gonna test you here: the scene in the motel, though terrifying, reminds me of an old Wes Craven movie about, you guessed it, three deranged sociopaths on the run who come across unsuspecting victims and...torture the bejesus out of them. Check out Last House on the Left. While I wouldn't say Reject's is a take-off, watch House and tell me that the motel room scene in it doesn't remind you of Rejects.
I'm not bagging Rejects. I love the movie and I give it 4 stars easily. As I said...it draws a little too heavily on influences for me to put it in my top 5. That's not to say it isn't number 5.5.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you Tuesday.
"Disco just aint right." - Tom Petty
Normally, I write on Tuesdays - and I still plan to come out with a new one this Tuesday - but I wanted to write a little something to respond to some of the responses.
Tony brought up Running Down A Dream - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I'm a huge fan of music DVDs and I picked this one up the day it came out. I'm glad Tony brought it up because for one: its an excellent DVD. Two, it makes me think about a bigger discussion point: who is the "best American band ever?" When people talk about great bands, the usual suspects are always The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc. Those, of course, are all British bands. But what about the USA, man?? We invented rock and roll!!!
My roommate consistently argues that Aerosmith should be considered the best American band of all time. Certainly the Eagles should be up there. But...as Jefferey Lebowski said: "I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man." For my $, the Eagles just don't have the longevity of an Aerosmith (1971-1980 and 1994-present and 1970-present, respectively), but if we're going to talk about longevity, consistency, and creativity; The Heartbreakers definitely deserve to be in the argument, and frankly, get my vote as America's #1 band.
The DVD chronicles the formation of the band (as Mudcrutch) in Jacksonville, Fl to their growth as an American institution. I agree with Tony: music fans need to check this one out. Like all great musicians, Tom Petty is staunchly anti-commercial. At several points throughout his career, Petty fought the music industry (once insisting that his label lower the price of his album so kids could afford it) and has firmly entrenched himself as an artist first. Even if you're not a fan of The Heartbreakers', check out this DVD. It truly gives the viewer an appreciation for how difficult it is for bands to remain together and remain creative over 3 decades of a rapidly changing landscape.
The Devil's Rejects
My other response is again to Tony, as well as Nichole and a few others who questioned me as to why The Devil's Rejects wasn't on my list of top 5 horror movies.
I'll begin by saying that I like Rob Zombie. A lot. He's intelligent and a great student of the horror genre...something that's apparent if you've ever seen any of his music videos with White Zombie or as a solo act. I wasn't a huge fan of House of 1000 Corpses because the movie didn't have much of an identity. Not the case with The Devil's Rejects.
Rejects has a grainy, almost spaghetti-western look to it, reminiscent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The cast is perfect. Its full of great character actors like Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, Michael Berryman, Ken Foree (the original Dawn of the Dead) and E.G. Daily (ya know, she's the voice of the Rugrat's Tommy Pickles). The sets are fantastic and the violence isn't at all over-the-top: its just plain disturbing. Example A: Motel Room scene - possibly the most threatening and menacing scene on film.
I love the movie. BUT...the reason I don't see it as a top 5 is simple. I see it as more of an homage to its predecessors than an original piece. NOT TO SAY, I don't think this is an original movie. In a world of remakes, this is as original as it gets. I think the film is terrific, but part of me feels like the movie draws a little too much on its influences, and simply pushes the envelope from there.
Example: The look of the film, the Firefly house and the idea of a whacko Texas family grabbing up unsuspecting teenagers and torturing the bejesus out of them reminds me a little too much of TTCM. I'm gonna test you here: the scene in the motel, though terrifying, reminds me of an old Wes Craven movie about, you guessed it, three deranged sociopaths on the run who come across unsuspecting victims and...torture the bejesus out of them. Check out Last House on the Left. While I wouldn't say Reject's is a take-off, watch House and tell me that the motel room scene in it doesn't remind you of Rejects.
I'm not bagging Rejects. I love the movie and I give it 4 stars easily. As I said...it draws a little too heavily on influences for me to put it in my top 5. That's not to say it isn't number 5.5.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you Tuesday.
"Disco just aint right." - Tom Petty
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