in Pencil Music » opinion

American Museum of Natural History, Fischerspooner

Jason in Pencil — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:27:34 +0000

The American Museum of Natural History kicked off their first Friday parties this weekend, with an awesome gathering. We partied, checked out the planetarium with Tom Hanks’ narrating, and danced to some great DJ’s. Fischerspooner really got the party bumping, those guys were awesome.

Unfortunately, some guy from Animal Collective came on next, and totally killed the party. He was absolutely terrible, and everyone stopped dancing.

I’ll be checking out Fischerspooner again, they rocked.

Check them out: fischerspooner.com

Here’s a short clip:

The Heavy at 92 Y Tribeca Last night The Heavy played their last show in NYC...
Disco Delusions I’m big on visiting forums, and hearing what people have...
What is "in Pencil"???? So a lot of people ask me what it means,...

Late to the Waltz

Dan in Pencil — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:05:51 +0000

Ok, I know The Band. I’m a connoisseur of classic rock radio. So ‘The Weight,’ ‘Up on Cripple Creek,’ and even ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,’ are not in any way new to me. I also knew a little about their Bob Dylan connection from my Dad, who once said, “Yeah, weren’t they Bob Dylan’s band?” (wise man) Hell, that’s probably the very reason why I never had intimate knowledge of the group beyond “the hits.” It was the Bob thing. You see, Bob Dylan falls into that category of ‘respect’ but not actual ‘like.’ He’s a very important songwriter and even a more important lyricist. And he deserves more credit than any artist I know of for telling his core audience to basically ‘F*ck off,; while he plugged in his guitar and de-folk-ified himself at what was the height of his popularity. But, I don’t listen to Dylan. Don’t want to. (except for ‘Tangled up in Blue.’ Love that tune)

Interestingly enough, while Bob gets credit for introducing most of the world to Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson, he had the opposite effect on me. Didn’t love Bob, and didn’t care to hear his band or, in this case, ‘The Band.” But now, finally, like my mother to the internet, I have arrived to the party (late) and realized how stupid I was for turning my back to what is the most important American rock outfit in the history of music. (Well, North American)

The Band’s roots date back all the way to early rockabilly. Levon (the only US Citizen of the bunch) grew up with country and blues music in Arkansas, eventually making his way to the Toronto area (which apparently had a similar scene) where he would meet up with the rest of the group. For years, they toured, backing up Ronnie Hawkins playing Country and Rockabilly standards from Canada to New Jersey. Eventually they quit Ronnie and were hired by Dylan to tour as his back-up band when he went electric. This, of course, is the point at which they really became a known group, and eventually, one of the most critically acclaimed bands of their era.

The great thing about The Band, other than their vast catalogue of country flavored rock gems, is that they epitomize what has become, in essence, one of the most familiar modern stories of the last 60 years: The story of the Rock ‘n’ Roll band. Consequently, this makes their simple/generic moniker all the more appropriate. Just like in High School, when you had that one band that played all the parties, it just became fitting to refer to those five guys as “The Band.” It’s like calling Manhattan, “the city.” No one asks you which city, you just know.

So what makes them the quintessential band? Long history of struggling on the road playing dingy clubs and dive bars? Check. Healthy does of drugs, alcohol, and loose women? Check. Those are easy, but there might be things you don’t consider. The Band was probably the first group made up of all-stars at every position. Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel were each talented enough no only to play in a great band, but to front a great band as well! They’re all the lead singer. Robbie Robertson was notably one of the premier guitarists at the time, and is credited with writing the bulk of their material. (more on that in a bit) And Garth Hudson (perhaps the original mad-keyboard-professor) is the one they consider the musical genius of the bunch. That is a band! It’s not Johnny Rockstar and the dipsh*ts. It’s 5 heavy hitters!

But wait, there’s more. Who headlined Woodstock? Hendrix? The Who? Santana? The Dead? WRONG! The Band headlined Woodstock! Sh*t, they were living there at the time. They didn’t come to the hippies; the hippies came to them. Were they on the cover of Rolling Stone? Actually I’m still googling that, but I’m sure they were. Either way they got that beat. Ever here of Time Magazine? Yeah, they were on the cover of that one. Scissors cut paper, rock smashes scissors, and Time pwns Rolling Stone.

Then there’s the drama. They wrote the g*d-damn book on it. Robbie Robertson basically invented screwing over your friends. He managed to go down as the main writer on every song. And, although I’m sure he was the biggest contributor in that area, am I to believe that none of the other 4 music gods wrote a lick? Are you telling me that a dude from Toronto wrote “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down?” Am I to believe Levon, the man who sings it, the guy from Arkansas, showed up to the studio, and Robbie was like, “Dude, I wrote this awesome song about the South for you to sing?” I call BS! Well, unless that song is a strange metaphor for recouping publishing royalties. Then maybe he wrote it.

In fact, Robertson managed to wrestle so much control from the rest of the band, that when he decided it was time to hang it up, he forced the group to play their final show in 1978 when most of them weren’t ready yet, especially not Helm. Insult to injury? Robertson organized a series of guest musicians to play with them at this show, inviting Ronnie Hawkins, Dylan, and others from their past. But he also invited Neil Diamond, because he was working on a record with him at the time, despite the fact that he had no prior connection to the group. Diamond performed a tune off of said album. What a dick!

There’s probably a lot more to mention, but I’m not done with Levon’s book yet. My point is that, I now understand why The Band is held in such high regard among fans, critics, and other musicians alike. They are the original great American band. They are the pioneers.

So I watched “The Last Waltz,” the Scorsese directed film, documenting the final show in San Francisco, and I fast-forwarded the Dylan segment. And I think that despite all the cheesy 70′s film goofiness, and the bizarre, seemingly scripted, interviews, which make Robertson come off like a jack-ass, that it’s perhaps the greatest rock show I’ve ever seen on film. And then I’m embarrassed. Because, where the hell have I been? Let’s blame Dylan. He gets way too much credit anyway. After all, he’s the one who threw the block that kept me in the dark this whole time, like a prisoner of ignorance. But as Bob wrote and Richard Manuel sang, “Any day now I shall be released.” Well, actually that day has come and I was “released,” but I really wanted to use a fitting lyric to close this post. Whatever…you get my point……

All you need is HATE…. I dated this girl for 5 minutes once. She was...
Sub Genre I know nothing about Psychobilly music. I generally try and...
virtual reality vs. actual stupidity I'm certain that I'm not the first person to coin...

Oh Joy!

Dan in Pencil — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:27:24 +0000

Phish is a confusing band. Scratch that. Phish is a confusing……thing? They are one of the most polarizing musical acts to ever come along in pop culture. Everyone seems to have an opinion on them, and even though those opinions differ from one another, they’re usually pretty strong either way. Mine is certainly no different.

Let me start by saying, Phish has never (and probably will never) be my “favorite” band. They might be the band I’ve loved the most the longest, but I assure you, there has always been someone else in that top spot at any given time. (Like today, it’s ‘The Band,’ but I digress). Phish is more like that friend you have that’s willing to hook up with you when neither of you are in a relationship. And to further that analogy, when I first met Phish, I was trying to nail her cousin who happened to be at the same party, while everyone else was buying Phish drinks and vying for her attention. Ok, maybe I’m taking this too far. More specifically, as a preppy/stoner kid in CT in the late nineties, there were a ton of smaller more underground bands that caught my ear. I fell particularly hard for one NYC-based quintet, ‘God Street Wine,’ but there were many other acts that played the Jam Band circuit, who I gravitated towards long before Phish. In fact, now that I think about it, I probably went out of my way to resist the band, because it was so “cool,” to like them at the time. All the boarding school/college kids in their Northface fleeces and corduroys would plaster the band’s name on the backs of their parents’ Grand Cherokees, and tool around the shores of the Long Island Sound. As odd or uncool as that might sound to someone unfamiliar, I assure you this was the epitome of ‘hip’ where I come from.

But of course, the inevitable happened: In the late nineties, Phish became too big to stop. If you had any interest in the Jam Band/concert going culture, resistance was futile. And after being dragged to a show, I soon learned what all the fuss was about. So I let them in. Fast forward 10+ years, and they’ve outlasted or out-performed so many other bands that I’ve loved, that, simply by default, I’m still a “phish-head.” Oh man, do I hate that term, “phish-head.” The mindless wastes of life. Get a job! Take a shower! I hate them almost as much as I loathe the “Phish-head” hater. The people who have no respect for a 35 minute version of “Chalk Dust Torture,” or the perfect execution of “Fluffhead.” (geek alert). The truth is, I’ve had it with this 2 party system. I don’t identify with either camp. Phish lovers and Phish haters piss me off equally. There has to be a middle ground.

Phish, “Joy” came out yesterday. It’s their first new studio album in like 5 years. Do a quick google search for reviews and you’ll probably see the following expressed in some way: “Phish is a band not known for its studio efforts. To really appreciate the band, one has to see them live.” Check out the blogs, and you’ll find that most Phish fanatics actually agree with this statement. WTF? So you’re saying that Trey and the guys spent days (or weeks) in the studio, hired Steve Lilywhite, and generally busted their asses, just to f’ around? No one really cares about the album? They’re just jerking off? That’s such horsesh*t! Two words: “Billy Breathes” ”

“Billy Breathes,” coincidentally the last album Lilywhite produced for Phish, is an amazing record. This gem from 1996, sounds beautiful. There isn’t a bad song on it. It captures both the serious and goofy sides of the band, showcases some of their finest songwriting, and it does something that no other Phish album has ever done before or since: It flows correctly. There sure feels like a deliberate order as song changes to song. From “Free” all the way to “Caspian” you never feel confused or interrupted. The same cannot be said for ‘Rift,’ another great sounding album, which, as I like to put it, “gets a little weird on the back nine.” ‘Rift’ plays more like a studio capture of a great live show, but not a cohesive record. And that’s the thing! I’m willing to say that “Billy Breathes” is such a great recording effort, that I’d rather hear any and all of those album versions than hear them played live. How’d do you like them apples?

So what does this all mean? Probably not a lot. Just because my feelings for the band might be slightly different than your average fanatic or hater, I’m still feeding them money and giving them attention. And in my older age, I’ve grown weary of trying to explain or defend my interest in them, so instead I’ll just buy my tickets and be on my way. And ‘Joy is no ‘Billy Breathes’ The disc sounds good, particularly Trey’s vocals, but much of the material gives me that ‘eh’ feeling. You know, the same one I got from the last three or four U2 records. I’ll probably listen to it off and on until the next show and cheer loudly when they bust out some of the new ones, but then I’ll file it away with ‘Round Room’ and ‘Undermind,’ and that’ll be all. At least until they cut a new record, which I’ll eagerly anticipate along with the rock critics, who will probably just copy and paste their review of ‘Joy,’ substituting the album name with whatever the new one is called.

The Heavy at 92 Y Tribeca Last night The Heavy played their last show in NYC...
Late to the Waltz Ok, I know The Band. I’m a connoisseur of classic...
Pool side paradise Yea, life is tough today I must say. Pool, BBQ,...

Britpop, the USA, and (Oasis)

Jason in Pencil — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:05:52 +0000

I’m a fan of Britpop, but I’ll admit I was late to the celebration. Chalk it up to being too focused on other genres, and a sincere obsession with live music, but the fact is I didn’t truly experience Britpop until my British friend took me to see Razorlight in Brooklyn about a year ago. Now, you might be thinking they’re not really Britpop, but let me take a few steps back.

When I was in college at IU there was a guy who lived right next door to me in my dorm. He loved Oasis. His favorite band. He also had an acoustic guitar. I can’t tell you how many times I had to listen to him play Wonderwall – and he would carry his guitar with him everywhere in the dorm. So there was no shortage of this song being played close by to me. I began to really dislike it. (I know, bias just entered the room)

So you probably heard that Oasis broke up, or rather, Noel Gallagher quit. I know it’s common knowledge that he and his brother Liam never really got along. This isn’t the first time they’ve “broken up”, and this one isn’t being orchestrated by Live Nation to boost concert sales when they miraculously reunite. They actually cancelled the remainder of their tour. (See statement from Noel)

I’ve listened to a lot of their music, I don’t like it. Maybe I’m missing something. Let’s rephrase, surely I’m missing something, as millions of people buy their albums. But I’ve always found the music to be overly whiney, with boring melodies, and generally just uninteresting from a stylistic point-of-view.

So I guess I thought I didn’t like Britpop. Having been a child of the Nirvana era, grunge music shaped my musical preferences at a young age. Britpop was the UK’s response to the infiltration of Nirvana. They wanted something different and their own in the 90’s, while Kurt was dominating the airwaves.

So back to Brooklyn and Razorlight. I went to see them live about a year or so ago at the Warsaw (awesome venue btw), and they rocked! Songs like “In the Morning” and “Hold On” won me over immediately.

Britpop is characterized by paying tribute to the sounds of the past – particularly British music from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. I find this incredibly respectable, mainly because I believe all musicians are influenced heavily by what they hear, and owe the artists of the past a thank you. This is Britpop’s mantra. When I saw Razorlight, I felt like I was seeing a cultural “thank you” and tribute to The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Sex Pistols, The Kinks, The Beatles… and even more recently Blur, which I also really like.

It’s amazing what seeing live music will do to your perception of a band or genre. When it’s performed in front of you, you get to witness first hand what’s truly at play. Oasis may be done, (I’m not upset about that one), but my dislike for the band brought about a great eye opening experience later in life that now allows me to really dig in to some new Britpop bands and other new British acts that I really enjoy.

What is "in Pencil"???? So a lot of people ask me what it means,...
Sub Genre I know nothing about Psychobilly music. I generally try and...
virtual reality vs. actual stupidity I'm certain that I'm not the first person to coin...

My Chemical Romance turns Rocker

Jason in Pencil — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:19:51 +0000

My Chemical Romance recently played a show at the Roxy in LA – but it wasn’t what many were expecting. No makeup and grandiose set props this time – instead of coming out in a coffin, MCR’s front man Gerard Way looked more like Stevie Ray Vaughn with his slick rocker jacket.

Now I’m not one to advocate music and fashion, but the sound wasn’t far off. According to Rolling Stone MCR “ditched their goth-meets-Sgt. Pepper outfits and blasted through three concise, Stooges-influenced songs from their new album, due in 2010.”

Way even said “If people want to return to Castle Dracula every time they listen to My Chemical Romance, they’re going to be really disappointed. We’re making a rock & roll record.”

I’m pumped for this one – I always thought MCR was heavily R&R influenced anyway, and didn’t really buy into the whole goth thing with them. Their guitarist has incredible rock/metal sensibility in his solos, and you can hear hints of Metallica/Van Halen and even SRV in there fighting to come out. I’m looking forward to hearing My Chemical Romance blaze through some steady Rock & Roll.

Disco Delusions I’m big on visiting forums, and hearing what people have...
Mix Tapes Man I kinda miss making these. I can remember the...
Look what I didn't make If you don't know a lot about a subject, you...

Look what I didn't make

Dan in Pencil — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:23:00 +0000

If you don’t know a lot about a subject, you shouldn’t get involved in an argument about it, right? That’s like the most obvious concept that very few people seem to adhere to. I guess people just love a good fight. But I will tell you, that I am truly cautious about what I’ll argue, if I really don’t know that much about it. Like if you want to get in a heated discussion about who’s the better Soccer club, Leeds or Arsenal, well I’ll leave that one alone. Not really my bag. Besides, you’re in the wrong bar, buddy; back off, I’m trying to watch the baseball game.

This is true as far as music goes as well. I’m a rock ‘n roll guy by trade and preference, but my soul-compromising day job requires me to have a working knowledge of all genres, even those which would never make it to my i-pod. So I constantly find myself asking others about styles, like hip-hop, electronica, DJ’s, etc…..so I can still exhibit some relevance at work, should one of those genres come up. Also, I just want to understand what the fuss is about sometimes, you know?

A close colleague of mine spins in his free time, and…well…I don’t know what that means. DJing is so fascinating, simply because there’s so many ways to do it. There are so many different kinds of DJ’s. There’s the ninja record scratching dudes that look like their trying to get their craft into the x-games with all that physical spectacle. There’s the dudes that create their own beats and meld them seamlessly from record to record. Then there’s the most common dudes: the guys (or girls) that choose different pre-existing pieces of music and play them for listeners/dancers, fading one in and the other out to keep the party rolling. Sometimes, as a bonus, they’ll throw a different beat underneath a familiar track, but the concept is the same. They are truly Disc Jockeys, mastering the art of cleverly cuing up a playlist of what they think is cool.

So what’s wrong with that? In theory, nothing. I mean, it is an art form right? It’s communicating through creativity, albeit a “shared creativity,” and most importantly, it’s creating a soundtrack to an evening which makes people happy. I can get on board with that. But here’s where it bugs me. When people start going off about how amazingly talented a particular DJ is, or how bad another one might be. I never argue these points because A) I know nothing about it and B) it’s a bullsh*t argument.

95% of most DJing (this is the aforementioned third category) is not about talent at all. It’s about TASTE. It’s preference, complete biased opinion. DJ Snufalupagus (or whatever) has chosen a lists of songs and is asking for your acceptance through them, or at least your agreement that they are fun to dance to. Does he deserve praise for achieving this goal? Certainly, but how much, really? I mean anybody is capable of cuing up a playlist of his or her favorite tunes, and most people could find a way to fade them in and out. Hell, I bet you that anyone with the slightest musical ear could even master the art of “Beat Matching” as they call it, so the groove doesn’t stop. I mean we’ve all slowed down a record, even if by accident at some point.

Maybe DJ’s are on to something here. What if I took some pictures of a lot of really classy art work, created a slide show, and presented it as a performance piece at a gallery? How would that go over? I could even figure out some clever ways to fade one painting into another. If everyone liked my taste in art, would they call me talented? Or better yet, I’ll order a bunch of really delicious dishes ‘to-go’ from a variety of tasty eateries, have everyone over to my house, and slickly serve them course by course until everyone is full. I can even mix some of the dishes together if they have complimentary flavors. Now am I a really talented meal jockey? Why does the music equivalent of this get such a free pass?

Look, I’m not trying to be a hater here. I know I couldn’t step into a club right now and spin, but if you offered me that gig, vs. having to play a guitar solo at a rock venue, I take the DJ gig every time. And why is that? Because I could fake it. And there it is. That’s the point I think I was driving at before I even started writing this. When you’re relying on someone else’s pre-recorded, professionally produced art to be your foundation, you sort of got a head start, don’t you? Some clever smoke and mirrors and at night’s end, everyone’s leaving happy, and you just hogged all the credit that so rightfully belongs to Michael Jackson.

I guess what bugs me is that, the most impressive part of the sonic experience (at least to me) is the creation of the original song. Someone wrote that bass line. You know the one that made you piss your pants with excitement when it came on at 1AM. The one that got that girl to move in a little closer on the dance floor. And now you’re going home with her. And later you’re at breakfast with your boys, and you say, “Man, what a night. That DJ was so good!” And you don’t even realize, it was Quincy Jones that got you laid, fool.

virtual reality vs. actual stupidity I'm certain that I'm not the first person to coin...
My Chemical Romance turns Rocker My Chemical Romance recently played a show at the Roxy...
3rd Ward Holiday Party: Chico Mann On Saturday night TheDanger and 3rd Ward teamed up to...

Disco Delusions

Jason in Pencil — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:54:00 +0000

I’m big on visiting forums, and hearing what people have to say. Recently I was doing my habitual world wide web stumble, when I came across a discussion about yet another pop disco rock whateveryawantocallit band. You know what I mean: flashy lights, head banging, and that disco hipster beat that hasn’t stopped since, well I’d say about 2003, but more realistically – 1975.

In this particular forum that I ended up in, several people were discussing some new, totally different sounding music that they were super psyched about. Everyone was chiming in like they had found the cure to aids. So who were they discussing? Some band called the “Silversun Pickups”.

So I watched a clip of them playing on David Letterman recently. They have a lead singer, keyboard player (although you can’t hear what he’s playing, he’s totally forgettable), female bass player (who is there for looks), and a drummer. So I’ll start with the drummer, but I may not get much further than that – there’s a lot to cover.

As the song began, I noticed that he had a fairly basic kit, which I really appreciate. During the first few measures of the song, he sounded alright to me. But then came the you-know-what. That disco crap during the chorus. Why? Why? Why? are bands still doing the disco chorus. There are so many bands that do the disco chorus beat, they all sound the same. #1 It’s a really boring beat, it doesn’t get your foot tapping (critical to my liking any particular song), #2 None of the drummers that do the disco crap beat can even keep the rhythm going properly, it always sounds like they are losing track of the beat, or it’s dragging. To me it resembles the same feeling of when a really bad DJ transitions into the wrong song, with the wrong beat, etc. You know what I’m talking about. You can hear a pin drop in the place when that happens.

So what else did I not like about this drummer? He had a symbol perched noticeably high in the air, where he could hardly even reach it. It was the only symbol he had on the whole kit – but he kept swinging his arm up to hit the symbol over and over, and you can tell he was struggling to reach the symbol. This was clearly detracting from his ability to play the song properly, and was more for looks and show, than the sake of making good music.

So maybe I wasn’t giving them a fighting chance, so I looked up about 3 more songs by this band. I was confused – I thought maybe they named the youtube videos wrong, because every song I played by them sounded exactly the same. Same beat, same boring vocals, untalented musicians. (**note to guitar player, if you’re not a natural like Jimi, ask your parents for guitar lessons before spewing your bad guitar playing on the world).

Seems like rock has been recycling the same garbage for 30+ years now. This band sounded like REM meets The Killers, except without any of the unique attributes that either of those bands have. I could go on and on about other disco rock / annoying music like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and TV on the Radio, as well as other hodgepodges of untalented “musicians” making a name for themselves with cool outfits, but that would be sacrilege to this new age of cool we live in.

If you ask me, I think we should’ve had a Disco Demolition Night at Shea before they tore it down to truly put the stupid disco beat to rest. Where is Steve Dahl when you need him? Since when is rock n roll disco?

Late to the Waltz Ok, I know The Band. I’m a connoisseur of classic...
virtual reality vs. actual stupidity I'm certain that I'm not the first person to coin...
Sub Genre I know nothing about Psychobilly music. I generally try and...

virtual reality vs. actual stupidity

Dan in Pencil — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:32:00 +0000

I’m certain that I’m not the first person to coin the phrase, “The Nintendo Generation,” but regardless of who gets the credit I’ve been referring to myself as that for years. Without getting long winded on the whole thing, I think you can sum up what that term means with one succinct statement: People around my age (29) are the first generation that is really still playing video games into adulthood. It’s safe to say that gaming is no longer a kids toy, and you have my generation to thank for pioneering the adult form of it. You’re welcome In fact, you only have to look as far as the Wii, a platform that emphasizes play-abilty, intuitiveness, and nostalgia, to see evidence that adults gamers own a big part of the market these days. (plus they have their own money to spend, so they don’t have to wait ’till Christmas)

Aside from the Wii, there is one other video game experience that has captured the adult market for many of the same reasons. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are huge. Bars host nights dedicated to these games. Hell, one of the funniest South Park episodes ever is all about this phenomenon. And as is true with anything that pwns pop culture at any given time, these games receive their fair share amount of backlash.

So what are the detractors saying about Guitar Hero and Rock Band? Well to generalize (and please read this in your most cooler-than-thou music snobby tone of voice), it’s something like this: “I don’t know, man. You see, I actually play guitar, so it’s really not that fun for me. I’d just rather play for real you know? Those games are sorta lame.” WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! What does that even mean? What does playing these video games have to do with being a real world instrumentalist?

Oh wait, now I’m remembering back in ’86, all those real world plumbers who were boycotting Super Mario Brothers, because they’d rather engage in actual plumbing. I know I know, in the game, Mario and Luigi don’t actually fix toilets. Instead they eat mushrooms and fantasize about rescuing a hot princess and her strange little toadstool midget friend. But in real life, you don’t play Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo in ‘Beat It’ note for note, in front of thousands of people gathered in Time Square, douche-bag! Your music career consists of covering the most obvious of Radiohead songs to for a throng of open-mic’ers who are just waiting for their chance to fumble through a couple bar chords before the Monday night beer special expires.

Do you think professional baseball players don’t play MLB the Show in the clubhouse before the game? Are we to assume that soldiers returning home from war don’t play Metal Gear Solid with their buddies? Maybe once you’ve really killed someone, the video game experience just doesn’t cut it. It’s a game! A simulation! Come down off your (Steel) high-horse, and I’ll explain to you how much more good these games do for music lovers (see: snobs) than bad.

Do you know the song, ‘Uncle Salty? No? Well I do, and there’s a pretty good chance that your little 17 year old cousin does too. Now why would a lesser known track on Aerosmith’s 1975 ‘Toys in the Attic’ release be on the radar of today’s youth? Because, when Activision put out the Aerosmith version of Guitar Hero, that track made the list. And so did ‘Train Kept a Rollin,’ ‘Mama Kin,’ and the title track to their aforementioned 3rd studio effort, “Toys in the Attic.’

You see, unless you were in high school in the ’70′s, the odds are, to you, Aerosmith is a ’90s band. You only stumble upon their “earlier life” pre-rehab (prehab?) if you’re like me, and you accidentally bought an old record. (or if you watch ‘Dazed and Confused’ a lot) It’s then that you realize for a brief moment in 1975, they were America’s answer to Led Zeppelin. Also, they’re the greatest rock outfit to come out of Boston. (apologies to the The Cars, The J. Geils Band, and of course, Boston) And now, thanks to a ‘lame’ video game, we all get reminded of how awesome that early stuff really was. The same can be said for tons of tracks/bands that have sneaked their way into these games and into previously unenlightened gamers’ subconsciousnesses. (is that a word?)

Then of course, there’s ‘THE FEELING.’ Musicians know what I’m talking about. The first time you feel it is when you finally get that song going in your parents’ basement when you’re 16. The drummer and bass player lock in, and the rest is soon to follow. And then you look around and know, you’re making a song happen. And it feels epic. Guitar Hero and Rock Band offer a “lite” version of this feeling, and this excitement lasts beyond the game play. Now you understand what a tremendous balancing act it is to be in a band and to make music. Now you understand why I can listen to David Gilmour play that same pentatonic solo at the end of ‘Comfortably Numb” over and over again and still get chills. Because I understand how hard it is to be that good. If everyone knew this, then everyone would appreciate the good stuff more. These games are truly the gateway to rock enlightenment. Like bible stories for children, without all that Jesus crap.

So next time some moron tells you that he’d rather just just play real guitar than a stupid video game, laugh in his face, or better yet show him this clip of Rush failing miserably at playing their own songs on Guitar Hero.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rehearse. The band has a gig tonight in Hell, and I hear the Devil wants to play us for our souls. Silly Devil…he’ll never learn.

Disco Delusions I’m big on visiting forums, and hearing what people have...
Look what I didn't make If you don't know a lot about a subject, you...
Late to the Waltz Ok, I know The Band. I’m a connoisseur of classic...

Sub Genre

Dan in Pencil — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:52:00 +0000

I know nothing about Psychobilly music. I generally try and steer clear of sub-genres for obvious reasons. These labels usually refer to such a specific aspect or minute detail that a couple bands share, and they simply rebrand them for scenesters desperately trying to set themselves apart from the pack. Even if the pack isn’t all that big to begin with.

So 2 weeks ago I received a flier for the band, Tiger Army. Never heard of them. And then today I got an email blast from Live Nation reminding me that they’re coming to my area soon. Enter Wikipedia. Apparently, this band gets the credit for finally bringing Psychobilly to the US after decades of thriving (or at least existing) overseas. Enter youtube.

I watched the latest videos from the band, and I just didn’t get it. All I really knew about Psychobilly was the look. Punker dudes with chains wearing hints of 1950′s garb, sporting Greaser hairdos, and playing in threes (guitar, drums, and up-right bass). Did Tiger Army look like this? Yes.

But what about the sound? Well I expected it to be some sort of mash up between Bill Haley and the Comets and The Sex Pistols. But it wasn’t. It sounded like…well…generic, forgettable, slightly dark modern rock. (in costume) How is this Psychobilly? Enter iTunes.

I figured that maybe their new stuff was a departure, so I went back in their discography and listened. Sure enough, their first release from ’99 was more what I imagined. Twangy telecasters (I think), mixed with sped-up swing beats and modern style rock vocals. So now I get it, but that makes you think. What’s the point of these silly sub-genre labels?

Sub genres by their nature have smaller audiences than their parent genres. So even the most avid music fan is likely to be “late to the party.” Add in the fact that the criteria needed to be a part of these sub genres is so specific; now the bands have to almost work to remain true ambassadors to this 2 dimensional category.

My point is, Tiger Army is not Psychobilly. Maybe they were, but they wanted to branch out and try something new, or at least new to them. (Probably got sick of writing the same song over and over again) So the clothes are the same, but the sound, which is paramount, is not. So why bother? So we have something to type into wikipedia?

Another thing that sort of got me thinking was how this genre took so long to take hold of US audiences. I think the answer is simple. Music snobs like exotic music. Things that sound like something they can’t do themselves, because it’s not part of their cultural fabric. Read the book ‘High Fidelity.’ Why do the characters love American Rhythm and Blues music so much? Why did Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton like Blues and Country so much? Why does Billy Joe sing with a half british accent in early Green Day recordings? Why does Eminem speak in ebonics? And then there’s the whole Reggae thing….but that’s enough examples.

Perhaps the reason why Psychobilly was so much more popular overseas was that American audiences just didn’t think it was that cool to look like Johnny Cash’s punked out step child. That is until the ’50′s was so far in our rearview mirror. But apparently even Tiger Army is over the “movement.” Thankfully generic rock is alive and well.

Late to the Waltz Ok, I know The Band. I’m a connoisseur of classic...
Look what I didn't make If you don't know a lot about a subject, you...
My Chemical Romance turns Rocker My Chemical Romance recently played a show at the Roxy...

All you need is HATE….

Dan in Pencil — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:28:00 +0000

I dated this girl for 5 minutes once. She was cute and fun and lived very close by. You know, all the things I look for in a woman. Anyways, we were driving somewhere and the Beatles came on the radio. I turned it up. She turned it off. “WTF?,” I exclaimed. (Or whatever the 2005 equivalent to ‘WTF’ was) And then she said it: “I HATE the Beatles.” The following is what I should have said in response to her, but chose not to out of fear of not getting laid.

You cannot HATE the Beatles unless you, in turn, hate all popular music from 1964 on, because if you really break it down, they were responsible for 99.9% of all major musical trends in Rock/Pop that have happened since. They were the first boy band that gave way to imitations like the Monkeeys, which eventually gave way to other contrived acts like Kiss and then back to boy bands again with NKOTB and ‘those who shall not be named’ from the dark time in pop that was ’98-’02 (roughly).

They were the first band to emphasize writing their own music as opposed to covering others. The majority of 1950′s rock consisted of country and blues redos, and, hell, even Hendrix spent much of his career playing other people’s tunes. Without that trend, that douche bag that used to show up to your college parties and “write” songs about girls to woo them into his room would still be a virgin. (see: me) But more importantly, I think we can all agree that original songwriting has been a plus.

They were one of the first bands to really push the envelope in the studio, discovering new ways to produce a record, giving way to the masterminds of production like Jeff Lynne and many others who I’m just not cool enough to know about. Concept albums? Hello?

And if you weren’t into their polished, golden-boy image, you had the Stones. And the Stones are the Yin to their Yang, the Agent Smith to their Neo. They only exist to embody the backlash of the Beatles. The Beatles are going to write a verse, chorus, bridge structure? Well the Stones are gonna just repeat a riff over and over again and call that a song. The Beatles are going to spend hours overdubbing vocals to create a cacophony of voice over a given track? The Stones are going to do it in one take, and Mick’s going to be hopelessly out of tune, yet somehow make it all work. My point is that even the alternative to the Beatles is simply a response: An answer to their question.

So, you can ‘not really like’ the Beatles. You can not want to listen to them. That’s fine. I don’t want to listen to Steely Dan, even though when I do the math, I feel like I should. But I’ll never HATE them, because that’s dismissive and disrespectful. And you just sound like you’re being contrary to set yourself apart from everyone else. And, despite what you may have heard, it’s lonely in your little ‘cooler than the rest of the world’ cave, well unless there’s DVR. Is there DVR?

In conclusion, things didn’t work out with that girl.

side note: I’m not obsessed with the Beatles. In fact, I’m more likely to listen to Billy’s Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ than ‘Sgt. Peppers,’ but I get it. They’re like the Moses of pop music. Respect.

New Weezer single!!!!! Not sure when Weezer went from being a alt rock...
Britpop, the USA, and (Oasis) I’m a fan of Britpop, but I’ll admit I was...
Disco Delusions I’m big on visiting forums, and hearing what people have...