Archive | June, 2009

Song of the Day #21: “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer

18 Jun

I will have to give Say It Ain’t So the title of Song of the Day since I played with a few people today and the best sounding song was this 1994 Weezer single off of their debut album Weezer (Blue Album).  This song was written with the verse “Say it ain’t so” and the music all written.  Rivers Cuomo needed verses and recalled an incident when he was in high school and and he came home to find a beer bottle in the fridge left by his step-father.  He immediately felt betrayed since he was under the impression that his biological father split up with his mom due to alcoholism.  The feeling that his step-father was soon going the way as his biological father brings upon the phrase, say it ain’t so.  The song is a very fun song to play since the parts are pretty simple but all merge very well together while the singer belts out a great chorus.  The drums are a simple 4/4 beet between the high-hat, ride and alternating a crash symbol during the chorus, the rhythm guitar chords are easy to pick up so that the lead can go off during some parts into solo.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyfyhKga-6Y

Lyric of the Day #20: “Your So Last Summer” by Taking Back Sunday

17 Jun

No matter how many new bands come into the genre of music known as “Emo” Taking Back Sunday will always be remembered as the band that launched it into the eye of the mainstream.  This was done with their 2002 debut album “Tell All Your Friends” (a pretty direct message) and their hit singles such as “Your So Last Summer”.  Not to mention the hilarious video to accompany it starring the band Taking Back Sunday and none other than the clock wearing member of the hip-hop duo Public Enemy, Flavor Flav. 

(She said , “Don’t, don’t let it go to your head, Boys like you are dime a dozen, Boys like you, are dime a dozen”, She said, “You’re a touch overrated, You’re a lush and I hate it, But these grass stains on my knees, They won’t mean a thing”)

The first verse is about a girlfriend telling her boyfriend that she is sick of him and is done with him, pretty straight forward.  The best line doesn’t come until the rebuttal by the boyfriend in the second verse. 

(I’d never lie to you, Unless I had to I’ll do what I got to, Unless I had to I’ll do what I got to, the truth, Is you could slit my throat, And with my one last gasping breath,I’d apologize for bleeding on your shirt.)

My favorite line is the last part of that where the boy is pleading with his girl not to break up with him by proclaiming that he would never lie or be angry at her even if she killed him.  It’s just a hilarious line because who hasn’t been caught in a jam lying and would say anything to get out of it.  There’s not much more to say on these lyrics I just wanted to share my love of that one line, despite the fact that this is a great band musically their lyrics aren’t that deep but they are good every so often for a clever laugh.

Song of the Day #20: “Walk Don’t Run,” by The Ventures

17 Jun

                   

Bob Bogle

Bob Bogle

            Let us dig a little deeper today to honor the memory of the late Bob Bogle, lead guitarist for The Ventures, who passed away this past sunday at the ripe age of 75. It is a shame that we must continue to say goodbye to fantastic, trend-setting, musicians of the past. Bogle, along with Don Wilson, and the rest of his Ventures (who were elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008) from Tacoma, Washington became one of the first surf bands ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with a hit. This hit was, “Walk Don’t Run.”

                   “Walk Don’t Run,” like many hits that debuted during 1950’s and 60’s, was a cover. In this case it was a cover of a rock and roll composition by Johnny Smith, a mainstream Jazz guitarist. Yet, the version by The Ventures clearly shot this composition to hit status, mainly because The Ventures made the song a shorter and more catchy rendition. The song is an instrumental and displays the talent of Bob Bogle and his band quite well. Bogle can be heard experimenting with the tremolo arm (whammy bar) and his work with this arm has become famous. Guitarists like Joe Walsh and Stevie Ray Vaughan have sited Bogle as a large influence on their guitar playing. The Ventures

                  Rest in peace Bob Bogle and in order to honor his memory I suggest that everyone takes a look at this link from a 1960 performance of “Walk Don’t Run.” 

                 Check it Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ11y7pYl-8

Song of the Day #19: “The Theft” by Atreyu

17 Jun

I was looking through my iTunes library the other day, kind of for no reason, when I stumbled across the A’s and along with that, the band Atreyu.  I started listening to them and came upon the track “The Theft” which reminded me of the reason why I started listening to post-hardcore/screemo music.  The song is the second single off of the bands  third studio album “A Death Grip On Yesterday”, which was released in 2006, and is about the bands lead singer and lyricists stolen life and freedom during his bout with alcoholism.

The song starts off with a very epic intro on the drums and guitar by drummer/backup vocalist Brandon Saller and guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel after a few seconds of feedback leading in.  Then the first verse begins, sung by lead singer/lyricist Alex Varkatzasit’s accomapanied by a very soft instrumental background. The chorus then bursts in and backup Brandon Saller starts singing the melody while Alex Varkatzasit switches to screaming back every few lines that Brandon Saller sings which makes for an interesting vocal interplay that works well for this genre of music.

The lyrics are accompanied by the haunting video painting a picture of a boy going through his life and losing his innocence.  He is portrayed as just going along with what his parents wish of him, such as taking a corporate job until he is too old and frail and life has passed ending with the band performing in the winter version of his favorite childhood memory of flying a kite.  

 

Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxkoA7RFeQo

P.S: If you like this song also check out Falling Down by Atreyu which off of their fourth studio albums “Lead Sails Paper Anchors” (released in 2007) and it shows the bands talents at a little more fast pace beat.

60’s Band of the Week #3: The 23rd Turnoff (The Kirkbys)

16 Jun

                   The 23rd Turnoff                       It is Tuesday and you all know what that means. Another exciting addition to the growing 60’s band of the week section. One of the main reasons this section continues to be updated is to introduce younger listeners to music of the past that they may find interesting. Music of the past that has inspired musicians today. Because, this is what music is; a long string of inspirations and influences that lead to a culminating track. Yet, another reason why I am doing this section is to possibly introduce or renew interest in certain unknown or long forgotten about bands from the 60’s, to those who were lucky enough to live through the era. We have already focused on one of the first psychedelic rock bands and a band who revolutionized bubblegum pop. Combine the two and spit out the bubblegum and you have today’s genre of music. Psychedelic Pop.

               I would like to quickly explain psychedelic pop. It was obviously inspired by the original, harder and louder psychedelic rock (which we already covered with 13th Floor Elevators). The pop aspect of psychedelic music just took the sitars, tape loops and fuzz sounds of the rock and added them to their already pop dressing. This simply gave the music a psychedelic feel while maintaining the catchiness of their pop. Bands who took the rising psychedelia on this pop route varied from the watered down Strawberry Alarm Clock and their hit, “Incense and Peppermints” to the innovative Beatles. Somewhere lost in the middle of this wide genre was today’s band in discussion. The 23rd Turnoff and there long forgotten about front man Jimmy Campbell.

 Band: 23rd Turnoff (The Kirkbys)

 Origin: Liverpool, England

 Genre: Merseybeat to Psychedelic Pop

 Founded: Late 1950’s-1967

 Original Line-Up:

 –          Guitar/Vocals: Jimmy Campbell

–          Cannot find the rest (please assist me)

 Name: The 23rd Turnoff is referring to the exit off the M6 that led to Liverpool which is where the band came from.

 History: The history of The 23rd Turnoff is practically the history of lost songwriter and vocalist Jimmy Campbell. Campbell is the embodiment of Rodney Dangerfield’s catchphrase, “I can’t get no respect.” Whether it was the lack of an exorbitant amount of work or the fact that he flew under the radar writing songs for many other artists besides himself, Jimmy Campbell has simply not been remembered and today’s profile will hopefully get some of his work listened to posthumously.

            The story of The 23rd Turnoff and their merseybeat foundation The Kirkby’s is somewhat similar to the greatest band of all time, The Beatles. The Beatles also started off with merseybeat foundations (pop music mixed with R&B, doo-wop, and soul), yet, as the tides turned and psychedelic music became popular their music took a switch and albums like The Beatles 1967 release Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band were recorded. The 23rd turnoff were once The Kirkbys, a merseybeat band from Liverpool, England who, like The Beatles, performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. After releasing a number of songs that highlighted the merseybeat sound they The Cavern Club switched their focus on Dylan inspired folk/rock and then, as the merseybeat era reached an end, they recorded “It’s a Crime,” which, playing perfectly with the times, echoed The Rolling Stones’ sound of fuzz guitar and rhythm and harmony. After experimenting with the merseybeat sound The Kirkbys changed with the psychedelic times and became The 23rd Turnoff.

            The 23rd Turnoff allowed Jimmy Campbell to record more interesting songs with his band. The turn to psychedelic pop led to two masterpieces which conveniently were the a and b side of the 1967 single “Michael Angelo”/”Leave me Here,” and eventually found their way onto the compilation album The Dreams of Michaelangelo.

            While these songs were quite fantastic they unfortunately were not met with great success and the psychedelic sounds of Jimmy Campbell and The 23rd Turnoff were unfortunately forgotten about.

 Best Song/Album: If you are interested in checking out this relatively unknown band and I assure you, you will enjoy their sounds; your best bet would be in buying their compilation album The Dreams of Michaelangelo which includes their psychedelic hits and their earlier merseybeat songs. Most definitely their best song is their Sistine chapel “Michael Angelo.” I could not avoid the art reference however obvious it is.

            The song is classic psychedelic pop. Perfect melodic harmonies on top of a picked acoustic guitar. This foundation adds a well-placed horn which gives it the psychedelic taste and a wonderful lyric. It is a melancholic hit and it deserves a listen.

 Fun Facts:

 Did you Know

 –          Bob Stanley of The Times described Jimmy Campbell as, “The era’s lost songwriter”

–          The Guardian, a British Newspaper, called the compilation album  The Dreams of Michaelangelo one of the 1000 albums to hear before you die.

 

 

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