Archive | February, 2012

Finally Getting a Little Respect – Hall of Fame Inductions – The Comets

13 Feb

When Otis Redding sang about “Respect” on his seminal album Otis Blue in 1965, he was backed by some members of the STAX records house band, Booker T and the M.G.’s (and a 23-year-old Isaac Hayes). In 1992, one of the most famous house bands to ever put their sound to records (they were the southern soul version of Motown’s northern soul Funk Brothers), was elected to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. There was no doubt that they earned that respect.

But, for too long, backing bands have been left off of the induction list of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and this annual controversial decision continued to anger music lovers. Thankfully, the Hall of Fame has finally admitted their mistake and added several backing bands that deserve their R-E-S-P-E-C-T (and yes, I know Aretha added that to the chorus in her 1967 version).

This year, the hall will honor Gene Vincent’s The Blue Caps, Bill Haley’s Comets, Buddy Holly’s Crickets, James Brown’s Famous Flames, Hank Ballard’s Midnighters, and Smokey Robinson’s Miracles. If you remember back to 1987 when Smokey was elected into the hall, there was a huge controversy because the Miracles, a pretty damn important part to the success of the band, was not elected with him. Artists are eligible for nomination 25 years after their debut release.

“These Inductees are pioneers in the development of the music we call rock and roll,” said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “As part of our mission to recognize the most impactful, innovative and influential artists in rock, the committee brought forth these six groups that belong in the Hall of Fame.”

All I can say is the process to get some of these instrumental backing bands into the hall was arduous, but thankfully it is coming to fruition because they totally deserve it. Joining them at this year’s induction are:

Beastie Boys, Donovan, Guns N’ Roses, Laura Nyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Small Faces/The Faces, Freddie King, Don Kirshner, Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd and Glyn Johns. Thank you Rolling Stone for the neat list.

I am happy for all of the backing bands being honored. The Miracles deserved the honor with Smokey 25 years ago, but they will get it now. The Crickets (and all of the rockabilly and music world) would have been forever transformed if Holly didn’t die in a plane crash. While music was certainly changing and the British Invasion was on the horizon, I stand firm to my belief that Holly and his Crickets could have become the biggest band in the world for a long time if, as Don McLean eloquent states, Holly didn’t take the last train for the coast. Do you know who I’m really psyched for, though? These guys:

The Comets

Bill Haley and His Comets do not get enough credit for sparking the rock n’ roll craze in the United States AND abroad. They formed in 1952 when orchestral ballads topped the charts. The Comets took old-fashioned blues music and transformed it into a lively mix of brass and guitar. I do believe one can credit the Comets as being one of the first acts to successfully market this blend and I stand by my statement that “Rock Around the Clock,” written as a 12-bar-blues song by Max Freedman and Jimmy De Knight, is one of the most important rock n’ roll songs ever recorded. It served as an anthem to 50’s youth and was one of the first rock n’ roll songs I fell in love with.

So a big congratulations to:

JOEY AMBROSE, Saxophone
FRANNY BEECHER, Guitar
JOHNNY GRANDE, Piano
MARSHALL LYTLE, Bass
DICK RICHARDS, Drums

You all deserve this honor big time. Now let’s rattle some pots and pans and rock around the clock.

Yes. When we look back on music 50 years from now, people will hopefully proudly say this is simply Rock n’ Roll!

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My iPod has Friday on its Mind – Six Degrees

10 Feb

Because this is awesome...

My iPod feels left out. Yes, it is a jealous piece of technology and its temperament is unstable. It needs love on the Music Court or else it may rebel against my craving for music and turn off for good which would be a travesty of massive proportions. So, let’s humor it. It’s six degrees time.

I do Six Degrees of your iPod posts infrequently. I do love doing them, though, because I get to reveal the variety of music I am listening to on my iPod. Sharing music is the whole purpose of this blog and if I can provide some videos of great songs for enjoyment, I am doing my job. This is how I play the game. I take my iPod, put it on random, and skip through the first six songs I find. I post them below. For songs one and six I write a little synopsis and then try to find a connection between the two. In some cases it is easy, but in most cases it is not too obvious. As I type this, though, I have absolutely no clue if my job is going to be easy or difficult today. How about we find out?

1.) “Welcome to Your Wedding Day” by Airborne Toxic Event

This track is off of the band’s most recent album, All At Once, released in April of 2011. The band, a five-piece indie/alt rock act, features creative rock/orchestral arrangements and this song is no different – perhaps leaning a little more towards the theatrical hard rock movement that bands like System of a Down and Coheed and Cambria mastered. It’s a concise, upbeat song from a talented band.

2.) “Friday on My Mind” by The Easybeats

A very apt song with a GREAT video.

3.) “Helicopters” by Barenaked Ladies

4.) “Best Imitation of Myself” by Ben Folds

5.) “High” by Lighthouse Family

6.) “The Twist” by Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker introduced the Twist when he was 19 years old and he has lived off the song since, creating follow-ups like “Slow Twistin” and “Let’s Twist Again” (which I actually think is a better song) and even a rap version of the Twist. He is the only recording artist to place five albums in the Top 12 all at once. The twist was HUGE!

CONNECTION:

This is impossible! Seriously, without doing research I can damn well give up now and save myself the time. How can there be a connection between a 60s novelty song/dance craze and a modern-day indie act. But don’t worry, I’m not giving up. I have a connection! It is not really a connection at all but it will do.

“The Twist” was featured in an episode of Quantum Leap. Chubby Checker himself had a cameo in the episode as a young Chubby Checker hoping to get his record, “The Twist” played on the air. Scott Bakula’s character Dr. Sam Beckett convinces the station owner to play the record. This connection is going to go through Mr. Bakula and soundtracks. Bakula starred in the modern show Men of a Certain Age which featured a Bob Dylan song on its soundtrack. The Airborne Toxic Event was featured on a soundtrack of the show NCIS where a Dylan song was also featured. It is a mindless, discursive, stupid, haphazard “connection,” but, hey, it’s the best I can do. Can you find another one? Try your luck! Happy Weekend!

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A Monk of the Rarest Kind

8 Feb

The job for new bands out there is just getting harder and I’m not just talking about the fact that they must compete with washed-down mainstream garbage. The root of the problem is monotony. Too many bands sound exactly alike. This was easy to get around in the 60s because, well, even mainstream was good music. But today, listeners with keen ears are always searching for something different, something exceptionally unique. Music that when it comes on the iPod captures the listener. Indie music has become increasingly popular because of the bored listener. Now, if you are a new band, you better bring something new to the table. And, if you do infuse some originality into a worn genre, well, you will hopefully succeed – because you are worth it.

These are the bands that I like to focus on in the New Band Palace section of the blog, and I am not going to stop today. We travel to Eugene/Portland, Oregon, to seek out a collective of talented musicians who have decided to tackle a bushel of genres and create an eclectic blend of jazzy rock n’ roll that can blow your socks off with its productive sound, professionalism, and absolutely sick riffs.

Rare Monk released a 7-track album called Astral Travel Battles in June of 2011 and have been playing shows around their area of residence. The album deserves recognition. It is a small featurette of the effervescent sound that the band produces and it hits on so many layered elements you can lose count. The band is Dorian Aites: Vocals, Guitars, Keys, Percussion; Isaac Thelin: Violin, Tenor Saxophone; Jake Martin: Guitar; Forest Gallien: Bass, Keys; Rick Buhr: Drums, Percussion.  Thelin rocks the afro in the photo above.

The best way to explore a band is to dive right into their music, so let’s take a swim in Rare Monk’s synthesis.

“Shoot Me Down,” which tells the story of a hardened escaped prisoner who is hunted down and (well listen to the song to find our what happens), is track one on the album, and, while the lyric features gem lines like “If my soul’s spending on credit, oh please Lord, don’t send the bill,” I want to focus a little more on the structure of the song itself. It’s important to start any album off with a strong composition, and “Shoot Me Down” begins with a kick-ass guitar riff that blends with some light percussion and Dorian Aites’ clear, guttural voice. At around 25 seconds, the band introduces a violin that gives the song this interesting western ditty feel – a little Modest Mouse-like. The song moves quickly through the chorus and then Thelin actually shreds on the violin. It is a refreshing solo – s0 different and well-done. A violin can work in hard rock songs and I’m glad Rare Monk employs it. At around 2:35, Rare Monk provides me with the first example of their originality. Many bands would have ended the song at that mark. Instead, the band displays true professionalism and slows the song down entirely into this Ska-like reggae beat that leads into a David Gilmour-like guitar solo from Jake Martin, splattered with soul and effects. Then a moving drum and bass lead to the culmination of the song which is the quick chorus.

“Somnifero” gives Rick Buhr an immediate drum solo and Forest Gallien a wonderful, jazzy bass riff that complements Thelin’s tenor saxophone. Martin’s guitar fits into the ska category again and the effects give the fills a 70’s progressive rock feel. Dorian Aites’ vocal is strong and contained, and I like its tenderness. Tthe tenor sax solo is the best part of the song. It is paired so well with the chaotic drum – like wine and cheese – and I absolute adore the little sampling of “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things.” The runs at the end with the bass is a perfect way to end the album.

My favorite song off of the album, though, is “Mama Bear,” and although it is an instrumental, I feel it may say the most about the band’s originality. The riff is simple, a droning, effect-saturated melody, that leads into a violin run that says more than any word could. This leads into a brief guitar and violin riff. What I find so spectacular about this song is the band’s competent use of melody layering, an aspect of music that can be difficult to master. If you close your eyes and listen to one part of the song, say 2:35 into it, you can hear everything. Listen for the violin over the initial riff, and then keep the background in mind when Thelin loses his mind on the violin.

Listen to more of Rare Monk’s music on their Bandcamp and check out their Facebook for more details

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Are you a Human Beinz? Out of the Cover Garage

7 Feb

In any era of fantastic music, great cover songs are frequently released. In the 60s, bands like the one featured today made their jump to fame by releasing covers of popular songs. Some covers from the 60s/70s are so well-known and well-done that it would surprise you to find out who originally recorded the song. I’ll name a few for the heck of it. “Feeling Groovy (The 59th Street Bridge Song)” was written by Simon and Garfunkel, but many prefer the version recorded by Harpers Bizarre. “Mr Tambourine Man” is, of course, recognized as a Byrds song, but it is a Dylan original. “You Shook Me,” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” on Led Zeppelin are Willie Dixon songs.

How about “Gloria” which hit the charts with Shadows of Night, but was written by Van Morrison and Them? Did you know another band named The Human Beinz also lent their sound to this hit, just after the Shadows of Night recorded the song? 

The Human Beinz thrived on covers. The band recorded covers of songs like “Foxy Lady” and “The Pied Paper.” They did hit it big with one of these covers in the United States, and then hit it really big with another cover in Japan. Actually, The Human Beinz was a 60s band that found more popularity in Japan then in the United States.

The Human Beinz were formed as the Premiers in 1964 and changed their name to the Human Beingz in 1966. They were a garage/frat rock band from Ohio formed by John “Dick” Belley (vocals, guitar), Joe “Ting” Markulin (vocals, guitar), Mel Pachuta (vocals, bass) and Gary Coates (drums).

Garage rock was big in Ohio during this time. Rick Zehringer (Derringer) was from Ohio and recorded “Hang on Sloopy” with the McCoys in 1965. Phil Keaggy and Glass Harp gigged in Youngstown, Ohio in 1968. Actually, and I love when you find out about incestuous rock relationships, Steve Markulin, Joe’s cousin, was in Glass Harp and left the band to join the Human Beinz.

The Human Beinz became the Beinz (instead of Beingz) because after signing to Capitol Records in 1967, their band name was misspelled, the g left out. In 1967 they hit it big with a cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Nobody But Me,” and the song kicked butt on the charts peaking at #8 in February of ’68. The name remained Beinz

It’s an awesome cover. They added rock flavor to an R&B song and did it well. I love the initial call and response that just makes you nod your head and move your legs. One of the strongest parts of the song is the defined bass guitar that carries the rhythm (even getting a brief solo prior to a buzzy guitar solo) along with repetitive claps and the repetition of “No.” The Isley Brothers loved repetition.

“Nobody But Me” was not their most popular song though. They released a cover of “Turn On Your Love Light” (recorded first by Bobby Bland in ’61 – and then covered by, you guessed it, Them, and the Grateful Dead).

A basic garage rock piece also carried by clangy drums, loud keys, vocal looseness, and a strong bass guitar. The song did not do much in the United States, but it reached #1 in Japan.

FUN FACT: “Nobody But Me” was used in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and I would have included the video if it wasn’t full of black and white trademark Tarantino gratuitous gore.

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The Superbowl Halftime Spectacular – Some Thoughts

6 Feb

Cee Lo Green - A Monk in disguise?

Tom Brady heaved up a last-second hailmary that hung in the air for a few seconds before coming down like a pinecone, hitting the back of a player, and landing just out of the reach of Rob Gronkowski, the highly touted 22-year-old Patriots’ tight end whose bad ankle was a frequent topic of discussion over the last two weeks leading up to the game. If the laws of gravity were not firm on this Earth, and for a moment they ceased on the football, levitating the ball after it hit off the player’s back for just a few moments, Gronkowski would have caught up to it, made the catch, and the game would have ended in the Patriots’ favor. But football is a game of seconds and inches. He was a foot away, and when people look back at this superbowl years from now the only thing that will matter is the Giants’ victory. As a Jets fan, I congratulate the Giants on an excellent run and superbowl victory, but admit my obvious jealousy – as I did in my last post about the superbowl. Here’s to hoping I one day see the Jets win!

In that last superbowl post, I introduced a poll that compared a Boston band and New Jersey band. In that poll, Bruce and the boys prevailed over the Tyler gang. New Jersey victorious twice. But what about the singer born in Michigan. Was she succesful?

Of course, I am talking about the woman above, Madonna, and she headlined a superbowl halftime show that was perhaps one of the most bedazzling displays of unbridled gaudiness I have ever seen. The pervasive theme was Egyptian queen, I guess, and Madonna, who is 53, played her part well, performing with energy and spunk, and hosting an odd concoction of musician cameos throughout, so much that someone commented that they were just about ready to expect Elton John, who is in a perpetual feud with the blonde Scorpion King, to stroll on stage in bedizened garb to accompany her…instead we got Cee Lo (he is awesome though, so, no complaints).

Suck it, Gaga

For more photos from the event go here. As I was watching it, I jotted down a few mental notes that I will now share with you:

– So, considering the Roman soldiers, and Madonna’s Egyptian throne, we are setting our tale in like 30 BCE or so after the Romans took over Egypt, I guess, wait, why the hell am I trying to provide a historical perspective on a halftime superbowl show. Ancient Romans would have watched the game for upwards of 10 minutes prior to getting exceptionally upset that masked men/wild beasts weren’t murdering prisoners on the playing field.

– “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer,” two predictable songs, but good choices from her diverse selection of pop hits. I approve. Also, smart move with the vocal track. After the Black Eyed Peas demonstrated a sharp lack of talent last year, they were not going to make a similar mistake.

– The projection on the field by the stage: INCREDIBLE. At one point, the video turns to the field being sucked in and, holy god, that is so freaking awesome. That made the show, but, wait…

The Bad-ass Richard Simmons

– This Guy! Madonna almost took a tumble on the bleachers in her 17-inch heels and the performance was becoming a little trite and then Andy Lewis, Slackline extraordinaire, started bouncing up and down on a tightrope dressed as the Greek god Hermes. The show became interesting again after he sprung himself up in the air and landed straight on his privates. OUCH. He is a professional, though, and said he was doing just fine.

– Singer cameos. LMFAO made an appearance – I feel like they always make an appearance – and they were comical to look at but they didn’t provide much.

– Then, Madonna took on her new song and by goodness it is awful. Like awfully awful. Like so fatuous and unhealthy that I had to look away. It is some play on cheerleading, I guess, and she was joined on stage by Roman-clad rappers Nicki Minaj and MIA, which brings me to my last observation and point (because Cee Lo’s appearance speaks for itself).

– CAN THE SUPERBOWL HALFTIME SHOW COMMITTEE STOP GETTING PERFORMERS WHO WILL INEVITABLY SPARK CONTROVERSY DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW! I put this in all caps for a reason. I feel like the committee is stupid or just completely ignorant. MIA is a known protestor and instigator who wants to make a scene. Her middle finger was tame. We should be lucky she didn’t expose herself like Janet Jackson. My point. If you are going to bring in a performer like MIA, you have a tape delay for a reason. Use it and censor the finger if you know it’s going to spark a controversy. Honestly, I don’t care that she exposed the bird. I thought the uproar over the Jackson boob-gate was idiotic as well. But people ARE going to make a big deal about it so obviate the issue. Don’t bring in performers like MIA if you don’t want it to happen.

Who do you want to see headline next year’s superbowl?

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