Paul McCartney will play Yankee Stadium – Aerosmith Recording – “Best 2011 Band” Dry The River profile

9 Jun

Busy day for Music News. There are numerous items to discuss. But before I get to any of them, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Les Paul, one of the foremost innovators of rock guitar. To celebrate his birthday, Google’s homepage doodle is a strummable guitar with a recording feature. Yes, I’m not kidding. It is perhaps the coolest doodle Google has ever had. Lets move on to the big news of the day.

Paul McCartney Will Rock The Yankees

Paul McCartney is coming to Yankee Stadium. You can read all about it here. (Yes I just plugged myself and apparently have no shame). McCartney has already rocked Queens twice, once with the Beatles in 1965 at the New York Mets’ old home Shea Stadium and then again with three shows at the Mets’ new home Citi Field in 2009, but he has never graced the Bronx with his talents. Tickets for the one-night July 15 concert will go on sale at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 13 and will most likely sell out in five minutes. Yes, that is my guess. So if you want tickets, it may be a good idea to start refreshing the Livenation.com page (where they are on sale) a good five minutes in advance in hope that you can be one of the first on the server. You can also call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.

Ticket prices will range from $34-$280. $34! Those tickets probably allow you to sit on a roof across from Yankee Stadium with hopes of catching some audio from the show. Just kidding. It is still a very low price to see an absolute legend. I went to one of McCartney’s Citi Field concerts and it was epic. I urge you to get tickets if you have never seen him live.

The concert will kick off his 2011 “On The Run” tour. No other dates have been released. There has also been no word from McCartney if he will extend his stay in the Bronx for a few more nights (like he did with his concert at Citi Field in 2009), but the Yankees are on the road from July 11-21. I am going to predict a few more Yankee Stadium shows before he departs on his tour.

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Aerosmith Recording A New Album (All of Them)

You read that right. Joe Perry, Aerosmith guitarist, wrote on his twitter account yesterday that, “Whole band has plans to go into the studio with Jack Douglas second week of July to work on new Aero CD.” I am sure Steven Tyler is thrilled. This band argues more than a couple in an unsuccessful marriage. Perry has been angry at Tyler more times than the Mets have disappointed me. Okay, I’ll stop with these horrendous metaphors.

Aerosmith has not released an album since Just Push Play in 2001. They have toured, though, a lot, up until Tyler’s stage accident in 2009 where he broke his shoulder and then entered rehab and then after patching up problems with Aersomith apparently blindsided the band in 2010 when he announced his plans to become a judge on Fox’s American Idol.

Aerosmith is not stupid. Tyler has propelled his level of fame to new heights with his American Idol appearance. Aerosmith has also seen an increase in record sales. It is a good time to release an album, while the Aerosmith stock is still high.

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Best 2011 Bands – Dry The River

NME released its “50 Best New Bands of 2011” recently and after sifting through its contents I found a band that I rather like.

Dry The River, of East London, have propelled onto the emerging progressive folk scene and their Mumford and Sons style may help them jump into popularity.

Here is a great profile on the band: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/09/new-band-dry-river

Check out “New Ceremony” which melds together a deep folk guitar, delicate harmonies, oddly dark instrumentation and Pete Liddle’s theatrical voice. The chorus has serious pop sentiments and the song is rather advanced.

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60’s Band of the Week: Adrian Pride and The Comfortable Chair

8 Jun

Band/Artist: Adrian Pride (Bernie Schwartz)

Origin: West Coast

Genre: Pop Psychedelic

Name: Adrian Pride was a pseudonym for Bernie Schwartz (not to be confused with actor Tony Curtis who was born Bernard Schwartz) that was created by producer (at the time) Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. Apparently, people do not like the name Bernie Schwartz.

History:

Like I said above, Adrian Pride was the false name of Bernie Schwartz, a West Coast musician with Psychedelic Pop aspirations. And while Adrian Pride does sound like an awesome, but corny superhero, Schwartz only recorded under the name once. Yes, once. He used Pride for his dreamy meditation “Her Name is Melody,” an apt title for a song that attempts to lure listeners into its constant rhythm, eastern guitar and melodic vocals. This example of psychedelic pop is from 1966 and was produced by The Everly Brothers. Well all you have to do is dream, dream, dream. Right? I couldn’t help it.

Unfortunately, “Her Name is Melody” (and its B-side “I Go To Sleep” – Kinks cover) did not chart and fell off into the realm of psychedelic nuggets of the late 60s. It was picked up by a compilation CD and you can still hear it today if you search for rare psychedelic gems.

After his Adrian Pride phase, Schwartz became one of the vocalists for late 60s band Comfortable Chair, yet another obscure West Coast psychedelic sunshine band. And while The Everly Brothers originally produced Schwartz’s music, Jim Morrison of the Doors found Comfortable Chair and Doors’ drummer John Densmore and Doors’ guitarist Robbie Kreiger happened to produce Comfortable Chair’s first album in 1969. The album went nowhere and the band found no success outside of the sinking late 60’s psychedelic scene.

Adrian Pride, Bernie Schwartz, Comfortable Chair. Schwartz represents a large group of unheard 60’s musicians who were lost in the crowded sea of popular musicians. But you can still hear his music if you search. Here is “Her Name is Melody.”

http://therisingstorm.net/audio/her-name-is-melody-1.mp3

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Answers to Music Trivia #1

7 Jun

Thank you to everyone who participated in last Friday’s first edition of Music Trivia. We received a good amount of answers. Unfortunately, only one participant posted a comment with his answers. So before I get to the answers, I can officially crown Anthony Zampardi winner of the first edition of Music Trivia. Anthony got one answer correct. Did you do better than Anthony and feel disrespected because you are not being recognized? Well, remember, during each Music Trivia you answer the questions in the poll format and then post your answers (a,b,c,d,a – for example) in a comment with your name. You can discuss the questions in the comment section as well. Comments can be accessed by pressing the quote button with the number next to the post’s title. On to the answers!

1.) “Hey Jude” is arguably the Beatles‘ best and most emotional song. When Paul McCartney first played the track for bandmate John Lennon, Paul stopped after a line and told John he was meaning to change the particular lyric. Lennon said that he wouldn’t and it was the best line in the song. What is that line?
Answer –  C.) “The movement you need is on your shoulder”

Yes, the answer choice that garnered the least attention is the correct answer. I admit, this was a difficult first question. It is a small piece of Beatles’ trivia. This line gathered 10 percent of the vote. The answer choice that gained the most clicks at 40 percent was “For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool.” I guess we know what line Music Court readers think is dumb!


In all of their Mugwumps splendor

2.) The Mamas & The Papas is still considered one of the best folk/vocal groups ever. Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty were truly the vocal superstars of the band. Before they joined The Mamas & The Papas they were both members of an unsuccesful New York band called The Mugwumps in the mid-60′s. The other two members of that band went on to form a famous American band after the break-up. What band did they form?

Answer: B.) The Lovin’ Spoonful

Most fared better on this question. The Lovin’ Spoonful gained 40 percent of the votes. Even if you did not know the answer to the question, process of elimination could have helped formulate an educated guess. The Byrds were formed in California in 1964, The Turtles in California in 1965, and Jefferson Airplane in San Francisco in 1965. John B. Sebastian and Zal Yanovksky were both based in Greenwich Village at the time of the Mugwump’s formation. The Mugwumps were not successful, but this was in partly because they were such a short-lived group. If they stuck it out, perhaps they would have even usurped the future popularity of the Lovin’ Spoonful and The Mamas and The Papas. Who knows.

3.) Soul Asylum released “Runaway Train,” a song about runaways, with a corresponding video that featured pictures and names of missing children. Because of the song’s popularity many children featured in the video were actually returned to their homes. The song was pretty good too. It took home the Grammy for Best Rock Song in what year?

Answer: A.) 1994

Who expected a 90’s music question? I told you, no genre/time period discrimination. I actually thought of this question while at the gym. The music video for the song started playing on VH1 and I started talking to a trainer about when the song was released. I swore it was mid-late 90s, but he said it was when he was a teenager (early 90s). I looked it up and he was right. The song was released in 1993 (answer choice D and the choice that received 33.3 percent of the vote – tied with 1991). But if you look carefully the question is what year did the song receive the Grammy for Best Rock Song and that was 1994. Congrats to the 22.2 percent of you that got this trick question correct.

4.) In Canned Heat‘s “On The Road Again” what instrument helps create the buzzing sound that follows the song like a swarm of bees.

Answer: C.) Tambura

For those not fluent in the rich tradition of Indian instrumentation, I cannot blame you for getting this wrong. A tambura is a sitar-like instrument with a long neck. It distinguishes itself from a sitar because it has no frets. Its open strings are plucked in a regular pattern in order to create a resonating sound. You can use the instrument for drone music and this is exactly what Canned Heat does with “On The Road Again.” Alan Wilson added the tambura to give the song a hypnotic feel. He definitely accomplished his goal.

5.) The Dirty Mac was a one-time supergroup formed exclusively for the TV Special “The Rolling Stones Rock n’ Roll Circus” in 1968. The band featured John Lennon on rhythm guitar and vocals, Keith Richards on bass guitar, Mitch Mitchell (drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience) on drums and what famous lead guitarist?

Answer: B.) Eric Clapton

I am often asked who my favorite supergroup is. Okay, maybe it is not a constant question but I have been asked it more than once. Without fail, despite my allegiance to King Crimson, I target the one-time performers The Dirty Mac as my favorite supergroup. Yes, their only performance was at The Rolling Stones Rock n’ Roll Circus, but the group consisted of John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton (the answer to the question). The band didn’t just ooze talent, it flat-out blew it out like an active volcano. Their performance of “Yer Blues” is mind-altering. 57.14 percent of you got this one correct, so great job. Until next time, here is”Yer Blues” by The Dirty Mac.

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Listening to “Saturday Sun” by Nick Drake

6 Jun

Nick Drake kind of looks like Jim Morrison

Nick Drake and Jim Morrison share a similar face and long hair. They also share two other unfortunate attributes. Depression and untimely death. Morrison died in 1971 and Nick Drake in 1974. Two great talents eradicated. But Jim Morrison is a well-known superstar. His brief work with the Doors made him more of a mysterious idol in his death. Nick Drake, on the other hand, remains practically anonymous, his tranquil compositions often falling into obfuscation.

Luckily, his work has been posthumously praised and while not many listen to Drake’s harmonious tunes, many critics rightfully consider his work to be that of a depressed genius whose sheer confidence in his talents was often overshadowed by his misanthropic attitude. After releasing his third album he fell back home with his parents and took his own life two years later by way of an overdose on a prescribed antidepressant. He was 26 years old.

I would like to travel back to 1969 and feature the last track on his first album Five Leaves Left. The album demonstrated an unheralded mastery of folk/rock from the 21-year-old Drake. It did not receive much admiration at the time, but years later it garners tremendous praise. The last song “Saturday Sun” is a melancholic track, slow, sensual and constant, like delicate waves lightly touching a sun-drenched shoreline. The piano’s bluesy sentiment provides a strong opening. Drake’s mellow and gentle voice is indescribable. There is a sad beauty to it. You can almost hear his inner torture. The song leaves any listener stung by its calmness and full beauty.

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RX Bandits – Mandala

5 Jun


Hey everybody!

I haven’t posted in a bit. I’ve been busy finishing my semester as well as my album. I am happy to announce it is done! There is link to my website at the bottom. Unfortunately however, as you might know, once you finish something you instantly start three new things. So I currently have a lot of things floating around my mind, but today I set aside some time to bring you some good tunes! : D

I will be presenting to you a band and an album which is very dear to me. The album just happened to be there for me when I was going through a rough time in my life and for that I will always cherish it. ❤

That album, as you may have deduced by now, is Mandala by the RX Bandits. Now be warned, this music is highly experimental. It is nothing crazy, but it’s considered alternative rock/ska which I don’t believe is something that has been done yet. It also contains elements of math-rock which adds a layer of musical craziness. This is most likely the reason why it meshes with me so much. Not to mention, it’s also trippy as hell/heaven.

Off the bat take this song as an example:

That would be Mientras lo Veo Sonar, a lovingly nicknamed Spanish song. If you are reading this that means you peeled your eyes away from that beautiful album art. However, it barely encompasses the complexity of this song. A heavy electronic opening gives way to Spanish diction and an intense drum beat. Matt Embree, the singer, guitarist, producer, and general driving force behind the band, begins singing in Spanish. I have no clue what he is saying other than ‘requesta’… request?

The verse then flows into the chorus, the singing switches to English and an easy ska-ish beat takes over, allowing you to catch up and get into the rhythm. But before you get a chance to get comfortable the song drops into a trippy verse, the singing this time half-Spanish, half-English. The electronic effects are on just about every single instrument, phasing in and out like as if you’re flying through space.

One more short chorus occurs and then we get one of the trippiest, drawn-out, awesome trip-out endings ever.  I love the emphasis on “Good-bye” as it begins to envelope you. Because once the piano begins to play you realize you are not where you were. The drumming, physically impossible for one drummer to perform, is the only reminder of what you are listening to as you drift somewhere away. As it ends you realize that a new day is starting both epic and mysterious.

Refreshment for the soul.

Now consider this song:

Probably my favorite song off the album, Breakfast Cat delivers anything a person could ask from a band like this. The beginning is a wild flurry of who knows what. It quickly catches an odd beat and is justified when a guitar plays it in and a riff is formed out of it.  But you do not even get a chance to think, because this song changes just as a fast as it possibly can. Once again Matt on vocals, quickly ushers the music into a series of transition after transition.

It eventually leads nowhere and after a brief synth interlude it jumps back into the main instrumental chorus. The singing returns, now for a shorter period of time. As that ends, transitions again make the bulk of one of these make-shift verses. Robot noises and echoed vocals are a definite recipe for a great time.

The final sung chorus, the shortest of the three, warrants higher expectations. And deliver it does as a trip-down ensues that will make you higher than anything. It is the final culmination of endless tangents – beauty and nothingness. Be warned, because the ending of this song will force deep amounts of introspection upon you. But this is psychedelic music. What did you expect?

Just try to picture a fat cat angry that it has not been fed yet, purring and rubbing your feet one second, hissing the next. Perfect imagery in my opinion for this monster of a song. :p

This band, hailing from California, traditionally had its roots in ska, albeit a very alternative style of ska. As a result they have garnished a certain image, specifically from ska-haters. But their musical journey has taken them extremely far and this latest album is definitely one which breaks down genre-walls and speaks to a new type of crowd. And maybe it will get the haters to quit hating. Who knows?

I will most definitely be returning to this band to cover past albums. I will also link one more video of theirs from one of the more slower songs off the album at the bottom, but even these three songs cannot fully represent this masterpiece of an album.

Happy listening!

-oko

*Be warned* – my music is very very weird

http://okko.bandcamp.com/
&)

P.S. One more song – March of the Caterpillar

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