A Life Fueled by Music: Music

Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Yukon Blonde

This trio of musicians from Kelowna, BC moved to Vancouver last year to write their new album. The change of scenery and the life changes that came along with the move to BC's big center have really shaken things up for these three rockers. The Yukon Blonde are Jeff Innes (Guitar, Vocals), Brandon Scott (Guitar, Vocals) and Graham Jones (Drums, Vocals). The sound they are crafting is a mix of harmonies, poetic lyrics and tight, rocking instrumentation. At first listen, they sound like a mix of Fleet Foxes, The Shins, and Oasis. In this golden age of indie rock, this seems to be a recipe for guaranteed success. Their vocal harmonies come quite close to those of the foxes and their songs definitely have catchy beats and memorable guitar hooks. The lyrics are focused and upbeat with a touch of sunday afternoon melancholy that touches everyone in Vancouver on a rainy spring day in that gorgeous city.

Their first full album (the self titled Yukon Blonde) just came out here in Canada in February and the boys have been out on the road since then. Tour plans are being formulated for a massive Canada wide tour as well as forays south to America over the next year. This album is quite good for a debut record. I first heard of them when I was over at my mum's house listening to the new Vancouver rock radio station The Shore (104.3fm). They played the song 'Wind Blows' and I was instantly caught by how I thought their sound was reminiscent of CSNY or the Byrds crossed with a more updated, indie rock sound. The comparison to the Shins is easily audible when you check out their stuff. Stand out tracks for me on this record are 'Loyal Man' (which I think is the most classic rock sounding track and has an awesome chorus is quite catchy) and 'Wind Blows', which is fantastic and has vocal harmonies that seek to rival the Fleet Foxes. Perhaps my overall fave track on the album is 'Babies don't like Blue any more'. It is a totally rocking track that hits you with a nostalgia rock feeling in a similar way to how the music of Sam Roberts gets you grooving. It is a rocking track and the instrumentation is fun and tightly put together. Included for your listening pleasure is the album! check their stuff out, I think this is going to be a new addition to the blog. We are adding playlists for every article so I can share more music because that is what this is all about really. Sorry I have been absent this last week I have been quite under the weather. I am back with a vengeance now though so look out for a ton more articles coming soon!
-Tosho

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

#31 Searching for the main line with the Velvet Underground

Never in the history of rock has there ever been a band so hotly debated as the Velvet Underground. They are a group that you either love immensely or totally despise but either way, the Velvets always get a strong reaction. They were in many ways the first indie band and most often referred to as rocks first alternative band. To understand a bit more about that designation you have to realize that the Velvet Underground burst onto the scene in 1965. This was the era of the Beach Boys, and Sonny and Cher in the USA. These were the days when the Beatles were singing 'Eight Days a Week'. Meanwhile, in dingy apartments in some of the seedier parts of New York, Lou Reed and the band were beginning to write songs about heroin abuse, prostitution, sadomasochism and sexual deviancy.

Much of their instrumental sound was conceived by the groups multi instrumentalist and bass player John Cale. Together with Reed they crafted their sound around de tuning their guitars or by tuning each string on the guitar to the same note ( a technique Reed had 'invented' that he named Ostrich Tuning). John Cale was always very intrigued by using alternative ways of producing sound in music and was immediately interested in making music with Lou Reed who believed in the same approach towards writing lyrics. Cale used to love tuning his guitar way lower then normal because he thought it gave the music a lower, richer sound that he described as 'Sexy as hell'. His use of the Viola throughout the bands career, especially notable on tracks such as the terrific 'Venus in Furs' gave the band that awesome musical drone of notes that all seemed to blend together.

The Velvet Underground first began gaining prominence as the house band of Andy Warhol's Factory and at his Exploding Plastic Inevitable events. The initial lineup consisted of Lou Reed (vocals, lead guitar), John Cale (electric viola, piano, celesta, bass guitar, vocals), Sterling Morrison (rhythm guitar, bass guitar and vocals), Maureen Tucker (drums, percussion). Their constant musical experimentation and nihilistic outlook was pivotal in the rise of both punk rock, and later, alt rock. Their dark lyrics which were rooted in the work of beat poets such as William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg and the drugged loner artist look to the band helped shape the image of the band. The music of the Velvet underground which was highly simplistic and stripped down to the bare bones of rock. The overall sound was further laid down by Reed's deadpan, vacant vocals. Although they were never very commercially successful as a group, the Velvet Underground are generally recognized as one of the most influential groups in rock history. There had never been a band that so blatantly exploded the normative model of music like them. There are probably hundreds of artists and bands throughout the last 40 years that would never have formed if it weren't for the Velvets. Love them, or hate them, you have to admit that they sure left a mark on music for ever after.

My Fave Album:
- My fave Velvet Underground album would have to be their debut 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' from 1967. Not only is the album #13 on the Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, it is also one of my absolute faves. I first got into the Velvet Underground with this album when I was about 18. My great friend Joyce (who has been mentioned many times previous as the person who has gotten me into countless bands) lent me the cd of this fantastic album. This album also features the immensely talented Nico who was the muse of both Jim Morrison and Jimmy Page. She has one of the most unique sounding vocal styles of any musician I have ever heard. Her voice is overflowing in mellow, soft moaning passion that is so hypnotic it just seems to lure you away like the voices of mythical sirens. Check her out on tracks like Femme Fatale, or All Tomorrows Parties and you will see what I mean. Sunday Morning is an amazing track which blends the vocals of Reed and Nico with wondrous results. This album also has the drug opus Heroin, which showcases heroin use and abuse with a zest that no band had ever had the stones for before and few have since. This album is so full of amazing grooves and wonderful rich tones, while at the same time it is for the most part stripped down and minimalistic and primal. I highly recommend this album if you have never heard it before, but I will add, you will either love this or hate it.

Check out this rare video of the Velvets at work. This is Sunday Morning. Enjoy

Friday, March 19, 2010

Check out the Old Man's Beard

From the the deepest recesses of British Columbia's southern interior, the group Old Man's Beard began as a project for friends Michael Shaver (vocals and guitar) and Jesse Clarke (vocals, guitar, mandolin). Since forming their songwriting partnership in early 2008, Mike and Jesse have toured and worked hard to create a terrific album of original music that showcases both a catchy folk rock sound and the spirit of what it is to be a British Columbian. As a duo they have been exciting audiences with their unique live show consisting of a blend of reggae, boot-stompin' folk, and rock and roll. Over the last few years, the duo has evolved into a five-piece unit that includes Darrin Herting (bass), Leon Power (drums), and Stephanie Webster (vocals and additional percussion). Together, this five piece has built a sound complete with rich, home brewed harmonies, catchy rhythms and streamlined guitar work. After a winter of writing and recording, the band has released its first album, 'The River' and are currently touring in support of the disc. <

Old Man's Beard have had their song 'Dawson Bound' featured on the popular television show Daily Planet. Since mid-July, 'Tofino' (the song I first heard of theirs) has received play on CBC radio's province-wide program, All Points West. The group recently performed as part of the 2009 Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival and participated in the 2009 British Columbia Interior Music Awards (BCIMA) as a performer and nominee in the Best New Artist category. Old Man's Beard clearly love playing music together and this love of music is definitely helping to grow their fan base beyond BC's boarders to all across Canada. I first heard them earlier today after my mom sent me the Tofino song that she had heard off the radio. I really liked the track and dug some more of their stuff off the cbc and off their myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/oldmansbeardmusic

I really like the track Dawson Bound as well. The vocals on this track really seem to remind me of Brandon Boyd (Incubus) and that actually goes for the album as well. It is kind of an interesting mix of Incubus, Bedouin Soundclash, and the Fleet Foxes. The album is really good and totally catches the spirit of BC rock. I think this is a pretty awesome start for these guys from the interior and I hope this isn't the last we hear from them. If you like folk rock in the vein of the new folk revival that is happening then totally dig these guys, especially if you have dug the Fleet Foxes or Mumford & Sons articles that I have written lately.
Cheers all,
See you on Monday!
-Tosho
Check out this awesome live cut from a radio show performance in Medicine Hat.

Friday, February 26, 2010

#23 You, me, a bottle of wine and Mr. Al Green

If you want to hear some funky soul that will groove you to the depths of yourself, then maybe you should give a listen to Mr. Al Green. He has been performing music for over fifty years and is showing no signs of slowing down these days. There is just something about the music of Al Green that makes you want to stoke the fire, open up a bottle of wine with that special someone and have yourselves a groovy little evening if you catch my meaning. Green's debut album with Hi Records in 1969 was 'Green is Blues', a mellow, horn-driven album that allowed Green to show off his powerful and expressive voice. Since then he has released 27 studio albums to date, with a catalog that is a wide range of music including R&B, Soul, Blues, Funk and Pop.

Al Green has always been known for his wildly improvisational, ecstatic cries and moans that came directly from his love of gospel music. In the late-1970s he returned to the Baptist church as a preacher. He continues to record albums in a pop-gospel style and is now often referred to as the Reverend Al Green. It is awesome that this conversion did not force him to cut the close ties the singer had to the Memphis soul and music that made him famous. This spiritual shift was partly due to a crisis of the soul that Green had suffered in 1974 after he was hospitalized with second-degree burns on his back, arm, and stomach after a former girlfriend, Mary Woodson of New Jersey, had poured boiling grits on him while he was bathing in his Memphis home and then killed herself with his gun. Green referred to the incident as a wakeup call and it signified the change over to a more gospel sound for his future releases.

The writing of Al Green always revolves around love and passion which have always been at the root of soul music. Songs like 'I'm Still in Love with You', and 'L-O-V-E LOVE' are pretty self explanatory in their lyrical style. They come across as a very Marvin Gaye style but with a bit more depth and roots feeling to them. One of his songs that I really enjoy is 'Take Me To The River' off 1974's 'Al Green Explores Your Mind'. It is an extremely funky track that wasn't very famous at first but has since been covered by many different artists. In fact, quite a few people think that it is a Talking Heads song, whereas in actuality they did a cover of it. In 2004, 'Take Me to the River' was ranked number 117 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. In terms of entire albums you have to check out 1973's 'Call Me'. It is the sixth album by Green and is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Many critics and fans alike have hailed this album as one of the best soul albums ever made. He really breaks out of his own mold on this record and incorporates some country influences (He covers both Willie Nelson and Hank Williams on this album). Al often gets overlooked in the soul department but he really is one of the best there ever was. If you are looking for something to go with that wine and candle light, then I suggest you dig Al Green.

The Facts:

- Green received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
- In 2009, Al Green was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
- Al was kicked out of his first band 'The Greene brothers' by his own father after he was caught listening to the music of Jackie Wilson.

My Fave Album:

-'The Definitive Greatest Hits', was originally released in1975 as 'The Greatest Hits' and has consistently ranked as not just a well selling compilation but also as one of the best compiled 'greatest hits' albums in music history.It blew me away on the first listen through and remains my fave soul album to date. In 2003, the album was ranked number 52 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. This is a fantastic album and packs in over twenty of Green's funkiest, most soulful hits. This album easily stands alone and should be a must have in any collection of awesome tunes. The addition of 'Take Me To The River' makes this version way more worth it then the original 1975 package. It also contains 5 other tracks that are gold star additions to the mix. I highly recommend this album if you want to enjoy some funky good times.

Dig this live video of Al performing Let's Stay Together. This man is the KING of soul.

Monday, February 15, 2010

#16 Garage Rock demolition duo 'The Pack A.D.'

The Pack After Death, commonly known as the Pack A.D are an explosive band out of Vancouver BC's lower east side. The duo consists of Becky Black (guitar, singer,songwriter) and Maya Miller (drummer, songwriter). These two extremely talented musicians formed the group in 2006 and since then they have been rocking the hell outta the B.C. music scene and are starting to get worldwide attention. It's clear that these two are not going to remain unknown for very long and in my opinion, their work is some of the best stuff I have heard in a long time. They have that pure raw essence of what true garage rock is all about. Becky Black has a voice that rock has been missing for a long time. She sounds part Janis Joplin and part Jack White, with a little Patti Smith thrown in for good measure. You can feel the spirit of punk flowing through her as she howls and moans out the lyrics with such passion that you can tell she could really care less if you were even listening. Maya Miller thrashes the drums with an garage rock intensity we haven't really seen since Dave Grohl in his Nirvana days.

I sort of dug this music right off the bat, but the more I listen to it the more I love it. When I first heard one of their tracks on 'Grooveshark Radio' I thought it was the group 'Black Mountain, also of Vancouver, as both bands share a somewhat Garage/Blues-Rock feel to their music. Black Mountain however, tends to lean more towards Psychedelic Blues-Rock, while The Pack A.D tend to go for a more classic Garage Rock feel with a definite love of Blues and Punk. I really can't say enough about the soulful vocals of Becky Black. Her talent is downright scary for someone so young. It's as if you had a mix of Janis Joplin and Grace Slick and you used that hybrid to replace Jack White in the White Stripes. Her voice can sound as ancient as if she had sung straight blues for the last sixty years while at the drop of a hat she can totally switch it up to feisty garage punk rock with high energy and passion pouring out the microphone like a sonic landslide. This mixture gives their music so much depth that one can't help but become a fan. Very few bands that are out right now can do both harder edge rock and passionate blues at the same time and the fact that The Pack A.D. do it so flawlessly is as scary as it is awesome.

The self released debut CD 'Tintype' (2007), had Vancouverites with their ears to the speakers, begging for more. The record blasts out of the starting gate with the Heavy Blues Rock track 'Gold Rush'. The wild fury of Becky's guitar instantly hooks you and then she opens her mouth and lets loose with vocals powerful enough to really steal your soul. Tintype is a great mix of classic sounding blues like 'Cabin', but even on the most basic songs there is something more there. One listen to killer tracks like All Damn Day Long are enough to sell you on this amazing duo. The follow-up album, 'Funeral Mixtape' (2008), got the group reviews in almost every major music magazine (Uncut gave the album 4 stars). My fave quote was from a music critic down in Texas who said this of the duo "It’s like meeting a cute girl for the first time in junior high mixed with being run over by rusty ‘72 Ford pickup". You can't really disagree with him when you hear an album with such intense blues, punk, grind, thrash and a deep, soulful swagger that pretty much turns your admiration into a deep rooted lust with one listen. The first track 'Blackout', is a powerful bluesy rocker that hits you like a whiskey soaked brick to the face. The sweet guitar intro on 'I don't Have To Like You' sounds very reminiscent of Clapton on 'Ride the River' (off his collaborative album with JJ Cale 'Road to Escondido') is also a fave of mine off the album. I highly recommend this group to anyone who likes blues-rock or anyone who is a fan of bands like The White Stripes, Black Mountain or The Black Keys. Their new album 'We Kill Computers' is released on April 27th, 2010. Until then, stay tuned for more info on this fantastic local duo.

The Facts:
-Becky and Maya met in 2005 at the gas station where Becky was working in East Van, and they hit it off and decided to get some music happening.
- CBC radio announces that apparently they are big fans of soup....
-Sorry not a whole of facts so far they are a very cryptic band and still pretty new! Stay tuned tho!

My Fave Album:
-At this point I would have to go with 'Funeral Mix-Tape'. It is just so damn good I kind of want to listen to it again and again. I just bought it on vinyl so I am stoked to hear them in that format and not just on the computer. Stand out tracks are definitely 'Making Gestures' (the single), Blackout, Dannemora Blues and 'Wolves and Werewolves'. That being said, the entire album is very addictive and easy to listen to from start to finish.

Here is a clip of their video for the Making Gestures song. Dang I really like this track. Her vocals are so good its freaky!

Friday, February 12, 2010

#15 All aboard the Led Zeppelin

On 12 January 1969 Led Zeppelin released their first album to generally negative reviews but huge commercial success at the same time. It was pretty clear that the fans knew something that the critics didn't. For the time, this was something of an enigma. All the reviewers thought that Led Zeppelin had no future and at the same time they were dominating the airwaves and filling stadiums at a rapid pace. Over the years many of those critics have changed their minds and have admitted that Led Zeppelin consisted of more then 'Big hair and Bigger guitar solos'. Now, in 2010, Led Zeppelin is considered one of the greatest Rock bands in history. The band consisted of Jimmy Page (lead guitar), Robert Plant (lead vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums, percussion). They brilliantly crafted a sound that combined the fiery intensity of hard rock with the depth and soul of the American Blues greats. Led Zeppelin exploded into the 70's, practically redefining rock in the process. Their massive impact has extended through the years since they disbanded, influencing countless musicians from all over the world of Rock. Then and now, Led Zeppelin are one of the legendary bands for the ages. Their almost mystical power to evoke primal passions and their intense ability at creating musical and lyrical genius have kept fans wanting more for almost 40 years. The combination of Jimmy Page’s powerful, layered guitar work, Robert Plant’s trademark piercing vocals, John Paul Jones’ melodic bass playing and beautiful keyboard work, and of course, John Bonham’s epic, animalistic drumming (his style actually influenced Jim Henson to create the character 'Animal', the drummer on the Muppet show). Being so jam packed with talent definitely made them a band whose musical magic that has proved enchanting and irresistible.

When Jimi Page formed the band in 1968, his friend Keith Moon (of The Who) remarked that such a band 'would go down like a Lead Zeppelin' which of course gave Page the idea for what to name his new band. I thought it was cool when I read that Page intentionally misspelled the name as Led Zeppelin so that fans wouldn't mispronounce the name. It is one of those moments of Rock irony that the career of Led Zeppelin would be the exact opposite of what Moon had remarked. To me that stands up there with the record executive who turned down The Beatles, saying "No thanks, guitar groups are on the way out". In the 70's, Led Zeppelin became so huge that they were dubbed 'The Biggest Band In The World' and were often called the 'Beatles of the 70's' (something page would always deny, stating "Our music sounds nothing like theirs").

Time To Party:

The 70's saw them becoming incredibly rich and famous all over the globe. Their antics on tour began to become the stuff of myth and legends and what we now would consider the stereotypical Rock Star behavior. They traveled from gig to gig aboard a Jet airliner they renamed 'The Starship'. Rumors spread like wildfire about how they would rent out entire flors of their hotels and always trash their rooms, throwing Tv's out of the high windows. The debauchery was getting so ridiculous that they began to be banned for life from certain higher class hotels around the world. One story told how John Bonham rode a motorcycle down one of the hallways of a hotel during a massive hotel party. The passionate energy that the music was steeped in probably helped to create this mythic vision of Led Zeppelin as the rowdiest rockers in the world. They were crafting that famous slogan of 'Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll' and were living and breathing it as they took over the world with their loud, powerful music.
Sadly, the partying lifestyle took its toll and on the 24th of September 1980, John Bonham was found dead after having aspirated on his own vomit as a result of severe alcohol abuse. The surviving members of Led Zeppelin disbanded and released a statement saying "We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."

The Facts:
-Between 1969 and 1971 they released four of the greatest Rock albums in history (Led Zeppelin 1-4)
-Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and won the Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2005.
-Page was accused of plagiarism in the way he used material from the old Blues musicians of the American south. Over the years many have questioned the authenticity and identification in the music of Led Zeppelin (spawning the Homer Simpson quote "Look honey, there goes Jimmy Page, the greatest thief of American black music that ever walked the earth").
-Eight albums and one released after Bonham's death form the backbone of the Led Zeppelin discography.

Fave Album:
-My fave would be the infamous album with no name that was released in late 1971. This infamous album featured four symbols on the inner sleeve, each chosen by a member of the group to signify himself. Jimi Page explained that the cover art was intended to bring out a city/country dichotomy that had initially surfaced on their previous album, 'Led Zeppelin III'.
"It represented the change in the balance which was going on. There was the old countryman and the blocks of flats being knocked down. It was just a way of saying that we should look after the earth, not rape and pillage it. The cover was supposed to be something that was for other people to savour rather than for me to actually spell everything out, which would make the whole thing rather disappointing on that level of your own personal adventure into the music."

I think that is pretty well said in my opinion. This album is quite simply one of the most awesome albums in Rock. Every track on this album is pure gold and to have an album like that, where each track is so amazing, is pretty rare in any genre of music. The album bolts right out of the starting gate with the pumped up rocker 'Black Dog'. From there it carries right on into another explosive rocker 'Rock and Roll' before switching things up a bit and diving into a fantasy epic right out of Middle Earth with the folk rock tale 'The Battle of Evermore'. It finishes side one with a song that is arguably one of the greatest songs of the last hundred years, Led Zeppelin's opus 'Stairway to Heaven'. This song has been played so many times that many people can't stand it anymore and has been talked about to death so if you want to know more check out Stairway to Heaven. Just when you think it can't get any better, Side two begins with 'The Misty Mountain Hop', which is one of my fave Zep tracks (I totally dig Plant's vocals in this song). From there you get to hear one of the greatest drum intros ever as 'Four Sticks' begins. The next track 'Going to California' is mellow and beautiful. If you close your eyes, you can picture Robert Plant sitting on a stool with a smoke and a glass of wine, conjuring up this tale of the search for love like some sort of musical shaman (it's rumored that he wrote it about Joni Mitchell whom he and page were totally infatuated with at the time). The album closes with the only admitted cover song of the record 'When the Levee Breaks'. It was originally a blues song from the twenties that was written about the great flood of 1929 in Mississippi. This song starts off with another fantastic drum intro by John Bonham except this intro has way more power and kick to it. It sounds as if he is beating his drums half to death in the pursuit of perfection (which he achieves here). The harmonica on this track is staggering in its blues filled intensity, helping to give the song that extra something that turns it from good to great.

See you all on Monday and thanks for dropping by!

-Tosho

Here is an awesome live version of 'Going to California'

Monday, February 8, 2010

#11 The Hidden Legends... The Kinks

When the Kinks first landed on the British music scene in 1964, they were following on the heels of groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones but they were delving further into a frontier of Rock and Roll that was years ahead of its time. The Kinks were one of the early pioneers of both the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genres. Throughout the years the band has changed members quite often except for brothers Ray and Dave Davies who formed the core of the group. The group initially consisted of Ray (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dave (lead guitar, vocals), Pete Quaife (bass guitar, backup vocals), and Mick Avory (drums and percussion).The Davies brothers, while both being musical geniuses, were legendary for their never ending battles and constant fighting. They practically wrote the book on feuding brothers in a rock band decades before Oasis.

The decades long feud aside, Ray Davies is almost indisputably rock's most literate, witty and insightful songwriter, while Dave Davies on the other hand, is renowned for his edgy hard-rock style guitar playing many years before hard rock had really begun to surface. This incredibly tight band had so much talent that it went to their heads rather quickly and egos began to clash with often disastrous results as early as 1965. One of the more famous incidents involved Dave and Mick Avory getting into a fight on stage one night in Cardiff in 1965. After running through a ramped up version of "You Really Got Me", Davies insulted Avory and kicked over his drum set. Avory responded by hitting Davies in the back of the head with his hi-hat stand, rendering him unconscious, before fleeing from the scene, fearing that he had killed his band mate. Luckily, Davies lived and was taken to Cardiff Royal Infirmary, where he received 16 stitches to his head. These types of on stage violence, especially the ones between Ray and Dave (often degrading into on stage brawls), resulted in The Kinks becoming victims of a 1965 blacklist by the American Federation of Musicians.

This inability to tour America during the height of the 'British Invasion' kept them from attaining the vast commercial success of groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. This inability was a shame because it kept them in a sort of underground status for much of the mid sixties but definitely contributed to the growing cult following of The Kinks. Partly because of this, The Kinks remain unique among the first wave of the British Invasion bands. It is interesting if you think about it that The Beatles broke up because they couldn’t remain together. The Rolling Stones and The Who stayed together because they couldn’t afford to break up. Within the Kinks, the battling brothers Davies seemingly stayed together out of spite for each other, and to spite the radio stations that all but ignored the band after its initial string of AM hits. It was possibly this inability to cross over into America that contributed to the new direction the band started to take later in 1965 and early 1966. Whereas before there were the pulverizing rocker songs like the pre-punk 'You Really Got Me' and 'All Day And All Of The Night' which were full of primal energy combined with the berserk fury of Dave Davies’ guitar, there were now songs that began to feature lyrics rich in social commentary, and a unique tone of every day life in English village life.

These trends continued into 1968, with the band even retiring from touring in order to focus on their studio work much like the Beatles had done in 1966. This move resulted in the release of legendary album 'The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' which was a concept album and sort of the Kinks answer to 'Sgt Pepper' by The Beatles. While initially selling under 100,000 copies, it has gone on to become their greatest selling album and is recognized as one of the greatest concept albums of all time. The release of this album signaled a shift towards concept albums with increasingly story driven themes on their future releases during the rest of their thirty year span. Over the years, having gone from rowdy hit makers of the mid sixties to late Sixties cult heroes to bonafide arena-filling rock stars in the Seventies and Eighties, the Kinks are back to being a little under most peoples radar and have returned to their position as cult icons in the world of Rock.

The Facts:

- The Kinks remain the only band from the original British invasion with all the original members still alive.
-The career of The Kinks spanned more than 30 years between 1964 and 1996. In that time the group released 25 studio albums and had dozens of hit singles.
-All of the original members of The Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
-Rumors have been spreading since late 2008 that a Kinks reunion is in the works.... stay tuned in regards to that. I will let you know more as it develops.

My Fave Album:

- I would have to say my fave album is Lola. It is a really solid album from start to finish and the satire and scathing views on the music industry are awesome. From tracks such as 'The Moneygoround' about the greed in the music business having little to do with the music, to the epic song of road life and travel in 'This Time Tomorrow' to the phenomenal track 'Lola' which is without a doubt the most famous song about a romantic encounter with a transvestite in all of Rock history. That being said, every track on the album is gold and it is a very easy to recommend album.

Enjoy this awesome live version of 'Lola'!
see you folks tomorrow for new posts!
-Tosho

Friday, February 5, 2010

10# The Only Band That Ever Mattered... The Clash

"The Clash are the only band that ever mattered" recited more then a few famous music critics. This incredulous statement is very true in many ways. The Clash were Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, vocals), Paul Simonon (bass, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals) and Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion).While the Sex Pistols may have been the first Punk Rock group in the UK, it was The Clash that dominated the genre. If you are a serious punk rock fan, then you usually end up in one of the camps of the three godfathers of Punk Rock: The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and the Ramones. Honorable mention goes to groups like Iggy and the Stooges and Patty Smith. Why were the Clash so good?

The Clash Exploded onto the scene in 1976 with one of the greatest albums of all time. The self titled 'The Clash' is absolute Punk Rock Genius. The pure essence of the speed freak brain of punk with the tinniest most frantic guitars ever trapped on vinyl. When this album was released, lives were changed beyond recognition by it. Aside from being the 'Beatles of Punk Rock', they also showed their clear mastery of other genres as well. Their cover of 'Police and Thieves' showed that they could rock to the Reggae groove better then most bands. If you listen to the track, it is an amazingly good track. Simonon's bass line that pounds through the song like lightning bolts is by far the funkiest and most addictive bass line I have ever heard. The drum intro instantly affects you and makes you start air drumming uncontrollably. Mick Jones' guitar licks are as sticky as glue and reverberate and distort with that pure garage band style punk that we know and love.

It is so rare in music that a group of people this talented get together to make music. It's like if Beethoven had decided to write music with Mozart, with Chopin hanging out on the session for laughs. The Clash attack you from every angle, leaving you so musically stunned you are not even sure what has just happened to you. Joe Strummer, often referred to as Punk's poet laureate spits out his lyrics with such venom and energy that you become hypnotized as if you were staring into the cobra eyes of the punk gods themselves. Strummer's phenomenal lyrics were matched perfectly by Mick Jones' talent for instrumentation and his ability with a guitar. They were quite a legendary team and are definitely up there with Lennon/McCartney and Jagger/Richards. In fact they are so talented that you often forget the other guys. Headon is quite simply one of the greatest drummers I have ever heard. You can hear his awesome beats and rhythm rocking the song along at every turn, he anticipates the grooves being shot out from the machine gun of Simonon's Bass guitar and the two of them together form one of the greatest rhythm sections in Rock.

Lyrically, the band's music was often charged by a quite left leaning ideology. Joe Strummer, in particular, was a committed leftist. The Clash are credited with pioneering the advocacy of radical politics in punk rock. Like many early punk bands, The Clash protested against monarchy and aristocracy. However, unlike many of their peers, The Clash rejected the nihilism apparent in most of the other groups. Instead, they found solidarity with a number of contemporary liberation movements and were involved with such groups as the Anti-Nazi League which struck a chord within Strummer in particular (his brother who had always sided with Neo-Nazi groups in the UK, became estranged from the rest of the family and eventually committed suicide in 1970). In April 1978, The Clash headlined the Rock Against Racism concert in London's Victoria Park for an estimated 80,000 people.

The Facts:

- In the ten years they were together (1976-1986) they released six albums containing some of the greatest Punk Rock that has ever been.
- The first album (The Clash) is often regarded as the blueprint of all Punk Rock that would come after.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
- Having disbanded nearly six years earlier, The Clash scored their first #1 U.K. single with a reissued “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”

Fave Album:

-This might not come as a surprise if you have read the rest of this article. I am going to have to admit that their first album 'The Clash' is my fave. This explosive record was cut in three weekends and released in the UK in April 1977. It included such punk-rock anthems as “White Riot,” (which is one of the most amazing punk songs I've ever heard), “I’m So Bored With the U.S.A.” and “London’s Burning.” Their reworking of Junior Murvin’s reggae classic “Police & Thieves” is the historic signpost between the punk and reggae communities. The Clash has been called “archetypal, resplendent punk,” and it was one of those paradigm-shifting albums that forever altered the course of rock. Ironically, it was not initially released by the band’s American label, Epic, which deemed it “too crude.” (As a further irony, the label would later sticker Clash releases with the praise that started this article: “The Only Band That Matters.”) Word of mouth and favorable press made The Clash one of the best-selling imports in history and Epic released a bastardized version of the album in 1979.

Enjoy this little medley that took place in Manchester, UK in 1977. This is some fantastic stuff. The prime example of why these guys were the greatest Punk Rock band in history. The fiery intensity is a sight to see. Strummer in particular appears about to explode in parts... ENJOY!

Feel free to leave any comments.

Monday, February 1, 2010

#8 His Holiness..... Eric Clapton

"Clapton is God!" That legendary phrase originated from a scrawled graffiti, spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington subway station in the late autumn of 1967. At the time, it left the young 22 year old guitarist feeling quite embarrassed but it was a fairly accurate statement even then, in regards to Clapton's ability with the guitar. The man plays with such passion and complexity at a speed most guitarists only dream of. It is arguably said that Clapton is the greatest guitarist of all time (though some argue that Hendrix deserves that title). Although he has greatly varied his musical style over the years, it has always remained grounded in the Blues. Yet, in spite of this focus, he is credited as an innovator in a wide variety of genres including Blues-Rock and Psychedelic Rock. After Leaving John Mayall's band, he formed one of the worlds first super-groups 'Cream' and established his legendary skills with the high-volume blues jamming and extended solos of their live shows. In 1974 on his '461 Ocean Boulevard' album, he scored his first solo number one with the cover of Bob Marley's reggae hit 'I Shot The Sheriff' and is largely credited with helping reggae music break through to North American and European audiences.

One of the most interesting things about Eric is that he has always been as troubled in his life as he was gifted. This is a man who knows what pain and suffering is. When ever some one makes the blanket statement that 'No white guy can ever do the blues justice' I have to throw out the rebut "Umm, what about Clapton?".

Why does Eric sing the blues? Well for starters, he was born to a 16 year old mother who was impregnated by a Canadian soldier at the end of the war. His father then promptly left, returning to Canada and never knowing he had fathered a child. Eric was raised by his grandparents believing they were his parents and his mother was his older sister. Years later, his mother married another Canadian soldier, moved to Canada and left young Eric with his grandparents. At age 17 he was kicked out of art college and lived for a time as a busker before being able to get into a band that would have paying gigs. Around this time he began to indulge in alcohol and drugs, a past time that would turn to full blown substance abuse for the better part of the next twenty years. His drug taking and the fanatical devotion of his fans would cause him many personal problems over the years. Just after starting the super-group 'Derek and the Dominoes' with guitarist Duane Allman, he was devastated to learn of the accidental drug overdoes and death of Jimi Hendrix. Soon after this, when drugs and their clashing egos caused Duane Allman to leave 'Derek and the Dominoes' Clapton was devastated yet again when he heard of Allman's death in a motor cycle accident just a short time after exiting the group.

Clapton tried to keep busy for the next few years but began to decline due to the immense amount of heroin and other drugs and alcohol. With the help of Pete Townshend, Clapton underwent a controversial Electro-Acupuncture treatment which successfully rehabilitated him. This rehab was also due in part to Clapton finding God and converting to Christianity. It appeared that things were beginning to go better for Clapton and he eventually married his long time lover Pattie (who was George Harrison's wife... long story). Although clean from drugs, Clapton was beginning to become a serious alcoholic which plagued him for years to come. A few years later he had a daughter with his then mistress and was notorious for his womanizing. He finally admitted he was an alcoholic in early 1982 and on the flight to the treatment center, he helped himself to a great amount of drinks, for fear he may never be able to drink again. Clapton is quoted as saying from his autobiography, "In the lowest moments of my life, the only reason I didn't commit suicide was that I knew I wouldn't be able to drink anymore if I was dead. It was the only thing I thought was worth living for, and the idea that people were about to try and remove me from alcohol was so terrible that I drank and drank and drank, and they had to practically carry me into the clinic."

The drinking rehab was successful and things started to gradually improve for Clapton. He was clean from the years of substance abuse and had new love in his life (in 1986 his new girlfriend gave birth to his first son, Connor Clapton) and he was enjoying himself and his music again. Then in 1990 tragedy struck again, his new friend Stevie Ray Vaughan who was touring with Clapton, died in a helicopter crash between shows. The very next year, Clapton lost his son Connor when the child died after he fell out of a 53rd story window of a friends apartment building. If anyone has the rights to play the blues, it is Eric Clapton.

The Facts:

- Clapton is the only person ever to be inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (for the Yardbirds, Cream, and as a solo performer).

- 19 solo albums, 5 with the 'Yardbirds', 1 with John Mayall, 4 with 'Cream', 1 with 'Derek and the Dominoes', and a ton of other albums with many different artists over the years. For the full discography check out (Eric Clapton discography).

-Has played live with pretty much every huge musical figure of the last 50 years.

-Clapton is currently working on an album with former 'The Band' guitarist Robbie Robertson

Fave Album:

How do you pick a fave album from a guy who has had a career this gigantic? I love so much of it that I would have a hard time narrowing it down. I really enjoy his late 60's early 70's period (Cream and Derek and the Dominoes). I would have to say I probably enjoy Derek and the Dominoes' album 'Layla and other Assorted Love Songs' the most.

Layla is a fantastic album in my opinion. Most of the album's material is prompted from Clapton's unrequited affections for his close friend George Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd. This album also contains the song 'Layla' which is one of the greatest Rock and Roll tracks of all time. The song is inspired by Pattie and also from a persian story 'The story of Layla and Majnun' which is the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful, unavailable woman and who went crazy because he could not marry her which was pretty much the story for Clapton and his love for Pattie... or at least at the start (he eventually married her, and George had no hard feelings, he even played at their wedding). This album is so full of rich sounds you will wonder how you have lived so long without hearing it. The participation of Duane Allman on this record gave Clapton the chance to really bring some power to the record without unnecessarily calling attention to it. These two power houses of Rock battle neck to neck on this record (sometimes its hard to keep track of who is who) and the sessions bring out the best in them both, with Clapton's rumbling leads perfectly segueing into Allman's Lightning runs. The guitar battles on 'Why does love got to be so sad' alone make this one of the premiere guitar albums in all of rock. Dig this album my friends, it is a treat for your ears.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tosho's Top Ten Albums of 2009

#10 - Mos Def - The Extacic
Mos Def's 4th studio album dropped like a funky bomb onto the charts this year and while I am not a huge fan of his previous works, I found this album to be a delightful mix of older rap styles yet also showing a large amount of growth in the 36 year old hip hop artists career. This album is a gem that features several diverse musical styles, including Soul, Afrobeat, Jazz, Latin, and a generous helping of funky Groove beats. He’s out to show fans and non fans alike that he is still a universal ghetto advocate with unwavering respect and admiration for the streets of his hometown Brooklyn and the tradition of hip-hop itself. There’s still some classic Malcolm X speeches, Arabic prayers, and some Spanish style grooves, but injecting some new flavor in the record is production from indie luminaries J Dilla, Madlib, Oh No and the Neptune’s Chad Hugo as well as guest spots from the legendary, longtime collaborator Talib Kweil, West Coast neo-soul experimentalist Georgia Muldrow, and samples of legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti (one of my faves in the genre of world music).
This album was a refreshing amount of funk in a relatively lack luster 2009.

#9 - The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
The fifth album by Portland rockers The Decemberists merges further into the realm of heavy lyric based progressive rock sort of reminiscent of an acoustic Queensryche and is a classic style rock opera at heart. All the songs contribute to a unified narrative, similar to the use of recurring stories in 'The Crane Wife'. Songwriter Colin Meloy stated he originally intended the album to be a musical play. The plot features a woman named Margaret (voiced by Stark) who falls in love with a shape-shifting Forrest dweller named William (voiced by Meloy). A jealous forest queen and William's mother (voiced by Worden), the villainous Rake (also voiced by Meloy) and an ensemble of recurring characters bring conflict to the album's overall story arc. Its modest and mellow and easy to enjoy without any gross overproduction common to many so called rock operas. The album, while heavily story driven has still got enough going on musically that they could still pull it all off in a live setting. With guest vocals by Jim James (one of my fave artists at the moment), this album definitely wormed its way into my heart and made the top ten and is probably my fave of all their works so far.

#8 - Neil Young - Fork in the road
This album is getting back to the basics for Neil and is the first album of his I have really enjoyed since 2003's 'Greendale'. The theme this time around was inspired by Neil's car that was rebuilt to run on alternative energy . This album has a straight forward and honest feel to it. If rock music was a journalistic news program, this album would have been Neil's angry editorial. The subject matter of this fine rant? That, though not quite as boldly signposted as in his 'Living With War', it is still announced pretty plainly. I thought this use of a bit more subtlety makes for a more interesting listening experience as I thought 'Living with war' was a little over the top. The subject on this new album is the recession here in North America and it’s a topic Young chooses to address using one of his most consuming passions, an everyman metaphor: the love of cars. I was really glad when I heard this album because while it was not a fave in terms of Neils work, it was a step up from the majority of the stuff he has done in the last few years (see Chrome Dreams 2, or Prairie Wind). It was also way better then a lot of the stuff that has been released by the majority of artists this year. Neil is proving once again that the greats from the classic rock era still have something to offer and many thanks to them for that because they are still out there keeping rock alive, at least for the moment.

#7 - Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall
It's no secret that Punk Rock has been sucking serious ass for quite a while now. Rancid are one of the only bands in existence right now that I would actually qualify as 'Punk Revivalists' The boys released this dynamite record (their 7th and their first in six years) in June of 2009. This album is what I love about a classic punk record. It is stuffed full of 3 chord awesomeness and the energy of a side street biker brawl. It gets you moving and up out of your seat ready for mischief. You get the feeling that something off the wall is coming, sort of like your trapped in an early 90's generation x' movie. The simple minimalistic guitar chords, and the power punk drum beats are totally late 70's classic punk style that a thousand albums could be spawned from. The main driving focus here remains the teeth-shattering street punk bombast that has been the group’s calling card for over 15 years. There are plenty of musical and stylistic left turns on this album that will surprise longtime fans while enticing new listeners to harbor a new appreciation for Rancid. 'Let the Dominoes Fall' definitely deserves a warm welcome in a year that had such wishy washy wannabe post 9/11 Punk.

#6 - Mason Jennings - Blood of Man
On his 8th and best album to date, Jennings begins to delve much darker. This is something I have been hoping he would try out for a while. 'Blood of Man' draws forth haunting tales of madness, addiction and loss, accompanied perfectly with warm, gritty electric guitar riffs and raw, powerful vocals. This wonderful addition to his previous works was conceived, written and recorded over the span of a few short weeks and really gives off that raw unpolished feel that helps make it a classic. It comes across as very genuine and straight from the heart which makes it easy to listen to. A great album for putting on on a rainy Sunday and curling up with a book or a cup of hot chocolate. I really liked this quote from Mason about this album: ''I wrote about how hard it is to be 34 and be a parent and sane and married and true and positive and yourself and a man and funny and a decent person and a not decent person and human and in love. I turned the music up so loud so often that my ears rang every night. I wrote about death, of course. I wrote about life. I wrote about pain and addiction. And I let it flow and left it raw. I worked fast and I let my heart lead. What you have is exactly the music I listen to in my van and the way I have given it to my friends on CD-Rs. My hope is that it can help where help is needed. Music saved my life and I am so grateful for it. Thank you for listening. Rock.''
Fair enough Mason, its a great album and thank you for writing it.

#5 - Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom (live)
This album is an instant classic and if you haven't had a chance to listen to it you should do so at once. I have heard from a few different people that have seen Tom Waits live, that this album is as close to the real deal as you can get. Tom is one of that rarest breed of artists who occupies a place that is truly unique in all of music. His career is now into its fourth decade and just as strong as ever. With that unmistakable voice, Waits adopts numerous variations of the down-on-his-luck vagabond drifter persona that he brings to life with his songs in a way few others can match. He brings it all to life perfectly on this record. The songs fit together so well and are faves from all over the last thirty years. His career has seen him take on the role of everything from carnival barker to bohemian beat-poet, to seedy piano-bar lounge singer. This live album comes from Waits' sold out 2008 tour across the states that gathered massive critical acclaim and saw Waits playing in cities he has never played before (you can hear him clearly enjoying himself). The songs, which come from all over the tour, are handpicked by Waits himself and lend a personal feel to the selection of the tracks. This is a great album to check out if you have never really given Waits much of a chance before as it is a very listener friendly album. I highly recommend it to fans of Toms, or anyone who is looking to get into a fantastic and very rare type of musician.

#4 - Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
Following on the heels of his 2007 grammy winning comeback album 'Dirt Farmer', Levon has brought the same crew back for this wonderful followup record. While this album doesn’t stray far from its predecessor’s template, it continues to recapture the voice and persona that animated The Band landmarks like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. The musical palette, however, is wider this time round, emphasizing the breadth of Helm’s interests rather than the stuff of his roots. This album has a bit of urgency to it, possibly having to do with Helm's battle with (and victory over) throat cancer. This album bounces out of the starting gate declaring that it's time to party! Overall, Helm’s recent work embraces the past alongside the present in a way that is inviting, joyous, and thoroughly satisfying. It proves once again that there have been few vocalists in the past 50 years of popular music who project such a natural authority as Levon Helm.

#3 - The Tragically Hip - We Are The Same
OK, I seriously enjoyed this album. This is a moodier, quieter and prettier affair than usual, with slower, more passionate songs, more acoustic guitars and plenty of grooves. The album as a whole has a more outdoors feel to it. It's like the sort of Hip Album you would hear the boys turn out around a campfire one mid summer night in Ontario. This album might have turned off a few Hip purists out there by being a bit of a departure from earlier work but if you want early hip go toss on 'Road Apples' or 'Day For Night' and rock on, but if you want to see a fantastic band that is not afraid to progress and show growth you will dig this record. In many ways it reminds me of the 'Phantom Power' album with its mellow grooves and easy, natural feel. The boys are still a bunch of proud Canadians with songs like the last recluse' that contain the lyrics
"Who are you. the last recluse? Who are you the last Canadian goose"
While some might put this album down, I think that after 26 years together, 11 studio albums and a reputation as one of the best live shows ever, it is a true sign of greatness that the Tragically Hip’s 12th album sounds as fresh, strong and relevant as anything they’ve ever done.

#2 - Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
Dylan, who turned 68 in May of '09, has never sounded as ravaged, pissed off and lusty, all at once, as he does on 'Together Through Life'. I usually describe this album to friends as carrying on from 'Modern Times' but showing that Dylan wasn't afraid to get a bit more down and dirty with it. Bob and his crew stopped by my area on their 'Modern Times' tour and in my opinion he is at the top of his game right now. There is an unmistakeably grim magnetism coursing through these 10 new songs and most of it is captured in Dylan's vividly battered vocals. Above everything this is a record about love, its absence and its remembrance. It all comes through brilliantly in such a way that I instantly fell in love with this album. 'Together Through Life' was generally hailed as one of the best records Dylan has released in years (should I mention it's his 46th?). The warmth of this album is uncanny. It is as if you are curled up in front of a fireplace in a rocking chair listening to him play you these songs that he had just written. A feeling of roughness plays through the record, as if many of the tracks were first takes that just worked so well they left them at that. Dylan's throat has never been anyone's idea of clear and soaring. But he has always stated that as a young folk singer, he strained to sound older and more sorely tested than he was, as if he had known the hard times of the Great Depression firsthand. He's finally there, with an authentically pitted instrument ideally suited to the devastated settings of these songs and the rusted farm-shed production present in this phenomenal album.

#1 - Monsters of Folk- Monsters of Folk
In a year that saw me gradually listening to more and more folk rock sounds, this album was both a great surprise and a much needed album. When I heard that My Morning Jacket's front man Jim James was releasing an album with long time friends Connor Oberst and Mike Mogis, I was sufficiently stoked to say the least. I did some checking and found it interesting that the band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members' main projects, Monsters of Folk did not wrap up their first album until 2009. It was WELL worth the wait! Of all the so called 'Super Groups' that are springing up lately (Chickenfoot and Them Crooked Vultures to name a few), Monsters of Folk are really the only one that could be called super. So well favoured was this album that they were referred to by certain critics as this generations 'Traveling Wilburys' (although they sort of sound a bit more reminiscent of CSNY). After the first listen, the only flaw that I could see was that Jim James had only brought 5 songs to the mix here, but after another listen that turned into a plus because this album has helped me get into the work of Connor Oberst who brings some of my fave tracks to this album (Ahead of the curve in particular). Everyone shines on this record, although James, whose lead vocals open and close the set, beams brightest. The eclecticism of his latest 'My Morning Jacket' sounds are brought into sharper focus by the company of his new bandmates. I am hoping this is the start of much more to come for the Monsters. This album shows off the talents of these four men at the top of their respective games but creates something here that is greater then the sum of their individual parts.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

#7 The Thin White Duke himself... David Bowie

The year was 1966 and a young man named David Robert Jones went to London's UFO club to see local psychedelic band 'The Pink Floyd'. As young David listened and watched the lead singer Syd Barrett, with his wild, tangled hair singing of transvestites and gnomes and play, he remarked to himself that he had never seen a man on stage wearing dark eye makeup the way Syd did. Through the influence their music and Syd's image and stage presence had upon him, David would go on to become one of the greatest and most influential Rock icons in all of Rock history. In late 1966 he chose "Bowie" for his stage name, after the Alamo hero ' Jim Bowie' and his famous 'Bowie Knife'. David Bowie was born there in the underground clubs of mid sixties London.

One of the Hallmarks of all Rock performers is to create a singular image that defines them as an artist. David Bowie, as a musician, performer and song writer defies this convention completely. He would become known throughout his career for continuously re-inventing himself and his art at seemingly sound breaking speeds. He has gathered a lot of criticism over the years for his seemingly total disregard for music genre loyalty and his love for combining the most un-likely sorts of music styles with his 'end of days' subject matter. While the critics may have at first despised him for this, in time they began to praise him for it. He would painstakingly create these often legendary characters only to completely deconstruct them in order to make way for a new one.

In 1969, Bowie had his first hit with his 'Space Oddity' about a 'Major Tom' going on a journey to space. This is one of my fave Bowie songs of all time. It has a great melody and is a very mellow song about adventuring in space. What's not to like about psychedelic astronaut songs? Of course, it is always up for interpretation:
-It can be seen as a story of an astronaut that has become lost, far from home and can no longer see any hope in human race. Feeling estranged not wanting to return home, he decides to get lost in eternal space.
-Or you can see it as a big metaphor for some serious hard drug use (it WAS 1969, and this is Bowie we are talking about.. just saying...).

His history of drug use reads like a primer on debauchery. Bowie has been quoted saying "It left me with emotional damage. My mind is like Swiss cheese. There are unbelievable holes in my memory" from substance abuse, and explained that he "can't remember, for instance, any of 1975." When his buddy, fellow rocker Iggy Pop was in a psychiatric hospital in 1975, Bowie and actor Dennis Hopper smuggled drugs inside. Bowie later recalled: "We thought we should bring him some drugs, because he probably hadn't had any for days."
His Heroin and Cocaine use were legendary in the 70's. At one point Bowie admitted that during a portion of 1974 he survived on a diet of Red Peppers, Cocaine and Milk. During this peak of his drug taking the 5'10" rock star weighed a meager 95 lbs.

His fame really started taking off with the release of the incredible album 'Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'. The Ziggy Stardust character became the basis for Bowie's first large-scale tour beginning in 1972, where he donned his famous flaming red mullet and wild outfits. The tour featured a three-piece band representing The Spiders from Mars: Mick Ronson on guitar,Trevor Bolder on bass, and Woody Woodmansey on drums.

(Had to show Ziggy Stardust Bowie... its classic).

This was Bowie’s first tour to visit the US, making his first appearance on 22 September 1972 at Music Hall in Cleavland Ohio. The album made number five in the UK on the strength of the number ten placing of the single 'Starman'. Their success made Bowie a star, and soon the six-month-old 'Hunky Dory' eclipsed 'Ziggy Stardust'.

The Facts:

-The David Bowie Discography is comprised of 25 studio albums, 8 live albums and 45 compilation albums and sets.
-Many different incarnations including: Ziggy Stardust; Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack, The Thin White Duke and even as Jared the Goblin King!
-All Hail Sir Bowie! (Sir David was knighted in 2003)
-Rocking on. David was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1996.
-Apresentação Sr. Bowie! (in 2005, Brazilian musician Seu Jorje did the soundtrack for the Wes Anderson film "The Life Aquatic" which featured a soundtrack of Bowie covers in Portuguese!
-My orange tabby cat is named 'David Bowie'

My Fave Album:

-My fave album would have to be 'Ziggy Stardust'
The album presents, albeit vaguely, the story of "Ziggy Stardust," the human manifestation of an alien being who is attempting to present humanity with a message of hope in the last five years of its existence. Ziggy Stardust is the definitive rock star: sexually promiscuous, wild in drug intake and with a message, ultimately, of peace and love; but he is destroyed both by his own excesses of drugs and sex, and by the fans he inspired. Its a terrific work and well worth checking out if you haven't already

Thanks for reading folks!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

#6 Canada's House Band, The Tragically Hip

In Canada we pride ourselves on our distinctiveness and our unique identity in regards to the rest of this world. Canada has Maple Syrup, Tuques, Kraft Dinner, Canadian Beer, and the Tragically Hip.

Growing up in Canada over the last twenty years, you tend to develop a soft spot for these five small town boys from Kingston, Ontario. If Canada was like its joking stereotype with one small city and the rest of the country just open land and scattered farms and igloo's, then when all of us Canadians gathered each Friday night in downtown Canada to have some fun at the bar drinking our Canuck beer, The Tragically Hip would be the house band that would take the stage in between periods of the Hockey game.

Getting their name from the 1981 movie 'Elephant Parts' starring Michael Nesmith (of the Monkies), 'The Hip' as they are more affectionatley referred to, all attended the same high school together but didn't officially form the band until 1983. The band got their start touring the demanding southern Ontario club circuit and became a favourite on this scene very quickly playing mostly cover tunes with a few originals thrown in that sounded like covers. They consist of: Gordon Downie (lead vocals and guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar and vocals), Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass guitar and vocals), and Johnny Fay (drums). Gordon Downie supplies the fantastic lyrics that have made The Hip legendary across Canada.

The songs they have created speak of what it is to be Canadian, with influences from Canadian folk legends, historical moments, hockey, and almost every other aspect of our culture. Downie's writing of such myths and stories about life in small town Canada have helped build that image that is known from Vancouver to St. Johns. We all feel like the Hip are 'Our Band' in a way. The music of the Hip is very distinctively Canadian, which may be a reason why they have never really seemed to catch on south of the border, but is also the reason that Canadians have stood by them for so long. We can all see ourselves in it. They are singing about Our culture and they are doing it with intelligence and eloquence with an introspective feel that we can all appreciate.

The Hip soon became known for their energetic and often very improvisational live performances. Downie often strays from the song lyrics to rant to the audience or wander off into fictitious monologues and lunatic conversations about the microphone stand or the crowd itself as if the whole audience were a friend or lover or child. His maddening fits that sometimes include hacking and bashing the microphone stand to pieces are perfectly contrasted by the fact that the band keeps up with him and anticipates his apparent lunacy without missing the beat for a second and then merging back into the song perfectly with him down the line. A live Hip show is really something to see. You can see the visible stress making him sweat buckets and turn his face a fiery red as if he were about to explode from the power of the music. Rob Baker shreds that guitar with fiery intensity, seldom smiling, and completely focussed on his instrument. The man is a real pro, it's really impressive how his guitar licks are so integral to the songs but not up front taking away from the other instrumentation. The fact that they have known each other since childhood is easily visible on stage, and the audience can clearly see that these 5 guys love playing music together, which is really cool after almost 30 years together and counting. Their latest album released in April of '09 entitled 'We Are The Same' debuted at #1 on the Canadian Music charts. I hope we continue to see and hear the Hip for a long time to come because when it gets right down to it, when your having a few beers at the bar watching the hockey game, you gotta have some hip thrown in to top off the night.

The Facts:

-They also hold the record for most number one albums on the Canadian Albums Chart with a total of eight reaching the pole position.
-Over 14 Juno Awards between 1990 and 2009
-Twelve Studio Albums and a Live Album since 1987
-Fantastic party music, goes great with beer.

My Fave Album:

While I have to admit I really dig most of their discography, one album definitely stands out for me. 'Phantom Power' released in 1998, is a totally dynamite album. From start to finish it blends that fantastic canadian party rock sound with softer folk songs rich with imagery. The whole thing feels like a really complete piece of music, not just a bunch of tracks thrown together for marketing purposes or contractual obligations. It won the Juno for best rock album and it's single 'Bobcaygeon' won single of the year. It is in my opinion one of their greatest works to date. Songs like 'Something On' and 'Poets' are catchy and have a great beat as well as fantastic pieces of writing from Downie. The band recorded the song 'Something On' while stuck in the studio during the infamous ice storm of 1998 that brought havoc to much of North-Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and the North-Eastern United States. This had an effect on the lyrical creation within the song, such as:
:"Outside there's hectic action
The ice is covering the trees
And one of em's interconnecting,
With my Chevrolet Caprice."

'Bocaygeon', the single that won them the Juno that year, is a terrific song about love in small town Canada and the choices that we have to sometimes make in our lives. It is beautiful lyrically, and has simple yet wonderfully rich melodies that make it one of the most famous and best-loved songs the band has recorded.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

# 5 Horror stories meet Hard Rock with White Zombie

Alright, I know what you are about to say to me.

"Tosh, White Zombie is NOT rock!"

Well you are wrong my friends. White Zombie was founded in 1985 by writer, vocalist, and graphic artist, Rob Zombie. Back then White Zombie was riding the forefront of the new Post-Punk revival called Noise-Rock which had its roots as far back as the 1960's. Here is a quick intro into what exactly Noise Rock is defined as.

NOISE ROCK: This sub-genre which came to strength in the late 70's early 80's makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of the rock that we know, but incorporates dissonance, wild feedback and extreme distortion and also frequently discards what is considered usual songwriting conventions. Noise Rock groups have a confrontational performance style which mirrors the aggression often found throughout their music. The roots of Noise Rock go back to bands like Hendrix, The Who, Neil Young, and the Velvet Underground.

White Zombie in particular was very heavily influenced by earlier Noise Rock bands such as the Butthole Surfers and Blag Flag. Their first studio album 'Soul Crusher' (1987) was loud, fast and full of angst. You can feel echoes of bands like MC5 in between the notes on this album and while it met with little commercial success it was given high praise by other musicians including Iggy Pop and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Kurt Cobain praised this early period of White Zombie as one of the biggest influences of his career. This album was also the start of Rob using old horror 'b movie' sound clips in the tracks, which became a signature of White Zombie's sound in later albums. Interestingly, Rob chose to write songs that had no basis in real life unlike most musicians who write about themselves or their place in the world. Rob chose to write songs like horror movies or old spooky stories. It was all about creating a new experience in rock and roll. This love of creation poured out into everything else that Rob would do in his later career. He often did all the art included with their albums and would as time go by go more and more over board in terms of set design for their live shows. I remember seeing him solo as Rob Zombie, in Vancouver when he had first started out solo on the Hellbilly Deluxe tour, and still to this day I have never seen so much theatrics at a rock show. Huge twenty foot stilt monsters, strippers descending on ropes from the ceiling, him painted up like a Zombie monster cruising around the stage in a devil mobile go cart contraption. I remember thinking 'Now THIS is ROCK!' to myself in between explosions of fire balls that kept leaping up out of the stage front.

As time went by, White Zombie started moving further out into the realms beyond rock into Metal but they still kept experimental artistic influences, fusing their past into their future creating what would be known as Groove-Metal, or Funk Metal. Its great stuff and their is nothing in Rock or Metal quite like the rich Grooves and fast furious pace that are found in White Zombie. White Zombie was only active between 1985 and 1998 but in between released some of the most terrific and strange sounds ever to grace our ears. Songs with titles such as: "Die Zombie Die"; "Welcome to Planet Motherfucker"; "Super Charger Heaven"; and "El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama" are just a few of the examples of Rob's great songwriting ability. A great track from their early days is "Black Sunshine" that the band had Iggy Pop come into the studio to help out on (he does the fantastic intro). Unfortunatley in 1998 Rob dissolved the band in order to go solo as Rob Zombie although shortly after he released the epic work that was the fantastic album "Hellbilly Deluxe" which is one of my fave albums of all time. Pure story rock that is as fun as dressing up and going to a Halloween party full of psychedelic crazies.

The Facts:
-The band got its name from the Movie of the same name starring Bela Lugosi (1932)
-Only 2 mainstream albums in their 13 year timespan; La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992) and Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995) which was often just referred to as Astro-Creep 2000
-Rob drew the entire peyote scene in the movie 'Beavis and Butthead do America'

My Fave Album:

-It would have to be the Astro-Creep 2000. I have loved that album since I was 15 (and in my rebellious phase). There has never been a better way to rebel against your parents then to buy an album cover with zombie punks on it, not to mention track names like: 'Blood, Milk, and Sky'; 'I, Zombie'; 'Grease Paint and Monkey Brains'; and 'More Human Then Human'.
-It has some of my fave songs they ever did. 'More Human Then Human' and 'Super Charger Heaven' are some amazing tracks and the whole album is just a lot of fun. A great album to drive by or to throw on when you need to pump things up a bit. It may seem to some people like "Devil Music" but to anyone who is a grown up and has a rational mind White Zombie is just a lot of fun and no deep meaning, that's why Rob wrote it like that, its just like stories, it has no basis on life, in fact in real life Rob is quite soft spoken and is a vegetarian folks. Its the same as Alice Cooper or Black Sabbath. Its for a show, its to make music more then music. Its all about creating the experience.

Dig this track, and check for Iggy doing the intro.
-Taker easy folks thanks for reading.