"Know Your Rights" - As Relevant A Song Today As Ever

This is a public service announcement! With a bloooooggg...

Way back in 1982, rock band The Clash released a song called "Know Your Rights." It is the first song on their best-selling Combat Rock album. Many of you have probably heard it at one time or another, although it's not as popular a tune from the album as, say, "Rock the Casbah" or "Should I Stay Or Should I Go."

Artwork for the song on a t-shirt. (C) Marc Osborn

None the less, it's an extraordinary song that absolutely scorches out an alternative view of the western world. You just don't hear songs this cutting, this brave and this - as it turns out - accurate. Not today or even back then. I guess that's why The Clash is often called "the only band that matters."

In any case, it's not a tune you hear unless you seek it out. No time for such serious business when the world can be distracted by fluffy, electronic confections of pitch-corrected nothingness.

But even more impressive is that - and this occurred to me while listing to the song on my iPod while running a treadmill as the news filled the nearby TV screen - that despite its age, "Know Your Rights" is still dead on relevant today as it ever was. It's a song that can still be turned up and blasted loudly and people will relate...or should.

You can see and hear a live performance of the song by The Clash HERE.

So that you get my point, however, lets revisit the lyrics as written by the late great Joe Strummer to see what I mean. Here is the first verse...

Know your rights! All three of them.

Number one, you have the right not to be killed

Murder is a crime, unless it was done by a policeman or an aristocrat.

Hmm. Does that sound familiar in 2014? Ferguson, Missouri anyone? Or, how about the born-rich George W. Bush and the Haliburton-rich Dick Cheney leading the USA into a falsely-premised war in Iraq...killing thousands of Americans and Iraqis who otherwise would not have died?

Or how about verse two...

And number two, you have the right to food money

Providing of course you don't mind a little investigation, humiliation 

And if you cross your fingers, rehabilitation

Sounds like today's right wing and its ongoing, calculated ridicule, despise and marginalization of the poor and any program meant to help them help them out of poverty. As their propaganda goes, the poor are 100% percent to blame for their situation and why should anyone - particularly the rich or the government - pay one thin dime to help them? They are "takers" after all.

And finally, verse three...

Number three, you have the right to free speech

As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it

The "Occupy" movement seems to be a good example of this. Sure, the initial protests happened, but the biggest one in NYC was shut down by the cops on a city ordinance technicality. I remember one protester sign said something like, "If authorities enforced Wall Street regulation like it does park ordinances, there would be no economic crisis." Touche. Also, this third verse evokes the more recent Ferguson, MO situation again where cops armed with military weapons swept up the street of protesters, arrested journalists and imposed a curfew on all citizens.

So there you go. Find this song. Give it a listen. Think about the words. Think about how this type of perspective on the world is so sorely missing in the "shout your opponent down" mentality of today's cable TV and non-political entertainment machine.

That is all.

My All Time Favorite Rock Albums

I just watched a great documentary on the history of the rock band AC/DC. In it, the makers of the film were asserting - among other things - that Back In Black is one of the best rock albums ever made.

I cannot disagree. In fact, I whole heartily agree! I remember one day back in an ancient time called the 1980s, I was in high school talking music with an acquaintance of mine before class started and this guy - who was a very non-rock Goth type - said to me that Back In Black was a "must have" album for anyone, regardless of what type of music they liked. I'd heard Back in Black the song...along with Shook Me All Night Long. But, based on this dude's strong and seemingly against-type recommendation, I invested in the full Back In Black Album. Glad I did.

Not much longer, I had another friend who was deep into AC/DC and through him I heard all their albums as we cruised the suburban streets of Bellevue, WA...on the way to or escaping from any number of teenage escapades.

Anyway, I love me some AC/DC and by all means Back In Black is an all-time best album.

And that got me thinking, what other rock music do I own that I think is absolutely seminal, must have, go-to-my-grave great?

Well, below is my list. In no ranked order, these are albums that I personally find to be the very best from my years on Earth and appealing to my taste.

Call it my own personal "desert island disc" list if you want. Any way you slice it, these are are my very favorites full albums because - for me - they deliver the goods across an entire set. Sure, there are other singles or compilations that I love along with these, not to mention other albums that I like and listen to a lot, but in sticking with the inspiration of Back In Black, these are my favorite full albums:

• Back In Black - AC/DC
• London Calling - The Clash
• The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers
• Endless Summer - The Beach Boys (a compilation...but a huge, impressive and defining one)
• Revolver - The Beatles
• Rubber Soul - The Beatles
• Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• Parklife - Blur
• In Utero - Nirvana
• Vitology - Pearl Jam
• Euphoric Heartbreak - Glasvegas
• Global A-Go-Go - Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
• Wolf's Law - The Joy Formidable
• Mona - Mona
• Nothing To Fear - Oingo Boingo
• I Didn't See It Coming - The Professionals 
• Never Mind the Bollocks - Sex Pistols
• Album - Public Image Limited
• Hot Rocks I and II - The Rolling Stones (again, a MAJOR compilation)
• Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll - Social Distortion
• Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden
• Built for Speed - Stray Cats
• Snapshot - The Strypes
• Zooropa - U2 (that's right people, Zooropa. Not all those others that everybody loves. I like those too, but I LOVE the U2 sound and approach to this one.)
• Elgin Avenue Breakdown - The 101'ers

So there you go. See something you've never heard of? Check it out!

Mona Rocks the Chop Suey in Seattle

I went to see the band Mona last night at Chop Suey in Seattle. Below is a not-so-great shot I took in the very dark club...

Mona Live in Seattle - Oct. 21, 2013

For those of you who have not heard of Mona, they're an up-and-coming rock band out of Nashville who have attained a large audience in the UK and are now trying to build one here in their home country.

You can read my review of their recently released second album HERE.

I've seen these guys a number of times in Seattle and once in NYC and they always deliver the goods - great, melodic, loud rock and roll with hints of U2, Johnny Cash, the Clash and other great acts.

And, having met the guys in the band a few times at the bar...I can also say they're cool dudes to boot.

Check 'em out.

Glasvegas Release New Album: Later...When The TV Turns To Static

Scottish band Glasvegas have released their third album. It's a 10 song set titled Later...When the TV Turns to Static. I've been listening to it now for a week or so, and below is a review. You can see my previous reviews of their Glasvegas and Euphoric Heartbreak albums.

Lets start with the album name as Glasvegas main man James Allan puts a lot of thought into song and album titles. The name references a time gone by and hour of the night that used to be very solitary for anyone up all night and alone. That's right, at one time people, there were only a handful of channels on TV and at about midnight most or all of them went off the air. Yep. No programing overnight. Just static. But more than referencing the past, with the title I think Allan is trying to use nostalgia or remembrance of a now-gone nightly event to make a point  about human emotion. Specifically, that moment when the TV goes off (or did) and you were left alone, in the dark with your thoughts with only the blank canvas of the TV static to stare at and project our feelings. That's my take on it. I remember those times.

Album cover of Later...When the TV Turns to Static

Taken as a whole, this album is a serious affair with themes and music that for the most part make you think rather than tap your toe. Allan is one of the more gifted lyricists going these days in my opinion, and on this new album he is plumbing the depths of his ideas. This ends up meaning that Later... is the type of album you'd listen to loudly on your home stereo by yourself after dark with your drink of choice in hand instead of bopping along to in your convertible on a sunny road trip.

Don't get me wrong, each song has something musically interesting about it, but as an entire body of work I think it's honest to say that this is an alternative music album and not at pop rock album. Don't expect Fallout Boy, Muse or My Chemical Romance here. And this is great to me. In fact, this is one thing I like best about Glasvegas. The world is full of standard issue pop rock bands, but this group works its guts out to give you something more to ponder...and yes, it turns out there are a couple toe tappers anyway.

Here are the songs on the disc with some comments from me...

Later...When the TV Turns to Static. "Only I can turn things the other way." The album opener is a return to unusual or alternative themes for songs that Glasvegas explored on their debut a few years ago. Instead of a song about love, a girl (or boy) or what have you, this one is best I can tell about a guy in prison reflecting on what it is like to be locked up and what his hopes are behind those "prison fences and defenses" as he thinks about what must be going on back on his home street and house. Or is he actually now out of prison and back up on the edge of his bed "up in the attic?" Either way, the point is made. The loneliness of isolation and the hope of overcoming a tragedy or major life mistake are well communicated - whether behind prison walls or freshly released but equally sequestered in a dark attic. And yeah, the image of that late night time when the TV goes to static does evoke the feeling well.

As for the music, this is an atmospheric mid-paced song that has a solid wall of guitar from Rab Allan raging below the surface and punctuated with occasional feedback and noise as James Allan's voice soars over the top. Binding it together are the steady bass and drum work by Paul Donoghue and Jonna Lofgren respectiviely. This is a solid start to the album and a "grower" song that you will like more and more as you listen to it.

Youngblood. "Off the edge of the cliff goes the vehicle carrying something happy." Starting with some electronic noises and guitar squeal, this one is a spikier tune right off the bat as a thudding bass and sharp drums join quickly. Over the course of the song, the music builds and builds so that by the end this one is in full loud rocking mode before tapering back to the electric noises that began the tune. The subject of the song seems to be about a young love just finished and the hurt that goes with the separation - realizing that while the hurt is real, it's also "part of growing up." The "youngblood" reference seems to be the other person in the now-defunct relationship, recognizing that this person will probably love and leave again.

Glasvegas Publicity Picture

Choices. "I don't want to be told, but independence is hard to hold." OK, this song is a downer. To me. Well done, but a downer. Why? Well, this song is about how someone is at the end of their rope in virtually all aspects of their life and the fact that they still have "choices" - implied possibly as either killing themselves or perhaps some other (hopefully more positive) changes. No matter which way you go on that, it's a pretty depressing lyric. Combine that with the slow, sparse music and vocal delivery and, well, lets just say this ain't "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys. Probably not one I'll listen to very often.

All I Want Is My Baby. "It's all about the money, money, money." Normally you would think a song about "wanting my baby" would be about someone desiring their lover. But this is Glasvegas, so it is about wanting custody of a daughter from an abusive and bad-behaving former lover. Yep, "all I want is my baby." Literally. In the song, the voice exoriates a former partner for her hypocrisy, for the embarrassment she's putting him through and asks if she has ever heard of karma. It also seems that paying off the woman is maybe something she has suggested as a way of seeing the daughter again.

Meantime, this is back to the mid-paced tempo of the first couple songs after the downturn with "Choices."

Secret Truth. If "Choices" was depressing, then "Secret Truth" is haunting. Musically, this one's more up tempo and follows "All I Want Is My Baby" well. This is a lament about a relationship lost, and it seems to be saying that even though the singer instigated the breakup, he wishes they had not. That's the secret truth. Or I suppose you could take it the other way and the secret truth is that while the breakup was painful it was perhaps all for the best. Either way, it makes you think about the decisions you make in life and what the real truths are behind those decisions. We may display our motivations publicly, but we also may have - and often do have - "secret" truths around what we do.

I'd Rather Be Dead (Than Be With You). "You showed me what this world can do." The title of this song is right up there with Glasvegas' early Christmas album song called "F*^%k You, It's Over" as brutally honest and clear song title.

A piano driven song without much other instrumentation, the title of this one says it all. Someone has been done horribly wrong by a lover and is not happy about it. Someday - maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon - the guilt and the consequences of other person's actions are going to be real. Does this mean the protagonist is going to attack the other person, harm themselves or simply that a heap load of negative karma is going to catch up to the other person? Who knows. But, remember, he'd rather be dead than be with her.

Magazine. "How could I not see that what I was looking for was inside of me already." This is an

Glasvegas on stage

interesting one, and pretty straight forward. The first half of the song is a bout someone who is empty, does not like themselves and searching for answers of all different kinds...and finds what appears to be those answers in the form of a famous person on the cover of a magazine. An image, an attitude to emulate. Trying to be like that hero in the magazine appears to be the way to fill up his spirit and provide an identity. But then, halfway into the tune, the protagonist suddenly realizes how shallow that really is...that the only way to really be happy is to be ones self, love ones self and realize what he's looking for is already inside him - not in a magazine, not in religion or in the approval of others. He puts the magazine on the shelf and gets on with life.

The music matches this more upbeat message and "Magazine" is indeed one of the more accessible tunes on the album. Thumbs up.

If. "If our love was ever to part ways, the world as I know it would never ever spin again." Musically and lyrically, this is full on Glasvegas in all their glory and the star of this album. Get it. It's also clearly the most poppy, commercial song on the album. Hear the song and see the video HERE (short ad in front of the video).

The binary premise of the song is that without one extreme, how would we even know the opposite extreme existed. If not for this, we wouldn't have that. It takes one side of things to truly know the other - making both real. For example, in one line James Allan sings, "If not for dark, how could I recognize the spark. If not for evil, the kind man would walk by invisible."

Much of the rest of the song uses the same juxtaposition of things (sun/rain, Mary/the devil, etc.) to make the point, culminating several times with the crescendo chorus that if "our love would ever part ways" the world would surely end - simultaneously implying that a love shared and active keeps the world turning. For anyone who is or ever has been in love - either short term lust and longing or lifelong love - this is the ultimate and personal payoff on the "if" theme of the song and for that it packs a powerful emotion punch.

Mid-way through, the song re-trenches with what I'd call a tip o' the hat to the Talking Heads using a wordplay on that group's song "Road to Nowhere" - flipping it on its head to be on the more positive "road to somewhere." It then seamlessly picks back up into the main riff and finishes.

Musically, I'd call this a mid-paced rock song featuring Rab Allan's shimmery guitar and "oooh, ahhh" backing vocals, a galloping drum beat from Joanna Lofgren to move things along and solid bass work from Paul Donoghue. I'd compare it to earlier Glasvegas songs such as "Geraldine" or "The World Is Yours" - both excellent tunes.

Neon Bedroom. "Between your four walls, I picture myself there soon." This song is about a young student who has an anonymous infatuation with an older person. The student goes so far as regularly walking past the older person's house after dark and seeing the TV flicking - casting a shadow of the person and making them wonder what it's like inside that house and how they'd like to be there with this older person. Teenage fascination and desire.

And, up and until about 3/4 the way through the song you think this must be a young teenage guy lusting and longing for a slightly older woman. This is easy to understand certainly because of Allan's male voice. But then he sings out, "I'll be a woman soon." So...the character is a girl, not a boy. Is the focus of her attention and older guy? A woman? We don't know. And that's probably by design. What's left is clear though...this young person is aching for her adult future and, in this moment, hoping it's with this person on her street.

This is not the only time Allan has used his straight, male voice to tell the story of others not like him. Two songs on their previous album, Euphoric Heartbreak, communicate feelings from the perspective of a closeted gay man. And on their debut album, Allan voices "I am Geraldine, I'm your social worker." I like this. It's bold. It opens up many stories to tell and feelings to express for Glasvegas that would not be possible by creating songs strictly from the straight, white, male perspective. 

Finished Sympathy. "Sick to death of the means to an end." I think this one is about the final, crushing realization that something - a relationship or perhaps innocence - is over. Done and dusted. There is no longer even sympathy from those involved, just...the finished finality of things. Over. And it hurts at least one party as expressed by the singing voice of James Allan with backing voice provided by Rab Allan.

Previously released as a sparse demo on the band's If EP earlier this year, the song appears here with more fireworks. I like the change. It takes the song from being primarily a piano ballad to a song drenched in guitar sounds and a number of musical and vocal crescendos that punctuate the theme of the song and keeps it moving along nicely.

WHAT TO GET

• Download now - If, Magazine, Later...When the TV Turns to Static, Youngblood, Finished Sypathy
• Want more? Try these - All I Want is My Baby, Neon Bedroom

ALSO

Glasvegas has three albums out now, along with a Christmas EP. Below is a 15 song set of what I would consider the best songs from those releases. If inclined, you could put these together for a great "album" of music. All are available on iTunes:

1. Geraldine
2. Go Square Go
3. It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
4. Daddy's Gone
5. Flowers and Football Tops
6. Euphoric Heartbreak
7. Lots Sometimes
8. Dream Dream Dreaming
9. The World Is Yours
10. Whatever Hurts You Through the Night
11. Cruel Moon
12. A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)
13. If
14. Magazine
15. Finished Sympathy

Mona Releases Second Album - Torches & Pitchforks

Nashville based band Mona is a group I've been keeping my eyes and ears on over the last year or two. Why? Well, they are new outfit that seems to capture what I think is great about rock and roll - rebellion, style, energy, commitment and above all...great tunes. Turns out, you CAN still get great music from a bass, drum kit, two guitars and a lot of conviction.

I've seen Mona twice in Seattle and once in New York City, and each time these guys don't disappoint. And, they are approachable off stage as I was fortunate enough to meet each member of the band at some point at one of the shows I attended. Good guys.

Torches & Pitchforks Album Cover

In any case, they just released their second album titled Torches & Pitchforks. That's right, as in the villagers out en mass at night to find and kill the village monster - holding aloft sharp pitchforks and flaming torches as they march forward on their mission. So which is Mona, the enraged villagers or the monster?  Maybe a bit of both. Or, perhaps when you listen to this album about standing your ground, reaching for the stars, the sadness of depleted or lost love (or lost opportunity), the excitement of lust and seeking truth in life....they are neither, but rather the energy, spirit or mania that fuels both righteous mob or cornered monster.

You can decide for yourself by listening to their album. If it helps, below are my thoughts on the songs - which Mona have arranged in three parts with interesting interlude sections in between.

REVIEW

Intro. "From the depths of the Earth." This is first of three "interlude" pieces that divide Torches & Pitchforks into three parts. And, it's actually not a song sung by Mona. Rather, it's an excerpt from an old-timey gospel piece, complete with scratchy record sound, called "Born to Serve the Lord" and performed by The Chapel Keys. I like it. Mona definitely plumbs nostalgia in its lyrics and style and has toyed with the salvation and hypocrisies of religion. So, it's a fitting intro to set the stage for what is to come.

Wasted. "Do you believe in God? No, but I still pray." The title and subject of this song plays with a double meanings of "wasted." On one hand, the lyrics suggest a drug addict and his girl trying to come to grips with their situation, seek salvation and then resigning themselves to the fact that, well, it's too late already...full speed ahead! But on the other hand, it suggests two people "wasting" their lives in dead end situations...seeking something bigger and more exciting and ultimately not being afraid to take a big leap to get out, to avoid ultimately wasting away. Or at least that's my interpretation.

Musically, this one kicks off the album proper with a good, fitting rock song Mona style. Nick Brown's powerful, soulful voice sings out and howls over a driving and rumbling accompaniment though the intro, crescendo, breakdown and back to a powerful ending. While this song is perhaps a bit "Mona by the numbers," the song kicks off the album with a burst of energy. It does the trick for me.


2013 Publicity Photo of Mona, main man Nick Brown in middle

Truth. "Oh the nine to five, got you weary souled." A baseline from Zach Lindsey starts this one off with a piano joining next, then a guitar, a deliberately paced drum, lead guitar and ultimately the singing voice to build into a song that's shows some diversity of style for the band. Best I can tell, this one talks about someone who is fed up with the fake and superficial trappings of life, but who is also partnered with someone who is either unaware of the shallowness of those things or indulges in them out of fear. The singer is seeking "truth," but is weighed down by someone who is not or cannot. And what does that ultimately mean? Seems like by the end of the song, the main character has decided to go it alone, with "nothing now" - which is liberating, but also raises the question of "who am I?"

Darlin'. "Don't leave me darlin'." That pretty much summarizes the theme of this song - don't leave me baby! Is it just for the night or forever? Could be either. In any case, this is a stand-out track to me. A jaunty guitar line starts this one out with drums and a second guitar kicking it up a notch as the song moves quickly into almost throw back rockabilly vibe...all of which morphs into more of a rock presentation a la The Strokes and finally ends on a much slower and isolated lament...closing with, "I came here to see you, but you walked out the door." This is a bit of a change up for Mona and for that I like it. The tune sticks in your head and, well, the message is universal. We've all been there at one point or another.

Goons. "Baby I need it all." This is the rebellious first single from the album and has been out for a while now. The title is a take on something Frank Sinatra said when he was asked about the initial wave of rock and roll back in the 1950s. He said in part, "It's sung, played and written, for the most part, by cretinous goons." Mona seem to be taunting The Chairman of the Board by saying, "Hell yeah...you're right. We ARE those goons...and we want it all!"

Freeway. "I don't want to be the one that leaves." Lyrically, this one is nothing particularly new - perhaps a deeper version of the previous song, Darlin'. Basically, its a guy saying he and his girl have been through a lot and perhaps the end is near, but none the less he does not want to be the one to end things. Musically though, the song is compelling and pulls a the heart strings with a soulful delivery by Brown and thoughtful, moving music to go with it.

Interlude (Don't Cry). "Everyone's on the dash, trying to get it and pile up all the cash, baby it won't last...that's not the way it seems to be with me." This second short buffer segment is Mona this time and introduces what I think is the best third of this album. On this short segment, Nick Brown sings to a ukulele accompaniment and nice breezy backing vocals from the rest of the guys on this pleasantly subdued little track. What's he singing about? A guy who is rejecting the normal pursuits in life and telling his girl not to cry too much about it. I think.

Torches & Pitchforks. "Say what you need to say, you gotta get it right." OK, now we're really talking. This one is the best on the album in my book. Up to now we've had some good songs that are fun to listen to or make you think a little with Darlin' being the highlight to me. But with T&P the band steps up their game and shifts up a gear or two - full Mona style. Baby we got it all: heartfelt delivery by Nick Brown, epic and catchy music, soulful background singers and a theme about facing your fears instead of running - saying what you need to say, doing what you need to do in the face of whatever "torches and pitchforks" are coming your way. A+ work.

Mona on stage in Seattle. Photo taken by Marc Osborn.

Like You Do. "Everybody talks and nobody listens." This is strong musically - catchy and even has a few flashes of synth on it - but lyrically we're back to holding on to precarious love and what may need to change - a theme now done a couple times already on the album. However, I like this one quite well and taking it together with the other songs in this section of the album, it fits nicely.

Cross the Line. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but as you're talking I feel my hand turning into a fist." More good stuff! Mona jump into scrappy, greasy, "don't mess with me" territory on this song. Guitar riffing with a piano and driving drum beat kick this song off on a promising note and it turns out...yep, kick ass song. "Back the F*#%K off. What's mine is mine and you are not going to take it, man." That's the message on this noisy, straining song. Dead serious lyrical delivery exploding into a ripping chorus by Brown leaves you convinced he ain't fooling around.

Me Under. "I'm going everything but nice and slow." At times I hear a bit of U2 in Mona, and this song is like that to me. And it's good. It's an expansive tune that starts off with a racing spare guitar and builds quickly into a song that is, best I can tell, about coming of age and a guy who wants to...needs too...feel unconstrained, unencumbered to lash out at (or embrace) all that the world has to offer. And he does not want anyone dragging him under. He wants to go down to the river to wash himself clean of his burdens and go forward from there - at full speed. I rate this song as right up there as best on the album. Strong work from the band.

Interlude (Waiter). "Tell me, waiter...did you get that girl's name?" This is the third interlude bit on the album. It's pretty short and too the point: Hey, I just met (or saw) a girl that amazed me, but I didn't get her name. Anyone know who she is?

Late Night. "It's gonna be a late night she said." This is a song about a girl who is, unfortunately, driven to sell her body for money and the tragedy that this is...the girl knowing she should be somewhere else, doing something (anything) else than her sad realization of what she has to do to pay her bills. In only one line in the song, there is the implication that there is someone outside of this Hell that she wants to "stay near," but that is the only lifeline of hope...the rest is the solid truth that she is stuck in her situation with no seeming way out.

Sounds bleak. And yeah, that's bleak stuff. But, Mona deliver this message in a touching song that messages sympathy for the girl.

L.L.L. This song picks up the anti-conformity sentiment of "Torches & Pitchforks," "Truth" and "Cross the Line" from earlier in the album. It also is another song that has some U2ish elements. With the up-tempo music and rapid and righteous delivery from Brown about "living like lovers" and fighting the good fight, I like this one. But, it isn't quite up to par with those other "I fought the law" songs on this album already. Good, not great.

Love Divine. "Even when it's fair, life's not fair." At almost seven minutes, this is easily the longest song on the album. It's an ambitious affair with piano, synths and a few change ups in pace from slow and quite to loud and rage-y - all centered around mid-tempo backbone. The theme of the song seems to be about pushing past life's pains and traumas to find something real...but honestly the lyrics are all over the place, ending with Brown exalting that "you will find me down on my knees" as the sound of the album fades out over the same crackley record sound it began on.

WHAT TO GET
I'm usually in the camp of getting an entire album by an artist, and I'd recommend that for Torches & Pitchforks too. But, in case you just want to sample a few songs to see if you like Mona, below are some recommendations.

Download Now:

• Torches & Pitchforks
• Me Under
• Cross the Line
• Darlin'

Want more? Get These:

• Like You Do
• Freeway
• Late Night

An Unexpected Kick Butt Gig In NYC - Volbeat



Volbeat Live in NYC (I took this shot)

This week I was in NYC for a couple days for work. Usually when I'm there, evenings are taken up with team or work-related dinners and that's about it. However...luckily...one of my colleagues decided he wanted to check out a band he'd heard of who was playing that night right near where we all were staying.

Excellent. So, we went. The name of the band is Volbeat. I had not heard of them before, but my buddy Pavan had and he also knew that they were on the bill at an upcoming rock festival he would be attending. So, he wanted to hear them to see if they were any good.



Volbeat Perform an Encore in NYC (Pavan took this shot)

Turns out, Volbeat is a tight rock and roll band. They're from Denmark, but you wouldn't know it based on how the singer sounded. I'd say the band nicely combine heavy metal, rockabilly and occasionally some touches of epic melodic rock. In any case - this was good stuff and it was fun to see them. Where we saw them was a below ground venue near Times Square called the Best Buy Theater. All I can say is, while I had not head of Volbeat...apparently a LOT of other people had because the place was jam packed. A blogger's review is HERE.

You can also see video of varying quality of the show we attended HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. I did not shoot the videos.

Other than the front man, the band weren't much to look at stylistically - just dudes in different degrees of black jeans (or in one guy's case shorts) and black shirts. But, the main singer/guitar player did have a look - black leather pants, white shirt, black leather vest with a sheriff star on it and slicked back hair. To me, it looked like he was cribbing his style from London Calling era Joe Strummer. Not a bad choice.

All of which is to say that sometimes great rock and roll memories are unexpected ones - gigs or sets you see that you were not expecting to and then you're pleasantly surprised. Such was the case with Volbeat.

 Unfortunately, they just performed in Seattle, so I won't be able to see them any time soon again. But, I'll be checking them out on iTunes.If you like your rock and roll heavy...but not too heavy...I say you should too.

New Music for 2013

Well, it's been a while. Between the holidays, a super crazy start to 2013 at work and getting pretty dang sick...I haven't had time or inclination to post much.

But, the plan is still the same as previous years people. That's right, I fully intend to post my own music reviews, comments on politics, travelogues, gig reports, pictures and more.

To start things off, I thought I'd touch on a few bands who are coming out with new music this year that I'm looking forward to. Are these the most popular bands in U.S. or the world? No, not really. But many "big" bands are really over rated anyway.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

• The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law (out now). Power trio from Wales with a great female lead singer.
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Specter at the Feast (March 19). Dark SF band with killer hooks. Single "Let the Day Begin" can be heard HERE.
• British Sea Power - Machineries of Joy (April 1). Art noise spliced with melodic rock. Check it out. 
• The Courteeners - Anna (April 2) New single "Lose Control" can be heard (and seen) HERE. Straight modern British rock. Good stuff.
• Mona - album title and release date still to be released, but expected in 2013. Great Nashville band doling out rock and roll as it should be.
• Glasvagas - Later...When the TV Turns to Static (date still TBD). Some info HERE. For readers of this blog, you know I love Glasvegas.
• The Static Jacks - album name and release date TBD, but expected in 2013. This is a lively band out of NJ that you should check out for a rush of great rock emo goodness. 

And of course, if even a few of these bands get to Seattle in 2013, you know I'll be there. 

My GIGS Book

Here is a book I created recently using photos I took at local shows and text from posts from this blog.

I think the title and sub-head of the book says it all - GIGS: Live Music, Small Camera, Low Light...Rock & Roll.

Check it out!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own personalized photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Finding Good Modern Rock and Roll

For anyone interested in rock and roll music, the USA is a wasteland...or at least that the way it seems. For example, look at a recent Billboard "Hot 100" list of songs.

By my count, there are only THREE performers on that list that even come close to rock and roll - Coldplay, Foster the People, and the Black Keys. You'll never mistake any of them for AC/DC, the Who, Chili Peppers, the Clash or similar. But, they are at least on the outer edges of being rock and roll. Other than that, it's all soul divas, techno synth rap, some country and, well, that's about it. 97 percent of the list is that.

Sure, there are "legacy" acts that still find success even if they aren't on a hot 100 list. You know, U2, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Metallica and similar. But people, these are bands who came into being and fame a good 20-30 years ago. Whatever they do now - good or bad - tends to be hailed as "rock is still alive." I don't think so. I think it says that some people from 30 years ago really are talented and have continued to come up with quality rock that nostalgia hounds continue to eat up. Hell, I'm one of them.

But, this does not mean rock is still "alive" in my opinion. For that, it would take new groups with new songs regenerating the form anew pretty regularly. You don't see that much...at least not on the surface of things.

This leaves me often wondering where the good, new rock and roll is. I'm talking about new music by bands or performers starting out now...or within the last few years lets say. Turns out: a) it's out there, but b) it's hard to find.

Indeed, you have to do some homework, take a few risks and explore to find them. You have to, as Joe Strummer said, be "diggin' the new."

With that in mind, below are several new/recent bands that I've invested time in and think are the real deal. They key to me is that while they all exhibit their influences, they bring something new to the table in their sound primarily. I've done the work so you don't have to...

• Mona - a combo of sounds from this band out of Nashville, this is a modern, new, talented, legit rock band in the best sense of it.
• Howler - gritty with some pop hooks, this Minneapolis band is just coming on the scene and I'm liking them.
• Funeral Party - rock and roll from today's Los Angeles - not a re-hash of 1980s Whiskey A Go Go Sunset Strip big hair LA rock.
• The Gaslight Anthem - NJ band belting out well crafted rock using just the basics - guitar, drums, bass and heart felt vocals. The real deal.
• Glasvegas - thoughtful, epic, emotional rock that takes on issues far beyond the normal set of topics.
• British Sea Power - arty, angular, powerful rock music put together with sometimes odd and disconnected lyrical themes. Makes you think.
• The Courteeners - from Manchester, this band's sound is somewhere between Oasis and Blur with a little Morrissey drama thrown in.
• The Joy Formidable - female lead singer and guitarist belting out a powerful rock that reminds me a bit of Nirvana, but slightly more poppy.

Will we be talking about any of these bands in 10-20 years? Likely not given the odds of what it takes the "break trough" especially in the musical environment of the USA. But, that's not exactly the point I'm trying to make. No, I'm saying...real, vital and new rock and roll is indeed around. It lives in the moment, on stage and online rather than on the radio. You have to look to find it. But when you do, it's just as "alive" as ever. Get going people.  Rock on.

Mona Gig in NYC

I went to see one of my currently favorite bands, Mona, while on a business trip to NYC this week. The gig was at the Mercury Lounge and it was a flamin' show.

Mona is one of these bands that is doling out legit, cool, thoughful rock and roll. Also, at this stage of their career, they are very accessible guys. I've spoken to each member of the band a couple times at their gigs and to a man they are approachable, glad to talk for a few minutes and thank you for coming to see them.

Obviously I'm sold. You can read a concise review of the NYC gig that I 100% agree with from someone else who was there at THIS blog.

Pictures of the show this week that were taken by someone else can be seen HERE.

Here are a couple shots I took of the band when they played in Seattle in 2011...

Best Rock Music From 2011

Best new rock and roll of 2011

Below are a few new rock bands I found in 2011 that I really liked. Also listed are new sets of music by already existing bands that are worth a listen in my opinion.

New Bands, New Music

• Mona - Mona
• Funeral Party - The Golden Age of Knowhere
• The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

Older Bands, New Music

• Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
• Social Distortion - Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes 
• British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall 
• Glasvegas - Euphoric Heartbreak
• The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions

If you're someone asking "where has my rock and roll gone?" the above from 2011 may start helping you answer the question.

Nine Year Rememberance: Strummer Wisdom

It is hard to believe nine years have gone by since one of my all time heroes, Joe Strummer, died of a heart defect at age 50. For those of you who don't know who Joe was, he was primarily a guy who turned his back on what was expected out of a young man back in the 1970s and turned himself into an icon of rock and roll rebellion - making his fame as the singer and chief lyric writer for The Clash. Based on that huge early success, he went on to act in a few movies (check out Mystery Train and Straight to Hell) and a music career leading bands like Latino Rockabilly War (late 1980s) and The Mescaleros (late 90s and early 00s). More info on the Mescaleros HERE.

A strong opponent of the scary UK right wing politics of the late 70s, Strummer carved out status as a passionate left-of-center hero to many. He was also one of the first artists to make his music production carbon neutral and was an early and eager supporter of the organization Future Forests - now called The Carbon Neutral Company. After his death, his wife set up Strummerville, a non-profit organization that helps unsighed artists with practice space and support.

Strummer, born name John Mellor, was one of those guys who combined intellect, in inherent (and healthy) scepticism for authority, a desire for personal rebellion, charisma, looks and cool style. For me, it's that first part - intellect - that is crucial to Joe becoming a favorite to me. Indeed, Strummer challenged the status quo, asked people to question their situation, question authority, stand up for themselves and do things for themselves instead of relying on others. (Left: Strummer in NYC in 1981. Picture by Bob Gruen.)

All that being said, in the end I think one of the best ways to remember Strummer is through his words. As a lyric writer, he was a man of words after all. With that, here are just a few things Joe either wrote, sang or said that I think deliver truth and, in most cases, are still highly relevant today...

"All the power in the ands of the people rich enough to buy it...while we walk the streets, too chicken to even try it. Everbody's doing just what their told to and nobody wants to go to jail." - from the song White Riot

“Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control and it didn't have any inherent wisdom." - Joe's observations on authority in the movie Let's Rock Again

"If you're out there getting the honey, then you don't go killing all the bees." - from the song Johnny Appleseed

"You have the right to free speech...as long as, you're not dumb enough to actually try it." - from the song Know Your Rights

"You grow up and you calm down, you start wearing blue and brown and working for the clampdown. No man born with a living soul is working for the clampdown." - from the song Clampdown

“And so now I'd like to say - people can change anything they want to. And that means everything in the world. People are running about following their little tracks - I am one of them. But we've all got to stop just following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything - this is something that I'm beginning to learn. People are out there doing bad things to each other. That's because they've been dehumanised. It's time to take the humanity back into the center of the ring and follow that for a time. Greed, it ain't going anywhere. They should have that in a big billboard across Times Square. Without people you're nothing. That's my spiel.” - from Joe's radio program and re-used in the movie about his life, The Future Is Unwritten

 
"The future is unwritten." - Joe observation

 
"You should get to know your town like I know mine." - from the song City of the Dead
 
"I have people come up to me and say, because of your band I decided to finish school, because of your band I majored in political science." - Joe's comments about Clash fans

"'Cause the wild side of life is one that you need." - from the song Midnight to Stevens

(Right: An older Strummer with his last band, the Mescaleros. Picture taken by ???)

"I think we're going to have to forget about the radio and just go back to word of mouth."

"When you blame yourself, you learn from it. If you blame someone else, you don't learn nothing, cause hey, it's not your fault, it's his fault, over there.” - Joe observation about music and radio

"Monday's coming like a jail on wheels!" - from the song 48 Hours

When asked by someone if he'd rather be a ticket collector or a garbage man, Strummer said, "A garbage man because at least then you would move about town and see people." - from the movie Lets Rock Again

Music by Joe Strummer that you should check out:

• The Clash - London Calling
• Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Global A Go Go
• The 101'ers - Elgin Avenue Breakdown

There is also a great biography of Strummer called "Redemption Song" by Chris Saleowitz that gives you the full spectrum of the man's life and personality.

And you can check Joe out in a documentary film about his life titled "The Future Is Unwritten."

Gig Report - Mona in Seattle

One of the new and upcoming bands I've been keeping and eye and ear on is a Nashville-based group called Mona.

They play what I'd call "rock and roll." What? You not familiar with that type of music?  Unfortunately, U.S. music fans and music labels have in large part turned their back on rock and roll these days in preference for hip-hop, dance music, country (or what passes for it these days), diva singers, pop songs and similar fluffy genres. So, that's pretty much all you see and hear on the radio, packaged up for you to buy on iTunes or (where they exist any more) featured in music stores. You have to go out of  your way to find good rock and roll. And indeed, bands like Mona have to go to the U.K. to get gigs, build up a reputation, make some money and get an album produced.

However, they took time out from trying to make it in the U.K. to play as the opening act for a short portion of a U.S. tour by a band called The Airborne Toxic Event. One of the stops was Seattle, so me and a buddy went to go check out Mona at the Showbox SoDo Wednesday evening. You know, a chance to see a new band up close. We weren't disappointed. (Below: Mona on stage in Seattle.)

 As the opening band for the night, their set was fairly short - about 40 minutes. However, the guitar-bass-and-drums driven songs were tight, compelling and - as good music does - makes you feel something, makes you believe. Singer Nick Brown's voice sounded just right...a combination of tuneful singing and guttural emotion. The rest of the band sounded tight and on their game. To my ear each song came across well, and you could see the band was enjoying playing to the crowd. You can see and hear some of Mona over at their Web site media page.

 

Beyond simply cranking out solid tunes with energy, a couple moments stuck out. As singer/guitarist Brown slowly started the chords of a song and the rest of the band held off, a female fan shouted out, "That's hot!" This cracked Brown up and he had to stop, laugh and say, "That's funny. Usually, it's usually some drunk guy yelling something." With that laughed again, then restarted the song and went on from there. Also, to sing the song Shooting The Moon, Brown ditched his guitar and walked the stage as he sang that intense song.
 
(Left: Nick Brown (l) and Vince Gard (r) of Mona on stage in Seattle.) 

You can check out a few more pictures I took at this gig over on my Flickr Photostream HERE and HERE.

The set list as I can reconstruct it here a day later was...

• Trouble On The Way
• A song that I do not know the name of
• Teenager
• Cloak And Dagger
• Lean Into The Fall
• Taboo Lights
• Say You Will
• Listen To Your Love
• Shooting The Moon
• Pavement
•  Alibis

Mona have just put out their self-titled debut in the U.K. and I think it's due out in the U.S. later this year. Anyway, my verdict is that the band is pretty cool. They sound good live, I'm digging their album and will see what they do next. If you're looking for new American rock, check 'em out.

New Rock Music for 2011

OK, so here we are nearly six months into 2011. If you are like me, over recent years you've lamented the lack of quality new rock and roll. Sure, we all have our favorites from years gone by...some of whom are still active. And that's great. Love it. But, what's new?

Two quarters into this year (and that's how us corporately indentured slaves measure things), based on my listening I can report that rock and roll is alive and well actually.

For example, here is some NEW music by either NEW rock bands or relatively new bands that you should check out:

• The Joy Formidable - check out their 2011 album The Big Roar.
• Mona - Nashville based rockers spit it out on their debut album by the same name.
• Funeral Party - L.A. pop rockers know what's up with their first full length album called The Golden Age of Knowwhere.
• Glasvegas - epic, heartfelt rock from these guys in their second album called Euphoric Heartbreak
• The Vaccines - this English guitar based pop rock group hits some nice chords and tunes that make you want to jump around...and that ain't a bad thing.
• British Sea Power - with their new one called Valhalla Dancehall, this British group really rocks out in a smart and compelling way. Check it. 
• Sharks - this band's compilation of work over the last 4-5 years is called The Joys Of Living. They haven't had a full LP release, so this is it for them so far. I say check it out and see if you dig.

For sure there are some other rockers keepin' it real such as Foo Fighters, Social Distortion, U2 and some others. But, in terms of what's new from new or recent band, I think these are among the best.

One last note, if you noticed that most these rock bands are from Britain, you are not seeing things. Nope. Unfortunately, the USA has for the most part given up on rock and roll in favor of pop (in all of it's varieties), country (or what passes for it today), hip-hop and dance music. If rock bands want to get a hearing today they either need to be from Britain or go there to get known. Sad but true.

British Sea Power Plays Seattle - A Review

I went to see British Sea Power at Neumo's in Seattle on April 2. This is a band I've followed for a few years now primarily based on the strength of two singles (Carrion, Remember Me) and two albums (Do You Like Rock Music? and Vallhalla Dancehall). However, I've never seen them live. So, when I saw they were coming I jumped at the chance.

To use a cliche, I'd call British Sea Power "indie rock." But I would also say that they are not quite your run of the mill band with run of the mill indie rock songs. Lets start with the lineup. Yes, there are a couple guitars, bass and drum. But add in keyboards and a full time violin player to the mix and things start to get interesting. And their lyrics tend to be better and more thought provoking than most rock bands. "I'm a fan of the local library, I just read a book but that's another story." Or, "I wish protesting  was sexy on a Saturday night." Just a couple examples. And I would say their creative use of foliage on stage is not something I've seen before either.

Above: British Sea Power on stage in Seattle at Neumo's on April 2, 2011. Picture by Marc Osborn.

Anyway, the band came on to a 2/3 full venue and quickly hit their stride with a few of their better know tunes and graduated on to some deeper cuts and circled back to play some hits. To me, musically, this was a good show. It was loud for sure, but vocals were understandable and the music made an emotional impact.

Beyond the songs and sound, another set of things I like to use as criteria in judging a show is a band's effort, interest and interaction with the audience. British Sea Power scored nicely on effort and clearly they were delivering a heartfelt performance. So, good there. However, they were not too talkative or interactive with the audience. So, not as good on that.

You can sample one song from the gig on video HERE. The song proper starts about 1 minute into the video.

With tickets at a mere $15, this was a no brainier show to go to, and my expectations were met...not to mention again seeing a band in a small setting that would fill a large venue in the UK. So, thanks British Sea Power for visiting Seattle and putting on a quality show.

Right: More British Sea Power in Seattle. Picture by Marc Osborn.

This was a good, solid and fun show. Was it the greatest gig I've ever seen? No. But, here's the main point...it was compelling to me because it proved anew to me that fresh, interesting and authentic rock and roll is still being created and performed by artists who are 100% committed. This is something lacking in today's general music scene I think. And of course the other thing that's great about gigs like this is that you can see a quality band for cheap and up close and personal...really cool. Hey, life is about getting out there and living a little. While you can't mistake going to gigs for the most profound things in life, doing so does add spice and punctuation to your normal routine...you know, gets you out of your sleep, eat, work, kids/gym, eat, sleep regimen.

NOTE: Use of the pictures in this post is not permitted for any purpose except by prior written permission by Marc Osborn.

New Band - The Joy Formidable

Here's another new rock band to check out - The Joy Formidable.

Good, propelling rock and roll with a strong female lead vocal - not something you get much of these days.

You can see them/hear them on their Web site HERE.

They're playing at the Croc in Seattle on April 12.

ESPN's Rock and Roll Tourney

The NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments are set to start later this week and much of the nation is tuning in to root for teams they love or against teams they hate.

Each year, the NCAA sets the field for the men's tournament by "seeding" the top 64 teams from #1-#16 in four separate regions. The 1 seed plays the 16, 2 plays 15, 3 plays 14 and so forth in each of the four regions. All four regions is a "bracket" as are all four taken together to form the entire NCAA tournament field.  The winner who survives four rounds of games in each respective bracket is one of the four regional winners who goes to "The Final Four" to compete for the championship.

Well, the find folks at ESPN have playfully extended this "bracketology" to rock and roll - listing and seeding who they think the best 40 rock bands ever and asks fans to vote on the winners of each "match up" to advance bands through the different rounds to regional championship, the final four and the ultimate winner.

You can have your say by voting on the match ups HERE.

Some observations on the field:

• Clearly some very top bands - Stones, Who, the Floyd, Beatles, Clash, U2, Queen, Bob Marley, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Ramones, Guns n Roses, Black Sabath for example. 
• Some real head scratchers (as in, "what the F are those bands on this list for") - Sublime, Creed, Living Color, Korn, Outcast, Styx, Nickelback, Blink 182 to name a few. Wow. 
• There are a LOT of blatant omissions - um, ESPN, how about the Kinks, David Bowie, Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Beach Boys, Stooges, MC5, Foo Fighters, REM or Radiohead? Surely any of those bands would be better rock bands to be in the competition.
• Considering the bands picked, the competition should be titled Rock Band Bracket - 1960s-90s. Bands or performers who got their start in the 50s or the 2000s not welcome. 

Of course, you know my vote and my advice - vote for The Clash as often as you can.

But acceptable wins among those still in the competition are: U2, Zep, Stones, Beatles, the Who, Jimi, Nirvana, Pearl Jam.

2010: A Bad Year for Rock....Or Was It?

I just read the latest issue of Rolling Stone. The one with Bieber on the cover. No...I did not read the article about "the Bieb." I don't care about him.

But, there were two articles that caught my attention.

The first and most obvious one was the concise, honest and passionate history of my favorite band, the Clash. I know the story well...so nothing new for me except a couple pictures I had not seen. However, two thoughts here. One, if you don't know much of the Clash or their records, read the article. You may find yourself compelled to check them out. Two, the last line of the story says, "The tragedy of the Clash is that we no longer allow the room for their sort of voice."

Which leads me to the other story in the magazine that caught my attention - a story outlining how in the entire history of rock, 2010 was a commercial low. Rock. OK...not dance, country (or what passes for it these days), pop, techno, rap or anything like that. Rock. Rock and roll has hit an all time low in terms of selling music. The article goes on at some length as why this is and that rock bands actually can do well by just touring and/or releasing their music on their own via the Internet. However, it's disconcerting to know that frickin' ROCK AND ROLL is not something the American public wants to hear enough to buy records. That's just depressing. Of course, it may just be the thing the doctor ordered as often when things get stale, boring and predictable...along comes a blast of aggressive great music. See the UK in the late 1970s or the USA in the early 1990s.

Anyway, the article does not mean there were not some really good rock and roll albums out new in 2010. For example, check these sets out if you have not:

• The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
• Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
• The Courteeners - Falcon
• Sound of Guns - What Came From Fire
• Vampire Weekend - Contra

Throw in new ones in 2011 already by Social Distortion (Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes) and British Sea Power (Valhalla Dancehall) and things are not all that bleak for the last 12-14 months.

Oh, and finally, there were two other really good stories in the same issue: apparently Bevis and Butt Head are coming back as a TV show and Matt Tiaibbi's expose on why key figures on Wall Street are not in jail.

20 Years Since Grunge Broke In the U.S.A.

It's been 20 years since the grunge explosion that emanated from Seattle and took the world by storm.

Yep, it's been that long. I picked up a music magazine last weekend that covered this anniversary and that got me thinking...

For many of us now in our late 30s or (as in my case) early 40s in the U.S., grunge was THE BIG THING in music for our generation. We grew of age in the 1980s only barely able to sniff the last dying vapor trail of the original punk and new wave scenes, but mainly we were treated everyday to popular acts the likes of Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt, Paula Abdul, Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Culture Club, REO Speedwagon, Night Ranger, Foreigner, Bananarama, Whitesnake, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (not "the Cult Jam," just "Cult Jam"), Rick Astley, INXS, Richard Marx and on, and on, and on for years.

For every one quality band from that mid/late 80s era that you can think of, like, say The Smiths, Guns & Roses, Prince, PiL, REM, U2; there were dozens if not hundreds of lameoid, flimsy, pre-fab acts to drown them out to a large extent unless you really knew where to listen.

But then something happened.

When nobody was looking in 1991; when everybody was geeked up for the next big release from...I don't know...Bell Biv DeVoe or Color Me Badd, some scary dudes shoved their way to the forefront of music with gritty sound that blew away what would be considered rock for some time.

Finally. Finally! Real, new, authentic, heartfelt, aggressive, noisy and non-pandering rock and roll that you could hear on the radio and easily buy in a store...in our time!

At the epicenter were a few bands out of the Seattle area who had been working for some time leading up to this. Key among them - but by no means the only ones - were Nirvana, Pearl Jam (and its previous incarnation as Mother Love Bone before singer Eddie Vedder arrived), Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Alice In Chains.

To simplify things greatly, Nirvana recorded and released their second album - Nevermind - at the right time and with the right mix of pop hooks married to aggressive and noisy music and a screamy/angsty/gravely vocal delivery. This magic combination was a bit different for Nirvana who had previously traded in all of the above but obvious pop hooks on their previous album - Bleach - and in their live shows.

At any rate, the huge reception Nevermind received from the music buying public sent record companies looking for other similar acts to sign up and make some money off of. And, as mentioned, there were several perfectly poised to be signed after several years of honing their sound and performances.

These bands weren't conjuring a whole new form of rock, but they were taking from key strains of it and adding something of their own.

Again, to simplify, I would suggest that three of them - Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam took the "Led Zeppelin" route of heavy, thundering, dark music with vocal sung by classic rock voices (a complement!) and then brought some minor pop sensibility and, of course, their own lyrical content and message. Meanwhile, I think Nirvana and Mudhoney went down the "Sex Pistols" route of more pop-hooks but with super aggressive sound, lyrics of alienation and raw vocal delivery.

Either way, these things were new to the U.S. listening public for the most part.

Quick history lesson...in the name of making lots of money, the modern pop music industry's primary underlying assumption was that to sell records you needed songs that sounded pretty, were about love (or the lack of it) and were delivered by attractive and palatable people. So, to be saleable, you had to conform to these rules. The UK had this default position ripped away in the 70s with punk as the Pistols, Clash, Damned and others not only did something different, but they circumvented the system with songs sold very well and topped charts. Even though one may argue that punk started in the U.S. with the Stooges, MC5 and the Ramones and others...none of those bands in their time ever sold many records or ever topped any charts. But their cousins in the UK did. Here in the U.S., we mainly went forward with the same old same old...until the magic year of 1991 when "punk" broke here with these Seattle bands.

Why Seattle? Hard to say. Could be just luck. But, the city has a long history of musical innovation with greats like Ray Charles, The Wailers, Jimi Hendrix, the Sonics, Heart, Queensryche and others. And, with the recession of the late 80s/early 90s (thanks Ronnie and Georgie Sr.!) the area - especially outside the city proper - had many people and musicians facing hard times. And of course there is the generally gray weather for a large amount of the year that could potentially drive the local artists to despair. But even those reasons are not the complete answer as many cities in  the U.S. could say the same and were worse off that Seattle. No, add to all of the above - luck.

It just so happened that the odd, innovative and emotionally hurt Kurt Cobain was born in Aberdeen south of Seattle and formed a band in the area.

It just so happens that a mid-80s local band called Green River split up with some members forming a group called Mudhoney and the others starting a band that would become Mother Love Bone and then Pearl Jam.

It just so happens that the guys from Pearl Jam (after Mother Love Bone but before the name Pearl Jam) were looking for a drummer and a singer, but when their initial choice for drummer turned them down, that drummer also passed on the name of a singer he had met at a Joe Strummer show in L.A. named Eddie Vedder who might fit the bill for the forming Seattle band. And he did. And the rest is history with that outfit too.

And it just so happened that the right set of dedicated musicians found each other to create Alice In Chains and Soundgarden respectively - with Soundgarden more than any other listed above lit the fuse of what became known as "grunge."

And perhaps most important of all, it just so happened that a couple dudes with a keen ear for quality new music formed a record label called Sub Pop and started signing these bands up to initial recording contracts so their music could be heard, promoted and sold.

And for anyone paying attention after that, you know how things went. Naturally, the grunge era faded out by the mid/late 90s as many acts called it a day, the public got weary of listening to a flood of second rate grunge-type bands foisted on them by record companies, tastes returned to a more pop-oriented sound...and of course with Kurt Cobain killing himself in 1994.

But hey, if you think back 20 years to when grunge was fresh, new, exciting and raw...that was an exciting time. We finally got our own, made in the U.S.A. punk rock revolution.

And guess what? The best music by the best bands of that era is still EXCELLENT rock music today. And that's the sign of something truly quality...standing the test of time.

With the 20 year anniversary in my mind this the past week, I've revisited and rocked out to my grunge collection and I can highly recommend the following:

• Nirvana - all three albums. But, first album Bleach and third album In Utero are actually similar to each other and not like the famous Nevermind. Check out the "book end" albums first.
• Soundgarden - loads of great records from these guys, but my vote goes to Badmotorfinger. Wicked good rock and roll.
• Mudhoney - this band is often cited as putting out the first "grunge" song - Touch Me I'm Sick. That song and other good ones are on the album Superfuzz Bigmuff. Check it.
• Alice In Chains - of all the Seattle grunge bands, I'm not as big a fan of Alice In Chains. But check out Dirt. That's the one they are famous for and it's pretty good.
• Pearl Jam - the most prolific and long-standing grunge band, Pearl Jam have many great albums. I say check out Ten, Vitalogy and their most recent one Backspacer. 

Oh, and play those albums loud!

New Music for the New Year

It's been a while since I've written about music, so with the New Year now upon us I thought I'd opine on some new music that I'm listening to now. Rock music in particular.

I've had many a conversation with friends about how that in terms of "rock" music (very broadly defined), it's all been done. There's not much out there new, breaking and compelling. I think this is true for the most part. It seems that most performers - diligently, innocently in some cases and in a calculated manner in others - are mostly going through the motions of re-creating something that's already been done and, more importantly to the music industry, that's already been proven to be a money maker.

As Joe Strummer once said (and I'm paraphrasing here as I don't have the quote in front of me), "real music comes from the street, not from the executive suites of record companies." What he means is that nobody was clamoring for Elvis to do what he did, nobody was asking for reggae music or David Bowie's glam rock, nobody was asking for rap, techno, disco or grunge...no, those monumental musical developments were things conceived of and that grew organically from the minds of creative people holed up in basements, bars, back rooms and clubs and spread from there - they were not inventions suddenly birthed whole in record company offices.

And, of course, Strummer also said you got to "dig the new" and not focus backward. Check out and indulge what's new and happening.

With this in mind, I've been trying to find some new rock music that's legit and coming from a "real place." This is not easy, especially for someone who is now 41 years old, has a full time job, marriage and responsibilities. You just can't check much out in person and you have to rely on other resources to figure out what's going on.

All that said, I'm doing my best. Certainly music is subjective, I have my own likes and dislikes that some people might like and others not, and I don't claim to be somehow "plugged in" or more intuitive than anyone else. But, here are a few rock performers that I'm listening to right now who have put new music out this year already that I think are doing something different or bringing something interesting than attempting to copy or re-package a proven formula...

British Sea Power - this is an interesting band. They have a new album out called Valhalla Dancehall. I would call their sound rock, but it's an odd type of rock that incorporates non-traditional sounds. All I can say is, check it out. You'll either like it a lot or you will  think I'm nuts. Their earlier albums, particularly Do You Like Rock Music are excellent. Songs and albums on iTunes.

Mona - from the concrete basements and dingy bars of Nashville, TN, Mona is a an authentic young rock and roll band fighting the good fight. They've got an edge and I think may rise up in 2011. Think of them as the anit-Muse, anit-Nickelback, anti-Linkin Park. Where those bands are big, sweeping, enhanced and almost operatic rock, Mona is that band in the bar or small venue crankin' it out and speaking to you. Song Listen To Your Love is on iTunes.

Funeral Party - this is an L.A. rock band. But guess what? They're not trying to be a GnR or Motley Crue clone or re-create X or the Germs or Social D. No, they've got their own thing going on. Slightly poppy, slightly aggressive, slightly angular and at times with a tinge of a disco beat (yes), Funeral Party brings it in a different way. I'm liking what I'm hearing and plan on listening more. Song are on iTunes.

Glasvegas - one of my favorite new bands of recent years is set to come back with their second full album this spring. The early (and free) single to promote the album is really good to my ears...confirming why I like this band so much. The World Is Yours is a song that builds, rocks and soars with James Allan delivering a vital, heartfelt and epic voice to a song about how much a person can mean to another. If this is how their second album is going to be, wow. The first Glasvegas album is at iTunes, and the new single can be heard at the Glasvegas Web site...but as of now not downloadable in the U.S.

The Vaccines - this is  new band I don't know much about, but they have a couple singles out that you can find online. More pop that Funeral Party, more straight ahead rock than Glasvegas or British Sea Power, this could simply be a new quality pop rock band worth checking out. You have hunt the Internet at this point to find this band's songs. I've found them and if you look you can too.

Social Distortion - I am listening to their new album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes. It's the first set of new music from Mike Ness and the crew in a long time. While their sound is established and they take a lot from performers like the Stones, Johnny Cash, the Clash and some others, I think it's safe to say that to get back to Strummer's statement, there isn't a massive market for this type of music. It's a labor of love by Ness who - thanks to earlier successes of his band in times in the past when scuzzy, countrified, outlaw cowboy rock were more marketable - continues to create wonderful rock and roll for those paying attention. All music by Social D is at your local record store and on iTunes.

OK, so there are six performers who have put out new music in the last four weeks. Check it out.