This week’s gem goes to progressive rockers Toto for their classic 1982 hit Africa from their album Toto IV.
I am seeing Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band play this summer and part of his line up this year includes Steve Lukather from Toto and I am looking forward to the show even more.
This means I might actually get to hear Africa live with Ringo Starr and for me it just can’t get any better than that.
I think the song is a timeless gem to listen to and Toto in general is a rockin’ band who are still out there touring.
According to Toto’s official site www.totoofficial.com, the band is currently on tour in Japan and has U.S. show dates scheduled for this summer.
Their website also stated some less known facts under the band history tab about how much the band members have collaborated on many albums and worked with many artists such as, Micheal Jackson. Basically, the members started off as studio musicians working with big names like Steely Dan during the 70s before they decided to form their own band.
Their background as session musicians gives them the talent to adapt and play in any type of situation.
I have linked the music video for Africa from TotoVEVO’s You Tube channel below.
Reflecting this week on Flipper, a early 80s hardcore punk band from California.
I love old school punk bands like Dead Kennedys and Black Flag but I remembered Flipper because I was a Nirvana fan and I know Flipper was one of their biggest influences.
Krist Novoselic (former bass player of Nirvana) also played with Flipper for short while. According to their official site http://www.flipperrules.com the band asked Novoselic to join them and they went on tour with The Melvins in 2006.
Their website also showed that the band was still touring as of 2012 but that was the latest update posted.
I love the heavy old school trash punk sound and the song Ha Ha Ha from Flipper’s 1984 album Blow’n Chunks is a perfect example.
I couldn’t help but feature them as my Gem of the Week.
I found a link for Ha Ha Ha from Magnus Sellergren’s You Tube Channel, enjoy!
This past Thursday I saw celtic punk band Flogging Molly perform on March 6th at The Fillmore Detroit for their final round to the Green 17 Tour. The band has done the tour annually for the past ten years as a countdown to St. Patrick’s Day.
They are one of my favorite bands and I have always looked forward to their shows because as a fan there is this familiar vibe of loving this music and knowing what to expect from the live shows.
Throughout the decade I have attended five of the ten shows from the Green 17 Tours and every single time was so awesome it made my entire week better.
The band is fan focused writing songs about liberty and hardship with hits like Black Friday Rule (2000) and Float (2008) while musically they fuse the speed of punk rock with celtic irish music.
Front Man Dave King along with his wife and band mate Bridget Regan have a home in Detroit. I am sure this is why the annual Detroit show has been known for being a bit more over the top as they hit the stage loud and fast complete with an extended set list.
One of the first things King likes to say to fans when he walks on stage is:
“How many of you have to work early tomorrow?…your calling in!”
The Green 17 show is usually set up the same way each year by starting off at 7:00 p.m. with a couple of opening acts and Flogging Molly will hit the stage around 9:30 p.m. King is always a lot fun as he will interact with the crowd making jokes and telling stories as they bring the house down jammin’ until midnight!
This past show being the final one for the era of the Green 17 Tour was one of the best shows I have seen them put on throughout the years.
They poured through all of my favorites like: Drunken Lullabies, (No More) Paddy’s Lament, Tobacco Island, Life in a Tenement Square, Saints & Sinners and Float to name a few.
According to the bands official site Flogging Molly has ended their run with the SideOneDummy record label and formed their own called Borstal Beat. Their most recent release Speed of Darkness from 2011 was the debut recording at their own label. A new album is also in the works for 2015.
I can reflect on the first Flogging Molly show I went to in 2005 at Royal Oak Music Theatre. They had released the album Within a Mile of Home (2004) and at that time I only owned one album by them which was Drunken Lullabies from 2002, an album now considered gold according to the band’s website.
Of course I loved them from that very first show and hearing Black Friday Rule for the first time as the encore was memorable for me. After that show I bought Within a Mile of Home and I also made sure I bought their debut album Swagger which had Black Friday Rule.
All of the other albums released over the decade from Drunken Lullabies, Within a Mile of Home, Float and their most recent Speed of Darkness are all great albums that carry individual gems; But there is something about Swagger that makes it my favorite one.
I think Swagger is perfection and I love every single song. I even scratched the first copy I had from playing the cd so much and had to buy it again!
During the show, King reflected on the last decade of the tour and thanked everyone who has been a part of it. For the encore he came out wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey because he is a fan and to honor Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom had a retirement celebration that took place earlier in the day.
I love and appreciate Flogging Molly as a band and I am happy their audience has grown from the smaller venues like Royal Oak Music Theatre into consistently packing The Fillmore to rock out. Cheers to you Flogging Molly and I look forward to your next chapter.
I have included a link from the SideOneDummy records You Tube channel to watch Flogging Molly’s music video for Drunken Lullabies. (it’s the song that started it all for me)
I love when I can listen to a band that sounds new and refreshing; London Grammar has that raw quality.
My best friend got me to check them out and according to the bands official Facebook page the trio is from London. The singer Hannah Reid has a mesmerizing and soothing quality to her voice.
I listened through their debut studio album If You Wait on iTunes and I love the melodic vibe.
It really is a great album to check out and so far my favorite tracks are Sights and Hey Now
iTunes classifies their genre as alternative but I think experimental indie pop is a better description.
The offbeat quality of their sound and music videos remind me a bit of Bjork.
London Grammar’s most powerful impact is definitely Reid’s vocals.
I look forward to hearing more from this band and checking them out live when they come to town.
You can watch their videos and listen to their music from the bands official site.
This week’s gem goes to progressive rockers Toto for their classic 1982 hit Africa from their album Toto IV.
Music Reportage 