Gem of the Week: Avicii

4 Dec

The worldwide hit song Wake Me Up by Swedish DJ Avicii, has a catchy vibe that made its way into my current favorite’s list.

After hearing this song played at least twice a day on the radio during my drive to work, I came to appreciate the eclectic styles it blends.

An article on Billboard.com stated:

“The song has sold 1.9 million downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Parent album “True” debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 two weeks ago and has sold 77,000 copies.”

Wake Me Up is co-written by american soul singer Aloe Blacc who performs the vocals and features acoustic guitar by Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger.

I love Blacc’s lyrics they are well written and inspiring. I especially like the verse:

” Wish that I could stay forever this young

Not afraid to close my eyes

Life’s a game made for everyone

And love is the prize”

The song is refreshing and new fusing artists from alternative, soul and electronic backgrounds, who pulled together this catchy hit.

You can listen and learn more about Avicii from his official site.

 

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Pop Culture Reflection: Adam Sandler’s Chanukah Song

27 Nov

My nostalgic mood for reflecting on 1994 has focused on my holiday music favorite,  Adam Sandler’s Chanukah Song.

I remember when I first watched him perform it on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1994 and laughing at all of his clever list of jewish celebrities.

The song is close to being 20 years old and I love how it has grown into this holiday tradition.

Of course I like his other comedic songs and more appropriate this week would be his Thanksgiving song. But I think the Chanukah Song has become his best well-known holiday favorite.

I also enjoy how Sandler has added lines and made revisions to his celebrity list throughout the years.

I always look forward to hearing what he has added and this year he added that its Thanksgivukkah, which is referencing how Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah are on the same day.

According to an article in Miami Herald the two holidays will not occur on the same day again for more than 70,000 years.

I have linked a live version from Happy Madison You Tube channel of Sandler’s holiday hit.

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Gem of the Week: Toad the Wet Sprocket

20 Nov
Outside The Show In Royal Oak, MI

Waiting outside of the Royal Oak Music Theatre

Alternative rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket make a strong comeback releasing latest album New Constellation on October 15th, breaking their 16 year hiatus.

The interesting aspect was that the band turned to Kickstarter to finance the new album.

” With a goal to raise $50,000 through Kickstarter, the band members figured it would take a couple of months to raise the funds, but their fans surprised them by donating the entire amount in only 20 hours. ” as stated from an article on TheSpectrum.com.

According to the bands official website, their quirky name came from a Monty Python comedy sketch and even though the band had success in the 90s selling platinum albums they ended up going their separate ways in 1998.

Now that they are back together I couldn’t wait to listen to the new album and I’m impressed with the songs on New Constellation.

The album is a good revival with a more upbeat vibe blended with their classic melodic style.

So far I like the tracks: The Moment and Rare Bird which carry a more melancholy tone and I seem to always be attracted to those tracks first! The last track on the album is Enough, which is my current favorite and I think it is the most catchy ballad.

The band is currently on tour and performed in Detroit this past Thursday at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. I had been looking forward to going to this show because I was really into them in the 90s and I have the albums (1991) Fear and (1994) Dulcinea.

I had a great time at the show and the mood was laid back and mostly acoustic.  The band mixed up the set alternating between playing old and new songs. They even played tracks off Fear which put a big smile on my face. The encore included their big hits Fall Down and Walk on the Ocean.

During my own conversations with people at the show, I would pick up bits of conversations between other fans who chatted about being in their 30s and reminisced about the grunge era.

It was cool to hear that other fans felt the same way I did especially since this show has been a long-awaited reunion.

Going back to reflect on the album Fear, I loved every single track especially: Walk on the Ocean, Hold Her Down and Butterflies. Fear is one of my top favorites in my music collection. I actually like it better than their follow-up album Dulcinea.

Although that album has some gems with Fall Down and Something’s Always Wrong.

In 1994 I watched the cult classic teen drama My So-Called Life and I remember Fall Down was played in one of the episodes. That song always makes me think of 1994 and of the show every time I hear it.

I am happy that I could lend support to the band. I will gladly fork over my money to pay to download their music and to hear them perform live because they are worthy.

 

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Legends of Rock: David Bowie At His Best In 2013

13 Nov

As a huge David Bowie fan I was looking  forward to The Next Day Extra, an expanded collector’s edition released on November 5th.

The extra edition includes a copy of the original album The Next Day (released back in March of this year ) along with a dvd and 10-track bonus cd which includes five unreleased songs.

According to his official website, he had not released a new album in ten years and he surprised fans with his new material in 2013.

I listened through the new stuff from the extended edition and I love the remix of Love is Lost and I also liked God Bless the Girl because the way he sings it reminds me of his hit Let’s Dance.

I also liked The Informer and Born in a UFO which both have that quavery sound in the vain of his well-known hit Space Oddity.

I have always loved Bowie because he is an eclectic singer/song-writer who fuses fashion, style and art into his music. Not to mention he paved the way for glam rock  creating his Ziggy Stardust persona in the 70s.

One of my favorite Bowie albums is his 1977 release Heroes. In fact, the cover artwork for The Next Day uses the Heroes album cover obscured with a white square. An article by Chris Roberts from The Quietus put it best stating,

“He is still fashion, still twitching, as the artwork for The Next Day – papering over the old icons – and the self-referential new videos insinuate. Bowie Fever has, entertainingly, dominated 2013 thus far.”

I remember hearing Bowie songs like China Girl and Fame in 80’s movies and being attracted to his music.

I am also a fan of the 1986 fantasy cult classic movie Labyrinth which starred Bowie as Jareth a Goblin King with a wild maze. I absolutely loved that movie as a kid and I thought Bowie was so cool with his spinning crystal balls.

In the mid 90s he head lined a tour with Nine Inch Nails opening for him and I was dying to go to that show but I was too young.

I am hoping with the new material that he will surprise fans with a possible tour maybe!? (crossing my fingers)

From Bowie’s style to song lyrics, he continues to create music like only a legendary artist of his stature could.

I have included a link from Redsails2008 You Tube channel for Heroes.

http://youtu.be/MW65rFN22io

 

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Gem of the Week: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

6 Nov

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis pumped up the crowd with a fun and high-energy filled show on Saturday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, MI.

Last year the Seattle-based rapper (Macklemore) and producer/DJ (Lewis) performed at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit to a small group of fans. ( 800+  capacity)  This year at The Palace the Hip-Hop duo performed to over 6,000 fans, quite a jump and I’m happy for their success!

Their popularity has soared with the debut album The Heist producing big hits like Thrift Shop and Can’t Hold Us.

I like The Heist album a lot and the show opened with the song Ten Thousand Words. A few songs into the set he performed Same Love along with vocalist Mary Lambert, who sings on the studio version too.

Macklemore sported a Detroit jersey as fireworks, confetti and wild stories filled the stage. He also incorporated old school elements like beat boxin’ and freestyle rapping into his show.

He kept things interesting in between songs by going into goofy long-winded tales, including more sincere matters like his recovery battling drug addiction.  He definitely has storytelling  ability as he kept myself and the audience engaged each time.

My favorite story was after a few songs he started talking about how he arrived in Detroit early and decided to go to Lake Michigan. He took in the view of the lake and decided to take his clothes off and jump in. While he is in the lake he noticed two guys going through his things who then run off with his clothes. So here he was standing alone and naked in the lake. Now, at this point in the story the crowd and myself knew it was leading into a some type of punch line and we were waiting for it!

He continued saying how he noticed an old lady feeding birds and he went over to her. She told him to get on her back so she could carry him. He hesitated as she was so old but he did it.  As the woman starts carrying him off he asked her where she was taking him. The old woman replied that he had no clothes so she was taking him to the thrift shop. He goes right into performing the hit song and I loved the whole interlude even if it was a goofy way to introduce Thrift Shop.

My appreciation for Macklemore’s humble gestures took a step further when during his encore he took a few minutes to introduce everyone on stage with him.  He started introductions from his back up dancers to his trombone, cello and violin players. He was very sincere in giving recognition to everyone that is part of his live show.

Also, he performed his biggest hit twice! It was awesome and I have not seen an artist do that before. He started telling fans that it was near the end of the tour and he would not be back until next year so he wanted to hear Detroit go crazy one more time and he went into performing Can’t Hold Us again.

I loved the live show and I look forward to the future of Macklemore and wish the duo continued success.

 

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Legends of Rock: R.I.P rock icon Lou Reed

30 Oct

Sunday was not a perfect day after reading the news that legendary Velvet Underground frontman and solo artist Lou Reed passed away in Southampton New York.

Reed was 71 years old and had complications from a liver transplant.

I think that Reed is everything that would define the word cool and his thought-provoking lyrics tend to always linger in my head.

Reed  also was an influential guitarist.  An article published in The Guardian stated that Reed’s guitar tuning style coined the term ostrich guitar which meant he would tune all strings to one note.

He is best known for hits like Heroin from the 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (Andy Warhol created the album cover showing a peel-off banana) as well as Sweet Jane from the 1970 album Loaded.

His solo hits include; Take a Walk on the Wild Side and Perfect Day from his 1972 album Transformer.

My interest in listening to Reed and The Velvet Underground was first triggered through hearing  R.E.M. cover his songs.

While R.E.M has covered many Reed songs throughout their albums, the Dead Letter Office album in particular covers a few with: There She Goes, Pale Blue Eye’s, and Femme Fatale.
I also remember in 1993 the group Cowboy Junkies covered Sweet Jane and it was a major hit that earned a lot of radio play.
In 1995 Duran Duran released a cover album called Thank You and they covered Reed’s Perfect Day which is  my favorite song by Reed.

The song is a simple masterpiece and my favorite line is:

“Just a perfect day, problems all left alone, weekenders on our own, It’s such fun.”

An article by Associated Press writer Hillel Italie put Reed’s influence in music best stating:

” Indie rock essentially begins in the 1960s with Reed and the Velvets; the punk, New Wave and alternative rock movements of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s were all indebted to Reed, whose songs were covered by R.E.M., Nirvana, Patti Smith and countless others.”

I thank my favorite bands for triggering my interest in Reed’s music which was before my time.

Aside from his role as a pioneer in rock music, Reed’s creativity spans into photography and film projects. Further details into his other creative projects are on his official website.

There is also a B&W photo of Reed on the official site showing him with his fist up and I love the photo because it says it all. The caption above the photo said it was recently taken by photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino.

I’m grateful for the music and inspiration Reed left. He will always be a true rock legend with his smooth voice and conversational spoken word style delivery that makes you feel like your right there with him.

 

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Legends of Rock: 90s Grunge Rockers Pearl Jam With New Album

23 Oct

Seattle rock legends Pearl Jam released a new album called Lighting Bolt, which is great news for grunge era fans like myself.

The album is their 10th studio album and was recently released on October 15.

The band has also started touring with the dates listed on the bands official website.

I listened through the tracks and I liked the song Mind Your Manners which has a faster thrash style beat in the vain of an old school punk song.

The mood becomes a little calmer with the song Sirens but my favorite so far is Let the Records Play, which has a rockin’ bluesy kick.

You can stream through the full album on iTunes .

Pearl Jam have been around for 23 years and are one of the key bands born out of the 90s grunge scene.

The bands line up has remained original except for the drummer:

Eddie Vedder – lead vocal and rhythm guitar

Stone Gossard – rhythm and lead guitar

Mike McCready – lead guitar

Jeff Ament – bass guitar

Matt Cameron – drums

My two all time favorite albums that I definitely exhausted playing are Vitalogy (1994) and Yield (1998).

Late Night with Jimmy Fallen is dedicating a week of love to Pearl Jam from October 21 to 25 following the release of the new album.

Pearl Jam is also known for supporting social and political issues and are environmental activists.

You can read more about what the band supports under their activism tab on the bands official site.

 

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Gem of the Week: Tenacious D

16 Oct

After seeing Tenacious D appear on Jay Leno this past Friday, I found out the comedic rock duo who gained a cult following since 2006 are back with a new album called Rize of the Fenix.

Tenacious D is actor Jack Black and musician Kyle Gass who both play lead guitar/vocals bringing an acoustic driven sound complimented with comedy skits and theatrical touches.

I checked out Rize of the Fenix which is their 3rd studio release. It’s pretty gritty and includes the usual comical and raunchy skits with Flutes and Trombones and Classical Teacher.

 I liked The Ballad Of Hollywood Jack And the Rage Kage which they performed on Leno.  My favorite song from the album is Senorita but I’m drawn to anything with spanish influence.

I love tenacious D’s comedy and I think they are effective in paying tribute to the legendary rockers before them.

I’m happy they are back with new material since I had not heard anything new from them since their 2006 music comedy film and 2nd album soundtrack, Tenacious D: In The Pick Of Destiny.

Black and Gass also refer to themselves under stage names used in the film with Black as JB or Jables and Gass as KG or Rage Kage.

During their appearance on The Tonight Show,  Jay Leno asked if Black’s film career interferes with the band and Gass dryly replied:

“Uh yeah it has Jay!”

Black laughs and says the song they will be performing later addresses that situation:

“The friction that happens when Jables goes off and does his hollywood thing.”

Tenacious D will also be performing this weekend at Festival Supreme bringing a line up of musicians and comedians together in Santa Monica, CA on October 19th.

As Gass said on Leno this is their first festival and it’s exciting as he is pretty sure it’s not been done before.

Black stated that the line up includes comedians such as Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman and Zach Galifianakis.

“We’re gonna be down at the beach man, Santa Monica pier.” Black stated.

Check out the Supreme Festival line-up and details on Festivalsupreme.com.

You can listen to the new album on the bands official website Tenaciousd.com the player is in the upper right corner.

I am glad that Tenacious D is still performing their talents for rock fans as well as being rock fans themselves.

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Pop Culture Reflection: Sweatin’ to the Oldies Some 20 years Later!

9 Oct

While out shopping, I noticed the 20th anniversary editon of Richard Simmons Sweatin’  to the Oldies workout dvd was on sale.

Spotting that dvd came at a perfect time for me since I’m trying to shed a few pounds and I do not regularly workout.

Of course I bought it since I have always liked Simmons and his eccentric fitness personality.

Not to mention I got hit with nostalgia since I totally remember the Sweatin’ to the Oldies commercials.

I was only nine years old when the commercial for Sweatin’ to the Oldies 2 came out but I remember it well with Simmons flying down holding balloons shouting, “I’m flying.”

Back then I use to wonder how people became so fat as I started out a skinny kid!

Little did I know my adulthood would be filled with yo-yo dieting and that I would one day revisit Simmons advice on exercise and nutrition!

Simmons states in the interview portion included on the dvd that he created this fun and easy routine so that anyone could do it.  Also, he didn’t agree with traditional workout videos that show fit instructors doing moves that are hard to keep up with.

I related to him when he talks about his struggle with dieting as an overweight teen and how he would lock himself in his room and dance to his favorite songs.

He also stated in the interview that he liked comedy and considers himself a bit of a court jester since he feels everyone is a king or queen. This is one of the reasons he wears the sparkly tanks and dances around shouting with his lively personality.

Sweatin’ to the Oldies is easy to do and I love that he features people of all shapes and sizes working out with him.

I think Simmons definitely carries out his passion and does not care what anyone thinks of him.

I remember watching him as a guest on David Letterman a few years ago and he was getting heckled for his flamboyant personality and signature candy striped shorts but he seemed to take it with a grain of salt!

He has a great official website where you can follow him on social media outlets and buy his products.

This past summer he released a new music video called “Hair Do,” which I listened to and thought it was catchy and funny!

I am glad Simmons is still going strong motivating people to lose weight and I wish him longevity and prosperity to always keep his mission going.

I linked the commercial that I remembered as a kid from Lugnutsoldcrap You Tube channel, enjoy a flash back.

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Legends of Rock: Stone Temple Pilots With Weiland

2 Oct

When I heard that Stone Temple Pilots (STP) joined forces with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, I couldn’t see the fit. Bennington has his own style and Scott Weiland is an awesome showman with a loyal STP fan base.

I listened to STP in the 90s and they are one of my grunge era favorites. I loved the album Core and the song Creep was one of my favorite music videos of that time.

Weiland has known issues with drugs and I hope he can one day overcome his addictions.

He is a great songwriter and showman.

This merger thing with STP gives me mixed feelings since Bennington is a good singer and I like Linkin Park.

However, I don’t agree with Bennington getting added to the STP name.

If your going to  collaborate with someone new do not confuse or piss off your fan base, simply change your band  name, after all it is a new project and sound.

The new STP five track EP titled High Rise will be released on October 8.

I did check out the new songs from STP’s  official website. The track “Out of Time” is ok but I didn’t like the collaboration enough to download anything.

Weiland left STP before over tensions between the band and joined supergroup Velvet Revolver before reconciling back with STP in 2008.

According to an article from Los Angeles Times, the turmoil between Weiland and the rest of the band caused them to terminate him as their frontman back in February.

Weiland responded with:

“Not sure how I can be ‘terminated’ from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out.”

He further stated in the article:

“First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band,” he wrote on his website. “And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.”

I am on Weiland’s side in that his former band mates are acting hasty and should walk away from the name, especially since they are writing new music with Bennington!

Weiland on the other hand is doing a Purple to the Core tour which is covering the music from STP’s best albums Purple and Core but he is performing under his solo project Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts.

You can check out the latest tour dates from Weiland’s site, www.scottweiland.com.

I have always raved that STP is one of the best concerts I have ever attended.

Weiland is an impressive frontman who is pretty tough to match. He has that quality about him where your eyes follow his every move and your waiting to see what he will do next.

I have seen STP twice in concert and the first time was in the summer of 1999.

I will never forget the first show which was for the No. 4 album.

Weiland come out shirtless in black pants doing his slither dance, at one point he came out draped only in the american flag which he dropped (on purpose) and then streaked off the stage. He interacted a lot with the fans and he even ran over to fans seated in the nosebleed section and performed a couple of songs.

They performed everything from the No 4. album and they also did all of their hits, Sex Type Thing, Vaseline, Plush, and Interstate Love Song.

I thought it was cool that they still played all of their hits. Usually a band will perform new material and then do a couple hits but STP truly performs for their fans and we love every minute of it!

I still like Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots separately but I wish both sides the best of luck.

I also hope the turmoil clears between Weiland and his former band mates.

 

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