Awhile back, I posted about No Idea Records. Here’s a few more cool labels to check out: Turn Records – Turn is a great little indie rock label. The catalog is small in size, but big in coolness. Jeff, who runs the label, takes a personal interest in the music too, which probably accounts for the quality of the releases…. Read more »
Great albums are often great for fairly obvious reasons. Who can honestly question Sgt Peppers or Dark Side of the Moon or a Night at the Opera? Does anyone need me to explain why these albums stand head and shoulders above so many others? I doubt it, so I’m not going to waste anyone’s time with it. What I don’t… Read more »
Occaisionally, rock lyrics are poetry, but most often, they’re just words that are really only moving in conjunction with music. That’s perfectly fine, because the lyrics don’t have to stand on their own. How often do you sit around reading the lyrics to songs you aren’t listening to? The words are part of a larger whole that (hopefully) moves us… Read more »
Earlier this week, U2, the Pretenders and a few others were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I had the same reaction I do whenever I hear anything about it: So what. The whole idea of a Hall of Fame for rock n roll is ridiculous. If nothing else, rock n roll celebrates the freedom of… Read more »
“A lot of times I still feel like a kid. I guess we’re all kids…” Kevin Seconds said that at one point during the show, but he didn’t have to. Everything about 7 Seconds’ performance said it for him. Before they even got on stage, I noticed drummer Troy Mowatt limbering up for the set, jumping up and down like… Read more »
The third band on the bill was one I was somewhat familiar with, Kill Your Idols. I bought their Funeral for a Feeling album a few years ago and gave it a few listens. It’s one of those albums that falls into the “okay” category, because while there’s no reason to really knock it, there’s no reason to really love… Read more »
My second post about the 7 Seconds show is (big surprise) about the second band, Champion. They’re a straightedge band out of Seattle and they’re pretty tight, when they’re playing. The biggest problem with their set wasn’t their music at all, it was that they spent way too much time between songs. I don’t mind a little banter from a… Read more »
I hadn’t seen a show since the Subhumans back on Election Day, so I was pretty psyched to see 7 Seconds at the Ottobar last night. After all, they were a really important band to me for years (I bought the Crew 20 years ago). Kill Your Idols, Champion and the Sparks also played and while I wasn’t as excited… Read more »
Okay, so it wasn’t just one hit, but you get the point. Nirvana released three studio albums before Kurt Cobain was killed (yeah, they say he committed suicide, but I like to leave the conspiracy possibilities open). The first, Bleach, was a solid, raw and immature punk-leaning grunge album. Tracks like “Blew” and “Negative Creep” are good examples of grunge,… Read more »
Rhapsody has a new non-album Green Day track called “Shoplifter.” I checked it out the other day, because I’ve been fairly pleased with what I’ve heard of American Idiot. I was listening casually and I noticed something familiar about it. It sounds a lot like the Clash’s “Bankrobber.” I listened more closely to see if they had really ripped the… Read more »