“I’m Just Saying”

Towers of London are a new punk band from London. When I say punk, I mean punk. Everybody in the band has adopted Tourette as a last name. They harken back to the real days of punk. Days when the Sex Pistols and the Ramones ruled the world. If you go to their site you will see the endless videos they have taken of them touring, playing and beating up hecklers. Not only are they real punk, but they are good at it. They are not your “pop-punk” band. They are no Blink 182 or Good Charlotte. You can check them out for youself here.

Last Saturday night I found myself uncharacteristically staying home. I had a long day at work and late night that Friday. I ended up watching a documentary that followed Kiefer Sutherland as he went on tour with a guitar player and his band. That guitar player ended up being Rocco and his band, The Burden. I was pleasantly surprised. Rocco can straight play the guitar. It is as simple as that. He seems to be a throwback to the golden years of blues and actual rock and roll. I have an affinity for that old school slide sound. It just seems right to me. I can listen to slide-guitar all day. That is why I like the Allman Brothers so much, and that is one of the reasons I have grown to love Rocco. The documentary aside, I don’t know if I would ever have gotten a chance to discover this band. Their album, “I Trust You To Kill Me,” is out now. You can listen to a few tracks on their Myspace site. I especially like, “Colorful” and “Soul”. Check him out, and if you get a chance, the documentary isn’t that bad either.

Why is it that it seems almost all of the good, new rock bands are coming out of Europe and not America?  The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, and Muse are just a few of the amazing new bands coming out of England.  It is hard to name very many good American rock bands that don’t sound like some sort of corporate creation.  Seether, Puddle of Mud, Theory of a Deadman, Nickleback (Canadians count) are all chart-leading bands in America. 

Why is America not producing bands with substance anymore? There are few good bands coming out. The Killers, Kings of Leon and The Strokes are all great, but even they haven’t realized the success that some of these lame “corporate rock” bands have.  These new American bands all sound like they have Scott Stap singing for them.  They are as cookie cutter as the boy bands that unfortunately ruled the 90s.  (more…)

Some music is just epic. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was epic. “November Rain” was epic. Just as the songs could be described as epic, so can Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia”. It is one of those songs that has layers and layers and seems to last forever, in a good way. It sounds like music for the soundtrack of a Final Fantasy video game, or a crazy sword filled action or sci-fi film. This is the case with a lot of Muse’s songs. Most of them are based on a simple backing rhythm guitar, but all seem to build until they explode with an intense guitar solo. Their music just seems to be so intense and purposeful that the listener can’t help but be into it. If you haven’t yet listened to Muse, they have music posted on their Myspace site as well as their official site, www.muse.mu.

Mason Jennings is a singer/songwriter who has recently burst on the scene with his hit single, “Be Here Now”. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of hearing this, or any of his other songs, you are in for a surprise. Jennings reminds me of a younger Bob Dylan. I know that it is hard to even use Dylan’s name when describing another artist. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Jennings is anywhere Dylan’s level, but he does have the same singing style. He is the epytome of the genre. His songs range from folk to rock and all have something relaxing about them. I unfortunately haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him live, but can’t wait for my chance. To learn more about this up-and-coming artist, and to sample some of his music, go to www.masonjennings.com or www.myspace.com/masonjennings.

Those of you who have not listened to Arctic Monkeys yet should start today. If you like simple, British rock and roll, then they are a band for you. These four teenagers new album, “Whatever People Say I Am, That Is What I Am Not” is a great album from start to finish. It follows them through a night of fighting, drinking and everything else that they seem to get themselves through during a typical night in urban England. Most of their songs are short, but pack a lot of punch and are all catchy. My favorite would have to be “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” and “Scummy Man.” You can learn more about them on their Web site, www.arcticmonkeys.com.

If you like real, classic rock and roll, then you have to check out Wolfmother. This band reminds me of when I was younger and used to listen to the all of my dad’s old classic rock albums. I was raised on Led Zepplin and Wolfmother may be our generation’s version. Wolfmother is a true power trio consisting of members: Myles Heskett, Andrew Stockdale and Chris Ross. It is amazing to hear their sound and to believe that it is only a three man band. This band truly brings the listener back to the glory days of rock. Those days when it was okay to be a little wild and write songs about epic battles between white unicorns and the powers of evil. Even the album art harkens back to the good old days. I have always lamented the fact that I was not able to experience the late 60’s and early 70’s rock revolution, but as long as there are bands like Wolfmother, I still have a chance of experiencing some semblance of real life rock before I die. You can listen to the new EP “Wolfmother” on their site: www.wolfmother.com. They also have a Myspace site: www.myspace.com/wolfmother.

I have fell in love with yet another British rock band. It never fails. There is always good music coming from the rainy streets of London or any other city or town in England. Dirty Pretty Things are a four man rock band that has a sound that is not only catchy and upbeat, but also varying from song to song. The band includes: Carl Barat, Anthony Rossamondo, Didz Hammond and Gary Powell. If you are familiar with the band Libertines, you will be familiar with the work of Carl Barat and Gary Powell. (more…)

I had the pleasure of seeing Gooding for the second time this past Saturday at Eskimo Joe’s. Because of their amazing show they will be my band of the week. The band utilizes a simple line-up of three musicians to make a not-so-simple sound. The members include Gooding-vocals and guitar, Jesse Richenburgh- Drums, and Billy Driver on bass. They are from Wichita, Kansas and tour the five-state-area. They have an extremely unique blues sound that is almost exclusively driven by Gooding’s amazing talent at guitar. (more…)

The Stills are a new band that hails from Montreal, Canada…eh?! I just started listening to them a few months ago when I head they were opening for Kings of Leon. I have to say, they have grown on me. They are a band that utilizes the piano as well as two different lead singers. This results in an extremely melodic type of rock. Their new album, Without Feathers, is really well written from start to finish. They do a great job of using tempo changes and quick beats to keep the listener interested. My favorite song on the album would have to be “Shoplifter”. It almost reminds me of a cross between Coldplay and Death Cab for a Cutie. Unfortunately it is the one song I missed from them…I was at the bar “preparing” for Kings of Leon. Ah, well, it happens. Anyways, I would definitely recommend The Stills.  You can listen to some of their songs here.