Archive 2011

HEY MR. RECORD EXECUTIVE, THIS IS WHY THE GRAMMYS REALLY STINK (FEBRUARY)

I can’t remember the last time I watched the Grammys.  Ten years ago, I wrote about why I quit watching the Grammys (see 2001 Archive).  However, it grabbed my attention when I saw that record executive, Steve Stoute, paid for a full page ad in the New York Times declaring the Grammys have “become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions”.  (Read Stoute’s entire letter here).  I thought that maybe someone within the record industry had nailed it on why the Grammys are so problematic for the music industry.  Boy was I wrong. 

First, Stoute is correct to point out some of the Grammys’ biggest blunders.  He is correct in his assessment that Steely Dan in 2001 and Herbie Hancock in 2008 were very weak choices for Album of the Year.  I am not here to question Steely Dan or Herbie Hancock’s talent but neither one of these records has proven to have longevity or even real critical appeal at the time.  However, where I strongly disagree with Stoute is his point regarding cultural impact.  Just because a piece of art is popular does not mean that it should be rewarded for quality.  In most cases popularity does not equate to quality.  There are a few exceptions, such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller that Stoute mentions, where an album is both critically acclaimed and popular.  Yes, Eminem and Kayne West have sold a lot of records.  However, calling Eminem “the Bob Dylan of our times” (boy did I just recoil typing that one) and Eminem and Kayne West as “defining the voice of a generation” a gross overstatement of their “talent”.  Stoute is an executive in the rap and R&B industry so he is very biased in his assessment of these artists.  He also is letting his bias creep in with his statement that rap music “has been totally diminished as an art form” by the Grammys.  There use to not a be category for rap and now there are five awards for rap plus several rap artists have been nominated in major categories such as Album of the Year.

I find it interesting that Stoute mentions the Best New Artist category.  This category has a history of being a problematic award.  Many one hit wonder artists have won this award, Christopher Cross and Marc Cohn, being glaring examples of cursed winners of this award.  Historically, the nominees in this category are a who’s who list of one hit wonders, some of my favorites being Asia, Men Without Hats, A-Ha, Nu Shooz, Swing Out Sister, Katrina and the Waves, Tone Loc, Billy Ray Cyrus, SWV, Natalie Imbruglia, and Color Me Badd (I’m giggling right now at that one since “I Want to Sex You Up” is probably one of the worst songs lyrically of all time).  Only two Rock Roll Hall of Famers have won this award (the Beatles and Crosby, Stills, and Nash).  This award also has the embarrassing history of being awarded to imposters, Milli Vanilli.  In short, winning this award is not a very good indicator of future success. Considering this award’s history, I found it laughable that Stoute argued that Justin Bieber should have won this award (or considering past company, Bieber may fit right in).  If You Tube hits are the measure of what makes “a modern artist”, the record industry is in worst shape than I thought.  No, I have not heard of the winner, Esperanza Spalding.  She could very well become another Christopher Cross or Marc Cohn.  However, she does appear to be a genuine musician, not an industry created star, like Bieber, whose career will probably have a life span of two more years.

The biggest challenge for the Grammys is they need an identity.  The Grammys need to reward quality and talent or reward record sales.  I respect the Oscars more for the movie industry because they reward films for their quality not box office success.  Because of the Grammys’ popularity contest mentality and then their irrelevant long shot wins, there is no respectability to winning a Grammy like there is to winning an Oscar.  Musicians and critics view the Grammys as a ceremony of record industry executives slapping each other on the back for their mediocrity.  Stoute appears to be more of an advocate of this approach than actually challenging the Grammy standards as he claims to be.  Stoute criticizes the Grammys for asking artists to perform on the show and then failing to reward them for their “culture relevancy” ie popularity.  I feel that awards should be based on talent.  The highest honor in the music industry is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame process is not perfect but I have always respected how it rewards artists for being influential and having longevity over record sales.  Historically, the Rolling Stones are considered one of the best rock and roll bands ever.  However, though they did receive a lifetime achievement Grammy, they have never been nominated for a Grammy in a major category (Record, Album, or Song of the Year) and they received their first nomination in the 80’s.  Most music fans would tell you that the Rolling Stones most influential and best work came about fifteen to twenty years before the Grammys decided to give them any recognition.  This is a huge statement on how the Grammys reward music.  Stoute seems to be critical that Arcade Fire won for Album of the Year for 2010.  I am not a huge fan of Arcade Fire but considering they were in most critics top ten list for 2010 and they are better musicians and songwriters than fellow nominees Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Eminem, the Grammys actually made a pretty good choice here.  If Stoute wants to see artists that “the public acknowledges as being worthy of their money and fandom” rewarded, then watch the American Music Awards, which are based on sales.  However, if the Grammys want to be relevant and important to musicians and fans, they must focus on substance and talent over glitz and popularity.  If the Grammys chose to focus on “cultural relevancy” over substance, they will continue to be a joke award for musicians.

 REVIEW: THE TWILIGHT SINGERS- DYNAMITE  STEPS (March)

Greg Dulli is one of the few artists that I can listen to and fall in love with his songs after one listen.  On his new album, Dynamite Steps, with his band, the Twilight Singers, Dulli is much more subtle than he ever has been before.  It is not to say thatDynamite Steps is a weak album.  It is a very complex album, like the first Twilight Singers album, As Played by the Twilight Singers, that takes several listens to fully appreciate the album.  

Lyrically, Dynamite Steps is packed common Dulli themes like sin, temptation, the devil, and heartache.  Dulli sets the tone of the album on the opening track, “Last Night in Town”, where he observes “whenever you’re here, you’re alive.  The devil says you can do what you like”.  This theme continues through songs such as “On the Corner” where Dulli commands “from the field, the border- Gomorrah- on the corner…all rise with me, all take your place” and the rocker “Gunshots” about escaping after gunshots are fired in a nightclub.  What is unique about the album is all of styles Dulli experiments with musically.  “Waves” is a very electronic based song musically and it is followed by the stark confessional “Get Lucky” which is basically Dulli’s voice, a piano, and a subtle strings arrangement.  “She Was Stolen”  has a soaring piano melody and it is followed by the stark, acoustic duet between Dulli and Ani DiFranco, “Blackbird and the Fox”.  My favorite track on the album is “Never Seen No Devil” and it is the most musically unique song Dulli has ever written.  The guitars add almost a bluegrass feel to the song, coupled with a haunting strings arrangement.  When Dulli purrs “never seen no devil, now it’s all that I can see”, I realized that Dulli had written a song that I could hear the late Johnny Cash singing.  Another highlight is the closing of the album with the title track.  The song clocks in at over six minutes and is a classic rock epic that shifts into different musical movements.  It ends the album on a high note.

Dynamite Steps is an album that grows on the listener after several listens.  As with any of Greg Dulli’s albums, the songs are very strong lyrically.  Musically, the album shifts through several different styles and tones but it is still cohesive.  The album is a solid and intelligent listen.

REVIEW: R.E.M.- COLLAPSE INTO NOW (APRIL)

After the departure of founding drummer, Bill Berry, R.E.M. had trouble finding their footing as a three piece band, releasing three mediocre albums in a row.  2008’s Accelerate proved to be a rebirth for R.E.M., a strong, enjoyable album from start to finish that brought back R.E.M.’s straight rock sound.  Collapse Into Now continues in the vein of Accelerate.  However where it differs is instead of being  pretty much a straight rock album, it is a compilation of all of the sounds that R.E.M. does best.  In that respect, it is the most similar to another breakout album for R.E.M, 1991’s Out of Time, which brought R.E.M.’s music to the mainstream.

The album starts strong with the straight out rocker, “Discoverer”.  It is followed by another rocker, “All the Best” where Michael Stipe pokes fun at R.E.M. legacy when he sings “let’s give it one more time, let’s show the kids how to do it”.  The album slows down for several acoustic songs the most notable being “Oh My Heart”, the only real political song on the album.  On Accelerate in “Houston”, Stipe made the bold statement about the government’s handling of Hurricane Katrina, “if the storm doesn’t kill me, the government will”.  “Oh My Heart” is the continuation of “Houston”, a heartfelt, optimistic love song for New Orleans where Stipe now observes “the storm didn’t kill me, the government changed”.  “It Happened Today” is a powerful song as well, thanks in part to guest, Eddie Vedder’s soaring backing vocals.  “Mine Smell Like Honey” is a fun pop song, thanks in part to R.E.M.’s secret weapon, Mike Mills’ complimentary backing vocals to Stipe’s vocals (however, I really don’t know about the title of this song).  “Walk It Back” is a solid song because of its simplicity.  It highlights Stipe’s vocals backed by Mills’ simple piano melody.  Stipe also seems to be observing R.E.M.’s musicial evolution over the years “time reverse and rewind, erase and revise and try to start again”.  The only real experimental track on the album is the closing track, “Blue”.  It is a stream of conscious dialogue with Stipe and backing vocals, from guest and R.E.M. mentor, Patti Smith, over a wall of distorted feedback.  Musically, it is the closest song that R.E.M. has released to “Country Feedback” from Out of Time.  R.E.M. then ends the album where they started with a chorus of “Discoverer”.

It is not to say that R.E.M. only has one sound that they are good at musically, they wouldn’t have had their 30+ year influential career if this was true.  However, R.E.M.’s weakest moments musically have been when they were too experimental and steered too far away from the sound that made them a great band.  Collapse Into Now is a good representation of those sounds that did make R.E.M. a great band: rockers, acoustic ballads, political commentaries, while not being afraid to have fun on a smart pop song.  For those who haven’t listened to R.E.M. in years, thinking that their best years are behind them, Collapse Into Now is a return to form that is a solid listen.

 THE CULT OF CELEBRITY (MAY)

There are many who believe that music and politics do not mix.  Their argument is that listeners pay to listen to the music and don’t care what the musician’s take is on politics or a social cause.  Musicians just need to “shut up and sing”.  Where I have problems with this argument is that when an artist creates art, it is difficult to filter out their beliefs.  People’s personal beliefs are so a part of who they are that those beliefs will manifest in the art that is created.  This doesn’t mean that the listener has to agree with those beliefs.   I am huge fan of R.E.M.’s music but there are some of their political songs I don’t care for, for example, I think “Cuyahoga” is idealistic, hippy crap.  However, I have seen Michael Stipe booed twice by audiences for expressing political views during concerts.  This bothers me because I respect Michael Stipe so much as an artist that I could never boo him for expressing his beliefs in his art.  This to me is about respecting the art, whether you personally agree with the belief expressed or not.  However, I do not feel that it is a musician’s place to tell fans who they should vote for.  In the 2004 presidential election, Bruce Springsteen organized the Vote for Change Tour.  There was talk about educating fans on the importance of voting but the tour was obviously a campaign for John Kerry.  The public needs to be informed on the issues in an election for themselves and not be swayed by celebrities.  Bruce Springsteen certainly has the right to vote and support a candidate but he does not have the authority to be “educating” the public on current events just because he is a rock star. 

With success comes responsibility.  I do have a lot of respect for celebrities that use their status and money to make the world a better place.  Of my favorite musicians I admire that the B-52’s used a personal tragedy to educate fans about AIDS; that Tori Amos used her own rape as a way to help other victims of sexual abuse through her charity, R.A.I.N.N.; that Tommy Stinson raised money for Haiti relief and visited Haiti personally to do charity work; and that Bono and U2 brought awareness to poverty, disease, and human rights abuses around the world.  While celebrities can plant seeds, it is the responsibility of the public to be educated about issues in the world.  It bothers me how in many cases the public will jump on band wagons, waving a flag that they don’t know what it means, just because of a celebrity cause.  One of the worst examples of this is the “Free the West Memphis 3” group.  In 1993, three eight year old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas.  Three teenagers were convicted on the murders, based largely on circumstantial evidence, and the ringleader, Damien Echols, is on death row.  Because of a HBO documentary, several celebrities have jumped on the “Free the West Memphis 3” band wagon claiming that the three teenagers were wrongly convicted.  Johnny Depp is working on the case and has stated in interviews that he believes “1000%” that Damien Echols is innocent.  Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam has taken this a step further with his creepy man crush on Echols telling Larry King in an interview “probably one of the reasons I'm not as good a friend with the friends I now have is because I spend so much time on this case and being Damien's friend” (1).  I have read quite a bit about this case and do have my opinions but it is frightening to me the beliefs people have about this case based solely on the celebrity attention.  When did Johnny Depp and Eddie Vedder become experts on murder investigations and criminal defense?  If I was looking for an expert on playing kooky characters in Tim Burton movies and playing Jack Sparrow, I would enlist Johnny Depp’s expertise.  Depp and Vedder certainly have the right to their opinions but it sickens me that they have created a celebrity cause around freeing  three convicted murderers without any regard for the three little boys that were murdered under horrific  circumstances.  There are so many worthy charities that Depp and Vedder could raise money and awareness for instead of meddling in a murder case in Arkansas.

In his 2006 Oscar acceptance speech, George Clooney arrogantly stated “we're (Hollywood) the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects.”  Hollywood may have discussed AIDS and civil rights through art but they did not educate and bring these issues to the attention of the rest of the world.  Celebrities certainly have the power to influence and educate.  However, celebrities’ opinions on issues should have no more weight than anyone in the general public’s opinion.  Just because celebrities live in Hollywood and New York City does not mean they are enlightened with more knowledge than the rest of the world.  The public needs to be informed and think for themselves.  Otherwise we are just living out the old saying, “there’s a sucker born every minute”.  

(1) "Eddie Vedder Preoccupied By West Memphis Three Case",Starpulse.com  9/2/10

UPDATE:  In August 2011, the West Memphis Three were released from prison in Arkansas.  They were not proven innocent and the murder charges were not dropped against them.  They were released under a legal technicality, the Alford plea, which means the defendants plead guilty but maintain their innocence while conceding that the prosecution has enough evidence to bring the defendants to trial.  Many in the media have stated that Depp, Vedder, and other celebrities brought so much attention to this case that there was pressure to release the West Memphis Three from prison.  There are several things I find very troubling about this outcome.  First, the West Memphis Three were convicted by a jury and have not been cleared of the murder charges and found innocent.  It is frightening to me that three convicted murderers can be released from jail and not be found innocent through a new jury trial or new evidence that cleared them and no one else has been arrested or tried for the crime.  This technicality skirts around the legal process and justice system of our country.  The West Memphis Three supporters, like Depp and Vedder, argue that an injustice happened when the defendants were wrongly convicted.  The injustice is that the legal process was not honored.  The proper legal process would have been to retry the convicted in an appeal before a jury or for the courts to rule that the convicted were innocent due to definitive new evidence or definitive determination of another viable suspect. Secondly, the idea that movie stars and rock stars can have this much influence over the public is frightening.  Depp and Vedder are not law or criminal investigation experts and no one should put any weight on these guys’ “cause” beyond the fact that they can have opinion, just like any other citizen.  The media circus surrounding this case and other cases in the US, such as the Casey Anthony trial, is sickening.  While Eddie Vedder is celebrating with the West Memphis Three in an expensive hotel in Memphis, it should be noted that no one “won” here.  Three eight year old boys are still dead and three families still grieve a loss.  If Depp and Vedder are correct, a brutal murderer is still free. The legal process in the US is trampled yet again.  The convicted still were in prison for eighteen years, still have murder convictions on their records, and never really achieved their goal: to prove their innocence and clear their names.

REVIEW: MATT NATHANSON- MODERN LOVE (JULY)

Pop music and love songs are tricky songs to effectively write.  In mainstream radio, so many pop songs are poorly written and love is a common basis for these songs.  It is hard to find a good love song because so many lack heart and emotion.  How refreshing it was in that in 2007, Matt Nathanson released, Some Mad Hope, a collection of smart pop songs.   From that album, he had his first hit (after fourteen years of releasing albums) with “Come On Get Higher”, which proved to be a well deserved success story in the usual cesspool of music on mainstream radio.  Modern Love is his follow up, a collection of love songs about love in the modern age of technology.

The album opens with the first single, “Faster”.  I was skeptical when I first heard this song that Nathanson may be dumbing down his lyrics with overly sweet lines like “you taste like sunlight and strawberry bubble gum” and a chorus of “you make my heart beat faster”.   However, the song is so infectiously catchy, polished musically with a New Orleans style horns arrangement, you can’t help but tap your foot and sing along.  The title track follows and is a great cynic’s commentary on romantic hype with lines like “they send me love songs with store bought words, they make promises like politicians” and “I’ve carried hope and heavy daydreams, she said, but I’m done with sleeping”.  This song, like “Faster”, has a killer horns arrangement to make it a stand out musically, as well.   “Love Comes Tumbling Down” is a mid-tempo ballad about finding love and hope among chaos.  Nathanson stated that “Room at the End of the World” was his tribute to Modern English’s “I Melt With You” and it has the same great feel as that song and is musically refined with a great piano melody.  “Mercy” is departure in sound because it is more of a rocker than Nathanson has ever written before, but it is effective due to its driving riff.  “Kept” is a great weeper ballad, in which Nathanson, over a stark acoustic guitar confesses, “I should have kept my head, I should have kept my heart”.

I am such a fan of Some Mad Hope, that when I listened toModern Love, I liked it but it really didn’t stick with me after my first listen.  The album has really grown on me after several listens because of Nathanson’s gift for writing songs that are catchy and polished musically and lyrically have heart and sincerity.  One critic stated that Nathanson’s songs were too “safe” but it is this sincerity in his songwriting that separates Nathanson from many of the pop artists on mainstream radio.  Musically, Nathanson expands his sound with horns and piano arrangements which further set his songs apart from the average pop song.   Modern Love is a completely enjoyable listen from start to finish and lives up to the success that started with Some Mad Hope.

MY FAVORITE HAIR METAL POWER BALLADS (AUGUST)

Turn your watch back to the late 1980’s/early 1990’s.  Hair metal was a very popular form of music.  The term “hair metal” later was used to describe this genre of music.  Hair metal had hard rock roots but the songs featured melodic choruses similar to pop songs.  Image in the days of MTV is what marketed these bands.  The guys had long, big hair and in many cases wore more make up that their girlfriends.  These guys were pretty and tough at the same time.  For most of the bands, a key marketing strategy was to first release a rock song then follow it with the power ballad, a ballad that had a grand sweeping rock finale.  This formula gave these bands the image of the tough guy with the sensitive side.  These bands appealed across gender lines because they had the hard rock edge for the guys but were pretty and could sing ballads for the ladies.  Many music journalists claim that by the mid 1990’s, the grunge scene killed hair metal and that hair metal is a dated genre of music.  Sure when you look back at the hair metal videos, they are dated.  However, to me, over time hair metal is no more dated than grunge.  Both genres played heavily on an image and a sound that was characteristic of the time.  

On August 11, 2011, Jani Lane (1964-2011), former frontman of the hair metal band, Warrant, was found dead.  Two weeks prior to Lane’s death, a good friend of mine and I saw a reunited Warrant (without Jani Lane) play.  It brought back a lot of nostalgia in me for hair metal and the power ballads that made hair metal great.  So in memory of Jani Lane and in memory of the time when hair metal ruled, these are my favorite hair metal power ballads in no particular order.  This is my power ballads mix tape or for younger readers, my power ballads playlist.

Motley Crue- “Home Sweet Home”:  Motley Crue were hair metal’s most notorious bad boys.  “Home Sweet Home” was probably one of the first power ballads that showed a softer side to these bad boys.  It in a lot of ways set the stage for the power ballads to follow in the 80’s.

Firehouse- “I Live My Life for You” and “Love of a Lifetime”:  Firehouse was not one of the better known hair metal bands.  However, the strong sentiment of commitment (“I dedicate my life to you” and “I finally found the love of a lifetime”) made these songs almost perfect songs for a wedding at the time.

Nelson- “Love and Affection”: Nelson was the twin brothers who were TV/music icon Ricky Nelson’s sons.  With their matching long, Chippendale-like, blond hair, they sang about on crush Cindy Crawford.  However, the song became more of a catchy song about unrequited love.

Warrant was best known for probably one of the most sexist videos ever with “Cherry Pie” but they had so many great power ballads.  The ode to loneliness, “Sometimes She Cries” and the hit, “Heaven” are standouts.  I also liked the sense of betrayal in “I Saw Red”, a song about catching a cheating partner.  I can’t help but get a little mushy, when Jani Lane sang “I’m not sure that I deserve a woman so true, but I love that you think I do” in “Blind Faith”.

Winger- “Miles Away”:  “Headed for a Heartbreak” was a good power ballad for Winger but I always thought “Miles Away” was their best.  You can’t help but identify with the sense of separation when Kip Winger sang, “just when I needed you most, you were miles away”.

Like Warrant, Def Leppard had numerous great power ballads.  To narrow down favorites, early Def Leppard with “Bringing on the Heartbreak” is a classic.  “Hysteria” has the great line, “I need to know if you’re alone tonight”.  “Love and Affection” has one of the best pieces of advice about being single “I don’t need love for the wrong reasons”.  For later Def Leppard, “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” is a standout weeper about unrequited love.

Poison- “I Won’t Forget You” and “Life Goes On”:  Poison’s best known power ballad was “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” but I always liked “I Won’t Forget You” and “Life Goes On” for their commentaries on separation and moving on.

Guns and Roses- “November Rain”:  “November Rain” is one of the greatest epic rock songs ever.  Clocking in almost eight minutes, it has one of best grand sweeping finales thanks in part to Slash’s kick ass guitar solo.  And who could forget that video?  A wonderful life and death commentary that begins with a wedding and ends with a funeral, Axl Rose did some top notch acting when he knelt at his wife’s grave in the pouring rain.  The memorable final imagery of the bride throwing the red bouquet at the wedding that hits the ground at the grave and turns white.   It was sometimes over the top but it was a memorable song and video none the less.

A FAN'S FAREWELL TO R.E.M.
April 5,1980-September 21,2011 (October)

When R.E.M. announced their break up on September 21, I had so many thoughts.  I was sad that something so wonderful was coming to an end.  I was also happy to think of all of my memories and most importantly, their music.  I have been a fan for twenty  years, over half of my life.  Almost every day for twenty years, I have listened to an R.E.M. album.  R.E.M.’s music in many ways has been the soundtrack of my life since 1991.  The first R.E.M. album I bought was Out of Time.  I bought it about a month after its release, not because of the popularity of “Losing My Religion”.  About a year prior to its release, I became a B-52’s fan.  I was interested in the Athens, GA music scene.  R.E.M. was the next logical step and I was interested in Kate Pierson’s collaboration with R.E.M. (not just on the frequently maligned “Shiny Happy People” but the lesser known, “Me in Honey”).  I was hooked from that moment on.  I saved my money to buy everything R.E.M. related from the back catalog albums, to t-shirts and posters.  When I was in high school, I wore an R.E.M. button almost every day to school.

When people talk about R.E.M.’s albums, many divide R.E.M.’s music into periods.  There is the kind of elitist camp who will tell you they only listen to 1980’s R.E.M. “before they sold out”.  Then there are the people who only listened to R.E.M. when they were popular in the 1990’s.  Many have forgotten about R.E.M.’s catalog after drummer, Bill Berry, left in 1999.  This categorization of R.E.M.’s music leaves much of their music undiscovered and incomplete.  With exception of 2004’s Around the Sun, in my opinion, R.E.M.’s only dud, all of R.E.M.’s albums have their gems and are better written than most songs in mainstream music.  Many have said that R.E.M. should have broken up in 1999 after Bill Berry left.  While they seemed to have had trouble finding their footing as a three piece band, Up and Reveal, had some good moments.  Accelerate and their last album, Collapse Into Now, are very good, often overlooked R.E.M. works.  R.E.M. may have not gone out with their most financially successful album, but they ended on a high note creatively.

R.E.M. had some reluctance to tour during the period I have been a fan but I had the honor of seeing them live five times, each show a special experience.  I saw them two nights in a row in 1995 in Lexington, KY and Cincinnati, OH.  I snuck off to see them in 1999 in Chicago and was on the fifth row, thanks to my fan club tickets.  I saw them again in Cincinnati in 2004, which was special seeing them at a smaller venue at the Taft Theater.  My last show was in 2008 in Atlanta, GA.  I’m happy that I had the opportunity to experience R.E.M. on their home turf.  R.E.M. made many memorable live television appearances beginning with their television debut on the Late Night with David Letterman in 1983.  Though they did not tour behind the album that broke them to the mainstream, Out of Time, their appearance in 1991 on MTV Unplugged was one of the best concerts MTV produced.

It was always admirable to me how R.E.M. stayed true to their southern roots.  While many bands would have left for the “greener” pastures of New York or Los Angeles, R.E.M. remained based in their hometown of Athens, Georgia.  They were active in their community in Athens and had pride in their southern roots.  Their early work especially, showed the rich storytelling and sometimes eccentricity of the south.  This was best exemplified on Fables of the Reconstruction.  Even the first album cover,Murmur, had the creepy tree covered in kudzu, a common sight in the south.  While many hipsters in New York and California mock the south, R.E.M. embraced their southern roots.

Like with any relationship that lasts twenty years, my time as an R.E.M. fan has been marked with highs, lows, and sometimes just weird moments.  I remember the sad, anxiety I felt when drummer, Bill Berry suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm in 1995.  Suddenly, tours and concerts became unimportant.  I remember with sadness and understanding hearing Bill Berry announce his departure from R.E.M. in 1999, wondering what direction the band would take.  I had that feeling again on September 21 when R.E.M. called it quits for good.  However, at the same time, I remember the total excitement of seeing R.E.M. sweep the MTV Video Music Awards in 1991. Who could forgot Michael Stipe’s  wardrobe changes with the nine political message t-shirts during their acceptance speeches.  I remember watching live on television with total pride as a fan when R.E.M. was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and my subsequent visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland that year.  On the weird note, how can you forget Mike Mills’ rhinestone cowboy fashion phase in the 90’s with the sequined suits; Peter Buck wearing pajamas to the Grammys in 1992 because it was his best “evening wear”; Peter Buck’s “air rage” incident in 2001; and Michael Stipe’s dance moves and other numerous eccentrities?

No matter how successful R.E.M. became, they always went above and beyond for their fans and friends.  For only a ten dollar annual membership, R.E.M. would send fans a Christmas package every year with a rare single.  The single use to be on vinyl.  I am very sad that this year will be the last year I will receive the Christmas package.  Their staff would personally write fans back about inquiries.  When I first became a fan in 1991, I wrote Mike Mills and he actually sent me a Christmas card back.  They also were always lending their fellow musician friends a hand.  Peter Buck has played on more records for other musicians than he did with R.E.M.  I actually got to meet Peter Buck when he played an October Fest at a local Catholic church in Lexington with the Minus 5.  He gladly gave autographs to fans after the show.  As musician Matt Nathanson wrote on Twitter after the band announced their break up, “R.E.M. were always OUR band. Even when they were the biggest band on earth, they were still OURS”.

In addition to their wonderful music, a major part of R.E.M.’s legacy is their integrity.  They never compromised their music to fads and commercial standards.  While many bands have fallen to rock and roll excesses, not only did R.E.M. have integrity creatively but they never had a major scandal in 31 years.  Those who have stated that R.E.M. should have broken up when Bill Berry left because their record sales declined has sadly missed what R.E.M. stood for.  It wasn’t solely about selling a lot of records but making music to be proud of.  As Mike Mills toldRolling Stone after the announcement of their break up , R.E.M.’s greatest accomplishment was “we conducted ourselves with as much integrity as possible.  We showed people you can conduct your operation on your own terms and be successful” (1).  It is clichéd to say but when I listen to the new bands coming out I know there will never be another band like R.E.M.  Though R.E.M. has called it quits, I prefer to not say goodbye because I know the members of R.E.M. will continue to work on other music projects.  Instead, I say thanks to Michael, Peter, Mike, and Bill for the music and the memories.  Until we meet again…

(1) “Exclusive: Why R.E.M. Are Calling It Quits”, David Fricke, Rolling Stone, October 13, 2011.

REVIEW: TOMMY STINSON- ONE MAN MUTINY (OCTOBER)

Tommy Stinson is best known as a bass player.  He joined the Replacements as a teenager.  He has since played bass for the reformed Guns N Roses and for Soul Asylum, after the death of their original bass player, Karl Mueller.  After the Replacements disbanded in 1991, Tommy Stinson fronted the bands Bash and Pop and Perfect.  While Bash and Pop and Perfect were good bands, it wasn’t until Tommy Stinson’s first solo album, Village Gorilla Head, in 2004, that Tommy Stinson really found his voice. Village Gorilla Head was a near perfect album where Stinson polished his talent as a singer and song writer.  It showed that Stinson was gifted as a singer songwriter in his own right.  One Man Mutiny is Stinson’s second solo album and follow up toVillage Gorilla Head.

The album opens with the rocker, “Don’t Deserve You”.  It’s a good middle finger up song that starts the album with one of the best lines, “been taking lives like you take your liquor, cold and hard in a plastic shaker”.  Stinson stays in the rock vein with “It’s a Drag”, an overtly Rolling Stones influenced song.  “Meant to Be” is one of my favorite songs from this year, an excellent commentary on staying in a relationship that both parties know is completely dysfunctional.  It is the first of several tracks on the album to feature Stinson’s girlfriend, Emily Roberts, on backing vocals.  Roberts proves to be a good compliment to Stinson’s vocals and is a welcomed addition to the album.  “All This Way for Nothing” starts out with a carnival style keyboard introduction and continues as a solid rocker.  Stinson describes this song as “a song about traveling all the way to the end of the earth looking for something you think you are missing or you need, only to wake up still stuck with the person you see in the mirror” (1).   The pace of the album slows down with the ballad “Come to Hide”, a weeper about friends growing up and dispersing.  The lone horn solo is the middle is a nice touch to add to the sadness of the song.  The last half of the album is more acoustic songs starting with the bar room drinking song, “Zero to Stupid”.  “Match Made in Hell” was partially written with Stinson’s old Replacement band mate, Paul Westerberg.  I wonder if there is some irony in the title considering the sometimes rivalry between Stinson and Westerberg.  The album closes with the title track, a song that Stinson wrote while on tour with Guns N Roses.  It was recorded in a hotel restaurant and features Dizzy Reed and Richard Fortus from Guns N Roses.

I am still very partial to Village Gorilla Head as Stinson’s best work.  However, One Man Mutiny is a very enjoyable album.  What make the album such an enjoyable listen is how Stinson varies the sound on the album and the great guests he brings along for the ride.  Part of the proceeds from the album sales are being donated to Timkatec, a school in Haiti.  This is an example of how not only how Tommy Stinson has matured as an artist, but how he has also matured into a classy person.

“Track by Track: Tommy Stinson”, by Anne Zaleski, Alt Press, September 2, 2011.

THE BEST AND WORST IN MUSIC FOR 2011 
(*AND A FEW BEST AND WORST IN TV AND MOVIES TOO)(DECEMBER)

THE BEST

BEST ALBUMS
Some years I struggle to pick really good albums for the year.  This year I had several to choose from.

The Twilight Singers- Dynamite Steps (see 2011 Archive for review)

R.E.M.- Collapse Into Now (see 2011 Archive for review): I didn’t know that this would be R.E.M.’s last album when I reviewed it but R.E.M. did end on a high note with this album.

Matt Nathanson- Modern Love (see 2011 Archive for review)

Tommy Stinson- One Man Mutiny (see 2011 Archive for review)

Adele- 21: I so rarely agree with mainstream music critics when I think of my favorite albums of the year but Adele is a worthy exception.  The most obvious statement about Adele is damn, that girl can sing.  However, 21 is a strong album for more reasons than that.  Adele writes songs with a maturity that is well beyond her age.  I have always said that the best break up songs come from genuine pain.  Adele lays her heart out for the listener on “Someone Like You” and the listener can’t help but feel her pain.  Though “Rolling In the Deep” was overplayed, 21 is packed with emotion.  I also admire that while so many of Adele’s peers as female vocalists had built their success on a manufactured image (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, etc), Adele doesn’t base her image on her looks or being “sexy” and lets the songs speak for themselves.

HONARABLE MENTION: For albums released in the region, I would also give a nod to the Cincinnati band, Wussy, for their fourth release, Strawberry.

BEST LIVE SHOWS

I also saw several great shows this year.  The Twilight Singers at the Southgate House is always a superb show.  Matthew Sweet playing one of my favorite albums ever, Girlfriend, in its entirety was a special show.  Guns N Roses put on an over the top rock extravaganza in Cincinnati.  But if I had to pick one favorite, the honor would go to Paul McCartney in Cincinnati.  Paul McCartney had been on my concert bucket list for a long time so just having the opportunity to see him play was a true pleasure.  With an almost three hour, Beatles heavy set, there is a reason that Paul McCartney is a rock legend.

BEST TREND: BEATLES NOSTALGIA

Not only did 2011 bring us Paul McCartney’s tour, it also brought us super director, Martin Scorsese’s extensive documentary on George Harrison, George Harrison: Living in the Material World.  Though the documentary was long to watch, Scorsese gave an intimate portrait of one of the lesser known Beatles.  Since over half of the documentary was about Harrison’s life after the break up the Beatles, it gave a rarely seen look at George Harrison as more than the “quiet Beatle”.  2011 also saw the release of the book of the late Linda McCartney’s photographs, Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs.  Like Scorsese’s documentary did for George Harrison, this book taken largely from Linda McCartney’s personal family photographs, gave an intimate look at Paul McCartney as a husband and father and not just a Beatle.

BEST NEW TO ME BAND: THE DANDY WARHOLS

For years, the Dandy Warhols were one of those bands I had heard of but didn’t really know anything about.  Though they didn’t have a 2011 release, I discovered many of the Dandy Warhols songs this year.  Their songs are smart combinations of sometimes witty lyrics and pop grooves.   You can’t ignore a song as catchy as “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth”with the keen observation, “I never thought you’d be a junkie because heroin is so passé”.

BEST USE OF AN ORCHESTRA: PETER GABRIEL- NEW BLOOD

I have always been a sucker for rock musicians blending their music with elements from classical music, such as being backed by an orchestra.  One of the best examples of this was Peter Gabriel’s album, New Blood.  On the album, Gabriel takes many of his hits and reimagines them, backed by a full orchestra.  Some of his better songs like “In Your Eyes”, “Red Rain”, and ”Solsbury Hill” sound absolutely stunning with the orchestra.

BEST COVER SONG: WEEZER & HAYLEY WILLIAMS- THE RAINBOW CONNECTION

I loved the Muppets as a child so I was happy to see the comeback of the Muppets this year.  The Muppets: Green Albumis a great collection of songs from the Muppets TV show and movies covered by several rock and alternative bands.  The standout is Weezer performing “Rainbow Connection” with Paramore singer, Hayley Williams, which tugs at your heart.  At what age does one realize what a weeper this song is?

BEST MUSICAL: THE BOOK OF MORMON

South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have written musicals before.  Their movies Cannibal: The Musical, The South Park Movie, and Team America all had elements of the classic Broadway musical.  However, who would have thought that a musical about Mormon missionaries would be a Broadway hit and Tony winner?  Only Parker and Stone could get away with writing a musical with their irreverent humor that is both hilarious and offensive at the same time.  I have not seen the Broadway production but I have heard the soundtrack.  Like South Park, songs like “Baptize Me” have the totally messed up and laugh out loud humor that South Park fans love and expect from Parker and Stone.

BEST COMEBACK: BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD

Though not completely music related, Beavis and Butthead were one of the most welcomed comebacks of the year.  I loved Beavis and Butthead as a teenager.  Their stupidity and mocking of popular culture was hilarious almost twenty years ago.  Creator Mike Judge launched a successful comeback of the show by bringing back the same characters we loved from the original show but updating elements of the show to this time.  Beavis and Butthead still mock music videos but they also mock the MTV reality shows such as Jersey Shore.  Judge successfully kept the nostalgia of the original show while using humor that is relevant today.