My Journey Into Grime

I'm not good at taking a hint.  I am filled with cynicism and I am too naive to pick up on them.  You have to come straight at me.  Hit me over the head with it if you will.  Most people know this.  As a matter of fact, this was a recent conversation in my house with my 15 year old son.

"Dad, are you familiar with Grime?"
"The artist Grimes?"
"No, the music genre Grime."
"I can't say I've heard of it."
"It originates from England and is a mix of rap and electronic dance music.  You should Google it...and write about it.  Have you started your blog back up or what?"

 Point taken.

The Deglamorization of The Sex Pistols

Punk Rock.  It rises from the depths of the poor wearing tattered clothes with no musical ability.  This describes a lot of bands I know.  But not The Sex Pistols

The Fall of the Brian Jonestown Massacre

Their lives were turbulent.  There were riots at their shows.  Sometimes on the stage among themselves. Their members often quit. They lived in squalor.  They alienated the music industry. They also created some of the most incredible music of the 90's. Yet some of you are reading this and asking, "Why don't I know this band?"

Concert Review: Lake Street Dive @ Fillmore Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA 03/18/16

To have a successful, long lasting career in the music industry and a loyal fan base you have to be more than just a pretty face and a good voice.  You have to have musicality, talent, chemistry, sincerity, and good lyrics.  It's just a bonus that Lake Street Dive have beautiful faces and killer voices and harmonies.

Album Review: Rockingham by Nerf Herder

90’s pop punk was an art form.  It was infectious and goofy yet hard to master.  Sure, there were bands like Blink 182 and Weezer but the rest of the landscape was cluttered with one hit wonders.  Where does Nerf Herder fall on that timeline?

Concert Review: Le Butcherettes @ Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA 03/11/16

At its least, a concert is entertaining.  When it is good it is art.  When it is at its best it is a statement. Friday night Le Butcherettes made a statement.

Concert Flashback: The Black Crowes in Spartanburg, SC, 1992

I was back in my Texas hometown last week, seeing family.  I rarely listen to radio but I ironically almost exclusively listen to radio while I'm there.  I listen to only one radio station when I'm there because this particular station kicks ass and I always add several songs to my playlists when I'm back home, due to 106.3 The Buzz.

New Music Discovery: Untamed by Hooka Hey

We all have concert stories that we love to share. My favorite is being the only person to show up for a show. Sure, nationally the band isn't known. Not yet at least.

Grammys, Tattoos, and Hair: An Interview with Rich Meyer of Highly Suspect

I heard Fran's voice on the other end of my cell phone saying, "This is a good thing, Steph!"  He had called me on a Wednesday night to tell me that I had an interview with the band Highly Suspect on Saturday night.  I had been binge listening to Highly Suspect for around a month, after a friend of mine turned me onto them.  You can read my review of their album here and the concert I attended here.

Concert Review: Bullet For My Valentine @ Iron City Birmingham, AL 02/28/16

My friend, Dan, still owes me a Metallica concert.  About 23 years ago, I sat mesmerized as he told me about seeing the legendary band in concert.  Dan told me how in sync they were with each other, how every beat, every dramatic pause between the head banging thunder was answered by the guitars picking up right where they left off, answering the silence at exactly the same millisecond to rain another heavy metal thunderstorm down on the crowd.  I told him right then that I wanted him to take me to a Metallica concert someday.  Due to relocation and life, I never got to see Metallica in concert with Dan or anyone else but on Sunday night, I got a taste of what it's like to see a metal band perform, not separately, but as one.