Summer Tracks

In this being the first day of summer, I’ve decided to list some songs that go well with the season.  Some may find them questionable and disagreeable but feel free to comment or add to your liking. In no way is this definitive, ranked to be number one  or the  ‘be all end all’ of lists.  Here’s my picks:

1.  She Eats Planets (Music Inside)- Not being biased in any sense, this track by Connecticut’s She Eats Planets has been helping me to get ready for the season.  They also happen to be in the running for a contract with Epic Records, so by all means check them out and fulfill their dreams.  (www.musicnation.com/music/sheeatsplanets)

2. The Donnas (Safety Dance)-  A cover but nonetheless a great one; making a great song better. This is not the first time that they’ve covered a song in which goes with having a great time (School’s Out remember?)  They are the essential band to celebrate the good things of life and having been to plenty of their shows they never prove otherwise.  So why not do the same given they’re from the sunny state of California. Pure electic love.

3.  The Breeders (Saints)- If you can’t get the lyrics, the chorus, the video, the overall song then you must definitely save yourself and include this in the mix or be forever doomed in your Tolkien black metal fan club existence.

4.  Rooney (Blueside/Where Did Your Heart Go Missing?)- Both of their videos to these songs evoke summer imagery.  Heck, both albums do it as well.  Also from California.

5.  Shonen Knife (Summertime Boogie)- Catchy and simplistic: what more can you want, what more can you say?

6.  Beach Boys (Good Vibrations/California Girls)- The band that embodies summer, okay their whole career.  The former song that fills my head of imagery ever since its use in The Wonder Years; the latter’s homage helps me conjure up some in mind( and no I’m not talking about Paris or Lindsay) with no participation of David Lee Roth whatsoever.

7.  DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (Summertime)- Before he made movies  he was a rapper and had a hit in 1991 with Summertime (yes he was a rapper and yes I’m old).  No summer party would be a party without this jam though he and his bodyguards would probably suggest otherwise.

8. Bananarama (Cruel Summer)- Before the emergence of emo, you had this song from back in the 80s that made you want to be mopey and dance at the same time as an alternative  to slashing your wrists. Others would want to do it to this style of music but not myself.

9. Eddie Cochran (Summertime Blues)- Another song of mopiness but this time directed to ‘da man.’  The lyrics are still relevant given to today’s current state so if you’re not feeling the love then crank this one up.  Been covered by Rush, Joan Jett and The Who.

10. XTC (Grass)- Who knew that they celebrate the summer over in England.  Therefore, all stereotypes should be broken as this track-as well as the whole album that it comes from ‘Skylarking’- of this underappreciated band plays and the lush orchestration lays your mind in a sensual haze. Take the title with whatever reference you like.

Go ‘Driving’ with Badenders

After five years of living in a musical dormant state as Florida I’ve made my way back home to Texas, my birth state.  It’s not all stereotypical country and blues to be had here as served by my recent discovery of Dallas’ Badenders.  I discovered them for the first time in Denton home to the University of North Texas.  They play a type of rock that you can listen in a chilled out introspective position one minute then make you go and get ready for the dance clubs the next. Listening to their debut offering’ Driving’   you get that feeling. 

                                                                                   

Their layered sound owes debts to bands such as New Order, The Cure, and Coldplay as evidenced on the lead off track ‘ New and Improved;’ recall the harmonies of Pink Floyd but in a much more updated and indie rock mode on ‘Cry for Help.’  Then you want to raise the roof and your arms as you shimmy to the dance rock of  ‘Masquerade;’ and to end it all you can revisit and pine for those lost days of innocence and childhood with the pensive Eno-esque ‘The Lights.’  There’s an amazing amount of talent and originality given that 3/4 of the band have just hit the legal drinking age, but what does that matter?: As long as Badenders are the pilots of a new musical optimism that is not readily found these days, we should all take the time to explore a new frontier in Texas.

www.myspace.com/badenders

“If that means we can’t ‘make it’ THEN HELL YEAH”

Kelly Ogden (The Dollyrots) posted a blog on Myspace the other day following a particularly disappointing show in Portland, Oregon. In addition to being one of my favorite bass players (guys & girls included), Kelly just happens to have a brain in her head. The D-rots played April 20 at Dante’s Live in Portland, opening for what they thought was a band similar to the Suicide Girls. Kelly noted that the staff at Dante’s was “the coolest” and they had really “yummy yummy food” but “the show was a little below average on ‘your’ part.” And then she discovered why. The Dollyrots weren’t opening for another band, they were there as an opening act for the Sinferno Cabaret – a burlesque show known for it’s “sexy, erotic performers’ according to the “Portland Mercury.”

Kelly went on to say, “I mean what the fuck? Mudhoney played here last night and we get to “open” for a trash parade? I mean… Girls, do what you want to do, but I do not want to be the opening act for another half-assed tit parade. I’m sorry guys. I don’t know how this has happened twice in two months. I mean it’s weird enough being a girl fronted band but touring is a whole different beast. I’M SO GLAD THESE GHICKS [sic] CAN WAVE THEIR SWEET LITTLE TITS AND MAKE BANK BUT that’s not at all what I want to do or be about. If that means we can’t “make it’ THEN HELL YEAH.”

Here at Blog of Sound we’re disappointed with the promoters and booking agents who decided that a top-notch rock band should open up for a “half-assed tit parade.” The Dollyrots deserve much better than that. We have to wonder what the criteria for booking a female fronted band to open for a strip show was. Perhaps the whole idea that the D-rots have Kelly as a front person was enough of criteria. “She has tits. They have tits! Excellent!”

Sure, the show was booked as a 21+ gig but we can’t help but feel dirty for the band. It’s one thing to be the opening act for another band (even one that might not exactly match your band’s genre) but to be reduced to opening for a burlesque show is degrading. No band should have to do that. But we’re sending out massive kudos to Kelly and company for having some morals and decency.

We’re not going to kid you and say that no one is going to shows by all-girl bands or female fronted bands just for the music. Plenty of people go because they think “the singer’s hot.” That’s fine. But don’t forget that many of these “hot” singers or bands are very talented. They might be the subject of some fantasies but the majority are great performers. In Kelly’s case, sure some guys are staring at her but others are just in awe that she can hammer out such cool bass lines and actually be a rock and roll queen. If you’re gonna stare at her body, make sure you check out her bass work. It’s top drawer.

To quote the Dollyrots from “Cat Calling” off their latest album “Because I’m Awesome” “Cat, cat calling and I just don’t care. Cat, cat calling so I’m out of here.”

Indie Noise: A retrospective

Indie Noise is coming at you as a look into the past today. Lately we’ve been going back to some of the artists featured in previous editions of Indie Noise. We’ve come to realize that while some of the bands were great at the initial writing of their respective Indie Noise entries, others have truly stood the test of time and have earned permanent rotation spots on our playlists. We’ve reviewed each of these bands in the past but we’re going to do it again, taking the time to explain why each of these bands are reappearing in this retrospective. There’s something special about each of these bands that has given them staying power. We’ve gone through the Indie Noise archives and pulled four bands from the masses and in this entry we’ll take at them. They’re in no particular order, but if you didn’t check out these bands when they first appeared in Indie Noise, make sure you do it this time. These bands are hot and you don’t want to miss them.

Plastic Parachute

Ok, we gvive, we never wrote an Indie Noise about Plastic Parachute, but we did nominate them for “Best Indie Band” in our 2007 BOS Awards and they did walk away winning that category. We can only come up with three words to describe Plastic Parachute’s vibe: Dance floor rock. They might have propelled themselves out of the indie league courtesy of a deal with MRV/Caroline Records/EMI but that doesn’t mean we should forget about them.

Dishing out a contagious pop-rock/power-pop sound that’s been sorely missed since the early of days of No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom,” Plastic Parachute is a band that successfully manages to rock out better than most but doesn’t take themselves too seriously. We’re quite fond of their songs “Betty Ford Princess” and “Four Alarm Fire” from their Myspace music player, but every song on their is 110% worthy of hitting the play button. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself heading over to the iTunes store afterwards to buy their tunes. We did.

Check them out on Myspace at www.myspace.com/plasticparachute.

Naked Beggars

Southern/Classic Rock never had it so good as they do with Naked Beggars. Featuring more talent than you can shake a stick at, the Beggars have a groove that doesn’t quit, a beat that gets you on your feet, and vocals that make you wonder if it can get any better.

Founded by lead singer Inga Brittingham and guitarist Kris Casmaento, the band has original drummer Dustin Delore back behind the kit after the departure of Lisa Rav. The band is filled out by bass player Eric Brittingham (yes, Eric Brittingham from Cinderella.) The Beggars have shared stages with The Gibbs Brothers Band, The Donnas, Cinderella (of course), L.A. Guns, and Lynyrd Skynyrd and continue to impress audiences around the country.

If you’re jonesing for some real rock and roll, check out the Naked Beggars.

Check them out on Myspace at www.myspace.com/nakedbeggars.

The Bridges

The Bridges were an accidental discovery made at a Bangles show in Connecticut but we can’t help but love them. Like Plastic Parachute, the band has made the leap into the big leagues since we wrote about them in Indie Noise but the doesn’t mean you should forget about them. The band signed on with Verve/Universal at the beginning of December 2007 and they’re currently gearing up for a tour with California rockers Rooney.

We’re having the same difficulty describing The Bridges’ sound that we had after our initial Indie Noise entry about them, but rest assured knowing that the Bridges turn out tight harmonies and interesting melodies. The Bridges evoke a bit of contry rock twang wiht sounds reminiscent of the Corrs and bands like the Bangles and the Go-Gos. They’re a great listen and still well worth your time.

Check them out on Myspace at www.myspace.com/thebridgesmusic.

Daisy Grenades

Our newest discovery (and the last Indie Noise entry we made) is Daisy Grenades. We really can’t stop listening to them and that has us wondering if anyone else has taken the time out of their incredibly busy lives to check out this fantastic New York based rock band. If you haven’t, shame on you. You’re missing the best rock band we’ve come across so far this year.

Daisy Grenades offers up a brand of rock that is sorely missing from the current rock scene and we couldn’t support their endeavors any more than if they were, say, another all-girl band we’ve written ad nauseum about over the last year. If you’re ready to have your face melted, you need to jump on board with the Daisy Grenades. If you’re local to them, you need to go to one of their upcoming shows and if you’re not local, well we’re sorry you’re missing out. Think Motorhead, Girlschool, L7, and perhaps some Motley Crue put in a giant blender. The result? The rock and roll goodness that is Daisy Grenades. They rock. Pure and simple.

Check them out on Myspace at www.myspace.com/daisygrenades.

April’s Picks for a Penny

April’s Picks for a Penny

Sure, we just filed our taxes the other day and April is rapidly dissolving into May but that doesn’t mean that it’s too late to bring you our Picks for a Penny for April. In fact, the time is perfect to bring you five CDs that will have you rockin’ out in your car with the windows down. It’s that time of year and so this month we bring your five penny CDs that sound great while driving around in warm spring temperatures.

Editor’s Note: In the past we’ve posted our picks for a penny and then received E-mails a few days later from readers who noted that the CD is no longer available on Amazon Marketplace for a penny. At the time of this writing, the lowest available price on each of the following releases was one penny. That price may fluctuate as time goes on and there is no guarantee that these albums will always be available for one penny.

Van Halen: 1984
“1984″ is just what it sounds like, an album released by one of the greatest metal bands of all-time in, you guessed it, 1984. Far from Van Halen’s first album, “1984″ is arguably one of their best. The last Van Halen album with the original (and best) lineup, “1984″ proves that synthesizers don’t have to sound cheesy. In fact, Van Halen brilliantly combined screaming guitar solos with rolling synthesizer breaks for an unforgettable album. This is the album everyone knows, packed full with classic songs.

Tracks to check out: “Panama,” “Girl Gone Bad,” “Jump,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Top Jimmy” “Drop Dead Legs,” and “I’ll Wait.”

Tracks to skip: “1984″

Slaughter: Stick it to Ya
Call Slaughter metal or pop metal but whatever you do, don’t forget about the wonders of Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum. They ditched the Vinnie Vincent Invasion and brought in a new rhythm sections to produce one of our favorite hair metal albums of all time. Slaughter and company are in fine form on “Stick it to Ya” which yielded several big hits for a band that often gets lumped in with the likes of bands like Firehouse and White Lion.

“Stick it to Ya” is chock full of memorale songs from the tail end of the hair metal era that will have you breaking out your old stonewashed jeans.

Tracks to check out: “Spend My Life,” “Eye to Eye,” “Up All Night,” “Fly to the Angels,” “Burnin’ Bridges,”"Mad About You,” and “Desperately.”

Tracks to skip: “She Wants More,” “Loaded Gun,” and “Gave Me Your Heart.”

Aerosmith: Big Ones

“Big Ones” is just that: big hits for an even bigger band. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t deny that Aerosmith produced a whole lot of big hits over the years and “Big Ones” brings them all together in one neat package. Sure, since this album has been released there’s been bigger and better compilations put out there but for 1994 “Big Ones” was king.

Tracks to check out: “Walk on Water,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Rag Doll,” “What it Takes,” “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “Cryin’,” “Amazing,” “Blind Man,” “Deuces are Wild,” “The Other Side,” “Crazy,” “Eat the Rich,” “Angel,” and “Livin’ on the Edge.”

Tracks to skip: NONE. ARE YOU KIDDING?!

Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction
Very rarely does a debut album come along that sets the scene for an incredible career. Even more rare does that album frequently get pegged as one of the greatest albums of all time. But Guns N Roses did it. Not only did “Appetite for Destruction” introduce one of the most influential (and incredible) rock guitarists of all time but it gave us a huge number of songs that would seemingly live on forever. Since its release in 1990, we’re hard pressed to find another album that has rocked harder.

Tracks to check out: “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Nighttrain,” “Out Ta Get Me,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “Paradie City,” “My Michelle,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “You’re Crazy,” and “Rocket Queen.”

Tracks to skip: If you MUST skip a track or two, then you could miss “It’s So Easy” and “Think About You.”

Megadeth: Youthanasia

“Youthanasia” could very well be Megadeth’s best album chock full of top-notch melodic metal. Though it was originally met with disappointment from Megadeth fans, “Youthanasia” is a brilliant display of a band that grew musically, introducing more atmospher and “moodiness” into their songs.

Tracks to check out: “Reckoning Day,” “Train of Consequences,” “Elysian Fields, “The Killing Road,” “A Tout Le Monde,” “Addicted to Chaos,” “Youthanasia.”

Tracks to skip: “Family Tree,” and “Victory.”

Indie Noise: Daisy Grenades

Ordinarily we feature two bands for Indie Noise but this week we wanted to focus on one band that defines what it means to rock. You should be listening to this band but the chances are good that if you’re not in the New York area then you’ve never heard of them. We’d like to rectify that and introduce you to one of the best rock/metal bands we’ve heard in a long time, Daisy Grenades.

Just the word “metal” sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, the way that Daisy Grenades dishes it out it sounds even better. Now don’t be mistaken about this, Daisy Grenades aren’t close to what kittie once were. Instead they’re more of a mixture of Girlschool, L7, Motorhead, and some 80s cock-rock. This all-girl rock quartet dishes out metal that many of the boys of rock wish they could produce.

Take a spin by their myspace page and check out four songs they’ve posted there. If 10 seconds of “High Chase Speed” doesn’t light your fire, then nothing Daisy Grenades does will. But if you like pure rock and roll metal goodness then stick around because “High Chase Speed” is a great Girlschool-like tune but the songs just get better the further down the player you get.

“Broken Record” nicely showcases lead singer Lisa Dale’s talents which are perfectly matched by the grinding guitar of Mabelle Cruise and groove-tastic bass of Ashley Levy. It’s all buttoned up with heavy-hitting drumming provided by Hana Sabol.

Even further down the list is “Dominate” which features a rock groove that doesn’t quit. Levy does her job better than many bass players and matching her up with Sabol keeps the song firmly in the pocket. There’s no reason for anything flashy with “Dominate” as it holds its own and is just a staunch reminder that you’re listening to Daisy Grenades and they’re going to kick your ass with the best rock/metal they can come up with.

Our favorite song sits at the bottom of their player. “Let’s Make the Boys Cry” is a live cut and if the band is this good live, then we’d like to ask the rest of the New York rock bands to take a seat. Like their other songs it features a groove that is severely lacking from most other bands. A perfect blend of grinding, overdriven guitar, groove-rock bass and rock solid drumming create a wall of sound that gets stuck in your head and will have you pumping your fist in the air. We’re pretty sure that the ladies of Daisy Grenades do exactly what this song suggests once they get onstage and kudos goes out to them.

If you want your face rocked off, drop by their Myspace and take a listen. If you like what you hear maybe you can help them out in their quest to make some money so they can hit the recording studio. This is one band that’s worth the effort, your time, and your cold hard cash.

Choose yer weapon

So, you want to be a rockstar. You wanna stand in an arena with a guitar in your hand and rock in your heart. Get in line. There are thousands upon thousands of folks of all ages who hold onto the dreams of rock superstardom. Why wouldn’t you dream of being a rockstar? Houses on the beach, only the finest food and drink, exotic vacations, millions of people screaming your name. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? For most of us who daydream about standing on the stage at Madison Square Garden in front of a sold-out crowd, it will be nothing more than a daydream.

But many of us actually get a shot at playing in front of paying audiences in local clubs and bars. We spend countless hours practicing our respective instruments, loading vans that will breakdown about 100-feet from nowhere, sleeping on floors wherever there’s space, saving quarters for laundry, and wondering where the next check is coming from. It’s the rock and roll life. Are you sure you want to get in on that action?

Ok, chief. Well, then, let’s get rockin’.

Before you can even start to play you need to find an instrument. If you’re like us, you chose to rock your brains out with an electric guitar. You want to play earsplitting solos, chunky rhythms, and powerhouse chords. Maybe (if you’re of the appropriate age group) you begged and pleaded with your parents to buy you a guitar. You don’t know what kind of guitar you want, it just needs to be electric. Chances are pretty good your parents don’t know what kind of guitar to buy and they’re not about to drop $2,500 on a Gibson Les Paul that you might stop playing tomorrow.

Your author’s tale of learning guitar is one like that. In the seventh grade, I begged my parents for a guitar and I was in luck, the JC Penny catalog had arrived and in it was a whole section on musical instruments. They looked good. They were shiny and amazing and I wouldn’t have known a Fender from an Ibanez from a Gibson from a Kay. That’s right a Kay. What the hell is a Kay? I have no idea, but I had one.

The price was right for my parents. For $100 they could buy me a guitar and if I stopped playing after a few days it wasn’t a huge loss. And so they ordered that $100 piece of plywood with a few pickups and some crappy strings slapped on it. And it was a guitar. But more than that, it was a door stopper – it was certainly heavy enough.

There was nothing playable about that guitar. It had virtually no sustain. The neck was about as easy to play if someone had taken a baseball bat and put the heaviest, dullest strings they could find on it. The pickups were shotty and the electrical wiring was so poorly connected my father took apart the guitar on more than one occasion and resoldered the connections. But I struggled to play it.

That’s one thing people have learned about me: I’m more stubborn than any mule you’ll ever encounter. I wanted to play guitar and dammit, I was going to figure it out. And for the first four or five years of my guitar playing life, I played the heck out of this piece of black painted lumber. I wasn’t good but I just figured that I wasn’t destined to be the next Eddie Van Halen or Eric Clapton. What I didn’t realize was that there was a world of guitars out there and mine barely belonged amongst its peers. At the same time one of my best friends was given a Fender Stratocaster. I’d never seen a Fender in person before but I knew it was one of the best guitars. Mine didn’t even compare.

And then one fateful day I received a catalog for a mail-order guitar store. They were more than guitars. They had drums, keyboards, recording stuff, microphones, mixers, and guitars. Pages and pages of guitars. There wasn’t a Kay to be found amongst them. But there were Fenders. And Epiphones. Ibanez, Gibson, B.C. Rich, ESP, Gretsch. They were all there. And so were their price tags. Some of the guitars started around the same price as my Kay – $100. Others topped out around $10,000! There had to be a difference but what that was I didn’t know.

But I knew my guitar wasn’t even in the catalog. It wasn’t a real guitar. It needed to go. I wanted a Fender. It was a good guitar. I knew that. Was it for me? I didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. I wanted one. The prices were what had me scared. I knew my $100 Kay was crap but at this time I was 16 and certainly couldn’t afford to buy a guitar for several thousand dollars. I could barely afford to buy a guitar for a couple hundred dollars. But I was in luck. Fender had something called a Squire. And for $149.99 I used my first paycheck from my first job and bought a Baltic blue Fender Affinity.

I thought that was the greatest guitar ever. Certainly it was much better than the Kay (which I promptly sold for $20 to a kid who was dying to learn to play guitar and her mother didn’t want to drop a lot of cash on a hobby that would be destined to end in 24 hours – a familiar story.) I played that guitar in my band The Sheep Incident but by the time I was a senior in college I was realizing that the Fender just wasn’t for me. I had an Ibanez EX that was given to me by a coworker and I never was jazzed by the sound. But the neck! Woah! It blew my Squire’s neck out of the water. My hand seemed to move faster on on it and I could move around between chords and notes much quicker.

But I’d been playing guitar since I was 12 and here it was 10 years later and I wasn’t much better than I was when I first got that Kay. And it wasn’t for lack of playing time. I played every day, practiced every spare moment I had but much to my chagrin I wasn’t even close to the guitarist I wanted to be. I liked playing but I hated that I was so bad. Why was I so bad at it?

Again, being stubborn, I wasn’t about to quit. I graduated college, moved into an apartment and rediscovered a band that I’d first learned about my sophomore year in college – The Donnas. Their guitarist was fantastic. I wanted to play like that. That was my goal: get as good (or close) to Allison Robertson’s playing. There was no way I could do that on my Fender. I tried. Believe you me. I tried and tried and I couldn’t even muster the main riff of The Donnas’ hit song “Take It Off.” What was wrong? Was it me?

No, I decided. I needed a guitar like Allison’s. She had a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I looked it up in the latest issue of my music catalog. There was no way I could afford to drop $2,500 on a Gibson Les Paul. But I wanted one. Needed one. I was convinced that if I had a Les Paul I’d get better. I didn’t want an Ibanez Les Paul copy. I didn’t want a Hondo. I wanted a Gibson but couldn’t afford one. I did some research. Gibson owned a company called Epiphone. I knew about Epiphones. John Lennon played one. So did George Harrison. They were two of my favorite musicians. Epiphone couldn’t be crap. And since Epiphone was licensed by Gibson they actually sold a Les Paul. So I found one used in a local music shop (that not-so coincidentally looked remarkably similar to Allison Robertson’s Gibson LP Standard) and bought it for $349.

I’d like to say that instantly, practically overnight I became this amazing guitarist. I didn’t. But something interesting did happen. I was able to learn songs more quickly. Those “impossible” songs I liked but had never been able to play before were easier to play now. And a few months later I’d joined a new band and was actually able to play some of Allison Robertson’s guitar parts. I could even write my own parts. All those years of music theory weren’t for nothing. I could play guitar and I could write for guitar.

I had spent 10 years of my guitar playing life being frustrated with my instrument. I couldn’t play anything I wanted to play. There seemed to be a disconnect between my brain, fingers, and fretboard. Most people would have given up on their guitar-playing dreams but I’m not like that. I get frustrated and will keep it up and keep it up until I’m successful.

In a very roundabout way I do have a point here. This isn’t the story of how I learned to play guitar even though it certainly seems that way. This is advice: no single guitar is right for everyone. Just because Kurt Cobain played a Fender didn’t mean it was the right guitar for me. Sure Paul Stanley played an Ibanez, but that didn’t mean I should. Ok, I give, Allison Robertson is a Gibson guitarist and I am now too, but that was really a lucky draw.

There are a lot of guitars out there. Play them all. Find the one that fits. You’ll know it when you play it. The second I picked up my Les Paul I knew that it was the guitar I’d been looking for. There was no question about it. Since then I’ve gone through my fair share of guitars and I always know if the guitar is the right one for me. Right now I’m favoring the newest edition to my herd, Korina SG, but the second I had it in my hand I knew that it was my guitar. And I’ve picked up guitars by Fender, Ibanez and even BC Rich more recently and while they’re all great guitars, they’re not mine. They don’t feel right. They don’t play that well for me. But for you? Maybe.

One thing to remember: the price tags do in fact mean something. The Squire was $149 for a reason and in your humble author’s opinion, a guitar that cheap should never be given to a beginner. It will only end in frustration and the end of the hobby.

So you wanna be a rockstar? Before you rock, choose your weapon. Play a lot of guitars. Camp out in the guitar store and just play everything. Your guitar is waiting. You just need to find it.

The ‘Hero’ of Rock and Roll

Guitar Hero. You’ve heard of it of course. It’s that game that kids (and adults) all over the country can’t seem to stop playing. Heck, in cities like New York and Boston bars even have “Guitar Hero Nights” where they set up the big screen TV and invite patrons to pick up their plastic guitar controllers and become a guitar legend if only for one night of video game bliss. There’s no denying the popularity of the game. Since the original release of Guitar Hero in 2005, RedOctane has released Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. Due out this summer is Guitar Hero: On Tour, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, and Guitar Hero IV. That’s a lot of Guitar Hero.

But with all its addictive video game glory (your author has been known to wail away on the video game controller for hours on end) Guitar Hero isn’t just another video game. In fact, it might be just what it’s name implies: a hero for the guitar world and for the music world.

With a soundtrack chock full of classic and modern classic rock and roll tunes, Guitar Hero features songs which are acting as something of a rock education for the millions of kids who are glued to their Gibson SG-shaped controllers.

And an education it really is. Take a look at some the featured artists: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Ramones, White Zombie, Bad religion, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Boston, ZZ Top, Queen, The Exies, Megadeth, David Bowie, The Donnas, Sum 41, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Motorhead, Cream, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pantera, the Black Label Society, Motley Crue, Danzig, Wolfmother, Spinal Tap, KISS, Nirvana, Van Halen, Kansas, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Warrant, The Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, Thin Lizzy, Rage Against the Machine, heart, Stone Temple Pilots, Cheap Trick, the Stray Cats, Rush, Anthrax, Dethklok, Bang Camaro, Foghat, Poison, Social Distortion, Beastie Boys, Mountain, Alice Cooper, The Strokes, heart, The Killers, the Who, Sonic Youth, the Sex Pistols, Weezer, Pearl Jam, Dead Kennedys, Scorpions, Aerosmith, Slipknot, Santana, Eric Johnson, Slayer, Iron Maidon, Quiet Riot, The Go-Gos, Skid Row, Eddie Money, Asia, Dio, .38 Special, Twisted Sister, Scandal, The Police, Ratt, Faster Pussycat, and Winger.

The Guitar Hero series is seriously a walk through rock and roll history providing some of the best that rock has had to offer from the 1960s right up to the current scene. And while we’ve been singing the rock and roll death march, there’s a whole new generation of kids who are just discovering these artists, their songs and the magic that is rock and roll. Perhaps that’s one of the contributing factors to hip-hop and rap’s declining popularity (we can only hope.)

A recent visit to online music retail giant iTunes showed that some of the best-selling tracks are songs that have been featured in the video game. Who would have thought that “Mississippi Queen” would find a new life and that 10-year-olds would be sining along to Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” We sure didn’t see that coming. And while Guitar Hero may be helping sales for some bands who have contributed their hits to the game, we’re sure that it hasn’t hurt the guitar industry either.

In a recent Guitar Center flyer that arrived in the mail the other day we noticed in the sparsely populated book section there was a new addition “Hal Leonard Guitar Hero Songbook.” And while the book doesn’t have every song featured on the first two Guitar Hero installments (conspicuously missing: The Donnas’ hit “Take it Off,” “Infected” by Bad Religion, “Ace of Spades” by Motorhead, the Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’” and Motley Crue’s “Shout at the Devil”) it’s further proof that the video game generation is embracing the songs featured on the game and is demonstrating a desire to learn those tunes.

Even Gibson is trying to capitalize on the success of the video game series by issuing (and heavily promoting) their new Slash guitar. Featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Slash joins the player on stage for a battle and then a rousing rendition of “Welcome to the Jungle.” Everyone knows who Slash is and in many circles he is heavily revered as one of the best guitar players in the world. Does it come as a surprise that Gibson has decided now to further align themselves with Slash?

We don’t care who makes the money off the Guitar Hero franchise (as long as some of it trickles back to the artists who made these songs famous in the first place.) What we do care about, however, is the fact that rock and roll is alive again thanks to this series of video games. When was the last time you heard a kid mention the name .38 Special or even show any knowledge of Foghat, Faster Pussycat, or Iggy and the Stooges? We never thought it would happen, but maybe the video game generation isn’t completely lost to the musical world. There’s still hope that rock and roll is heading for rebirth – thanks to a video game.

Oh my, aliens are playing rock and roll

This is the 21st Century, right? I mean, I’m not confused and am actually living in cave man days, am I? That’s what I thought. We’ve gone through the Civil Rights Movement. And there was suffrage (which sounds like a terrible thing but wasn’t.) So, we are living in supposed enlightened times. I use the word supposed because there are just so many things that make me question whether society is as enlightened as we claim to be.

In case you’ve missed this common theme from past entries there is a little something called “Rock and Roll.” And there are these groups of people who get together to create this wonderful thing and they are called “rock bands.” Yes. I know, it’s a terribly difficult concept to grasp. Rock. Bands. What do those strange words mean? Well let’s examine them.

Rock [rok] noun. (also rock music) music or songs with a strong, heavy beat and usually a simple melody.

Band[band] noun. A group of musicians who perform as an ensemble.

Special thanks go out to the folks at Dictionary.com for providing such succinct definitions.

Using those definitions it would be safe to assume that by combining the two words, a “rock band” is a group of musicians who perform music or songs as an ensemble with a strong, heavy beat and usually a simple melody. Makes sense, yes? We think so.

Now, let’s try a little exercise. Close your eyes. And think about rock bands. Now quick, make a list of five bands. Any five bands. The first five bands you think of. Ok, let’s have a look at your list. What do your bands have in common (other than the fact that they should all be rock bands.)? Chances are pretty good that the bands you chose are all the same genre. They’re probably all bands that you listen to frequently. The probably have one or two guitarists, a drummer, bass player and of course a lead vocalist. And maybe they even have keyboard players. We’ll wager another thing: chances are pretty good that the bands you named are primarily male. Either they’re all guys or they’re all guys with a female singer.

If that assumption isn’t correct, pat yourself on the back and go get yourself a cookie. You win the award for being an open-minded, educated, and liberated music-lover. Congratulations. Consider us members of your own personal fan club.

If that assumption is correct, however, this entry is for you. We’re not going to berate you and tell you that “hey, man, this is 2008. Stop being so pigheaded.” That’s not our style. But be prepared, you are about to be enlightened.

For some reason, when someone says the words “Rock Band” people automatically think of bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, KISS, AC/DC, Cinderella, Godsmack, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, and the list goes on. And there’s nothing wrong with that. These are all very good bands that deserve any and all fame they have received over the years. There’s a reason that The Beatles are one of the first thoughts many people have when they hear the words “rock band.”

Think about it. We’ll guarantee that the words “rock band” didn’t make you conjure up images of bands like Vixen, The Go-Gos, The Runaways, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, kittie, Hole, Girlschool, L7, Shonen Knife, The Donnas, Garbage, Sleater-Kinney, and The Bangles. But why weren’t those bands on your list? They fit the criteria, don’t they? Of course they do! They are, in fact, “a group of musicians who perform music or songs as an ensemble with a strong, heavy beat and usually a simple melody.”

Hmm…that’s a thinker.

Let’s bring this home, shall we? It should come at no surprise at this stage in the Blog of Sound game that your humble author is not only a fan of women in rock and roll but is a member of said community. As lead guitarist in the Connecticut based rock band (yes, there’s that phrase again…) She Eats Planets it’s not uncommon to hear things like, “So you’re in a girl band?” or “Are you a pop band?” or (my personal favorite) “Really? A girl band? Like you’re all girls?”

Well, technically speaking, She Eats Planets is no longer an all-girl band. We don’t discriminate. Our drummer is not only very good but happens to be a guy. But make no bones about it, we have two female guitarists (who play the very masculine Les Paul, SG and even Flying V guitars), a female bass player who could kick your male bass player’s ass chops wise, and of course our singer is an incredibly talented female vocalist. But, yes we’re a female rock band. We might as well be aliens.

Consider the scene as we prepare for shows: We arrive at the venue and start set up. Last time I rolled my Marshall halfstack across the room to get to the stage there was a mixed response of “Woah! Awesome” to just the sound of people being flat-out shocked that a girl might know who Jim Marshall is and why he makes the best damn amplifiers in the world. And as we set up it’s usually a spectacle. Do we know how to set up our gear? Can we do a soundcheck. Can they even play their instruments? Oh wow. She played a chord. Hey look, she knows the notes. But a girl rock band? Did they arrive in a flying saucer? When did the aliens land.

But as the headlining band arrives, goes through the load-in motions and does their soundcheck no one is surprised when the set up wireless gear, hook up their monster amplifiers and play chords and even notes. They’re expected to know what they’re doing. Forget the fact that there is an intrinsic difference between headlining bands and lowly opening acts – the headlining band is a guy band (with a female singer). Of course they know what they’re doing.

Why does it matter if the band is male or female? Hell, I don’t care if you’re a guy, girl, spaceman, or ape. If you can play your instrument and play it well that’s all that matters in the end game. A rock band is a rock band. So wipe that surprised smile off your face. Don’t look so shocked. Girls can play rock and roll too. The aliens have landed. We’ve got guitars and drums and we know how to use them.

Oh my, aliens are playing rock and roll. (And more power to them.)

Indie Noise: Kissing Robots & The Celebrities

When was the last time you heard a new band that while refreshingly new was so familiar it was comfortable? When was the last time you heard a new band that reminded you of a band that “made it” but was about a million times better? You’re probably shaking your head. You don’t remember. Don’t worry, it’s hard to get past the candy-coated crap MTV is playing and your local radio station is hocking as “good music.” And that’s why Indie Noise is here. This week we bring you two bands that we know you’ll love as much as we do and they’ll give you one more reason to blow up your MTV idiot box and to turn off your Top 40 radio.

First up for your consideration, hailing from New Jersey (of all places!) The Celebrities combine the surf-rock sounds of days gone by with powerpop and the tight harmonies which have us instantly thinking of the Beach Boys. This quartet (currently seeking a new bass player and keyboard player) has actually blown our minds here at Blog of Sound. Kudos to them. So let’s talk about what makes this group so great.

There are five tunes up on their Myspace player, four from their “The Free Four All Demo” and one that’s just a demo (but fantastic nonetheless). When you think of The Celebrities you should instantly think of upbeat poprock with tight Beach Boys-esque harmonies, interesting melodies that are incredibly catchy. Simply put these guys are the more talented, East Coast version of california rockers Rooney. The Celebrities’ songs make you want to drop the top on your car and cruise down Main Street pumping out these good-time songs.

Upon first listen, “East Coast Girls” is a Top 40 worthy song. The harmonies are so much reminiscent of The Beach Boys we had to double check that we were listening to the right band. But where the Beach Boys fell with musicianship, the guys in The Celebrities have woven together driving beats worthy of any dance club with tasteful and bright guitars and thumping bass. The keyboards introduce a new layer that is frequently overlooked when bands start to form.

Their tracks “You’re Still on My Mind” and “She’s Mine” are songs that sounds so familiar and comfortable that its unique. This is a Rooney style song but with a much stronger singer. In fact, singer Timmy Sean lends vocals that rival any “popular” singer and at times reminds us of Lenny Kravitz – if Lenny Kravitz was actually good.

The highlight for us, however, comes from their song “Back to the Middle.” It’s infectious and contagious and all the other good words that we’ve overused in the past. This is what poprock is meant to be.

And even their demo track of “This Time Around” is 100% worth your time. Sure it cuts out at the end but this is a really great piano demo that we’re hopeful will make it to the band’s full length release when the time comes.

If you’re looking for high quality pop rock with a surf edge, look no further than The Celebrities. They’ll make you yearn for fun in the sun.

And if you thought that only the East and West coasts were where the good music came from then think again. You know, Nashville, Tenn isn’t just home to country music. This city where the music doesn’t stop is also home to alternative/pop rock band Kissing Robots.

We’ve been listening to the tracks from their EP “Misery” and it all sounds very familiar and retro-poprock in a way that we can’t quite put our finger on. Take a listen to their tracks “Misery” and “Little Miss Presley” and we’re sure you’ll understand what we mean.

Their songs are hook-laden and remind us a bit of The Pink Spiders. The guitar riffs are essential and subtle at once and create this interesting and mildly complex sounding progressions. Top that off with the lead vocals provided by Johnny K and you’ve got an interesting sound that just doesn’t want to quit.

There’s nothing about Kissing Robots that tips off the band’s Nashville roots and we have a feeling they like it that way. Being in the heart of country music is just part of a series of unfortunate events.

If you dig The Killers you’ll like Kissing Robots. If you like The Pink Spiders, you’re gonna like Kissing Robots. Pay attention to “Cowboy Killers” and “Surrender” and we promise you’ll be a fan.