The first time I had the opportunity to fully dive into the vibrations of Steely Dan was during my first semester of college in my History of Rock class. Their blend of jazz, rock, and funk was something that I could not help but enjoy. Their upbeat catchy tunes bring a smile to my face along with feelings of happiness and joy. After multiple hard drive crashes and digital library malfunctions, It appears as if I have been deprived from my Steely Dan collection. To my surprise they have a long list of Tour Dates this summer all around the world, including two stops at the Greek Theatre. What better time to dive back into Aja than NOW?
Multi-Grammy Winning, Multi-Platinum Album Selling, Legendary Music Pioneers: Earth, Wind & Fire gave me my first dose of real music as a child. Hearing their uplifting blend of soul, funk, gospel, jazz, rock, and dance music on the radio on the ride home from school was always a treat. Their grooves always had me tapping my feet, bobbing my head, and dancing in the car. Catchy melodies and fun lyrics would be stuck in my head long after the song was over. A lot of music would not exist today without talented artists like Earth Wind & Fire fusing different styles together the way they did. Check out a video of Earth Wind & Fire in 1981 performing one of my favorite tunes Let's Groove.
It was a beautiful sunny summer day when I first heard the funky fresh music of MANDRILL. Cruising through the streets of Long Beach for a ride with Dr. Epic in the stealth mobile, I couldn't help but groove to the beat with the stereo on full blast. Layers of percussion, groovy bass lines, and a glaring horn section are what made me an official Mandrill lover from the moment those sound waves hit my ears.
I was going to wait a while before I shared my thoughts on this album but in true Sublime fashion I just said, "F(*)ck it let's do it!". It was around High School when my older cousin[the same one who made me listen to MetallicA] introduced me to 40 Oz. To Freedom on the way to school[the album, not alcohol, that was later, much later]. The first song that played on the car speakers was Waiting For My Ruca and with that I was hooked. I thought, "This is a song? Just a kick drum, snare, vocals?! Where are the guitars?! The bass?!" And as the song played the following lyrics caught my attention, "She moved from Long Beach down to L.A. Right now she's selling oranges by the freeway. I want to know, 'Ramona am I the only one tell me?' And she said, 'you're not the only one but you're the best Bradley bop! bop!'" I was surprised to learn that Sublime was from Long Beach. No wonder these lyrics spoke to me. It was written from a guy who walked the same streets as me and had similar life experiences that all the locals shared.
Sublime is one of those bands that people either love or hate. I had an English teacher my sophomore year of HS that loathed Sublime. The whole class couldn't understand why. The band spoke to every person from every socio-economic stature in this fine city of Long Beach. It was the ska music that picked up the energy when things weren't going too well. It was the perfect music to toke to when hanging out with your buddies at the house[1) so i've heard. 2) all the locals refer to hanging out at someones home as 'the house'. don't ask me why.]. It was the explosive in your face punk rock attitude that fueled the working class person. It was also the thought provoking hip hop lyrics that made you question the simple and complicated life issues. And do you know why that English teacher of mine hated Sublime? He said that every single party he went to back in the day where Sublime was scheduled to perform, they didn't play. He said Bradley was too drunk or drugged up and passed out some corner of the house party.
I wasn't fortunate enough to see Bradley, Eric, Bud, and Lou Dog perform but there are many locals who did. One of my cousins told me she volunteered at an event at the old Rainbow Lagoon just to watch Sublime perform with a full horn section. A friend's older brother told me that he went to most of the house parties Sublime performed at and even had a copy of the original 40 oz. To Freedom. He told me he never thought much about it and gave the tape to someone and never asked for it back. You can see how much their influence has ingrained itself into the locals back then and even now. Even till this day you can go to a house party anywhere in Long Beach and hear someone on an acoustic guitar playing their rendition of Badfish.
Like my love and great respect for the music of MetallicA, I can go on and on and on about Sublime and this album. We can touch base on how No Doubt and Sublime used to sing on each others tracks. Or how they were some of the first bands on Warped Tour back when it started. I can share stories of how Bradley almost lost Lou Dog at The Blue Cafe and how it was the same venue that D$, [e]ccentric, and I performed at when we were playing as a band[we weren't exactly of the drinking age of 21+ when we performed]. But with many things Sublime and Long Beach oriented you just have to experience it for yourself. I'm pretty sure that's how Bradley would of wanted it be...
R.I.P. Bradley Nowell
Purchase Sublime - 40 Oz. To Freedom @ Amazon | iTunes
Tracklist: 1. "Waiting for My Ruca"– 2:20 2. "40oz. to Freedom" – 3:02 3. "Smoke Two Joints" – 2:53 4. "We're Only Gonna Die for Our Arrogance" - 3:27 5. "Don't Push"– 4:18 6. "5446 That's My Number/Ball and Chain"– 5:17 7. "Badfish"– 3:04 8. "Let's Go Get Stoned"– 3:32 9. "New Thrash"– 1:30 10. "Scarlet Begonias"– 3:31 11. "Live at E's" (Nowell)- 3:08 12. "D.J.s" (Nowell)– 3:18 13. "Chica Me Tipo"– 2:16 14. "Right Back"– 2:49 15. "What Happened"– 3:27 16. "New Song"– 3:14 17. "Ebin"– 3:32 18. "Date Rape"– 3:37 (4:38) 19. "Hope"– 1:43 20. "KRS-One" – 2:23 21. "Rivers of Babylon"- 2:29 22. "Thanx Dub" 4:23 (6:23)
G1ockz checkin in on this late night addition of Sunday Funday with N*E*R*D's debut album In Search Of.... Back in the late 90s early 00's the production duo of Pharrell Willams and Chad Hugo aka The Neptunes where at the top of the Hip-Hop, R&B and Pop charts with singles for artist like Brittney Spears, Jay-Z and Usher. So naturally at the height of their career while they have the world's ear they would introduce you to N*E*R*D. No One Every Really Dies is not a side project it's more a way of thinking. The duo along with friend Shay Haley released theoriginal electronic version of the album in 2001 but was rerecorded with live instruments bySpymob for its American release to give it a different sound other than their usuall production. This album is what made me like the Neptune's, I encourage all to dive in and enjoy both versions.
I was in the 5th grade and had recently discovered the smooth vocal stylings of Boys II Men. Boys II Men 2 was on constant repeat on my parents stereo system until one night I'll never forget. "What the hell is this wussy music you're listening to?" my older cousin said[more like an older brother. more on that later]. He walked out of the room, went home[he lived around the block] and came back with 4 strange CDs that would forever change my life. He ejected Boys II Men 2 and put in Kill 'Em All. As he did this he instructed, "Listen to these albums in this order: Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lighting, Master of Puppets, and then ...And Justice For All." With those instructions lay the road of discovering MetallicA.
The open guitar chords and cymbal crashes began to fill the room as screeching noise[later I learned that this was called a pick scrape] moved from the right to the left speakers. "Hit The Lights" was the first song that played and instantly got me hooked. It was summer vacation and I had just started learning how to play the guitar. My mother taught me open chords and I took some classes at some parks & rec course but I wanted to know more. With this new music discovery I was set on learning every rhythm guitar part of this album. So every other day or so my cousins would come over and teach me a new guitar lick[on my classical guitar]. My favorite at that time[still is] would be the opening guitar phrase of "Seek and Destroy".
The year was 1983 and I haven't even been born or conceived. But an album that was created would forever change the lives of countless Metal/Trash/Punk/Guitarists lives. Originally titled Metal Up Your Ass, later changed to Kill 'Em All became the re-energizing force that brought back the fierceness into Heavy Metal. MetallicA would often play their songs faster and their amps louder if audience members weren't paying attention. Always with a "F(*)ck you" attitude for those who didn't pay attention they earned the respect through countless shows and a ruthless touring schedule. This was before the days of Social Media|Internet and the only way to get your music out there was to perform live.
Returning back to that summer where I discovered MetallicA, there was another additional force that fueled this interest in the band. Every night on a local radio station called KNAC there was a program called Mandatory MetallicA where they would play various MetallicA songs for an hour. This was before iPods and such so I had my free pocket sized radio from Montgomery Ward keeping me company every night so I could get my nightly dose of Metal. After many complaints from my younger brother and my mother trying to get some sleep for work they bought me a Sony Walkman[R.I.P.] w/ headphones. The summer was ending and my older cousins wanted their albums back. So I made myself some cassette copies and began to study/listen to the albums on repeat every night[the best way to memorize music hands down].
I could go on and on about the ferocity of "Whiplash" or "Metal Militia". Or the time when my older cousins told me that "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" wasn't a guitar solo but a bass solo by Cliff Burton[R.I.P.]. There was also the moment I realized the genius in song structure of "The Four Horsemen" and how this was one of the first instances of song structure dynamics I had heard in my life. The dual guitar solo from 4:10 to 4:34 in "The Four Horsemen" just screams out like cherubim and seraphim. As you can tell I can keep talking about this album until the end of the days but this would do it no justice. So I advice you to pick it up for yourself and find out why this was the album that served as a catalyst for my whole musical journey.
James Hetfield | Cliff Burton (RIP) | Kirk Hammett | Lars Ulrich
It's my turn to share something from my back catalog with you all. Despite all of the current posts dealing with dance music you'd be surprised to know that I was very much into ska & pop punk. One of the bands that really ushered me into this phase in my life was the band Home Grown. A local band from Orange County that was known all across Southern California as the band that brought the party where ever they went. You can check out the proof in the insert of their first full length That's Business(There's even a photo with Mark from Blink 182).
More importantly this release as a whole was the soundtrack to my high school experience. The song "She's Anti" described all of the odd balls who sat in the back of my class plotting world domination. "Nowhere Slow" was the perfect tune to explain the teenage self doubt in life choices and the uncertainty of the future. Whereas "Let Go" gave hope to the future and helped motivate you during your 'darkest days' in high school. "Wow, She Dumb" spoke too all us young lads who were fed up of 'stupid girls' and the frustrations of the opposite sex. And one can't forget the song that most people know Home Grown for, "Surfer Girl". A funny tale of one meeting the gal of their dreams on the shores of their local beach and the demise of the relationship. [Major thanks to D~Love/Freedom Connection for telling me to download this song on Napster many moons ago.]
I can go on and on about each song on this release and a specific time in high school that matched perfectly with the song but that would just bore you all. Instead, just get your hands on a copy of the album and re live the Southern California high school experience.
It's SUNDAY FUNDAY and I wanted to share with the blog world one of my all time favorite albums (as well as one of my all time favorite bands), The Resignation by the RX Bandits. Released in 2003, this album was recorded live which captured the raw sound with high energy that the bandits bring to each and every show they play. With a wide range of influences, RX Bandits blend their ska/reggae roots with their progressive rock energy to form a unique and pleasant fusion of sounds that continues to grow with each release that follows. This band is not afraid to try new things, and this album shows that with each and every tune. Be sure to give this album a spin if you want some fun energetic tunes to dance to..
"These sound patterns are intended for: dancing-singing-rocking out-freaking out-banging your head-bustin out-trippin out-completelylosingyourshit-dancing-laughing-living..." - RXB
"Sell You Beautiful" – 3:37
"Prophetic" – 4:54
"Newsstand Rock (Exposition)" – 2:52
"Overcome (The Recapitulation)" – 3:46
"Never Slept So Soundly" – 5:41
"Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers" – 4:41
"Republic" – 4:17
"Mastering the List" – 7:23
"Falling Down the Mountain" – 5:30
"Dinna-Dawg (And the Inevitable Onset of Lunacy)" – 6:36
I would star each of my favorite songs but I love the ENTIRE album!!
Catch RX Bandits LIVE to see them in full action melting faces!!
TOUR 12-31-2010 | Scottsdale, AZ | Craftsman Court Entertainment District (Buy Tickets) 01-14-2011 | Santa Barbara, CA | UCSB 01-20-2011 | Flagstaff, AZ | Orpheum Theatre (Buy Tickets) 01-21-2011 | Las Vegas, NV | Hard Rock Cafe - Vegas Strip (Buy Tickets) 01-22-2011 | Anaheim, CA | House of Blues Anaheim (Buy Tickets) 01-27-2011 | San Luis Obispo, CA | SLO Brewing Company (Buy Tickets) 01-28-2011 | San Francisco, CA | Bottom of the Hill (Buy Tickets) 01-29-2011 | San Francisco, CA | Bottom of the Hill (Buy Tickets)
Steely Dan: Official
