Sunday, May 5, 2024
90s…Whatever: Pony
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
90s…Whatever: All
All never really hit the heights of the Descendents (though it basically was the same band with a different singer), but they were a perfect soundtrack for skater youth. In famous punk lore,Descendents lead singer Milo Aukerman was more interested in pursuing a career as a scientist)
All went through three singers in the 90s, and I caught them live (Scott Reynolds on vocals at the time) and they were a fun punk show. The bald headed guitarist Stephen Egerton being one of the more memorable characters of the punk scene.
In 1995 (with singer Chad Price), they made their bid at the big time, signing with Interscope and releasing Pummel. Pummel is generally disliked by critics (Allmusic gives it only two stars out of five), but it’s not a bad disc. It has a seemingly radio ready single “Million Bucks” and sounds like a precursor for what rock radio would play for the last part of that decade.
As time has gone by, nearly every critic will make some statement that the Descendents were before their time and their influence far exceeds the money they made. This is true. The band captured the nerdy American teenager with melodic pop played super fast in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Now, of course, you can list dozens of bands from Blink 182 to Green Day and from more obscure bands that appear on the WarpedTour to bands that appear on the radio like All American Rejects and Fall Out Boy. (As an aside, I generally hate most of this genre, but it’s almost impossible not to find some Descendents songs that you will like)
But even though Pummel would seem to be a mix of the right band and the right time, even with MTV coverage and an appearance on Conan O Brien, never became a household name.
In 1996, the Descendents would reunite. and a generally successful comeback. Both Descendents and All continued to tour and record in subsequent years. In many way, the Descendents had overshadowed All, though All’s constant touring made plenty of fans in the 90s. These many years later, All seems almost forgotten since Milo’s return
I just watched Filmage, the 2013 documentary covering the Descendents and All. It’s a strong case for the band of humble beginnings. Unlike the stories of art school some bands have, it starts with some fishing buddies. Unlike previous punk bands who sang about politics, this band sang about food, unrequited love and being picked on at school. Their drug of choice was coffee.
The film has to feature drummer Bill Stevenson who has been the driving force of both bands, but does a great job of featuring all members.
The band was strongly influenced by a somewhat forgotten Los Angeles band The Last. The doc features some of the people who were in the scene that followed- Keith Morris, Mike Watt, Kira Roessler and Chuck Dukowski and then the bands well known fans who came later like Dave Grohl, Mark Hoppus of Blink 182, Fat Mike of NOFX and a list of others like members of MxPx, Pennywise, Less than Jake, Rise Against and others.
Even casual fans will like the documentary which does a nice overview of the band in a light hearted way. Stevenson’s personal life features at the end. The band comes out at the end, perhaps not famous or rich like those who took their formula did, but largely pleased with what they have accomplished.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
90s…Whatever: Matt Keating
There is no doubt, Matt Keating should be in the initial batch. Even his allmusic profile seems like a bit of a slap in the face. Accurate as it may be, it paints a picture of Keating at the same level in the 90s as budding singer-songwriter like Elliott Smith and Mark Kozelek (I might throw in labelmate Mark Eitzel as well) except he never took off.
I realize "underrated" and "unheard" are subjective. Someone like Freedy Johnston probably fits that, but at least there are a fair amount of people who have heard him.
Keating's first two albums are incredibly strong. I pick Scaryarea as my favorite because I really love it but Tell it to Yourself is also good.
Allmusic damns Scaryarea to 2.5 stars and stops reviewing him after his fourth record- 2002s Tilt A Whirl. Probably not surprising that the attention dropped off after his last album with Alias Records- 1997s Killjoy.
It does occur to me that I do think I have Killjoy in my CD storage.
It also occurred to me that I should see what Keating has been up to, and he has 12 albums listed on his website. The most recent being re-recordings of Alias material appropriately called Greatest Misses which was released in 2019.
The album before that was 2015s The Perfect Crime. I have dropped the needle on some of it and I don’t share the enjoyment of the hype on his press release page, but Keating still strikes me as someone who could have more great albums in him.
I am probably not doing a good job here of expressing how much I do love his first two albums. I can only imagine the difficulty in his career was tied to the Rise and Fall of Alias Records - which went from these weird (but great) bands like X Tal and Hypnolovewheel to a point where they were launching bands like American Music Club and Yo La Tengo to major labels.
I recently thought of Keating again when talking about the College Music Journal Presents Ten of A Kind- a stab at capturing the best unsigned bands in 1988. That compilation has one bona fide success (Material Issue) some almost famous bands (Gunbunnies, Paul K and the Weathermen) and some ‘never was’.
The best song on there (outside of the brilliant pop song “Valerie Loves Me”) is by a Boston band called Circle Sky, whose credits make it clear is a vehicle for Keating.
Anyway, I am glad that every couple of years or so, he comes back to mind and I get these records out again. Scaryarea is (no hyperbole) an all time favorite of mine. . If you like smart songwriter pop, look him up.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Doc Review- Gimme Danger
Finding unexpected time on my hands, I am watching musical documentaries of which there are an infinite amount
I decided I better watch Gimme Danger - the story of one of my all time favorites- Iggy Pop and the Stooges. I am not sure how serious you can take the Stooges but they legitimately are near the top for me- with their crude ramshackle and yet perfect three albums. And directed by my favorite indie movie maker Jim Jarmusch.
And it was great. I am not sure it has Jarmusch’s minimalism but there can be few complaints. The animation to go with Iggy’s wild stories is perfect. The interview with Iggy is one of his most engaged ever.
The doc covers all the important stuff. The bands early days- a listing of their influences- the Ventures, the Sonics and Harry Partch. It also covers the band’s deep younger sibling relationship with the MC5.
In a moment that has come to stand out from the doc, Iggy says he doesn’t like to be classified as a punk. But it’s part of a bigger declaration that he doesn’t want to be grouped in with anything. This shows up in the early days of the Stooges where he decides to go an alternate route to the MC5s Political rock.
The band go to New York and flesh out an album. Not wanting to be pigeonholed, they record the mantra “We will Fall” for the first album and add jazz sax to the second. Cale and Nico are huge influences working with the band, but Elektra’s excitement ends when Fun House is released.
Bowie is Iggy’s savior but the addition of Tony DeVries- a manager in the style of Colonel Tom Parker and boy band scammer Lou Perlman is catastrophic. Iggy is able to bring the Stooges to the UK and the addition of guitarist James Williamson is inspired.
It all takes a toll on the Stooges who just want to go home and bassist Dave Alexander dies at age 27. Williamson and Iggy record a new album (Kill City) but a list of possible promoter invites like Art Garfunkel all decline.
Sadly, most of the Stooges have died, but Jarmusch has all the right guests to interview. Metallic KO and the early Williamson songs like “I Got A Right” get rightfully covered as does the often played Cincinnati 1970 tv news segment where Iggy goes into the crowd and then smears himself with Peanut Butter.
There isn’t enough room for cover all of Iggy but the doc does a good job of tracking the other post- Stooges work - Ron Asheton in The New Order and Destroy Allen Monsters, Scott Asheton in Sonic’s Rendezvous Band and most famously and bizarrely, Williamsln in Silicon Valley - not a band but a tech career.
I know the Stooges reunion doesn’t get a lot of press these days - but it makes an interesting story and is covered well here - originating and coordinating mostly by J Mascis and Mike Watt first via the Todd Haynes movie Velvet Goldmine then via collaboration with Ron Asheton and then lastly with record company pressure for Iggy to make an All Star album (but Iggy decides asks who are bigger stars than the Stooges).
The reunion ironically taking a similar path as the original when Ron passed away and again James Williamson stepping in to the new lineup. The band is inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Jarmusch then features the many followers- The Sex Pistols, Dead Boys, Damned, Sonic Youth and so on.
The two reunion albums are covered here but generally critics reviled 2007s The Weirdness and liked 2013s Ready to Die is liked, though my opinion was the opposite.
As a Stooges fan I loved it but even from the perspective as a documentary in itself, it’s top tier- well paced, fun and funny, emotionally touching when it should be. With all the right people- Iggy, Williamson, reunion Stooge Mike Watt, Fun House era Stooge Steve MacKay, Asheton sister Kathy (Ron had passed but footage is used), early Stooges (and later Ramones) manager Danny Fields.
Criticism that there’s not enough coverage of Raw Power or of solo Iggy’s Berlin years may be valid but I feel it was appropriate to focus on what Jarmusch chose. I loved hearing about the early days of the band, the Fun House sessions and the lives of the non - Iggy Stooges.
As a personal aside, I acquired Metallic KO (the 1976 version not the updated twelve track reissue) and Kill City from a friend who discarded it. The crowd baiting live performance Metallic KO is legendary and I think it’s peak punk rock.
I used to think Kill City was a flop album (and was treated as such anyway) but it does sound better these days in the context of a mature almost post punk (though conceived in 1975) sensibility. Some rock critics even elevate it to classic status. I won’t go that far though it’s a decent start to end listen
I feel I must add one more personal antidote that is important not only to my Iggy fandom but also my life in general
I was in the next generation of American hardcore punk (born in the early 70s). It belonged to the preceding class - the “older brothers” born in the late 60s.
My friend’s older brother was the knowledgeable punk of the town and sadly, he passed away at a young age.
From the younger sibling, I borrowed, ‘dubbed’ and adored two cassettes. One was a collection of hardcore punk now-classics like “institutionalized”, “ Mommy, Where’s Daddy” and Flipper’s “Ha ha ha”. The other was Iggy Pop.
That 1983 release of I Got Right by Enigma Records was a mix of seven Stooges outtakes on the A Side and the near entirety of Kill City on the second. The 1987 release that I eventually find and own, cuts two songs off both sides.
I have heard many postulate that the tape recorder must have been present every time the Stooges picked up their instruments. I may have lost track of all the recordings I have bought by the band. But one worth mention is Heavy Liquid- released in various permutations-notably in a 2005 six disc set
I wouldn’t change Raw Power but those “lost” (and yet readily found) tracks like “I Got A Right”, “Tight Pants” which eventually became “Shake Appeal”, “Scene of the Crime” are really among the most extreme songs of all time- influencing punk and metal.
Friday, April 12, 2024
What I am listening to: Graham Parker
Friday, April 5, 2024
New Music Initiative: Brigitte Calls Me Baby
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
What I am listening to: Sam Barber
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Marley : A Film by Kevin Macdonald
A Bob Marley biopic is in theaters now so that’s probably why Streaming is pushing out a lot of Marley content. 2012s Marley by the great documentarian Kevin McDonald is probably the most known so I had to check it out.
Saturday, March 9, 2024
What I Have Been Listening to: CATHEDRALE
Friday, March 1, 2024
U2 roundup
U2 was my favorite band of my high school years. I can’t help but be fanatical about him. Today I am going to catch up with reviews of their recent activity.
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story: Book by Bono
Surrender is surely a bit of a Rorschach Test for what you think of Bono. I am a huge fan, bordering often on obsessed, so of course I loved it. But if you find Bono pompous or arrogant or just plain annoying, this won’t change that. And most people probably fall somewhere in between, and will find this a mixed bag.
The first pages of the book open up with a lot of purple prose but after it settles down to standard bio after 20 pages or so, it isn’t so bad. The end of the book seems similarly appended with two dozen unnecessary pages.
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but Bono is a good storyteller in that he has generally come off to me as the most relatable human Everyman musician.
He’s not dramatic like Nick Cave or poetic like Leonard Cohen or angry like John Lydon, for example. Perhaps that is what made U2 so good.
The U2 story has been covered in depth for years, so fans won’t find anything much new. Still, if you find yourself as someone who relates to Bono, you probably won’t mind.
A 45 year career is a lot for one book. Especially as the 20th Century U2 was a music entity and the 21st Century U2 is largely a political entity. Both are interesting and important but it’s a lot to fit in.
I think most people would agree that the book could use some trimming. Maybe Bono doesn’t need to add all 500+ pages of his thoughts. But otherwise, I have no real complaints and while the political stuff won’t interest everyone, it does interest me.
As interesting as the band’s interactions with Presidents Clinton and Obama are, it’s the interaction with the people he generally disagree with like Bushes (and lack of interaction with Trump) that is most interesting.
As an aside, I hate the cover, which i find pretentious and awful and I don’t like the 40 song tie in- which is a reference to the chapters because I don’t think it quite fits.
Which is a tie in to the 2023 album
Songs of Surrender by U2
The first “album” from U2 in six years (and I have liked their last two albums more than I hated them) is a reinterpretation of the band’s catalog re-recorded largely without the band’s rhythm section.
I streamed these songs when they were first released and my wording was their classic songs redone as an incredibly boring piece of art”. It consists of four albums of ten tracks picked by each member.
Lyrics are rewritten- Walk On becomes about Ukraine, Bad becomes a first person narrative.
Projects like this seem self indulgent (and U2 is the most self indulgent of bands). It is easy to pencil this in as in similar vein of recent Rod Stewart albums. It is at once too long and though there are changes, they don’t feel like enhancements.
Allmusic user reviews are a fun read to tell you exactly what is wrong with the album as one one-star review after another complains about what feels like an uninspired cash in.
But as I reflect now a year later, I seem to fit more into my fandom and less as a critic. Is it for anyone but the most diehard U2 fan? No. Is it anywhere meeting the expectations a fan might have? Not really.
But in small pieces, there are enjoyable moments. I just can’t find myself hating it completely. It will be forgotten quickly as time goes by but given that it came out to virtual thrown tomatoes, I hate to see it buried completely
The album is accompanied by a film that streamed on Disney +
Bono and the Edge- A Sort of Homecoming with David Letterman
The album and the documentary feel like U2 are in their autumn years and that is okay. They are and it has been 30 years since they felt like the most important band on the planet.
Pairing them with David Letterman only doubles down on nostalgia. That’s ok because it gives the film a sense of importance. There were always Beatles comparisons and they do seem like the 80s/90s version
Adam Clayton is busy acting and Larry Mullen injured, explaining why they are not here and largely missing on the album.
Still, Bono and the Edge feel intimate- telling their story (again once over shared but it still feels important here)
Letterman walks around Dublin in his usual way. The band plays their Adam and Larry less versions of their songs, but they sound good in this particular live environment.
The mood stays light throughout which is probably for the best. It’s another postcard for the fans, but Letterman’s involvement help frame it in an interesting way.