Six Bands for Six Bucks Night

I had the pleasure of attending this showcase of talent last night at Birdy's Bar and Grill. Ricky Lee Potts has a website, and decided that he wanted to give six bands some exposure. The turnout there was great. A good crowd of people really energized by the events. Two bands in my mind stuck one as ones that I could continue listening to. All of the bands in fact showed off their different skills, and it didn't sound the same which was awesome. It had something for everyone last night.

The first band to start out was They've Shot Flanigan. Their sound was just rocking from the first notes they started playing. I thought they sounded like a cross between Thrice and early Radiohead. The music was so tight, and energetic that I thought the rest of the bands had a hard act to follow. Plus being the first band is a little bit of pressure. You're setting the stage for the night. You're wanting to set the tone that music is alive and well here in Indy. This is what They've Shot Flanigan brings. They will continue to rock out and bring the sound to the masses.

Also, I thought the Fallow were great. They had an alt rock sound that most bands don't bring. Their set was tight as well musically. Such talented musicians and in this venue they were just having fun. That's a HUGE thing to show off. Music is about fun, and being expressive this is what the Fallow did. Plus they had a sweet three song pirate piece that has inspired me to do my own three piece concepts. I don't know if they will all piece together or if I'll just venture into different ideas. But I will thank the Fallow for the idea.

Overall, it was such a great night, and a cool idea. More bands need to come together and support one another. That's what the music scene in Indy needs, and I hope that with my music I will do that.

Girls getting half naked is a great way to start a rock show right?

Made my way to the Rockhouse last night for Sugar Moon Rabbit's cd release party. It was a good time had by all. The place had a great crowd, and I was impressed with the turnout. Sugar Moon Rabbit took the stage just before ten to get the crowd ready to go. They definitely brought it. I was talking to Josh, the bass player, about the sound of the band, and it's hard to pin point down. A little old school classic rock mixed with funk styling. Trev, the singer, has a great vocal range. He get hit the high notes, and he gets the low notes. He definitely knows when to step up and take charge, but at times step back and let the band do their thing. Chris, the guitarist, got to show off his new baby, a smoking Les Paul that he just got that day. He plays with such a laid back feel but really shows off his skills. Josh, the bassist, really brings melody with bass lines. He doesn't just stand in the back like some bass players. He's right out there in the front pounding the bass. Joe, the drummer, brings it all together. He will play his stuff, and run out to the crowd to say hey. You know he is just having a fun time out there. Overall, the band really brings it each time they play. They bring such an unique sound that I think people really like. You can get the old dudes to the young dudes. Hopefully you'll catch them out next time they're playing.

What am I listening to?

I am not a big review guy for music because I can't seem to sit down and type out all the thoughts I have for an album, and make it entertaining. I tend to say this has some great things going on, and mention a song or two that sticks out. So what I decided to do what just put out some stuff I've listened to over the weekend, and give a snap shot of what I think.

Bayside "Killing Time" This album is great. It's production is pretty sleek and clean. The songs just hit you with great guitar work, and I've always enjoyed the voice of the singer. It's definitely an album about relationships, and what that will do to you. I think if I could change one thing about it, I would have placed "On Love, On Life" as the album closer because it's just piano and words. It is interesting because you hear this song, and then the band kicks it up with the last two songs. Just my thought on it. Sometimes the way an album ends really sells that whole album for me.

Radiohead "The King of Limbs" With each album, Radiohead tries to go against the grain, and do something different. The best way I could describe this album is I would listen to it in a dark room laying on the ground and just letting it soak in. That's how I went about listening to it. It seemed to be kind of a house music type. Need to give it another listen, and see how it grows on me.

Glassjaw "Coloring Book EP" This is a cool band in that they do some hardcore melodic stuff. the singing is one of those things that sticks out. He has a great voice, and I'm all about the different voice of singing.

Those are three things that have captured my ears for the past weekend. What has caught your ears?

Chris C.- An Irish Rocker

Chris Cunningham is a local musicians who is currently active in Indianapolis' Irish Music scene with his father's band, The Irish Airs where he plays bodhran, mandolin, bass guitar, and hand percussion. He's also the drummer for the garage rock duo, Headless Thompson Gunners, currently on hiatus.

What are you doing music wise right now?

I've been playing with my dad's Irish traditional group, The Irish Airs, for about 6 years now. We're getting ready for the St Patrick's Day stretch. We have a few shows that we're working on the week leading up to the 17th. On the day itself we're playing the Rathskeller in downtown Indy from noon-4pm and then the Columbia Club that night.

Rock wise I was playing for Headless Thompson Gunners through this past summer. It was the most fun I had playing music in a long time. It was just me and Randy Sharkey who some might remember from Perfect Nothing. He had been playing banjo in a honky tonk group for a while and called me telling me he wanted to make louder music again. We wanted to get a 4 piece rock band going, well we never found a lead guitarist and our bassist simply stopped showing up all together. It worked out though, we had a pretty good sound going for a two-piece and a lot of people agreed. Things were starting to gain momentum with that group until Randy accumulated too many things on his plate including going back to school and being a new father. So that project is on hold for the time being.

I'm starting to put together a new group with this new guitarist from Broad Ripple. Nothing to really report on that yet, but I'll definitely send updates as we get closer to getting show worthy.

The singer from the first band I ever played with called me not too long ago. He's putting together an album with as many different musicians as he can find to contribute. It's kind of cool because it kind of brings my music career full circle by bringing me back to where it all started. It also gives me a chance to combine the skills I've gained playing folk music with my dad and all the rock bands I've played with. So far there have been more than 10 different people at different times recording material for this album. I've been doing percussion and mandolin parts for a few different songs and writing some more parts to put in later on. I think he's calling the "band" Longrifle and the Tomahawks. I know he's calling the label "United Vision Records" The stuff we're coming out with has a little bit of an Avett Brothers ring to it with a little more rock to it. We're working on a track right now that'll have 6 or 7 different layers of percussion which I'm having a blast with. It's fun to be able to collaborate with other musicians who all have something to bring to the table.

What brought you into music?

I grew up in a musical family on both sides. I remember my mom taking me to see my dad's band many times when I was little. My uncle also plays bass with a band down in Texas and was a drummer for long time. Strangely enough, it was Civil War reenacting that first got me playing music. When I was 8 my parents signed me up for reenact at Crown Hill for Victorian Day. I had absolutely no idea how to play my drum or anything. But I had a blast just hitting it and trying to figure out the beats. I finally started getting formal training when I signed up for my middle school band. By that time I had started really paying attention to music. I was huge on bands like Green Day, Dave Matthews Band, and Korn (dont judge, I was 12)

I got my first drum set a year later for Christmas, a 1967 Slingerland Silver Sparkle Jazz Set. Those have been my drums ever since, with new hardware obviously. My parents bought me a bodhran (a traditional Irish drum) for x-mas that year as well. So I guess Christmas in 1998 was the time where both of my musical endeavors really started.

What are some of your favorite artists or albums?

How long do you have? Lately I've been listening to a lot of Arcade Fire (album of the year!!!) Japandroids, Black Keys, We Are Scientists, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Delta Spirit, The Who, the list goes on and on.

Irish wise, there are a few bands that we've played with at Irish Fest that i've really gotten into. Skelpin, Gaelic Storm (playing the vogue March 3) Flogging Molly, Searson, 7 Nations, Brother, and Gael Sli.

What do you think of the music scene here in Indy?

I think it's on an upswing. It's not nearly as vibrant as it was as late as the early 2000s when we landed the Midwest Music Summit. There were a ton of buzz worthy bands spanning quite a few genres. I was too young to be able to go to Birdys, Locals, or any of the other bars so I didn't get to experience the scene for all it had to offer. But even when confined to just the Emerson and Festivilla (RIP). I was a huge fan of Render One, Dent, 7DFC, and Perfect Nothing at the time, mostly because they were the only decent local bands I had access to see. I know that Loretta, America Owns the Moon, Gogglesphere, Melk the G6-49, Extra Blue Kind, Devil to Pay, and a ton of other groups had really good followings especially in the bar scene.

After those groups split there wasn't anyone to fill that void for a long time. In the last 2 years we've seen a serious upswing again. Bands like Slothpop, Beta Male, and Shadeland are going strong. I've become a fan of Neon Love Life. A friend of mine with to high school with their lead guitarist and got me in contact with her when I was still trying to get shows going for Headless Thompson Gunners. The four girls are all quality musicians with good stage presence and it's going to be interesting to see where they end up as a band in the future.

There are some bands with decent followings in the hard rock/metal scenes I'm seeing rise up. It's not really my genre but my apartment was just down the street from the Rock House Cafe so if I didn't want to go far that was my spot. Dead Man's Grill has been able to pick up some decent shows and build a good following. Plus they're fun to get drunk with.

As an Irish music scene, Indianapolis is holding steady. There was a bit of a drop off recently but bands like Us, Hoggeye Navvy, Alair, Highland Reign, and The Indianapolis Ceili band are staying strong. We're all coming up on our busiest season outside of Irish Fest.

What could make it better?

There need to be more small to mid-sized venues around the city that cater to original music. It seems that a lot of bars are booking more cover bands that play nothing but modern rock covers that you could hear on X-103. Don't get me wrong, some of those songs are cool, but I prefer to hear Everlong if it's actually being played by the Foo Fighters.

I remember the days when you had a place to play around almost every corner. They need to make use of the old Patio/Spin building. That was such a cool venue that I was only able to enjoy for a few years before they shut it down (again). While the vogue is a great place to see concerts, it's too big to accommodate a smaller group looking to get their start. Even if you're moderately successful, 300 people in the vogue looks terrible. Indianapolis needs more small to mid size places for bands to cut their teeth before they're ready to start playing bigger places.

That and maybe more events that bring big lineups together. We do have Oranje (which needs to stop being the same weekend as Indy's Irish Fest so I can actually go!), Broad Ripple Music Fest, and off the top of my head I think that's it. There needs to be more events like that to showcase different local bands. I remember when I was an "Emerson Rat" they we do all day shows with 10-12 different bands. I would be one of those dorks who would be there from the first band to the last. What can I say? I love live music and seeing what each band has to offer.

Final Thoughts.

Down with Justin Bieber. No seriously, it was awesome seeing Arcade Fire and Esperanza Spalding winning two of the big grammys this year. The Suburbs is one of the best albums I've bought in a long time (yes I still buy cds, I'm primitive like that). When I was in college our campus station was a jazz format. We played a bit of Spalding's stuff. It made me feel kind of cool being one of only 5 people I knew who had any idea who she was. I can't remember all of her music that we played, but I remember playing it and liking it. I think it's a good sign for where the music industry's heading in a creative standpoint.

This was a great talk with Chris. He has good perspective on the music scene here in Indy. He's working hard to play everything from Irish rock to rock rock. I've seen him play with the band Headless Thompson Gunners, and man he rocks hard. Hard enough to break a snare drum one show about the first or second song into it. That's hardcore. But I wish him nothing but success and look forward to seeing what Chris will bring musically to the table.

Shameless Plug Volume 1

Shameless Plug Volume 1

Doug S. Musician of All Sorts

I am so glad to have been able to let my friend Doug answer some questions about his musical career. We actually played together back in the day with our band Faze Factor. I still remember working on songs in my backyard, playing shows in the basement, living rooms, cafeterias, and front yards. We even put together a cd that had it's exciting moments. I will always think that was the start of my musical career, and I thank Doug for that.





Sappy stuff out of the way here's the interview!

What are you doing music wise right now?

I finished writing and recording an album that I had been working on for a couple years for my one man band named Lapidus called “Where’s the Band?!?!” and it is available to download for free from my bandcamp site. I’ve talked with a few people about starting a band, but it just hasn’t worked out at this point and its looking like I might have to go it alone. The thought of just me and an acoustic guitar is a little frightening, but I think it might be fun. I would prefer to hide my voice and mediocre guitar playing behind a nice wall of distortion, but it might be good to get out of my comfort zone. I’ve also been working on a concept album about the Devil in the Old West (yes, I’m aware that Murder by Death has already done this) for about 5 or 6 years, and I hope to get that all written and recorded this year.


What got you playing music?

I can pinpoint the 2 exact moments when I knew that I wanted to learn to play guitar and play music. They may or may not be lame. The first was when I was watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, and the Foo Fighters played the Queen song “Tie Your Mother Down,” with the surviving members of Queen. It was awesome. They rocked so hard. I'm sure it is on You Tube. They played with 2 drummers!!! Dave Grohl was my musical idol at that point. The other instance was when I went to see Mxpx in high school at the Murat with my friend Emily. It was one of the first shows that I had ever been to and was an eye opening experience. I started getting into punk rock and from there I started looking up guitar tabs online and taught myself how to play on my brother’s guitar.

What are some of your favorite artists or albums?

My all time favorite bands are the Descendents and ALL. They are technically 2 different bands, but really they are the same band with a different singer. My favorite Descendents album is probably “Everything Sucks” and my favorite ALL album is “Breaking Things.” Some of my other favorite albums include “The Greatest Story Ever Told” by the Lawrence Arms, “You Can’t Live This Way” by Drag the River, “Let It Be” by the Replacements, “1372 Overton Park” by Lucero and "London Calling" by the Clash. This can change depending on the mood I’m in.


What do you think of the music scene here Cincy or just overall??

The music scene in Cincinnati is pretty good. There are some great smaller venues like the Southgate House, the Mad Hatter, Molly Malone’s and the 20th Century Theatre, that have music pretty much every night. There are some good bands like the Dopamines, Mixtapes, 500 Miles to Memphis, Alone at 3am and the Tillers. Some other notable bands from Cincy that I’ve been meaning to check out but haven’t heard are the Seedy Seeds and Bad Veins. I’m honestly a terrible person to ask, because I don’t really go to many local shows, despite there being a pretty good scene.


What could make it better?

More all ages venues. It doesn’t really affect me because I’m of age, but most of the places where bands play are 18 and over, which probably hurts the scene.

Final Thoughts.
(Shut) Up The Punx!!!

Here is some way to go check out music Doug has done.

http://lapidusmusic.bandcamp.com/

Josh S. Slappin' Da Bass for Sugar Moon Rabbit

What are you doing music wise right now?

I've been the bass player for Sugar Moon Rabbit for the past 2-3 years now. We just finished production on our second album, "Rock 'N Roll Revolution", and are releasing it February 25th.

What got you playing music?

I've been into music practicaly my whole life. I got on stage at the age of 18 months and haven't wanted to get off since. I had instruments as toys from as far back as I can remember. I think there were a couple of things that really sealed the deal for me as far as wanting to play music for a living. The first was growing up in a time when Michael Jackson was very popular. He was the first real musician and entertainer that I ever remember seeing. Watching him showed me how to truely embrace the stage and use it correctly. I also can remember seeing Nirvana for the first time and really recognizing that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to do what Kurt was doing. That's what really set my mind to it.

What are some of your favorite artists or albums?

I'm a huge fan of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who. I'm really into John Lennon's solo work. I think it's brilliant. I already stated my affection and respect for Michael Jackson's work. Even though it's "pop music", I really think he set the stage for what people were doing in all different genre's of music. I love punk rock music. I grew up with it. I love The Clash, The Ramones, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Billy Idol (his video for "White Wedding" absolutly hooked me on punk rock music), Rancid ("..And Out Come The Wolves" is a masterpiece), Operation Ivy. The list goes on and on. I also love ska and ska-punk music like The Slackers, The Aggrolites, Streetlight Manifesto, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bostones. Like I said earlier, Nirvana was a huge influence on me as well. I think that their "MTV Unplugged" album is masterfully done and one of their best.

What do you think of the music scene here in Indy?

I think the music scene here has alot of talent and potential. I"ve been lucky enough to see what the music scene's in city's all over the country look like and how they work, and I think we are way behinde. I think that as long as we are confining our local bands to bars we will continue to be behinde the majority of the music scenes in the country. I think the players here and alot of the people putting together the shows have so much heart as skill as far as really wanting to give people the best experience possible. I just think that having a very conservative set of laws and lawmakers that are behinde the times is what's holding Indiana music back.

What could make it better?

I think that we really need to have more all ages venues and take the music out of the bars. I think that would help grow the scene a little more. The city has the talent to be a force musically, but it just doesn't allow us to make the most of it.

I've seen Josh play with his band, Sugar Moon Rabbit, and he's great with the bass. He has melody lines that really come out in the music, which is kind of rare for bass players. The whole band just seems to gel with each other, and that's a cool thing. I can't wait to see the band break out their new cd "Rock and Roll Revolution" at the Rockhouse on Friday Feb. 25th. Should be a fantastic show!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133321473395148

Andrea G. A Kick Butt DJ

I decided to email some questions I had about the whole dj business to my friend Andrea since she is a dj in town, and she was part of a dj night that used to go on at Tru nightclub. I think that this scene has picked up a lot just over the past year, so I was curious what her thoughts were about it, how she got into it, and what she thought about the whole dj versus a live band debate. I enjoyed hearing what she had to say, and hope you will too.

What got you into dj-ing?

I never put much thought into becoming a DJ. When I was growing up, friends of my parents would always be amazed of my knowledge of songs on the radio and they would say that I should be a Disk Jockey when I grew up. I always wanted to be a famous leader singer in a band honestly. But I just love ALL genres of music so, as fate would have it, I had the opportunity to DJ and do so!

What do you think about a dj versus a band? This is tricky because I prefer live music. I guess it depends, when I go to a live event, I always thought I would see musicians playing live instruments (guitar, drums, etc) which was always amazing. The first live DJ show I saw was in 2010 at the Vogue. It was Bassnectar and Major Lazer. And it blew me away. Hearing a dj on the decks live was a life altering experience honestly. So, my answer…. A TIE.

What do you think about the dj scene here? And what is the scene here?

The Dj scene here is pretty diverse in Indy. You have hip hip/electro/top 40/dub step/and even Goth Industrial (slim as it is). I think there needs to be less EDM dj’s though, that scene seems to be over saturated. But then again, Dj-ing means marketing the people who will come out to the bar or club, and well (forgive my bitterness) a lot of the folks that live in Indiana don’t know good music if it walked up and punched them in the genitals. Just my opinion.

Favorite tunes to spin? or do you have to be in a mood?

I have many favorites tunes to spin, but sometimes it’s not up to me, some people don’t like what I listen too, so I try to be in tune with the crowd. Usually mood takes the precedence over what I play. I read the crowd to see what they will dance to next.

Dj-ing to me is just another release. It’s also a slight ego boost when I can pack a dance floor and see people dancing and singing along to some silly piece of music I decided to play. Call me corny, but seeing that dance floor packed, with people losing their minds, that’s a damn good feeling.

I think that feeling about how good it is to the ego is a cool thing. As a musician, I've talked about this before where you just feel so great when an audience is singing along to your song. I never would have thought a dj would feel this same way with an audience is packed on the dance floor. But I can very much see it now and relate to it. Thank you very much for the time, Andrea, and continued success with your dj work!

rickyleepotts.com presents six bands for six bucks

When I saw this event come up I was thinking what six bands would I want to see for six bucks? Of course this is all fictional for me, but you will get to see six real bands here in just a week from Saturday. Here are the six bands I would throw together to present a great show. I would start with Van Halen with Lee Roth opening, then kick it up with Gaslight Anthem, in the middle would be some Foo Fighters, next up would be Bruce Springsteen, the Clash would be after that, and of course finish up with the Beatles. Yes yes this is a pipe dream! But can you imagine a line up like that.

Well the city of Indianapolis will have a fantastic line up as well for the six bands for six bucks!! On Saturday, February 26th starting around 7:00 at Birdy's Bar and Grill, there will be a great show put on by Ricky Potts. You will get to see six bands for six bucks. They are all local bands, and ones that were selected by Mr. Potts. All of these bands seem to bring something a little bit of their own to the table, and it should be a great night of music. A great showcase for six bands to display what they bring to the Indianapolis music scene. I've excited for this because I've never seen any of the bands perform, so it will be a fresh take for me. I will be sure to write up the review so you can catch what I thought about these bands. Sometimes the best thing is not to know what a band sounds like, and you will go in with a clear mind set for it.

Here are the bands coming to play and links to their respective internet space.

They've Shot Flanigan - http://mysp.ac/gsF2t2
The Colourful - http://mysp.ac/hD61Ax
The Fallow - http://mysp.ac/g5cdrJ
Glass Halo - http://mysp.ac/cIRkaI
Tug Fork River Band - http://mysp.ac/i7fblN
Outer Sanctum - http://mysp.ac/bhvGbq

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=126872000710937

Check out the facebook link so you can get ticket information, and hope to see you on on Saturday Feb. 26th for this!

That's a punk rock show

Last night I made the trip to Rhino's in Bloomington for some Against Me, Cheap Girls, and Fences. I expected a great time, and I think I even got a better time than expected. It had the feel of just an old school show where you were all crowded together, bumping, jumping, fist pumping, pushing, and singing along to every song. I don't think I've been to a show like that in a bit. Last year seeing Nofx was like that, and actually more intense. But this venue is so small you just feel so much more a part of the show.

Going through the bands, the openers weren't too exciting. Fences was a slow melodic rock band who just didn't seem to have the energy for a show. Maybe that's how they always play. But I didn't get into them much. The songs were slower, while they were good lyrically at times, and had some good music stuff happening, it was hard to fully get what they wanted to be. The singer mentioned it was the last night of the tour, so that could have had something to do with it.

Next up was Cheap Girls. Now here is where it picked up. They were a three piece pop punk band who i really could see myself listening to, and getting into more. The songs were nice bursts of energy, and I could tell they were enjoying the time.

Truly the crowd was here for Against Me. You could just tell the anticipation was building and building. Enough to the point where the crowd started singing Baby I'm an Anarchist on their own. Quite entertaining. Finally Against Me came out and you could tell there was going to be a whole push towards the front, and as soon as Pints of Guiness started rolling the crowd was rolling. It might have been chilly outside, but I was sweating to death by the end of this. It was just a sea of pushing and and moving towards the front. Sweat was dripping off people, voices were sore from singing, legs were hurting from jumping and moving, it was a show that you didn't want to end. They played a great selection of old and new. Fans rushed the stage for the possible finale, which I'm not sure the band wanted to end with, but the sea of humanity up there pretty much brought the show to an end. Overall, I've seen Against Me two other times at Rhinos, and they probably played the best this time. I feel like there's just a renewed energy to them, and I hope they can continue with the success that has come to them.

What happened to Pop Punk?

I was watching a youtube and this guy from the band, the Wonder Years, was talking about essential pop punk albums, and it got me thinking what albums would I put in this list. I know pop punk is one of those genres that people look down upon because so many bands were just doing it because they knew they could make a quick buck out of it. But there are albums that stand out as the great pop punk albums, and ones that rise above the cookie cutter mesh. So here are just some that come to mind for me, feel free to list ones that I've forgotten.

Starting out with Dookie by Green Day. This is the one that seemed to start the fire. But you listen to it all the way through, and you can just feel the punk attitude flowing through it. The songs are quick bursts of energy and sing about relationships, life, and what not. What more could you ask for in an album? For me the best track is Longview. Just a great song about trying to get out of the rut you're in, and being so bored with life, you can't do anything about it. It definitely still speaks to me at 29.

Next up, I'd have to go with Blink 182's Dude Ranch. I can still listen to this, and love it. The songs just are fun and easy to listen to. They're melodic, and great to sing along with. Stand out track would probably be Apple Shampoo. I love the lyrics of the song and the way it talks about keeping a relationship while playing music. I can only imagine the struggle that can be.

I'd have to put Face To Face's Self Titled in this list because it's just a great punk album. Once again songs that you can listen to, and see what the singer is really trying to say. Best track would be Walk the Walk because it's saying that you need to follow your actions, and not just say you're going to do something.

Descendent's Everything Sucks set the bar for this pop punk attitude. The songs are great in that they talk about everyday life, and say them in a quick and fast manner. For me Thank You is a great song about playing music.

That's a good start for now! I may be back with some more albums. But check these out, give them another listen, and tell me what you think!

Melt Your Face Later

Your thoughts on music

What does music do for you? What kind of music do you listen to the most? What artists are you listening to? These are always questions I have for people. I'm such a musically involved person that I love talking music, and could do it all hours. I think it plays such a big role. Nothing is better than when a perfect song comes on that relates to your moment of life. You just get swept away by the lyrics or music going on, and you have no idea anything else is happening. Or when you literally get chills up the spine because a song is so good, that's such a rush. That's what I want to do with my own song writing. Nothing was better when I was playing a show, and I looked out to see a person singing along with me, I ended up playing so much better, and just feeling like I wrote a great song. I know you don't always need that to feel validated, but it sure helped! Or when someone has said oh man I had your song stuck in my head, I know making music is worth it. It may only take a few minutes to get a song going, but that feeling may last a life time. Songs are timeless, at least the good ones, and that's what is important about it. Tell me your thoughts on music. I'm ready to listen.

Crest of the New Wave

Such a great song, and one that says a lot about music. I think for me I'm always trying to search for something different musically and life wise. I don't want to be stuck in the rut I am in anymore. I want something different. I don't like the same thing over and over again. It does feel like Groundhog Day at times, and I might as well "I got you babe" playing to wake me up. I just need to find that direction I need to head in. I need to find that crest of the new wave.

Beatles and Stones

I'm not going to bombard you with my opinion on how much better the Beatles are than the Rolling Stones because I don't want to go in that direction. Instead I'm going to write about this book I read that really went a different avenue with this whole argument. It's called "The Beatles vs the Rolling Stones: Sound Opinions on the Greatest Rock and Roll Rivalry" written by Jim Derogatis and Greg Kot. These two guys were asked to discuss the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in a conversational manner. This is what makes the book great. Sure one guy can sit and write a book and tell his one opinion about it. But in this book, you have two people truly discussing and breaking down the rivalry. There wasn't a definite conclusion to the discussion since we all make our own conclusions about which band is better, and that's another great selling point for the book.

So how did the book break it down? There were eight chapters starting with overviews of the bands, instruments in the bands, double albums by the band, and finally just a look at the social impact of the bands and time frames of those impacts. This is an awesome coffee table book because some of the pictures included as well. But the discussions are fantastic in each man presents himself. They're not just bombarding you with facts, but more over what they are really thinking. I could picture myself seeing these two guys in a room talking about each thing.

You look at the beginning chapter and it's talking about the direction of the bands. The Beatles when they first started out in the Cavern club were a rough and tough band. They wore leather jackets and just looked lower class. But then we all know they went on to have the mop tops and matching suits look. Well, the Rolling Stones were smart in that, they wanted to go the opposite direction of that. They wanted to be the anti-Beatles. And it was such a smart move to make because why try to compete on the same level. It can also be said the musical directions of the bands led them to the directions they went. The Beatles starting out were playing pop hits, and needed to look that part. The Stones were a bluesy rock band, and needed to look that part. Both bands had their place in the music and in the era that they were a part of. I think the popularity of the bands is interesting as well because the Beatles were huge in the 60s, but the Stones didn't start getting real attention to the late 60s when the Beatles were just ending. But with both bands having such huge followings, and such an impact on music, how can you not have them as rivals.

What other aspects were talked about in this book? There were break downs of the guitar players, vocalists, bass players, and drummers. Obviously you think about guitar, and you think Keith Richards would win out over both John Lennon and George Harrison. But George is quite the underrated player. He may not be all flashy like the great guitarists, but his player helps move the Beatles music. It provides little musical flairs that you may have to listen for a little more carefully. John Lennon was a great rhythm player who could really give a backbone to the Beatles music as well. But there's no denying that Keith did provide some flair to the Stones, and he's truly a great guitar player.

Next up was the bass players. Paul versus Bill Wyman. Here there was strong agreement that Paul would win the battle. But Bill wasn't a slouch when it came to bass playing. While his bass was lower in the Stones music, it's there and it's driving. He's a bluesy bassist who gives the music that thump. Paul was more of a pop player, and he truly acted like a guitar player when playing the bass. He wanted to give melody lines that you could hear while listening to "I Want to Hold your Hand." It was right up there with the guitars, and what they were doing.

The double album discussion was fascinating as well. I didn't even know that Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones was a double album. I've never listened to them other than the hits on the radio, so that's why I had no clue about it. I do know the White Album is a double album by the Beatles, but it's probably one of the least favorite albums because it's essentially each Beatle trying to outshine each one. This was the beginning of the end of the Beatles. They knew they were each moving in a different direction, and you can tell that is happening in this double album. Just a hodge podge of songs that doesn't have any cohesion at all. Jim Derotis says in the book "Maybe that's the key: Exile is a rock album in that it's about a vibe and an attitude and a sound from start to finish. The Beatles is a pop album in that it's about the songs, and it rises and falls in quality depending on the strength of the particular track you're playing." This I definitely agree with because sometimes a song will come on my Itunes from the White Album, and I know I have to skip through it. With me and my love for the Beatles, I hardly ever skip them.

These are just a few of the discussions in the book that really took my interest. It was a great read, and like I said just looking at the pictures give you a sense of what the bands were trying to accomplish. I think they both knew they had something special from the beginning, and both strived to be the best. They wanted to influence music or they wouldn't have created such great stuff. They had the attitudes that would help them become the bands they were.

So who is it Beatles or Stones?