America At War

Last night at dinner my father’s face lit up as he was paying the bill. Was dinner that cheap? Considering he and my mother both had two large glasses of wine and we all ordered specials, I presumed that wasn’t the case. When I asked my father why he was smiling, he pointed to the fine print at the bottom of the bill. Written proudly was the phrase, "God Bless America." It sounds funny to say, but I was proud of my father for that. Being the ardent Republican that he is he has supported the Bush-backed war from its inception. As someone who lost a host of friends, including his most dearest in 9/11, my father has supported the war through and through. But after six years people seem to have forgotten that we are at war and if they haven’t forgotten have a strange way of showing it.

Certainly the media could portray the positive events occurring in the Middle East if they so choose, but that’s another argument for another day. Warring nations have existed in our history for years upon years and while it’s certainly the hope that in these modern times we can fight and play fair and resolve our differences through other means, we have to be somewhat realistic. I am certainly dismayed by many of the decisions President Bush has made since we invaded Iraq but I do believe he is making an attempt to halt the infusion of radical Islamic terrorists from taking over the world. Certainly the invasion of Iraq has spurred the terrorist cause only more so but their grotesque schemes has been wretched and vile since the ’70’s and nobody in the world felt compelled to do something about it. Part of our makeup as a nation is loyalty and despite how horribly this war is going we should stand behind those soldiers that wage their lives to defend our lives. They don’t want to be there either, but they’re doing so to defend our freedom. I want them back home and safe just as much as the next guy (I lost a high school classmate that died while serving in Iraq and my sister’s boyfriend is currently over there) but there will be no progress if we don’t keep our forces over there.

If you don’t want to defend the war, then take a look at the simple math of it. In the six years since 9/11, there has not been a single successful attack on U.S. soil, the unemployment rate is the lowest its been in 20 years and the stock exchange is still solid, intact and consistently doing better than it was six years ago. If you had assured me that would be the case on September 12, I would not have believed you for a second. You would also say that given those circumstances our president would have a 70 percent approval rating. That is anything but the case. If I give my Dad some credit for being so conservative, it's that he's so staunch and ardent in what he believes. He is much like our president and we need more people like that. I tend to agree with my father when he says that in 20 years, George W. Bush will probably be looked at as a far more influential president than history has indicated thus far. I hope he's right. That's enough politics for now.

Bring on the hate mail.

The Streets, The Sounds Gets No Love From Me.

Guitar, bass and drums. It's not a novel concept. In fact it's used often on records. But when that's all a band relies on, something falls apart and in the case of New Atlantic's debut CD "The Street, the Sounds and the Love," plenty falls apart.

I've been a fan of New Atlantic for going on four or five years now. My brother saw them at the new defunct Empress Ballroom four summers ago and assured me, "This is a band that's going to make a statement soon. I promise you they will be big." As my brother so often does, he was correct with this band. Touring on the strength of two DIY EP's, the band has made its name with a polished and professional live set and for returning music back to it's essence. There are no catchy gimmicks, there are no tricks, no loops, nothing fabricated about their sound at all. In fact, lead singer Giovanni Gianni has a cool, silky-smooth delivery, but that's the first of many problems on "The Streets." Gianni never utilizes his vocals, in fact he's restrained for much of the disc and when he does choose to belt out, he almost sounds as if he's screeching.

Now that is not to say that this CD is a total flop. In fact lead track "Cold-Hearted Town" has been in my head for days since I first heard it. Lead single "Wire and Stone" is super catchy and many of the songs on the disc are just that, catchy. But sometimes there's more to a disc than just catchiness. Unfortunately, New Atlantic doesn't seem to get that. On prior demos, such as "Swimming In Lake Erie" and the "The Best Day of Your Life," the band utilized a piano and made that the song's centerpoint, while pianos are used on "The Streets," they are so only sparingly. When eleven straight songs offer up the same guitar/bass/drums formula without much of a wrinkle for originality, the end resuts are rather decimating.

Perhaps what's so frustrating is knowing that New Atlantic is far better than this disc alludes to. Mayhap on the next disc, they will knock one out of the park, but for now this is a bunt single that failed to advance the lead runner.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Don't Tell All Your Friends...Well Maybe....

I return to the blogosphere after a 12 week layoff. I've been quite busy with my new gig at StarCPG.com as well as with ResidentMediaPundit.com that I've neglected this puppy quite a bit.
So in a haste to get back into it here goes one CD review.

SoCal native William Tell gained most of his fan base while touring with the alt-rock band Something Corporate. In the late 90's and early new millenium Something Corporate gained an almost cult-like following and packed venues on an everyday basis. Then lead singer Andrew McMahon's leukemia worsened and the band fizzled. After McMahon's immune system picked itself up again he started anew with the band Jack's Mannequin and the other Something Corporate members were left to fend for themselves. Drummer Josh Partington formed the band Firescape and William Tell released his debut record "You Can Hold Me Down."

Whereas Jack's Mannequin has garnered instant success, Tell is still struggling, but that won't last for long. The disc, which was released this spring, is sprinkled with plenty of modern rock nuggets to put him back in the spotlight. Opening track "Jeanne" has a power-pop, Jason Falkner feel to it while single "Slipping Under" has Top 40 smash written all over it. Then things get a little murky. On the funk, psuedo-rap of "Fairfax" Tell pushes the envelope a little too much and the song falls flat. "Maybe Tonight" is dreamy and is one of the album's more decent songs, but "Like You, Only Sweeter" tries to be mean and punishing and is anything but. On the plaintive "Young at Heart" Tell earns points for tackling a tough subject: suicide, but his weak vocals don't do much to give the song any real sense of pizazz. The album's two best songs "Sounds" and "Just For You" come towards the end. The piano-based title track, which comes across as more of an opus closes the disc and ends it on a winning note. Unfortunately there are too many iffy tracks to give this disc a glowing review but considering this is a debut it's a nice step in the right direction. Watch out for this guy. His next album may be huge.

Movies with Heroes: Ok, so they are technically an "emo" band and I wasn't supposed to write about these kind of bands in here. The fact of the matter is these boys bring the rock. This stuff is melodic and radio-friendly. Best part is these guys haven't even made it big yet. I'm sure that will change in due time. For fans of Jimmy Eat World, and the like. Definitely a band more people should be listening to. http://www.movieswithheroes.com/

Shelby: Oh my word is this band good. This is U2 like rock. Anthemic, epic and ass-kicking. My guess is this band would be bigger if they were in a smaller city. Being a good band in New York is like being a pigeon in New York. So much of one thing makes it hard for something to stand out. I imagine it will be a little while before this band ever breaks the ranks, but so what? It's freaking great music. And when I say freaking great, I mean some of the best music being made on the planet in 2007. Period. End of story. shelbynyc.com

Vega4: This band has hit-maker written all over them. They are a Snow Patrol clone but that's not a bad thing. They actually closely resemble the band Rubyhorse if anybody remembers them. I saw them live recently and oh man were they entertaining. Lead singer doesn't really do much up on stage but he does have an incredible voice. The lyrics are lacking on some songs but man are the hooks top notch. They feature a drummer from Canada, guitar player from New Zealand, and a bassist and singer from Ireland. What's not to like!? http://www.vega4.com/

Ok three for now. I'll write more later. Just had to get those ones up and out.

Augustana "Heart Shaped Gun" lyrics

Since this was one of the better new songs they played, the lyrics are as follows:

Sky black and blue
Blue turn to red
I'm in love with you, girl
I might as well be dead

I ain't a fool
And honey you're just a kid
A bottle of wine
And a pack of cigarettes
Your cigarettes

Hey boy you're bleeding for nothing
It's hard to miss when you're shooting a heart shaped gun
You'll slit your skin to find freedom
You'll kill yourself to find anything at all

Lock all the doors
And put the child to rest
Slip on down your skirt, babe
C'mon lower down your dress

'Cause I got the keys
Straight to your heart
I can't afford a ring
And it's tearin you apart
The castle wall's been breached, babe
I'm kissin down your neck
You're just throwin rocks
And slippin into bed

'Cause hey boy you're bleeding for nothing
It's hard to miss when you're shooting a heart shaped gun
You'll slit your skin to find freedom
You'll kill yourself to find anything, find anything at all

Well the money's slow
And the cancer rolls
Gotch your baby due in July
Well if I can fake it
Yeah the cash could take it
Our troubles, our worries, our problems all away

'Cause hey boy you're bleeding for nothing
And it's hard to breathe when you're shooting a heart shaped gun
'Cause you'll slit your skin to find freedom
You'll kill yourself to find anything, find anything at all

Hey boy you're bleeding for nothing
You'll kill yourself to find anything, find anything at all
Anything at all

Augustana live review and a brief State of the Blog..

I have quite a few bands to recommend and I'll get to that time permitting, but I wanted to do something a little different this time. I recently saw the band Augustana at Webster Hall, and well I've been high on this band since the CD came out two years ago and far before "Boston" became the piano-ballad smash that's all over Vh1 and radio stations. I wrote a review of the disc and it never got picked up by any publications, that review now has a home at http://www.residentmediapundit.com The site is a more worked up version of this blog that I work on with a partner. The web site for now is mostly CD reviews, movie suggestions, and computer tips/help. It's my new pet project and a lot of the reason why I've neglected this one so much. To that degree I also have a new job that requires a lot of time so I don't know how often I will get to keep this thing alive. But it is my goal to do so. With that said, here's my live set review:

On the heels of their piano-ballad smash "Boston" San Diego-band Augustana played a packed Webster Hall last night and proved to be more than just a one-song wonder. Opening with title track "All the Stars and the Boulevards" the band showcased it's flair for rootsy, jangle-pop and began the night in an unconventional mid-tempo swoon. Shortly thereafter the tempo picked up with the punchy "Hotel Roosevelt" and the equally punchy "Bullets" which was followed up by a new song, "Heart-Shaped Gun." The song features a syrupy sweet melody, and a little of the vocal style Layus uses on the song "Sunday Best." I think the refrain to this one was: " It's hard to miss when you're shooting a heart shaped gun. You'll slit your skin to find freedom, you'll kill yourself to find anything at all." The band played "Wasteland" after before seguing into another new song entitled "Love Me." I have to say I was dissapointed with Layus up to this point. For one he wasn't entirely talkative and seemed more into his own thing than the crowd. To that degree he seemed far more subdued and out of it than I recall when I saw them two years ago. He seemed dazed, stoned, or maybe drunk. There was a glaze to him and didn't seem to be getting into the songs as much as I had hoped. Maybe I'm just a snob who saw them on a really good night.

To Layus' credit he does improvis the vocals a little, and certainly emotes to the -nth degree, but I suppose I was just hoping for more. One of his strengths has always been his empasssioned singing that brims with conviction. The Webster Hall show was no different. Whereas "Love Me" was short and sweet in a simple, singer/songwriter vein, the song "Sunday Best" replete with mandolin pushed the set in a different direction. Since Josiah Rosen's departure with the band a few years ago, the band has gone through a few lineup changes. The newest addition is guitarist Chris Sachtleben and the young Nashville teen certainly brings a lot to the table. His adept mandolin playing, and the abundance of keys definitely gives the band a rootsy, folky, country feel that made the set far more intimate and compelling. It's almost as if his Nashville roots have shaped the band's songwriting. A new song called "Cocaine" followed "Sunday's Best" and was probably the best of the new songs he played. I believe it featured Layus on harmonica, and Sachteleben on lap steel but I may be mistaken. It had a bit of a Ryan Adams like feel to it.

The band played "Lonely People" next and after a series of quieter, stripped down songs it was nice to see the band bring the rock punch back. They definitely gave the song a lot of life and it certainly bolstered their cred for being an adept rock band. A new song called "Sweet and Low" was next and featured the same kind of vibe that "Kiss Me" had. Another new song entitled "Either Way I'll Break Your Heart Someday" followed and this one definitely had a Willie Nelson feel to it. It just felt like a classic. Something you would have heard twenty years ago. The song "Boston" was next and the band closed with "Coffee and Cigarettes." The band came back on for a one-song encore and played "Mayfield." The song is actually pretty mid-tempo and really isn't that much of a driving rocker but live it was definitely amped up and punchy and got the crowd really jumping along.

For the encore openers Vega4 came out and danced around with the Augstana boys. That final touch really pushed the set in a nice light and was a good way to end the set. As a side note, the opener Vega4 was very impressive. Their sound is something akin to Snow Patrol or the lesser-known Irish band Rubyhorse. Their lyrics were a bit corny in some spots but the band definitely had an incredible stage presence and really played the crowd. For it being their first time in America, I was incredibly impressed. They played with a polish and a confidence as if they had played New York thousands of time before. I definitely think that they will be the next Snow Patrol. So people watch out. Vega4 is about to explode onto your airwaves and you heard it hear in this blog first.

In closing, the new Augustana songs from the five we heard are all acoustic-based and mid-tempo. There is nothing loud or crunchy about them. The songs are very much country and folksy and that may alienate some. A few of the fans last night definitely seemed a little turned off but I do think it's a true statement to how diverse and accomplished this band is. For a band whose oldest member is in his mid-twenties I have to say I am incredibly impressed with how well-worn Augustana seems. Dan Layus sings about torture and pain as if he's lived for years and years. It's a truly intimate and captivating touch and I hope that their music continues to touch lives in the way it has touched mine.

Big Blue Hearts: Their self-titled disc came out in the mid to late 90's and was definitely one of the more compelling releases that came across my desk. The lead vocalist David Fasher has a Chris Isaak/Elvis Presley vocal delivery and the music is definitely in the Isaak arena. It's definitely got a retro-throwback country/pop feel and it's some of the best music in my catalog. Highly recommended. http://www.bigbluehearts.com http://www.myspace.com/bigbluehearts

Cowboy Mouth: Oh where do I start? For starters the name is from a Sam Shepherd play. That in and of itself is kick-ass. Then there's the live show, which needs to be seen and heard to be realized. Drummer Fred LeBlanc honestly puts on the most empassioned set of drumming, growling and sweating I have seen from a Southern rock band in a long time. These Louisiana boys arose from the same scene that Sister Hazel and Edwin McCain did but never seemed to notch the big one. What they do have though is a good catalog of rock albums. To be quite fair rock is a loose term. Each album has a good slice of country, punk, alt.rock, and everything else in the middle. Even some Louisiana flavor to boot. It's hard to recommend one Cowboy Mouth album. Are You With Me? and Mercyland are strong, as are the discs Easy and their latest Voodoo Shoppe. While the band has changed members over the years the operatic Fred LeBlanc remains a mainstay and as long as he's sticking around the band can do no wrong. http://www.cowboymouth.com

David Ford: If Damien Rice has made it big, I don't see why Ford will not. Much the same as Rice this British songsmith is actually more fuller and richer in both his voice and texture. His songs to that degree are also more fleshed out. Just as caustic and intricate in his songwriting, and compelling in vocal delivery and melody I will be shocked if you don't hear more from him.
http://www.davidford.co.uk

Danny Ross: It's hard to hear Danny Ross and not think Ben Folds. Armed wuth a high reedy voice and a wealth of piano pop sensibilities Ross is a new name on the New York music scene. Whereas Folds always seemed to segue into a literary, quirky, indie direction Ross goes more mainstream. Think Top 40 radio with a splash of classical piano, and lounge-singer soul. He seems to bridge the gap between Ben Jelen and Gaving DeGraw quite nicely and considering the success of those two, I'd be surprised if Ross doesn't make a splash soon. With movie-star good looks and a growing buzz in the Myspace world I expect big things from his next release. http://www.myspace.com/dannyrossmusic

First post of the new year....

Been a long time since my last installment and for that I apologize. Got caught up with the holiday craziness and soem family/personal issues. With that being said, here's four artists to tide you over until I get some more time to put others in this thing.

Blue Moonshine: Stringy, folky, twangy bluegrass-folk/pop from Southwestern Virginia. Guitar player Will Farmer really shines and vocalist Phil Norman has a voice you don't hear too often in the genre. Moreover, mandolin player Warren Amberson I'm told has recorded with bluegrass greats Tony Rice and the late Vassar Clements. (http://cdbaby.com/cd/vcrtlcab) At the core, Blue Moonshine is earnest, sincere, and emotive. If they take a trip on down to Spindale, NC and play for the folks at WNCW, Blue Moonshine just may be on their way to bluegrass fame. http://www.bluemoonshineband.com

Danny Rocco: Though he's known more for his guitarwork in up-and-coming Long Island band Show Me Action, Rocco is a firestorm of talent. For proof check out his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/dannyrocco) With lungs full of confidence, and a powerful vocal delivery Rocco's pop/rock gems could easily sit alongside a shelf with Third Eye Blind and the All American Rejects. Definitely a name to watch. The fact that he's only 18 and just a college freshman should be setting off the sirens for A & R reps everywhere.

My Favorite Episode: Emo-ish, indie/folk rock from New Jersey. Lead vocalist Colin (last name escapes me) has good vocal range and a knack for melody. The band seems to be making all the right strides in terms of progress, as their latest work trumps their more raw prior work. The band should be touring around the Northeast in the spring and summer and I do think for a bar or coffeehouse gig they are worth the time. This stuff isn't going to make radio anytime soon but I wouldn't put it past the band to see a grass-roots following. http://www.myspace.com/myfavoriteepisode

Dominique A: Dominique Ane, or Dominique A is an incredible musician. His CD "Auguri" came out in 2001 and was probably one of the best discs I heard all year. Nevermind that he speaks French and there is nary an English word on the CD, his music and his style is hard to hate and I truly was blown away by the "Auguri disc" One minute he is dark and engrossing with thick, penetrating guitars. The next minute he is vibrant, and airy. Truly an accomplished singer he is someone worth adding to your iPod shuffle. http://www.commentcertainsvivent.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominique_A