Alternative Sound Bytes

We’ve seen the future of Rock & Roll and its name is no longer Bruce Springsteen. The band on stage at New York’s Ritz sounds like an ailing vacuum cleaner riding roughshod over a madrigal choir. Nonchalantly the musicians step out of the stage-divers’ way as waves of high-intensity drone and retina-piercing white lights wash over the crowd. On the one hand, there exists a fossilizing corpse called classic rock-a four-decade-old mummy grown stale and tired, a once vibrant part of mainstream culture now reduced to background music for car commercials and Olympic events. Imagine a major motion picture in which characters sport faded Mudhoney T-shirts, pull Replacements albums from their record collections, and go hear Alice in Chains, and you’ve scripted Singles, Cameron Crowe’s look at love among the ruins in Seattle (due Sept. 18). Then there’s the Lollapalooza ‘92 tour, a seven-band alternative- rock circus stuffed with the Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam.

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Source:

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,311492,00.html

By the start of the 1990s, the music industry was abuzz about alternative rock’s commercial possibilities and actively courted alternative bands including Dinosaur Jr, Firehouse, and Nirvana.

Nirvana’s surprise success with Nevermind heralded a “new openness to alternative rock” among commercial radio stations, opening doors for heavier alternative bands in particular. Many pop punk bands such as Green Day and The Offspring were also labeled “alternative”. The New York Times declared in 1993, “Alternative rock doesn’t seem so alternative anymore.

Source:

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “American Alternative Rock/Post-Punk“. All Music Guide.

Azerrad, Michael. Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. p. 160 ISBN 0-385-47199-8

Rosen, Craig. “Some See ‘New Openness’ Following Nirvana Success.” Billboard.

For all your alternative music listening pleasure.

• The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms
  
  
• Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
  
  
• R.E.M, Murmur
  
  
• Replacements, Let It Be
  
  
• Husker Du, New Day Rising
  
  
• Big Black, The Rich Man’s Eight-Track
  
  
• Throwing Muses, Throwing Muses
  
  
• Dinosaur Jr., You’re Living All Over Me
  
  
• R.E.M., Document
  
  
• 10,000 Maniacs, In My Tribe
  
  
• Ministry, The Land of Rape and Honey
  
  
• Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
  
  
• Michelle Shocked, Short Sharp Shocked
  
  
• Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking
  
  
• Soundgarden, Louder than Love
  
  
• Mudhoney, Superfuzz Bigmuff
  
  
• Pixies, Doolittle
  
  
• Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
  
  
• Nirvana, Nevermind
  
  
• Pearl Jam, Ten
  
  
• Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
  
  
• Pavement, Slanted & Enchanted
  
  
• Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
  
  
• Beck, Mellow Gold

Source:

http://wm03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=19:T578

America doesn’t always make the right choice in American Idol, and good performers always get voted out while the less talented ones are left behind.

Good thing for Chris Daughtry, who got voted out in the 5th season of American Idol but was part of the final four, that he went beyond the popular singing talent search to carve out a name for himself in the music industry. Chris now fronts Daughtry, and alternative / rock band that has been making waves on air, starting with their singles “It’s Not Over” (with 3,276,000 point sales) and “Home” (with 1,181,000 point sales), which were released in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Daugthry also has the distinction of being in the #1 U.S. Billboard 200 for 2 weeks and the #1 U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums position for 14 weeks.

Besides Chris, the band is made up of Josh Paul on bass, Joey Barnes on drums, Brian Craddock and Josh Steeley on guitars.

The band has announced their schedule for their Spring tour pending the release of two albums, “Ursa Major” and “Ursa Minor” that are expected to be released this year. They will be in New Orleans for the first leg of the tour on March 18 as they hug the East Coast with some off-route stops in Tucson, Cleavland and St. Louis ending with a performance in San Jose California. Though no specifics as to the dates of release for the two albums are made public, Ursa Major is the group’s first major studio effort in five years making it one of the most anticipated albums by fans.
Singles have been released but only going as far as each individual song’s components for use in a mixing contest where they have encouraged fans to do stuff with them to produce a unique representation of their music. They have already chosen the winners whose work will be included in a digital compilation that would be accompanying the official album release. Ursa minor, is to be released later this year and is revealed to contain some of the B-sides of the previous album as well as rare tracks and extra’s from the Alternative rockers.

Seems the coming year would be a good one for alternative music fans the world over for Creed and No Doubt has released information that in 2009 there would be reunion tours for them. Creed who last played in 2004 has announced that it is a great possibility when the members of the band had vacant seats when their current bands have split (what’s new). Gwen and the gang have also leaked information that it would also be possible the band would be getting together for a reunion tour 2009. There are no solid facts and industry leaders are not speculating but two bands on a reunion tour, and not just any band, two of the best. Now that’s news for you. Gwen says they took a break to get their lives on the roll and to get new inspiration for the music they oh so love, good for you guys and more power.

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オアシスが今も健在であり、現在のミュージック・シーンの変遷の中心となっているのは喜ばしいことです。 実際、このバンドは周囲が彼らについてあれこれ批評しているのを全く意に介していないようです。 オアシスの最新アルバムを聴くと、この バンド が新鮮さを取り戻し、まるで生まれ変わったような新しいサウンドを手に入れたことがわかります。 非常に肩の力を抜いた雰囲気なのです。 何よりも、彼らはやはりオアシスだということでしょう。 新しくリリースされたこのアルバムでは、今までのオアシスとは違う点がいくつもあります。 例えば、冗長なピアノ曲がありません。 今回のアルバムではその手の曲は避けられたようです。 また、「レット・ゼア・ビー・ラブ」のような友情をテーマにした曲も見られません。 彼らの最新アルバムの放つラフでロックンロールな雰囲気は、彼らの仕事を批判する人々への彼らのいつもの返答と言えるでしょう。 アルバム全体の曲が、激しいリズムといびつなサウンドのサイケデリック・ロックとなっています。 エネルギーに溢れ、自信に満ちたサウンドは、まさにオアシスといったところです。

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Chi Cheng, the bassist of the popular band Deftone is in a coma following a recent automobile accident in Santa Clara, California. His band mate, front man Chino Moreno assures the fans that Chi Leng is in serious but stable condition. The band wasnt able to update their website for a long time due to the fact that everybody were busy with Chi Cheng. Offering moral support. The singer is set to head for the hospital where Cheng is confined to visit his buddy. The Deftones formed in 1988 and toured most of their career. It was in the movie The Crow:City of Angels, Deftone gained its wide audience that pushed them into where they are now. The band is set to release their next album, early next year.

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もうひとつのバンド、フーファイターはジョンマッケインが彼らの歌を無断で選挙運動に使ったと苦情を述べている。 ミュージシャンは大統領候補に手紙を送り、彼らの歌、マイヒーローの使用を即刻中止するように要求した。 彼らはテレビのニュースで自分達の歌が使用されていることを知った。 バンドはこの歌は普通の男が自分の潜在能力を祝福するために書かれたと説明し、 マッケインの選挙における使用はこの歌の趣旨から大きく逸脱するものであると主張した。 マッケインは過去、ジョン・メレンキャンプ、ハート、ジャクソン・ブラウンの歌などを使用し、音楽産業と軋轢を起こしている。 ミュージシャンの中では訴えたものもいる。 一方、マッケインのスポークスマンはこれらの歌の使用は全部許可を得ていると言っている。 ライセンス料も払ったとのことだ。

Image Source: britmusicscene.com

Its nice to know that Oasis is still alive and very much kicking amidst the music scene’s shift to another genre. In fact the band just doesnt care much about what others are criticising about them. The newest Oasis album sounds much like a band refreshed, but not exactly reinvented. They have just taken it easy. After all, they are Oasis. There’s quite a few difference on their newest release. For one, there is no huge piano anthem. They certainly did away with that this time. Or friend themes like “Let There Be Love”. Their latest album radiates that rough rock n roll album they tended to do every time their critics undermine their effort. In all, the songs are driven by pounding rhythmic, distortion based psychedelic rock. It sounds energetic and cocky. Its unmistakably, Oasis!