Recently, Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem stopped by BBC's Radio One for an interview and some acoustic renditions of Gaslight classics. And In typical Radio One guest fashion, he was asked to prepare a gnarly cover song to play on the airwaves. He's been hailed in the past for his covers like Bruce's "Backstreets" so what could it be on Radio One? More classic Springsteen? The Clash? Surprising all listeners Fallon chose "I Do Not Hook Up" by Kelly Clarkson. Scoff not readers, this rendition of the indomitable Clarkson takes a pop tune and turns it into a heartwarming strum of honesty. Brian knew what he was doing from the start.
Laugh away at the above band photo, but The Monroes may be the greatest band that never was. For those of you unfamiliar with the epic 80s New Wave Classic known as "What Do All the People Know" I recommend calling all your loved ones and saying "Goodbye" because I'm about to blow your mind.
Pretty Earth shattering isn't it? I've been a fan of the song all my life since I first heard it back in my car seat days singing along with my dad (true story.) As I grew older and continued to hear the wonderful sounds of The Monroes asking if "it's just another game that you and I pretend to play?" I started asking around my local record stores inquiring where I could get their album and continue getting my fix of New Wave Goodness. The trouble was, nobody had ever heard of the Monroes ever putting out a record. Then I hit the internet to find the missing LP and lo-and-behold, all I can find is "What Do All the People Know" on 80s Compilation CDs.
I then began to assume that the band of the Monroes were time travelers from the future who came back to 1982 for a social experiment, releasing the infectious hit single to see it's affects on humanity and study the song from the distant future but were saddened to see it rise up the charts without an album or single available for purchase. Here's the real story to a song that touch America's hearts and fell victim to poor label support.
The year is 1982 and keyboardist Eric Denton of San Diego set out with a group of friends to change the world. Following rock stars "The Ramones," Eric wanted his new band to have a cohesive identity so these random musicians from San Diego became "The Monroes" and using stage names like "Bob Monroe" and "Tony Monroe" (real names Bob Davis and Jesus Ortiz respectively.) They played a few gigs at small clubs on the San Diego scene and get approached by Japanese record producers at Alfa Records. Alfa is small time in Japan in the year 1982 and thought it was a brilliant idea to expand to US Markets to try and boost its reach and "success." Of course, the young band jumped at the chance to have their songs recorded and signed their musical lives away to Alfa.
The fan favorite "What Do All the People Know" was the clear choice as the bands first single. The agreement with Alfa enabled them to cut an EP and see how it does before recording the full album. The song quickly rushes to the top of the local charts in San Diego and then jolts across the country. The Monroes are an overnight sensation and get asked to open for the then mega-star Rick Springfield on a national tour. So the boys hit the road with Rick and all his "Jessie's Girl" catalog of sing-alongs. Everything is falling into place with signs the Monroes are destined for greatness.
But then, tragedy strikes. Alfa Records decides to shut-down its US division and file for bankruptcy. All before the presses are finished on the EP with their hit single. The Monroes' Self Titled EP is never released, never pressed, never bought by fans, never made to a mix-tape for a friend, never getting the chance for dust to collect on its jacket-sleeve, never anything. The Monroes' lose the steam behind the hit single after a few months and without an EP or another single to release (Since Alfa still had the rights and no longer existed) they fall to obscurity and "What Do All The People Know" is only available on the FM airwaves. Two years later, The Monroes sign with CBS records, but management there shelved the one project they worked on, the band members slowly get replaced by in studio musicians until the official breakup soon after.
One moment rock stars and the next back to obscurity. All the band members remain friends and play solo for the most part these days. But The Monroes are now radio-legends. More than 20 years since their brush with fame, they are still a staple of radio cycles. All the people tell me so, but what do all the people know?
Every once in awhile I'll go to a concert and will do my best to copy Mark's format for reviewing concerts. And not just any copied review, I'll grade everything that goes into a good concert going experience (10 categories) and then average out that score out in the end. Grading scale goes from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest score and 10 being highest.
Bands: Prophit, The Ear Force, Elemental Kazen, Sons of Kalal, Whosane feat. Pangaea, Chali 2na Venue: Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA When: 7.16.09 The Lowdown: Chali 2na was once the much-beloved baritone MC from hip-hop group Jurassic 5. Two years after J5 went their separate ways, Chali 2na has just released his first proper solo effort "A Fish Outta Water". I went with a couple of friends to see if he could live up to the hype that J5 had set him up to deal with.
The Venue: Middle East Downstairs Score: 9 I love Middle East Downstairs. It is definitely one of the best club venues in the Boston area. The place has a good sized floor and a raised floor to the right of the stage so it's always fairly easy to get a place where you can see clearly. The sound was solid and with two bars serving $3 tall boys, it's a great place to party. Plus, you can snag some tasty eats upstairs before the show. Price: $15 at the door. Score: 7 Totally reasonable, although I've paid less for shows there.
The Chicks Score: 4 There were definitely a some attractive girls there but they were either slightly trashy or not interested in talking to anyone new. Wasn't the kind of show I expected to find tons of friendly chicks at so it wasn't a problem.
Jail bait Score: 10 (1 being full of it and 10 being none at all) I try not to deal too heavily in non-21+ shows these days... The Crowd Score: 5 Honestly, the crowd was much smaller than I expected it to be. I thought that the draw of Chali 2na would be enough to convince all the suburban white boys who thought they knew hip-hop to come out for this show, but apparently I was wrong. The people who were there were really into it, but the numbers were weak. Also, it was mostly white suburban dudes, like myself. Ganja Factor Score: 10 (1 being I could have gotten a contact high, 10 being sXe) Nada. Middle East security was pretty tight and the crowd wasn't big enough to have lit up.
Hilarity Factor Score: 8 Funny might not be the exact word but between how much we laughed as some of the opening acts and how much Chali 2na made everyone smile, I'll put it up there. Douche Factor Score: 8 (1 being full of douches, 10 being none at all) There really were not too many douches around. At worst, there were some guys who thought they were fairly "hard" but they weren't bothering anyone. A pretty good crowd all in all.
The Opening Bands: Prophit, The Ear Force, Elemental Kazen, Sons of Kalal, Whosane feat. Pangaea Score: 5 I was going to give this category a 6 because 3/5 of the openers were solid but I had to bring it down a notch because The Middle East shouldn't have allowed there to be five openers in the first place. They ran into Chali 2na's 11:45pm start time, which is late for a Thursday when I have to work at 8am, and some of the openers were terrible. Prophit (Queens) started off the show with a good set that presented those who were there early enough with a taste of what's going on in New York's scene right now. The Ear Force (Boston) was an absolute joke. Out of four MCs, only one had decent flow, so why not spend at least a quarter of your set free styling? Terrible. Elemental Kazen (Seattle) brought some fury. A rapper originally from Cambridge, brought his rapid fire rhymes back to his home town and was nothing short of impressive. Sons of Kalal (New Hampshire) were the second terrible four-MC group of the night. At least they gave everyone something to laugh at. Whosane (Brooklyn) feat. Pangaea (So. Africa) was the opening act of the night. Whosane brought heartfelt and well spoken rhymes to the stage and kept the energy high the entire time. Pangaea added a wonderful female vocal part to many of his songs and the chemistry between them was great. Check them out if you have a chance. The Main Act: Score: 8 Chali 2na had a room filled (well, actually, quarter-filled) with people there almost solely because of his former crew Jurassic 5. With such high expectations, 2na did a great job not disappointing. Playing with the only live band of the night, 2na kept it funky and fresh throughout his whole set. The biggest pitfalls where his renditions of J5 classics What's Golden? and Quality Control, although he did a great job with Freedom. I can understand why he wanted to work a couple J5 tracks in there but without the whole group, it's near impossible to do those songs justice. Fortunately, his solo material had plenty of groove and funk to keep everyone dancing throughout the set. His hypeman/backup MC, whose name I don't remember, had a great energy and held his own with the larger than life 2na. Their occasional choreographed dance moves helped keep the energy going too. While Chali 2na's flow can get a bit repetitive over the course of a set (and no doubt on his new album), he is such a charismatic character on stage that his live show is simply one big party. The best part was that he might have been having more fun than anyone in the house and when an entertainer can get that across, you know they're in it for the right reasons.
Average Score: 7.4 Final Thoughts: Aside from the lengthy opening sets, and the fact that two of them were terrible, this was an awesome show. Certain things like a lack of loose women weren't really a concern and Chali 2na wasn't deterred by the lack of a full house. It ran a bit late for a weekday show but 2na made it all worth it in the end. I would recommend checking him out in you get the chance.
Only two years after their hit or miss record "Strictly Rude" Big D and the Kids Table return with "Fluent in Stroll" with the help of a female back up vocal section called the "Doped Up Dollies." Congratulations Big D you've finally put out an album I've loved all the way through. Not only that, it may be my album of the summer unless something comes out of left field.
This isn't your typical Big D album. First off there's no strictly punk songs on this album. Not a single one. Nothing like songs "LAX" or even anything like "Noise Complaint." I think where "Strictly Rude" fell short in its inability to mix in punk with the more relaxed songs that made the album sound disjointed. This album is a mix of ska, rocksteady, blues and even has a hint of swing in it. If it weren't for the contemporary themes and lyrics in most instances, there's something about this album that feels older. Like I wouldn't be surprised if it came out in the early 60's in terms of its sound. That may turn off some listeners and can be the only reason I imagine people would be turned off. While this probably upsets many of Big D's punk fans, I've gotta say I love the more relaxed Big D. In fact I've always been a fan of their ska/rocksteady side rather than their punk side. They've always been a band with two faces (I once saw them live perform a ska/reggae set, then came back and performed a punk set). "Fluent in Stroll" is just the ska face of Big D and in my opinion, the better face.
The second part is the addition of the Doped Up Dollies. The Doped Up Dollies include Hayley Jane, Sirae Richardson and to my massive delight, Simone and Nicole Oliva who are the lead singers of CT's own Tip the Van. The first track on the album "Doped up Dollies on a One Way Ticket to Blood" introduces the Dollies right away and they are featured heavily in the album.
This is a fantastic summer album. Laid back and peppy all at the same time. There's a strong theme in this album and that's love. I don't know if David McWane just got married or something but something in his life had to influence these songs and it seems he's head over heels. A few other songs are about finding love, but not in the desperate and sad way, but in the "hey lets go to a bar and find some chicks" way. In fact one lyric from "Kiss a Week" goes "A little liquor helps pave the way to romance yeah, get you both on your way." Then there's always the theme of not caring about how others think you should live your life and just do it the way you want. That's always been prevalent in Big D albums though.
16 songs clocking in at around 53 minutes makes it your average length album and the song linked above is "Describing the Sky" as there's only 2 songs available to link from Youtube as the album is relatively brand new and Big D is out on Warped Tour right now pushing the album. "Fluent in Stroll" is going to be in heavy rotation for me all summer long and I'd suggest you look into as well.
Every once in awhile I'll go to a concert and will do my best to write a comprehensive review about it. And not just any review, I'll grade everything that goes into a good concert going experience (10 categories) and then average out that score out in the end. Grading scale goes from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest score and 10 being highest.
Bands: Thirty Second Pulse, Kamikaze Pilot Corporation, The Expendables Venue:Webster Underground
The Lowdown: A friend and I had seen The Expendables open for Less Than Jake a few months back and we wanted to check them out again. I've downloaded like three of there songs since the first time I've seen them (I've since gotten a full album). We got there late because I had work and we also skipped out early because we wanted to hit up a party (chicks dude).
The Venue: Webster Underground Score: 5 The Webster Underground doesn't have much to offer. It's small and cramped, beer is pricey ($4 for a bottle of bud light?) and often times bands don't sound good. However on the plus side, it's small so you can see the band from wherever. Also if the band manages to sound good, they sound great. The opening bands didn't sound good. The Expendables sounded GREAT. Price: $12 before hand, $14 at the door. Score: 3 Seriously? $14 for an Underground Show? You're lucky I liked the band.
The Chicks Score: 1 That's exactly how many attractive girls there were there and even she only looked good because of everyone else there. Also she was there with some guy.
Jail bait Score: 4 (1 being full of it and 10 being none at all) Please don't flaunt something you don't have. k thnx. The Crowd Score: 4 A bunch of high schoolers, nothing to look at (see chicks), a few random dudes and an apparent crack whore in what was a crowd of maybe around 50. So I wouldn't hang with these people but at least they were decent once the music started in that they didn't distract me from the band. Ganja Factor Score: 7 (1 being I could have gotten a contact high, 10 being sXe) Considering this is a ska/reggae influenced band I was really surprised I only got a whiff of the stuff once and only from one very smelly, dirty kid. Also the band played a song called "Bowl for Two" and claimed someone had brought them excellent weed called "Expendaberries." Still though for being there from 8:30 to 11:45 I only smelled the stuff for a minute.
Hilarity Factor Score: 7 This show was pretty funny. Between a fat kid skanking and what looked like a skinny ass 14 year old girl who didn't know how to dance in the crowd to the singers of the Expendables eyebrows moving in every which way while he sang it was pretty laugh filled. Douche Factor Score: 7 (1 being full of douches, 10 being none at all) Not a whole lot to complain here. There was one kid who started dancing like an idiot right in front of me, but he moved aside later. Then there were your typical "Omg Letz start a PIT" high schoolers who banged around each other. For the amount of people there it got to a pretty good size, but it was full of people I could easily toss aside so nothing to worry about. The Opening Bands: Kamikaze Pilot Corporation, Thirty Second Pulse Score: 3 Missed the first band Kamikaze Pilot Corp. Thirty Second Pulse sounded like a bad jam band/Dave Mathews band. Could have been worse though. The Main Act: Score: 7 There's a reason I went to the show and it's called the Expendables. Their recorded albums don't capture how good these guys are. The guitar player is pretty amazing, and seems to play the entire show with his eyes closed. The singer/guitarist is an excellent vocalist (and his eyebrows as previously mentioned are very entertaining). The Bass player looks like he just escaped from jail but he can lay it down and the drummer also sings which is impressive. I was expecting them to sound awful at the Webster but to my delight they sounded just as good as they did when I saw them at Toads Place which is saying something. Unfortunately they played my three favorite songs by them relatively early which made it pretty easy to skip out early. I didn't feel bad though because I still got to see them play for about an hour and fifteen minutes. I've definitely got to recommend this band to anyone who enjoys a reggae/rock/metal sound. Look up the songs "Down, down, down" (linked below) "Let Loose" and "War Cry" for a nice mix of what they're about. Pic Taken from My Cellphone
Average Score: 4.8 Final Thoughts: The Expendables were the only redeeming quality of this show, but then again I wasn't expecting much and they were the only reason I went. Definitely check the band out and try to catch them if they're opening for someone (they're currently on tour with 311). However a show at a dive like the Underground with 50 people isn't going to be all the great overall.
Every once in a while you end up with a song stuck in your head that you can't get out. Sometimes its a good thing other times its absolute torture. The Germans call it Ohrwurm or in English, ear worms. Every time one of these ear worms gains hold we'll post it up so others can share in our joy/misery.
It's been raining and cloudy for what seems like forever when this little song popped up on my Ipod and happened to match my darker mood. You may recognize it as the title track to the movie "Sin City." Although I believe it was slightly remixed in use of the movie. Here's the original version of it. "Cells" by The Servant
The Webster Theater and the Webster Underground 31 Webster Street. Hartford, CT Capacity: Approx. 1200 www.webstertheater.com
First before we get under way with this review let it be known that the Webster was the location of my first live concert (Dexter Freebish and Everlast) so I may be slightly biased, but on we go.
A little History The Webster Theater first opened back in the late 1930's making it one old ass building. Back then it was a movie theater for the surrounding community. It was popular until TV became popular and living in Hartford was not. By the 1970's the Webster had turned into was most non-multiplex cinemas across the country had turned into: A movie theater for porn. By the mid 80's the theater was refurbished and converted back into a regular theater, but when that didn't work out some guy decided "lets show concerts here instead." So they ripped out the seats and the Webster Theater as we know it more or less was born.
The Bad First off the Webster is in Hartford. But I know what you may be thinking. "That's not fair, there's a lot of good bars and clubs in Hartford that are fine to go to." True, but they're all downtown. The Webster is located on the South end of the city straight up in the middle of the ghetto. There's a reason why they have paid parking and attendants right next to it. Parking on the street is at your own risk. And while 98% of people can say they've never had problems with the neighborhood, some people can. I myself, with a friend, while walking to the venue (we had parked on the street to save $5) were approached by some guy asking if we wanted to buy weed. Not that weird. When we declined he threatened to stab us if we didn't buy some the next time we came back....needless to say we walked around that area on the way back.
And while the venue from the outside looks nice and new, you gotta remember the building is from the 30's. It's old and thousands of people have been there. The place inside looks worn out. The floor is still in explicitly sticky (soda? butter? seamen?)and the hallway from the lobby to the theater itself fits 2 people across.
The last thing that sucks is when you walk in the theater you see two signs on either side of the stage. "No Moshing. No Crowd Surfing." Story is some dumb chick got dropped during crowd surfing, broke her hip and sued the venue. After that fun got killed. Now moshing is pretty hard to stop but if it gets out of hand security will break it up. If you crowd surf, security will pluck you from the crowd in front of the stage and show your ass the door. Most of the time people save crowd surfing for the last song that way they dont care if they get the boot.
The Good Hartford and odd sticky floor aside the Webster does have some good to it, otherwise no one would go. Like other small venues its a great place to see bands up close. Unlike other small venues however, the floor isn't just flat. Because its a former theater, its inclined. Meaning even if you 5'5" you can still see the band from the back.
Oh I'm a midget but I can still see! Also the bar area is in the back so even if you're getting sloshed it's a good view.
The sound and light shows at the Webster are pretty good for the headlining bands. They don't really take the time however for some of the smaller opening acts however and that makes them sound as crappy as they actually are.
The Webster also has some side goodies. They have a concession stand in the lobby where you can get (albeit bad) food and non-alcoholic drinks. They also have a second stage/room known as the Webster Underground. On most nights it acts as its own venue for small bands and crowds up to like 100. On large shows it acts as a second stage and it is opened up to be accessible from the lobby. The Webster also has a VIP lounge called the Lizard Lounge (a rip off of Toad's Lilly Pad?) where 25 people can rent out the room with a waitress and bar staff, private bathroom, private parking and a sweet 2nd floor view of the crowd and stage.
I'm an elitist prick!
Probably the most important part of being a concert hall is it's ability to draw in good bands to play which it has done. It also has a wide range of bands from Disney groups to Gwar. And as a huge plus tickets are usually cheap. Rarely have I seen tickets at the Webster over $25 (before charges that make you want to rip your hair out).
The Wrap Up So ultimately the Webster holds a special, dirty place in my heart as it broke my concert going cherry. And while it does have it's faults, when it comes down to being a place to see great bands without breaking the bank, and being able to hear them it's top notch. Just don't leave your car windows open. Better yet make sure they can't get smashed in.
