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photo & text by nacrowe
i have this distinct memory of hearing the FOO FIGHTERS's track "THIS IS A CALL" coming from my parents bedroom alarm clock during the summer of 1995. i was 11 and we were still living in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA at the time. there was a kinetic energy and a contagious passion to that song that caught my ear and made an immediate impact. it just sounded like fun. at the time i had no idea that this band was fronted by the drummer from all those NIRVANA records i adored. so in a sense i heard the FOO FIGHTERS eponymous debut album FOO FIGHTERS (ROSWELL, 1995) from a fairly innocent standpoint. so naive was i that for several months i thought that the name of the band was FOOD FIGHTERS.
and for the record: i still think FOOD FIGHTERS is a great name. just saying. famously the FOO FIGHTERS began as a quick studio project for DAVE GROHL to keep his my mind on something productive months after the shocking and tragic demise of bandmate KURT COBAIN and the end of NIRVANA. there was no plan, just a quick week of recording sessions with his friend BARRETT JONES at a local SEATTLE recording studio (ROBERT LANG STUDIOS) a block away from his house with songs written before and after GROHL's time in NIRVANA. even the name of the project was made plural to disguise the fact that this wasnt a group, but in fact GROHL on every instrument. the project only became a focus after GROHL declined an offer to join TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS, and made a small series of FOO FIGHTERS tapes that he passed around to close friends and industry colleagues. this led to a major label distribution agreement which laid the foundation for the ongoing ALTERNATIVE ROCK juggernaut that is the modern-day FOO FIGHTERS. actually the project, unlike NIRVANA, had a steady build up to where they are now over a nearly 30 year career playing mostly straight-ahead ROCK N ROLL. probably the most astute move GROHL ever made was starting ROSWELL RECORDS and owning his own recordings. he is part of a short list of notable recording artists (METALLICA, U2, RIHANNA, JACK WHITE, JAY-Z, etc.) that own their own material. it has allowed him the freedom to make his art minus the industry bullshit most have to consider when recording an album. its interesting to think of whether or not those pressures would have served COBAIN well if he had equal control over his catalogue. obviously like much concerning him, it is impossible to say. standout tracks on FOO FIGHTERS include the aforementioned "THIS IS A CALL" as well as "ALONE + EASY TARGET," "BIG ME," "I'LL STICK AROUND," "FLOATY" and my personal favorite, "FOR ALL THE COWS." sonically and compositionally, these songs are all anthemic and radiate a light-hearted optimism that is pretty much indistinguishable from the public persona of GROHL. needless to say, this tone is in sharp contrast to that of NIRVANA, which always seemed psychologically and emotionally complex and heavy. this debut is indebted to bands like THE MELVINS and BIG BLACK in terms of its sonic palette, but in essence these songs serve as a popular bridge to a deeper catalogue of 1980s INDIE ROCK. that was my experience at least. getting into NIRVANA and later FOO FIGHTERS begot interest in PIXIES, HUSKER DU, THE REPLACEMENTS, DINOSAUR JR, SONIC YOUTH and so on. this is not the best FOO FIGHTERS record, the follow-up THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE (ROSWELL, 1997) is in my opinion, but it is a great transitional record by an iconic musician at a consequential crossroads in his career. it is pretty incredible what GROHL was able to accomplish the and since. definitely worth checking out. 
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photo & text by nacrowe
i know it is beyond lazy and cliche to view everything STONE TEMPLE PILOTS-related through the prism of SCOTT WEILAND and his addictions, but in retrospect it is nearly impossible not to see their debut album CORE (ATLANTIC, 1992) as a testament to what the band was capable of with their wildly gifted frontman at his most determined and sober. before that tour with THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS that led to WEILAND's downfall. oh and what a debut it was.
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS always had great singles, but their real knack was for fusing together disparate elements of CLASSIC ROCK, PYSCHEDELIA, METAL and POWER POP into a potent mix that arguably none of their ALTERNATIVE ROCK contemporaries could pull, nor wished to. while singles like "PLUSH," "SEX TYPE THING" and "CREEP" where fixtures of my SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA youth listening to KROQ 106.7 FM our of LOS ANGELES, the songs that stuck with me where the more experimental and dirge-y numbers like "WICKED GARDEN," "WHERE THE RIVER GOES," "PIECE OF PIE" and especially "SIN." in my estimation, there is no weak moment on this debut. i think with later records the band branched out a bit with their songwriting chops by conceiving of songs with ever more disparate textures, tempos and song structures, but that is no knock on the debut. its kind of like knocking the early BEATLES albums for being more derivative than than THE WHITE ALBUM (APPLE, 1968). my memories of this album are related to a trip my family took in the mid 1990s to SPAIN where i was able to get a copy of this record an EL CORTE INGLES. so my teenage impressions of this record are filled with backseat visions of the SPANISH countryside through towns like AVILA, SEGOVIA, CORDOBA and SALAMANCA. in era of great ALTERNATIVE ROCK frontman like LAYNE STALEY, CHRIS CORNELL, EDDIE VEDDER and KURT COBAIN, i'd put SCOTT WEILAND right up there. like all those aforementioned frontman (aside from VEDDER), its still tragic that their collective output was hampered by personal issues related to ADDICTION and MENTAL ILLNESS. i think empathy is in order and i for one am grateful for the gifts they gave the world. rest in peace SCOTT. 
photo & text by nacrowe
when i moved to NIGERIA in 1996 there were dubbed tapes passing around amongst my middle school peers of this band with a funny i hadnt heard of before called THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. those two albums were MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS (VIRGIN, 1995) and its immediate predecessor SIAMESE DREAM (VIRGIN, 1993). my first impression of the band honestly was that voice. frontman and main songwriter BILLY CORGAN has a distinctive whine that is both his limitation and his identifying signature. to me its interesting how so much of his persona as an awkward genius is derived from that voice.
with 1990s ALTERNATIVE ROCK there lots of nontraditional front-people who broadened what was culturally acceptable. my thoughts immediately go towards that of PERRY FARRELL (JANE'S ADDICTION / PORNO FOR PYROS), RIVERS CUOMO (WEEZER), TRENT REZNOR (NINE INCH NAILS) and COURTNEY LOVE (HOLE) who are all singularly identifiable and effectively one of one. but when i think of CORGAN the figure i am presented with is that of a gangly yet supremely talented midwesterner who is always seemingly slightly outside the mainstream looking in. his band is a neo-PSYCHEDELIC, fuzzed-out POWER POP band with PROG ROCK tendencies as if KING CRIMSON and THE RASPBERRIES had a lanky, colic child and dumped it somewhere outside CHICAGO in the late 60s. tracks such as "TODAY," "ROCKET," "MAYONAISE," "CHERUB ROCK," "QUIET" and "DISARM" showcase a broad songwriting and musicianship range matched by few of their peers. they also present CORGAN as a disaffected figure who stands outside society, the most perfect encapsulation of GENERATION X dissatisfaction this side of fellow peer KURT COBAIN. during this period it seemed that these projected feelings of PERSONAL ISOLATION and SOCIAL DISCONTENT were directed at those elements of society that sought to restrict youth culture, i.e. the CHRISTIAN RIGHT and REPUBLICANS. this is why in the age of TRUMP it is so disappointing and just disorientating that CORGAN came out to support those neo-FASCIST elements of the ALT-RIGHT. its as if we as an audience had misread his music and creative output for most of our lives. we mistook his intentions and mistakenly took him as being someone with like-minded values. i was wrong. i am a proponent of separating that ART from the ARTIST but with CORGAN that is extremely difficult due to how much his music affected me as a teenager. i looked up to him in no small part by how great SIAMESE DREAM was and what it represented to me as a teen and now i feel a deep sense of betrayal at his actions. which makes it difficult to listen to his music in general and i have to say, ive largely avoided it in recent years. i find it better to just stick with NIRVANA, PAVEMENT as well as most of the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK and INDIE ROCK bands of the same era and beyond since at least with those i have a sense of security in knowing that they would never support an autocrat like TRUMP. 
parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 10PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating ALTERNATIVE ROCK veterans PEARL JAM!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating BRITISH singer-songwriter PJ HARVEY!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
one of the most affecting documentaries i have experienced in recent years, ALL I CAN SAY (OSCILLOSCOPE LABORATORIES, 2019) was directed and edited by DANNY CLINCH, TARYN GOULD and COLLEEN HENNESSY and is essentially a film edited from the personal archive of camcorder video footage BLIND MELON frontman SHANNON HOON shot in the final 5 years of his life. this period included his time pre-fame in INDIANA, before he moved to LOS ANGELES and eventually formed the beloved ALTERNATIVE ROCK band. the film is effectively shot and narrated by HOON which provides a singular experience.
and what makes this film so impactful specifically is its INTIMACY. quite definitively you are witnessing HOON's point-of-view in real-time. it is a uniquely voyeuristic situation that he devised as a means of documenting his own experiences for later PERSONAL CONSUMPTION. what you are witnessing is essentially HOON's VIDEO DIARY. its an entirely singular experience gifted to us by a major recording artist. what comes across is his deep affection for his parents, his girlfriend, his young daughter, his band and his fans. not surprisingly he was a charismatic person and a talented songwriter, which only compounds the tragedy of his passing. you also get a firsthand look at fame and how it inevitably affects ones sense of self-perception. the video which garnered him specifically so much fame and respect, "NO RAIN" off of BLIND MELON (CAPITOL, 1992), also effectively limited his public persona. for a talent who was such a free-spirit, this felt trying as many of the interview footage attests. its a similar trajectory to that of NIRVANA and "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT." in the film HOON makes known how much KURT COBAIN's death impacted him, even making its way into lyrics for the title song "SOUP" off of their second record SOUP (CAPITOL, 1995). the fact that his passing similarly left the world another baby girl derived of a father just makes his death seemingly unbearable. and preventable. this is an incredible film that only further enhances the legacy of HOON. if anything this film is very much a masterstroke in editing. one that i will definitely revisit in the future. 
photo & text by nacrowe
the OREGON-based EVERCLEAR was one of those bands that emerged in the wake of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of the early 1990s. their three-piece sound seemed to bridge the gap between those other two famous power trios of the era, NIRVANA and GREEN DAY. that being the case, they came off as a ALTERNATIVE ROCK / POP PUNK hybrid which was interesting but a little problematic in my estimation.
i first heard their debut SPARKLE AND FADE (CAPITOL, 1995) from this older kid that lived across the street from me when my family lived in NIGERIA in the mid 1990s. my father worked for a petroleum company and we were stationed on a company compound just outside of LAGOS. this was pre-internet so the only way of hearing new music was each other's compact disc collections. looking back its odd how radio didnt play a part in my discovering new artists. it was an interesting time and place for sure. the main elements of EVERCLEAR's sound is their bare-bones power-chord riffage with the earnest, unadorned lyrics of frontman and main songwriter ART ALEXAKIS. especially on songs like "HEROIN GIRL" and "SANTA MONICA" there is a transparent nature to ALEXAKIS' songwriting where the song is very much about what it purports to be about. there isnt any hiding behind clever symbolism or hidden allusions or even metaphor, which for me is both a hallmark and a crutch of his songwriting throughout the years. its not necessarily a bad thing, but there isnt a sense of needing to investigate the lyrics like say KURT COBAIN with a song like "POLLY" or BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG on a track like "HOLIDAY." songwriting-wise i always got the sense of ALEXAKIS being more from the populist KISS school of songwriting where you give the people what they want and dont get fancy with lyrical conceits. this earnest, transparent sensibility also is a reason i probably havent listened to this record in a few years. but i dont want to be too negative on EVERCLEAR. in the wake of GRUNGE and ALTERNATIVE ROCK there were lots of derivative bands that tried to ape a sound and look that felt forced and inauthentic, and this was not one of those bands. for better or worse, EVERCLEAR were ROCK N ROLL lifers that went to the same HARDCORE shows in the 1980s and discovered INDIE ROCK and underground music in essentially the same scene (different state) as their WASHINGTON STATE counterparts. they were authentically themselves and SPARKLE AND FADE is a testament to that ethos. definitely worth revisiting and checking out again. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
already widely celebrated (and justifiably so) for his influential work with SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK icons ALICE IN CHAINS, i think what gets looked over is how consistently great JERRY CANTRELL's solo work has been over the years.
its been documented in countless articles and interviews how CANTRELL reluctantly released solo albums as a stopgap in the hopes of an eventual rekindling of his creative partnership with the sublimely talented LAYNE STALEY, which unfortunately didnt come to be with his unfortunate passing after a long, widely chronicled battle with an addiction to narcotics. i only mention this because one of the hallmarks of ALICE IN CHAINS' sound was the blending and layering of STALEY and CANTRELL's voices. in his solo work, hearing the sound of CANTRELL harmonized with himself inevitably conjures up the voice of STALEY like a phantom limb. for someone that is not celebrated as a singer, it really is apparent in fact what a strong, dynamic voice CANTRELL has throughout his solo catalogue. with his solo work CANTRELL also branches out into more of rootsier, folksier sound. ALICE IN CHAINS was always a band that dealt head-on with deep personal, existential themes of IDENTITY, DEATH and ADDICTION, so i wouldnt say that his solo work is any more personal than his regular gig. its just different. less extreme and more nuanced and hopeful. i really feel that both in his solo work and his records with ALICE IN CHAINS there is a pervading sense of OPTIMISM that comes with the CATHARSIS of meeting and addressing your demons publicly and fearlessly. its quite courageous. i think his solo is worthy of another look. past favorites of mine include "PSYCHOTIC BREAK" off DEGRADATION TRIP (ROADRUNNER, 2002), "BREAKS MY BACK" from BOGGY DEPOT (COLUMBIA, 1998) and "SIREN SONG" included in the the recently released BRIGHTEN (DOUBLE J, 2021). 
photo & text by nacrowe
when i moved to NIGERIA in late 1995 while still in elementary school, i was well familiar with PEARL JAM's TEN (EPIC, 1991) and VITALOGY (EPIC, 1994) records, but somehow missed the boat entirely on the album in-between, VS. (EPIC, 1993). while TEN is an intense album full of psychic and emotional cathasis and VITALOGY more of an sonic experiment into unorthodox song structures, instrumentation and pastiched found audio, VS. has always to my ears been the sound of a band discovering who they are aurally and lyrically.
you get the sense listening to VS. that singer and co-songwriter EDDIE VEDDER was coming to grips with his unforeseen celebrity by diving further into the uncelebrated and largely forgotten lives of ordinary people around him, writing touching vignettes such as "DAUGHTER" and "ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN." this thread of their songwriting places them in the vein of AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC and the likes of WOODY GUTHRIE, PETE SEEGER, BOB DYLAN and even BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. writing character pieces delighting in the daily struggles of anonymity is something i dont equate with their SEATTLE peers at the time in ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN or NIRVANA. again, its indicative of a deeper thread of AMERICAN narrative music. relatedly VEDDER and his bandmates were not afraid of tackling social issues like WHITE PRIVELEDGE / POLICE BRUTALITY and GUN VIOLENCE in tracks like "W.M.A." (meaning WHITE MALE AMERICAN) and "GLORIFIED G." looking back it still feels like a courageous move to make an album tackling such issues on your sophomore release, with all that was riding career-wise on this record. but then again, you get the feeling that with PEARL JAM, much like previous incarnations of the group in MOTHER LOVE BONE and GREEN RIVER, they would rather risk commerciality with authenticity. for better or worse, PEARL JAM has been true to themselves and their beliefs, even when falling on their face. can't fault them for that. my favorite track on the record is the plodding, slow-paced dirge that is "INDIFFERENCE." its the perfect song when thinking about the meaninglessness and ultimate futility of our individual pursuits and struggles. it is almost BUDDHIST in how it forces you to acknowledge the inconsequential and often false nature of your lived experience to make you see that this moment is all you have. it is the indifference of natural order that gives each moment its spur and passion. choose how you spend them thoughtfully and judiciously is how i always took it. the song is almost a challenge in that sense. VS. is often forgotten in comparison to TEN, but is well worth revisiting again. definitely worth the effort. 
photo & text by nacrowe
during my 1990s childhood in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, there were two songs i remember hearing on the ALTERNATIVE ROCK station 106.7 KROQ and having absolutely no clue who sang them. in those days there was no SHAZAM app or internet and the only way to learn was if the DJ felt like mentioning it. the first song i learned years later was NIRVANA's haunting "SAPPY." the other was STONE TEMPLE PILOT's laid-back, harrowing cover of LED ZEPPELIN's "DANCING DAYS" on the ENCOMIUM: A TRIBUTE TO LED ZEPPELIN (ATLANTIC, 1995) tribute compilation.
that cover in particular is probably one of SCOTT WEILAND's great performances and showcases a charisma and preternatural ability to shine when the focus very much is on him and his voice. he comes off both assured and insular and transforms a celebratory anthem into something entirely different, something excruciatingly introspective. i should also mention that guitarist DEAN DELEO has some righteous slide work on the track which only heightens that haunting, reflective vibe. when revisiting this compilation recently, i was struck by the quality of other vocal performances by the likes of LINDA PERRY (4 NON BLONDES), SHANNON HOON (BLIND MELON) HENRY ROLLINS (ROLLINS BAND) and DAVID YOW (THE JESUS LIZARD here collaborating with HELMET), which all point to the dynamic and versatile quality of the songwriting and the poetic lyricism of JIMMY PAGE and ROBERT PLANT. just the fact that this material can be interpreted convincingly by such disparate artists is pretty remarkable. that is not to say that there arent some forgettable, less-than-stellar duds from the likes of HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH, SHERYL CROW, CRACKER and DURAN DURAN, remember this was put out by ATLANTIC RECORDS with largely its then-current roster of artists. maybe this was a calculated effort to draw attention to LED ZEPPELIN's back catalogue as PAGE & PLANT where reestablishing their recording and touring career at the time as a duo. could be that this compilation was a marketing ploy, but with the solid aforementioned contributions, i dont believe it was a fruitless exercise in the least. ENCOMIUM is definitely worth checking out if you are a LED ZEPPELIN aficionado or even a fan of SCOTT WEILAND or SHANNON HOON. definitely two captivating performances by the two at a point in their creative careers when they were firing on all cylinders. REST IN PEACE to both. 
photo & text by nacrowe
the self-titled ALICE IN CHAINS (COLUMBIA, 1995) record was a big deal to me when it came out. i was in NEW JERSEY staying with relatives during the summer of 1996 and i distinctly remember getting the new DOWN ON THE UPSIDE (A&M, 1996) record by SOUNDGARDEN as well as EVIL EMPIRE (EPIC, 1996) by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. i also hauled away the entire METALLICA back catalogue (as LOAD had recently been released as well). back then it was all about acquiring CDs to take back home to NIGERIA where my family was living and that was a remarkably great summer in that regard.
looking back, what always struck me about the self-titled ALICE IN CHAINS album was how experimental it was. maybe this was partly the result of LAYNE STALEY's addiction (alluded to at with the album cover art of a dog missing a limb) and thus the lesser concern of having to tour the material. this more surreal sonic vibe can be experienced on songs like "BRUSH AWAY," "NOTHIN' SONG," "GOD AM," "HEAD CREEPS," "FROGS" and "SO CLOSE." a big part of that sound is the trademark layered vocals of STALEY and guitarist JERRY CANTRELL which feels even more pronounced on this record than in the past. this unique production technique would carry over into the WILLIAM DUVALL era and interestingly maintain a sonic cohesion to the discography overall. lyrically this record seems very much stream-of-consciousness with themes regarding guilt, shame and death carrying throughout in songs like "OVER NOW," "HEAVEN BESIDE YOU," "BRUSH AWAY" and "SHAME IN YOU." much like with listening to albums by NIRVANA, JOY DIVISION and even LINKIN PARK, it is difficult to divorce this record from the untimely death of the singer and primary lyricist. when i listen to the ALICE IN CHAINS album (and i am definitely projecting here), it makes me get a feel for what the headspace of someone struggling with a profound sense of diminished identity when their agency is compromised. and all the guilt, shame and ideations of death that come with such. i just cant imagine but i attempt to empathize every time i hear this record. it really is quite the gift STALEY left behind with his ALICE IN CHAINS output. rest in peace LAYNE. 
parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 10PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the incredibly influential career of HARDCORE / ALTERNATIVE ROCK veteran DAVE GROHL!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
when my family moved to NIGERIA in the mid 1990s we would spend a few weeks each summer staying with a relative in ENGLAND in a suburb north of LONDON. its an era i really look back at fondly and, as it turns out, the timeframe coincided with can argued were the peak years of the BRITPOP movement. undoubtedly the biggest record of the period was (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? (CREATION, 1995) by legendary MANCHESTER band OASIS. tracks like "DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER," "CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA," "SOME MIGHT SAY" and of course "WONDERWALL" are celebrated milestones of an era that marker a distinct generational realignment in BRITISH culture and even politics.
there are so many touch points with this record. culturally (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? marked a shift away from the decidedly introspective and self-reflective SHOEGAZE movement of a few years prior and provided a more aggressive stance in the wake of NIRVANA and the stateside ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement. this was a record and a band that were unabashedly, uncompromisingly and unapologetically BRITISH. it was also a record that didnt hide behind characters and sophisticated literary ambitions which was the case with BLUR and their equally impactful and era-defining PARKLIFE (FOOD, 1994) album. lyrically what it did have were non-sensical, free-association, stream-of-consciousness lyrics a la THE BEATLES' "I AM THE WALRUS" by songwriter and guitarist NOEL GALLAGHER. the opaque and inscrutable nature of the lyrics counterintuitively for the listener put more emphasis on the performances of singer LIAM GALLAGHER and the melody within the music itself. its an interesting switch and bait. fairly or unfairly, OASIS politically was effectively the living embodiment of the working class in ENGLAND. this was in contrast to BLUR, who were portrayed as upper-class art school sophisticates. the rivalry was manufactured and kinda bullshit, much like THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES before them, but its an image that survives to this day. LIAM himself was the poster child of LAD CULTURE, which celebrated womanizing, excessive alcohol consumption and soccer hooliganism. so its interesting that TONY BLAIR tapped into BRITPOP and specifically OASIS in order to reach that desired younger and decidedly urban demographic. it worked and the LABOR PARTY regained control of government in 1997 in a landslide. the sight of NOEL at 10 DOWNING STREET in the aftermath is also seen as the jump the shark moment of the BRITPOP movement in general. when what was a youth movement now became BRITISH CULTURE writ large. their is no real analogue to the political significance of this record in an AMERICAN context. not ELVIS PRESLEY, not BOB DYLAN and not BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. its still an interesting topic. like most people who are OASIS obsessives, what i love about this record are the melodies and song-craft of NOEL and the brash over-confidence and demonic chutzpah of LIAM. its not even up for discussion how powerful this combination of distinct forces found in THE GALLAGHER BROTHERS was during this period. lightning in a bottle. my favorite song on (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? has long been "MORNING GLORY" with its whirling, siren-like guitar intro to its opening couplet of "all your dreams are made when you're chained to the mirror and the razor blade." when that first chorus crashes in i am never in a bad mood. its empowering and intoxicating to take in. just like it was when i first heard it when i was eleven. is most definitely worth revisiting and checking out again. and for god's sake THE GALLAGHER BROTHERS need to just make up and regroup already. have COLDPLAY as your backing band, i dont care. the world needs to hear "ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR" in a stadium again! 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the music of INDIE ROCK icon KIM DEAL!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
i always felt that there was a deep spiritual quality to the music of BLIND MELON. a big part of that was due to the free-spirited, ethereal nature of frontman SHANNON HOON and his preternatural ability to give off a feeling of unadulterated joy and wonder about life in his lyrics and in his voice.
the classic self-titled debut BLIND MELON (CAPITOL, 1992) record is a case in point, with tracks like "TONES OF HOME," "CHANGE" and of course "NO RAIN" showing off his emotional range. for what is largely pegged as an ALTERNATIVE ROCK outfit, their music itself feels more aligned to "jam bands" of the period like BLUES TRAVELER, PHISH and even DAVE MATHEWS BAND. the big difference is HOON, who is arguably one of the most charismatic frontman of the period. up there with LAYNE STALEY, CHRIS CORNELL, MIKE PATTON, EDDIE VEDDER, COURTNEY LOVE, SCOTT WEILAND and KURT COBAIN yet entirely a unique entity and feel unto himself. whereas those other "jam bands" in my opinion came off a bit too listless and technical for my taste, with HOON that meandering aural backdrop took on a more searching, INCORPOREAL quality that made it singularly TRANSCENDENT. when i think of him, its almost more along the lines of a shaman than a frontman. his passing has left a void that has yet to be filled to date. like many kids of the period, my introduction to the band was "NO RAIN" and its genius music video which celebrated individualism and the need for INCLUSIVENESS and EMPATHY to one another. not exactly standard rock fair at the time. it also set the stage for the even more experimental and emotionally wrenching follow-up record SOUP (CAPITOL, 1995) which i hope to review someday after locating a cassette tape. both of those records are unquestionably required listening to get an idea of the full spectrum of flavors of ALTERNATIVE ROCK in the 1990s. it was great time for music. RIP SHANNON. you are still remembered and dearly missed. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
i love the idea of long-form interviews as the basis of a research project.
in fact i've made no secret, writing before (linked HERE, HERE and HERE) about my experience as a PEACE CORPS volunteer in ALBANIA where i spearheaded an oral history project aimed at the impact of the KOSOVO conflict on how both sides of the border dealt with the influx of refugees in 1999. it was a taboo subject internally but i thought it was information worth pursuing from the older generation (along with other unrelated topics such as life under the communist ENVER HOXHA regime) so that there was a record for future generations. similarly the questions themselves werent mine but my students at the UNIVERSITY OF VLORA where i was stationed at. my prompt to them was what questions they thought their grand-children would would want to ask their great-great-grandparents. talk about epic, a four generation question! it got them thinking in that scale and those were the questions i asked, not mine as an AMERICAN, i was just the conduit. i came across the WOMEN OF ROCK ORAL HISTORY project recently online and i thought it was the coolest thing. the contributions of women to the cultural achievements surrounding ROCK N ROLL cannot be understated but are often overlooked. i feel that i am guilty of this as well. when i look at past playlists for my DEER GOD RADIO show on nonprofit radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC i am often confronted with a list of male artists. while there have been past shows specifically on the RIOT GRRRL movement and prominent artists such as BJORK, KIM DEAL and LADYTRON, as well as other shows that prominently investigate female musicians and artists within wider constructs (example: CAROLE KAYE contributions with THE WRECKING CREW), there is a lack of balance that i recognize. that is something i am working on. in the future i plan to add shows focused on PJ HARVEY, COURTNEY LOVE, KRISTIN GUNDRED, LUSCIOUS JACKSON, NO DOUBT, CHARLI XCX, PATTI SMITH, JOAN JETT, BLONDIE and producer SYLVIA MASSY (MELVINS, TOOL) to the mix. it is a work in progress. these filmed interviews with the likes of PUNK ROCK / ALTERNATIVE ROCK / NO WAVE / INDIE ROCK luminaries like ALICE BAG (THE BAGS), LYDIA LUNCH, GAIL ANN DORSEY (DAVID BOWIE), KATE SCHELLENBACH (LUSCIOUS JACKSON, BEASTIE BOYS), EXENE CERVENKA (X), DONITA SPARKS (L7), MELISSA AUF DER MAUR (HOLE, SMASHING PUMPKINS), AMANDA PALMER (THE DRESDEN DOLLS), KRISTIN HERSCH (THROWING MUSES) and SHIRLEY MANSON (GARBAGE) among many others are a great resource for all musicians to receive a fuller understanding of the real history of ROCK N ROLL. its pretty exciting since this project is still very much a current operation especially in recent months with the advent of effective COVID-19 vaccines providing an opportunity for in-person, on-camera interviews again. the WOMEN OF ROCK ORAL HISTORY is definitely worth checking out and revisiting. what a gift to music fans. 
photo & text by nacrowe
along with THE OFFSPRING and NO DOUBT, GREEN DAY was the soundtrack to my post-NIRVANA youth, especially once my family moved to NIGERIA from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA in the mid 1990s. obviously DOOKIE (REPRISE, 1994) was a landmark record not just for popularizing POP PUNK (and defanging the self-destructive aspects of SEATTLE-based ALTERNATIVE ROCK), but also for just being a great pop record.
in a sense, the follow-up INSOMNIAC (REPRISE, 1995) proved that such success was not a fluke and proved the genre itself viable for all that would follow suit (i.e. BLINK-182, FALL OUT BOY, NEW FOUND GLORY, SUM 41, PARAMORE, A DAY TO REMEMBER). technically not a sophomore album, as the band had made several records for indie label LOOKOUT! RECORDS, INSOMNIAC was a major label follow-up that basically double-down on the formula of simplified riffage, rolling kinetic drumming and memorable bass-lines that made GREEN DAY such a powerful power trio to begin with. in many ways i always associated the band sonically more with POWER POP and BRITISH INVASION bands than PUNK ROCK in general. GREEN DAY in my mind was always a GARAGE band with really great songs, with the PUNK thing being more of an aesthetic based on their EAST BAY roots. in fact the feverishly independent GILMAN STREET scene out of BERKELEY was surprisingly open-minded in terms of musical styles supported (this despite their reputation for having ideological opposition to anything and all things corporate), which included SKA hybrid bands like OPERATION IVY and proto-ART METAL like NEUROSIS in the mix. this predilection for simplified yet effective songwriting would flourish on WARNING (REPRISE, 2000) years later, but i see it in an embryonic stage on INSOMNIAC in songs like "GEEK STINK BREATH," "BRAIN STEW/JADED" and my favorite song off the record, "WALKING CONTRADICTION." other standout tracks like "86," "ARMATAGE SHANKS" and "STUCK WITH ME" are raging, start-stop, barn-burners that come off like vintage GREEN DAY. today i feel that BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG could write songs like this in his sleep, but here they are in full display. perhaps to get it out of his system or maybe not to risk alienating DOOKIE fans. im glad they transitioned out of this phase and took the real risks tha today they are known for. who knew a rock opera was in their future. or a giant middle finger to the government when others cowered and shrank. now that is PUNK. 
photo & text by nacrowe
at this point there is a whole cottage industry of DAVE GROHL-directed media products, from documentaries (SOUND CITY, WHAT DRIVES US) to tv shows (SONIC HIGHWAYS, FROM CRADLE TO STAGE) to his recent memoir THE STORYTELLER: TALES OF LIFE AND MUSIC (DEY STREET, 2021). oh yeah, and he makes music.
GROHL obviously has one of the most storied careers of any modern musician, having cut his teeth as a teen with the 1980s DC HARDCORE stalwarts SCREAM before serendipitously joining the legendary 1990s ALTERNATIVE ROCK group NIRVANA and then forming his own band, FOO FIGHTERS, after their demise. he's collaborated with everyone from LEMMY KILMISTER and TRENT REZNOR to CAT POWER and JOHN PAUL JONES. his side projects include PROBOT, THEM CROOKED VULTURES and a brief stint in QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. but most music fans are familiar with his biography. and i believe he knows that, which is why his memoir is not a straight chronological telling of his personal narrative, but rather notable moments or vignettes told in sequential order. structurally it was very reminiscent of A HOUSE ON MANGO STREET. and i think such was a smart idea because it freed him to really dive into the meaning of certain rights of passage of his youth and that of his family without having to worry about how they fit into a broader context. again, most of these stories are familiar to anyone who has watched or read his interviews over the years or even read former KERRANG! editor PAUL BRANNIGAN's laboriously compiled biography THIS IS A CALL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVE GROHL (review linked HERE). what THE STORYTELLER provides is a perspective of a ROCK AND ROLL life rooted in family. GROHL goes to great lengths to show that his love of music was almost a manifestation of his unconditional love for his mother, who supported and sacrificed tirelessly on his behalf (a contrast to that of his father). but beyond his mother, his love of music connected him to an ever widening mandala of similarly minded friends that includes both the famous and the obscure; and they are both written about with equal wit and empathy. his childhood friend JIMMY SWANSON is as much a part of his personal narrative (perhaps more so) as that of KURT COBAIN, which is very endearing. given his public profile and immense cultural influence, it was likewise heartwarming to see GROHL give respect to his predecessors and influences: from NEIL PEART, PAUL MCCARTNEY and JOHN BONHAM, to LITTLE RICHARD, JOHN FOGERTY, AC/DC and JOAN JETT. even numerous obscure HARDCORE bands from his youth. THE STORYTELLER is in essence a vehicle for shining a light on the connective, reinvigorating force that is music, which is a common returning theme in all of his film and tv projects. by extension music makes everyone kin. everyone is connected on the same wavelength. aside from its focus on musicians, the core of what i found engaging about THE STORYTELLER is how music connects him with his children. how he takes inspiration from their courage to perform publicly in front of their school peers during their elementary years or how they relate to it on the same emotional wavelength that he does. this made me think about how i have that same musical relationship with my dad and how for GROHL and his children THE BEATLES are that connection point, THE STRANGLERS and THE SMITHS are the same with my father. i havent read about that intergenerational connection in any previous rock memoir, maybe with the exception of KEITH RICHARDS and his mother in LIFE (review linked HERE). i should point out that i found it odd that GROHL mentions his wife in passing (unlike his mother and daughters). it was an interesting omission. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and its focus on family and the nature of human connection through music or more elementally, love. i know most readers just want to hear COBAIN stories, but i thought he walked that line of audience expectation adroitly and with much care and empathy. THE STORYTELLER is well worth reading and i look forward to future non-musical efforts by GROHL and his ever expanding army of collaborators. 
photo & text by nacrowe
HELMET to me equals riffs. those precisely jagged, start-stop verse riffs that juxtaposed with ringing open chords create an aural sense of space not to dissimilar to a FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT structure. WRIGHT loved having tight, claustrophobic hallways that led to grand high-ceilinged parlors and family rooms. it was part of his artistic lexicon.
i feel that PAGE HAMILTON has a similar songwriting aesthetic when crafting his songs, especially those on MEANTIME (INTERSCOPE, 1992). his ability to mine contrast in his songs, through abrupt tempo and time-signature shifts is progressive without sacrificing aggression and intention. when i listen to songs like "UNSUNG," "BETTER," and "IN THE MEANTIME" there is a cathartic sense of push and pull, catch and release that is sonically very satisfying on a compositional level. in a sense his songs almost feel like JAZZ music or CLASSICAL MUSIC in that there is a definite form and structure that creates tension and then resolves itself, almost like a SONATA. in a SONATA you start in one key, go to another, maybe another, and then return to the original key. like a sunday drive through the countryside. HELMET's music is anything but an evening stroll, but it works on the same level in that no matter how exotic or unforeseen the sonic texture or tempo shifts are, they do ultimately resolve themselves in a thoroughly satisfying way. the other band for whom this is a trademark in my opinion is TOOL. but they are way further on the progressive rock side of the coin, HELMET is like a PROGRESSIVE ROCK version of HARDCORE. ive been fascinated with the riffs of HAMILTON since childhood and he has been criminally underrated for years. i mean, if none other than DIMEBAG DARRELL of PANTERA steals your riff ("UNSUNG" riff on "RISE" from VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER), you must be the real deal. MEANTIME is a classic record and should be celebrated and revisited often much like those of their contemporaries from the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of the 1990s. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO focused on the eclectic AMERICAN independent label MATADOR RECORDS!
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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