parodies by nacrowe

so much of the BRITISH INVASION mythology is tied up with BAY BOOMER coming-of-age nostalgia that it is hard not to view it in retrospect from a skewed, decidedly nonobjective perspective.  dont believe me, just look at ROLLING STONE magazine founding editor JANN WENNER's STARTLING recent admission that BLACK and FEMALE artists were not INTELLECTUALLY CURIOUS or ARTICULATE enough to be part of his recent publication of past interviews featuring several WHITE MALE members of bands from this period.  im a 90s child born in the 1980s so this CELEBRATED BRITISH INVASION cultural movement and its lasting pixie-dust over the imaginations of BOOMERS is thankfully a generation removed from me, providing me some distance on the topic.

undoubtedly musicians in these bands from BRITAIN took inspiration from a variety of AMERICAN musical forms during that period, from ROCKABILLY (EDDIE COCHRAN, DUANE EDDY, ROY ORBISON, CARL PERKINS and ELVIS PRESLEY) and early ROCK N ROLL (BUDDY HOLLY, CHUCK BERRY, JERRY LEE LEWIS, THE EVERLY BROTHERS and LITTLE RICHARD) to CHICAGO BLUES (MUDDY WATERS, LITTLE WALTER, JUNIOR WELLS, WILLIE DIXON, BIG BILL BROONZY) and DELTA BLUES (SKIP JAMES, SON HOUSE, ELMORE JAMES, HOWLIN' WOLF and ROBERT JOHNSON).  the list rolls on.  the BRITISH INVASION movement of the 1960s was a COMPELLING cultural phenomenon because in a very literal sense it was an admission and a reflection of AMERICA's musical cultural mirrored and staring right back at itself.  this is especially the case with the FORGOTTEN BLUES artists of the period.  THE ROLLING STONES in particular took several repeatedly on tour and much later in life, it has been reported that they even quietly paid for their funeral expenses.  there is a direct link and an acknowledged debt to BLACK CULTURE that is UNQUESTIONED.

what is interesting is that it took WHITE ARTISTS from another english-speaking country to turn on an EMERGING WHITE AUDIENCE to BLACK CULTURE.  and arguably even that WELL-INTENTIONED exchanged of musical ideas literally got white-washed over the decades in the process, with much of the UNSCHOOLED listenership conceiving ROCK AND ROLL popularly throughout the ensuing decades as a largely CAUCASIAN genre.  to the point that the emergence of a band like LIVING COLOUR in the the late 1980s is interpreted by said WHITE AUDIENCE as a bit of a CURIOSITY.  anecdotally i remember certain BOOMER parents (not my own) DISMISSIVE reaction to early HIP HOP at the beginning of the 90s.  of course three decades later HIP HOP is as ENTRENCHED and OMNIPRESENT as ROCK AND ROLL was a generation earlier.  the cycle continues.

i have nothing against bands like THE ANIMALS, THE BEATLES, THE WHO,  THE YARDBIRDS, THE ROLLING STONES or THE KINKS.  i was raised on them.  in large part they are the bedrock of my appreciation of music culture having been raised by BOOMERS.  more than half a century later what i take issue with is this constant lionizing of that generation above all others by an aging publishing class holding on to cultural relevance for dear life, pushing so hard that they lose all utter perspective.  rendering themselves OBSOLETE in the process, which is just SAD and pretty PATHETIC.  i am all for putting JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, KEITH RICHARDS, PETE TOWNSEND, JIMMY PAGE, JEFF BECK (R.I.P.) and RAY DAVIES on an ELEVATED plane of critical praise, but i feel strongly that even they would want to include artists like CHUCK BERRY, B.B. KING, ETTA JAMES, LITTLE RICHARD, ALBERT KING, FATS DOMINO and JOHN LEE HOOKER in the discussion.  if only to be identified in the context of their ranks as SHINING beacons and continuations of their REFLECTIVE genius and legacy.  and i dont even know where to begin on the NAKED and ENTRENCHED MISOGYNY against including WOMEN in the mix for WENNER's book.  you're telling me that past and present DIVERSE, INNOVATIVE and PIONEERING songwriters and recording artists like PATTI SMITH, SADE, ANA TIJOUX, LAURYN HILL (THE FUGEES), CAROLE KING, WATA (BORIS), AMANDA PALMER (THE DRESDEN DOLLS), ST. VINCENT, POISON IVY (THE CRAMPS), TINA TURNER, CHRISSIE HYNDE (THE PRETENDERS), KATE BUSH, FATOUMATA DIAWARA, JOAN BAEZ, RONNIE SPECTOR (THE RONETTES) MISSY ELLIOTT, ALISSON MOSSHART (THE KILLS, THE DEAD WEATHER), ROBYN, PATTI LABELLE, ELIZABETH STOKES (THE BETHS), QUEEN LATIFAH, WARPAINT, KATHLEEN HANNA (BIKINI KILL, LE TIGRE), JANIS JOPLIN, ARETHA FRANKLIN, LA LUZ, AMY WINEHOUSE, TIONNE WATKINS (TLC), MADONNA, BONNIE RAITT, ALANIS MORISSETTE, SALT-N-PEPA, JONI MITCHELL, SOL PEREYRA, FIRST AID KIT, ANNIE LENNOX (EURYTHMICS), KATE PIERSON & CINDY WILSON (THE B-52's), LOVEFOXXX (CSS), JUDY MOWATT, LYKKE LI, LOUISE WENER (SLEEPER), EXENE CERVENKA (X), PEACHES, WANDA JACKSON, DEBORAH HARRY (BLONDIE), ERYKAH BADU, TERI GENDER BENDER (LE BUTCHERETTES), BEYONCE, JASAMINE WHITE-GLUZ (NO JOY), KARIN DREIJER (THE KNIFE), EMMA RUTH RUNDLE (MARRIAGES), ELLA FITZGERALD, STELLA DONNELLY, WETLEG, TOVE LO, LOUISE POST (VERUCA SALT), TETIANA SHMAILYUK (JINJER), SINEAD O'CONNOR, ALICE GLASS (CRYSTAL CASTLES), SHIRLEY MANSON (GARBAGE), POLY STYRENE (X-RAY SPEX), RIHANNA, KIM DEAL (PIXIES, THE BREEDERS), FIONA APPLE, BETHANY COSENTINO (BEST COAST), TAYLOR SWIFT, FKA TWIGS, REBA MEYERS (CODE ORANGE), MALA RODRIGUEZ, HELEN MARNIE & MIRA AROYO (LADYTRON), BILLIE HOLIDAY, SAVAGES, CHANTAL CLARET (MORNINGWOOD), KIM GORDON (SONIC YOUTH), COSEY FANNI TUTTI (THROBBING GRISTLE), BESSIE SMITH, NATASHA KHAN (BAT FOR LASHES), DOLORES O' RIORDAN (THE CRANBERRIES), CARLY SIMON, MON LAFERTE, AMY TAYLOR (AMYL & THE SNIFFERS), PJ HARVEY, EMMYLOU HARRIS, BRODY DALLE (THE DISTILLERS), ETTA JAMES, COURTNEY BARNETT, JUSTINE FRISCHMANN (ELASTICA), JAVIERA MENA, KAREN O (THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS), FOXES, ANN WILSON & NANCY WILSON(HEART), LIZ PHAIR, NINA SIMONE, LYDIA LUNCH (TEENAGE JESUS & THE JERKS), MICHELLE ZAUNER (JAPANESE BREAKFAST), JOAN JETT, DONNA SUMMER, TORI AMOS, COURTNEY LOVE (HOLE), ALICIA KEYS, SIOUXSIE SIOUX, CHELSEA WOLFE, LIDO PIMIENTA, ALICE BAG (THE BAGS), STEVIE NICKS (FLEETWOOD MAC), CHARLIE XCX, DONITA SPARKS (L7), SHARON VAN ETTEN, BJORK, VIV ALBERTINE (THE SLITS) and DOLLY PARTON arent INTELLECTUALLY CURIOUS or ARTICULATE enough for your STUPID publication?  you really couldnt find one interview?  are you serious?!  youre a fool.

FUCK JANN WENNER.  

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes an ECLECTIC playlist of BRITISH INVASION bands, both obvious and obscure.  enjoy!

parody by nacrowe

the story of SUB POP RECORDS is so fantastical, it is something akin to fairy tale.  in a notoriously SELF-CANNIBALIZING industry with a irredeemably RAPACIOUS and INSATIABLE appetite for SELF-SERVING, DEVIOUS business practices and CYNICAL self-justifications for mercilessly economically raping their CLIENTS and FANS alike, it is a wonder the PACIFIC NORTHWEST INDEPENDENT record label is still standing and functioning today.  and not only surviving, but in fact thriving in a MODERN POST-STREAMING DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT where culture is moving and innovating at an increasingly fast clip.  since the 1980s SUB POP has basically been a beacon for INVENTIVE established and emerging MUSICIANS alike, providing a platform and opportunity for wide exposure to ARTISTS across HIP HOP, INDIE ROCK, COMEDY, ELECTRONICA, SPOKEN WORD, PUNK ROCK, INDIE POP and TRIP HOP genres alike.

SUB POP began interestingly enough not as a LABEL, but as a FANZINE and RADIO SHOW at EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE by student and music fanatic BRUCE PAVITT.  it later morphed into a NEWSPAPER COLUMN and then a LABEL as a means of putting out a compilation album of unknown local SEATTLE acts in the late 80s.  this small but close scene, uniquely propelled by its ISOLATION, cultivated an EMERGING ALTERNATIVE ROCK scene that infused elements of PUNK ROCK, METAL and CLASSIC ROCK influences to create something entirely FRESH yet FAMILIAR.  by SERENDIPITY and hard work, SUB POP tapped into that vein and promoted the likes of SOUNDGARDEN, GREEN RIVER, MUDHONEY, NIRVANA and so on to the present day.  what i appreciate about the LABEL is that they have never attempted to put out the same thing over and over again like so many other SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN INDEPENDENT LABELS (cough, cough, EPITAPH, FAT WRECK CHORDS, etc).  i see SUB POP as more akin and in-league with the LIKE-MINDED BRITISH RECORD LABELS (4AD, ROUGH TRADE, XL, MUTE, WARP and DOMINO), as well as a few AMERICAN ones as well (MATADOR, MERGE and JAGJAGUWAR), that nurture and curate INGENIOUS new ARTISTS.

whenever i feel jaded about music, SUB POP continues to be an entry point into the AVANT-GARDE of music right now.  not thirty years ago at the height of a much BELOVED but IRRELEVANT and BYGONE GRUNGE movement, but right at present at this cultural moment.  i just dont understand how they remained intact.  its almost as if the COMMUNITY is consciously along for the ride, which is reassuring about HUMANITY in general.

and thats exciting.  SUB POP is a gift to music lovers.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes an ECLECTIC playlist of SUB POP bands new and old, notable and upcoming.  enjoy!

parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating THRASH METAL royalty SLAYER!
​
​​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!

parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the solo work of the generationally GIFTED BRITISH singer-songwriter and former OASIS guitarist NOEL GALLAGHER!
​
​​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!

parodies by nacrowe

i wasnt on the bandwagon with the MERCURIAL SHEFFIELD band BRING ME THE HORIZON from the very beginning, but close enough.  i first learned about them after their single "CHELSEA SMILE" off of their second album SUICIDE SEASON (VISIBLE NOISE, 2008) came out back in the late 2000s.  and really what separated the band from the other BRUTAL and ULTRA-HEAVY METALCORE / DEATHCORE bands emerging to prominence at the time like ALL SHALL PERISH, SUICIDE SILENCE, DESPISED ICON, WHITECHAPEL, CARNIFEX and JOB FOR A COWBOY was ironically their sense of MELODY.  i remember listening to that album and thinking that in spite of its beyond AGGRESSIVE sonic annihilation and DEVASTATING lyrical content were actual MEMORABLE, WELL-COMPOSED songs.  like the band could actual construct riffs together and their vocalist, OLI SYKES, on occasion, could SING.  my initial reaction was that this singer had a wider TECHNICAL and EMOTIONAL range then GIFTED scene peers in MITCH LUCKER (rest in peace), PHIL BOZEMAN or HERNAN HERMIDA.

their follow-up THERE IS A HELL BELIEVE ME I'VE SEEN IT. THERE IS A HEAVEN LET'S KEEP IT A SECRET. (VISIBLE NOISE, 2010) was a more WELL-PRODUCED and REFINED version of SUICIDE SILENCE but the fourth album SEMPITERNAL (EPITAPH, 2013) was the creative and commercial breakthrough.  shedding both a NASTY addiction to KETAMINE  and a beloved guitarist in JONA WEINHOFEN (BLEEDING THROUGH, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN), SEMPITERNAL marks the addition of the TALENTED keyboardist and electronic producer JORDAN FISH to the band as an INTEGRAL SONGWRITING PARTNER and as the fork in their career when things got WEIRD.  but in a good way.  somehow the band maintained their edge while incorporating a wide VARIETY of elements that derived from everything from TRIP HOP, AMBIENT, POST METAL, ELECTRO and even INDIE POP to create an ever shifting and evolving stew of UNEXPECTED sonic juxtapositions that maintains a core of exceptionally STRONG SONGWRITING.

and that focus on MELODY and the COMPOSITION of the song itself, rather than the sonic trappings of its relative heaviness or otherwise aural dressing up, is what continues to separate BRING ME THE HORIZON from the pack.  it really feels like after the second lease on life post-ADDICTION, SYKES as the de facto leader of the band has really continued to put out VARIED releases that have a sense of DANGER and RISK to them.  as if he is attempting to alienate his own audience in the process.  contrarily, he has been an innovator in an otherwise stagnant METALCORE scene navel-gazing at and celebrating its own collective sonic BRUTALITY, with no real ARTISTIC RISK involved.  you get the feeling that BRING ME THE HORIZON several eclectic albums post-SEMPITERNAL are on their own kick at this point.  they have long transcended the scene, which continues to look to them for ideas and concepts (and even band names) from throughout their career.

i just love the fact that in the great tradition of other cultural innovators in MODERN ROCK AND ROLL like MIKE PATTON, WAYNE COYNE, DEVIN TOWNSEND, PERRY FARRELL or GIBBY HAYNES, OLI SYKES is likewise unafraid to risk everything in search of a new sound, a new idea, a new expression.  which is why i am still very much on the ride.

embedded below is a RECENT DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a BRING ME THE HORIZON playlist from throughout their ECLECTIC catalogue.  enjoy!

parodies & text by nacrowe

it was around college in the early 2000s that i got into AMBIENT MUSIC and came to appreciate music that was a bit more EXPANSIVE and not subject to FAMILIAR STRUCTURES, CONVENTIONS and DYNAMICS.  shortly after being able to put my head around the work of EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONIC MUSIC artists like APHEX TWIN and BOARDS OF CANADA, through younger friends of my brother i was made aware of POST ROCK bands like TORTOISE and MOGWAI.  although AMBIENT MUSIC had primed me for this genre, it still blew me away that these musicians were creating this LUSH, PALATIAL widescreen landscape of sound that utilized the INSTRUMENTATION and basic building blocks of ROCK N ROLL to a categorically separate artistic end.

after TORTOISE and MOGWAI came GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR and SIGUR ROS, and then POST METAL artists like ISIS, SUNN O))) and PELICAN.  it was as if a door had opened on what was emotionally capable in ROCK N ROLL writ large and TRANSFORMED my EXPECTATIONS therein as a listener.  in a digital age now where LANGUAGE and our collective attention spans are being COMPRESSED and DILUTED, it is beyond refreshing to listen to CHALLENGING music that has WIDTH and DEPTH that is not easily digested and delights in its refusal to be abridged.  it is an almost an endurance test of sorts to sit down and listen and really take in the scope of what these artists are presenting.  i go back to these artists all of the time, especially during periods where i need to ESCAPE and just DRIFT OFF into my own thoughts in an EXTENDED, UNINTERRUPTED meditation.  for that i am forever appreciative that this stuff exists despite its overt lack of commercial appeal.

this episode itself was made during the height of the PANDEMIC and is one of two (the other being POST METAL) that contains footage from years before that i shot from my scooter while driving around the city of MANDALAY in northern MYANMAR.  i formerly worked there for a year as a secondary teacher at an international school.  the music has a definite PASTORAL flair so i thought the travel footage worked well with it (although at times it is a bit SHAKY).  looking back this is one of my FAVORITE episodes.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes an ECLECTIC playlist of POST ROCK musicians new and old, notable and upcoming.  enjoy!

parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the BADASS ATLANTA GARAGE / PUNK ROCK trio THE COATHANGERS!
​
​​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!

parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the late LEGENDARY BRITISH singer-songwriter AMY WINEHOUSE!
​
​​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!

parodies by nacrowe

there are just too many TRANSFORMATIVE bands that have been on the iconic BRITISH label 4AD RECORDS.  acts like BAUHAUS, SCOTT WALKER, PIXIES, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, LUSH and COCTEAU TWINS, not to mention STEREOLAB, CAMERA OBSCURA, THE BREEDERS, THIEVERY CORPORATION or more recent acts like GRIMES, DEERHUNTER, ST. VINCENT, TUNE-YARDS, ZOMBY, MARK LANEGAN (RIP), PURITY RING and TWIN SHADOW.  for the past 4+ decades, it just feels like every successive generation of EXCEPTIONAL musicians with an EXPERIMENTAL and INNOVATIVE edge somehow find themselves on this amazing label.

as someone who is interested in music and constantly jaded by the seeming triviality and copycat nature of new material (even personally experienced the internal pressures and incentive structures of such as a former co-owner of a recording studio), it is A GIFT to have a resource like 4AD available to seek out new acts that are pushing the boundary.  whether i am ready for such or not is a different matter, but i love and appreciate the opportunity to be confronted with THE FUTURE by a curation i inherently trust.  and that best describes my relationship with 4AD as a listener and music consumer: TRUST.

and there are other labels i similarly TRUST as well, namely FAT POSSUM, DOMINO, MUTE, WARP and MATADOR, but first among equals has always been 4AD.  im always looking forward to what NEW SOUNDS theyve found and unleashed on the world.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired about two and half years just before the pandemic. the 4AD RECORDS playlist showcases a whole host of ECLECTIC music from throughout their CELEBRATED catalogue.  enjoy!

photo & text by nacrowe

i remember back in undergrad having papers galore to write every few weeks and the STRAIN that such put on me MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY throughout my college experience.  somewhere along the way during that period i came across the APHEX TWIN debut SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS 85-92 (R&S, 1992) and became completely TRANSFIXED by it.  it became almost like an armor i put on that shielded me from the world when i was writing.  i can remember listening to that specific album on headphones in places like the library, my dorm room, the cafeteria, the computer lab and even empty classrooms writing away on my laptop blissfully OBLIVIOUS and UNCONCERNED with the outside world.  it helped me focus.

for me that experience of SENSORY TRANSMUTATION is what makes AMBIENT MUSIC so ENTHRALLING as a genre.  it is an EXPERIMENTAL form that is not concerned with traditional sound structures as much as it is the flow between AURAL LANDSCAPES and the ALTERED MIND-STATES such projects over your senses.  when done well it almost feels like music that is inextricably linked to your EMOTIONS and deeply felt MEMORIES that trigger such.  there is also a disconnect between the music and your EXPERIENTIAL, routine appreciation of being awake and cognitively alert in a material world.  the music almost forces you to be succumbed by an AMORPHOUS PSYCHIC REALM where geography and time-space have no meaning.  APHEX TWIN would soothe and eventually calm me down into a RELAXED MIND-STATE that would thus allow me to just express in my writing devoid of an merciless superego that bashes away at my insecurities, which is my daily lived experience.  i could move beyond that.

over the years ive come across many other NOTABLE AMBIENT artists including AUTECHRE, BOARDS OF CANADA, SEAFEEL and BRIAN ENO (whom i previously was aware of through his CELEBRATED production catalogue and initial work with ROXY MUSIC).  that sense of music without precedent or signifiers or history or embedded meaning is something that still appeals to me.  it is part of what makes AMBIENT music so REVOLUTIONARY and TRANSCENDENT in my opinion.  it also became a vehicle for later appreciating other EXPERIMENTAL genres like POST ROCK / POST METAL and KRAUTROCK as well as DRONE METAL and MINIMALIST classical composers like PHILIP GLASS and STEVE REICH.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired about two and half years during the pandemic when the station first allowed DJs back in the studio. the ECLECTIC playlist showcases a whole host of DIVERSE AMBIENT artists.  enjoy!

its been a while since ive been able to be on air with a new DEER GOD RADIO episode and tonight promises to be an ENJOYABLE one for the ages with a playlist dedicated to the late BRITISH POWERHOUSE SINGER-SONGWRITER AMY WINEHOUSE.  was an admirer of hers, like so many, in the immediate aftermath of her second and final release BACK IN BLACK (ISLAND, 2006) and was absolutely gutted by her subsequent spiral into DRUG and ALCOHOL ADDICTION and eventual PREMATURE DEMISE.  only months apart in age, her permanent stasis forever as a 27 year-old just reminds me of how much ive aged in the interim (!) and how much MUSIC, ARTISTRY and COMPASSION she had left to give the world.

should be a FUN one that starts tonight around 6PM EST on the NONPROFIT internet RADIO STATION MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, live from NEW YORK CITY.  been looking forward to this one for a long time.  tune in and enjoy.

parodies by nacrowe

i am a total sucker for pop HOOKS.

as much as i also love BRUTALLY DISSONANT sonic assaults on the senses and UNCONVENTIONAL song structures and soundscapes (a la BIG BLACK, SWANS, EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, LOU REED and THROBBING GRISTLE), there is something to be said about listening to a WELL-CONSTRUCTED, ORCHESTRATED and PRODUCED piece of music that is LUSH and designed to delight the ears (a la THE BEACH BOYS, HARRY NILSSON, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA).  case in point: CHEAP TRICK.  they didnt invent the wheel, but they sure as hell perfected the ROCK AND ROLL pop song template they inherited from THE BEATLES.  and that is kind of the point of POWER POP, it being a LOOSE genre of like-minded 1970s and 80s musicians that took the earlier, STRIPPED-BACK aural aesthetic of the pre-PSYCHEDELIC early 1960s BEATLES records and attempted to write songs with every bit the same knack for MELODY, HARMONY and HOOKS, HOOKS, HOOKS.

in a lot of ways, the later PUNK ROCK bands were a more AGGRESSIVE, CONFRONTATIONAL cousin to the POWER POP movement as they both were attempting to return ROCK AND ROLL to its more pure and ELEMENTAL CHUCK BERRY energy rather than the BLOATED and UNATTAINABLE PROGRESSIVE ROCK of the period.  i find myself consistently look back to POWER POP from this era, along with early 1970s GLAM ROCK, to find INTERESTING bands that sought to make SIMPLE, MEMORABLE music that hit you directly in the heart, rather than the brain.  the more i listen to POWER POP, the more convinced i am that THE RAMONES were secret admirers of the genre.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired about three years ago on new years day 2020. the playlist includes POWER POP music from throughout the 1970s and 80s, as well as a few more recent bands that expand on the genre. enjoy!

parodies by nacrowe

its difficult to quantify, verbalize or even get my head around the cultural impact of FRANK ZAPPA.  when you think about truly INNOVATIVE musicians from the last century, the short list includes the likes of everyone from composers like IGOR STRAVINSKY, ARNOLD SCHOENBERG, GEORGE GERSHWIN, DMITRY SHOSTAKOVICH, AARON COPELAND, SERGEI PROKOFIEV and JOHN CAGE to songwriters like BOB DYLAN, JOHN LENNON / PAUL MCCARTNEY, LOU REED, NEIL YOUNG, LEONARD COHEN and DAVID BOWIE just for starters. 

what makes ZAPPA so COMPELLING in my mind was that he took a bit from both camps and was an EXPERIMENTAL songwriter and AVANT GARDE composer.  not only that but he was politically OUTSPOKEN and seemingly BOUNDLESS in his drive to create, making use of virtually every genre imaginable and molding such to his IRREVERENT sonic sensibility.  even friend and out-there creatives he played with and championed, like CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, are today considered musical pioneers for the ages.  learning about ZAPPA is endless fascinating because he was MERCURIAL and ever expanding his CREATIVE PROCESS, whether that be TECHNIQUE, PRODUCTION, TECHNOLOGY and/or a new vein of INSPIRATION.  for instance, his son DWEEZIL showcased some of his guitars and many had PECULIAR, BESPOKE preamps and out-of-phase pickups installed to expand his sonic palette (video linked HERE).  it was an ongoing affair and really speaks to his unending fascination with sound.

i also appreciate his ability to speak in opposition concerning causes he passionately believed in, whether that be the VIETNAM WAR or the PARENTS MUSIC RESEARCH CENTER (PMRC) hearings.  everything these days related to musicians feels TRIVIAL and part of a branding exercise, even political advocacy.  none of this modern crop hold any cultural weight.  LENNON had that.  DYLAN had that.  ZAPPA absolutely had that.

not sure who has that sense of CLOUT these days.  ED SHEERAN?  MILEY CYRUS?  DRAKE?  we're all doomed.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired exactly four years to the day back in 2019. the playlist includes music from throughout FRANK ZAPPA's ECLECTIC catalogue. enjoy!​

parodies by nacrowe

there is something about the OPTIMISM of REVERED NEW WAVE band THE CARS that always gets me.  not sure where it comes from, but their SIMPLE MELODIES and INCREDIBLE MUSICIANSHIP always leaves me in a good mood.  when you watch their music videos its immediately apparent how UNORTHODOX a frontman RIC OCASEK was, all GANGLY and AWKWARD, but there is a CHARM no doubt.  a certain PASSION and SELF-BELIEF in one's ability to communicate POSITIVITY and PLEASURE that transcends the music.  and i dont know where it comes from.

i dont like NOSALGIA or false manufactured memories of the past,  but i do appreciate GENUINE HOPE and JOY.  and i get both of those from THE CARS who remain one of my all-time favorite bands, even if they are from BOSTON.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired on new year's eve 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout THE CARS' catalogue. enjoy!

parody by nacrowe

when i think about how i got into HIP HOP, there is pretty much two eras:  before hearing the WU-TANG CLAN and after hearing the WU-TANG CLAN.  i was somewhat naive about RAP in general during my early years in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, but when i arrived in middle school to NIGERIA i learned about a whole host of artists ranging from CYPRESS HILL, NAS, TUPAC SHAKUR, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. and so on.  it was an EDUCATION to say the least and alongside my EXPOSURE to WEST AFRICAN artists like FELA KUTI, KING SUNNY ADE and LAGBAJA, it provided a foundation for APPRECIATING the COMPLEXITY of modern music from across the AFRICAN DIASPORA.

enter the WU-TANG CLAN.

i was in boarding school in MASSACHUSETTS and the mixed-race son of a UMASS professor who lived next door had an ENTER THE WU-TANGE (36 CHAMBERS) (LOUD, 1993) poster proudly displayed in plain view from the hallway.  remarkably somehow the WU-TANG CLAN never made the journey to NIGERIA.  still boggles my mind.  hearing them for the first time really triggered something in my UNDERSTANDING and APPRECIATION of HIP HOP from there out.  the idea that the objective was to have the most CLEVER people spitting the most CLEVER shit over the most CLEVER production possible.  in WU-TANG you had all of that, with ten MCs tagging themselves in one after the other, attempting to outsmart and essentially outcompete their fellow bandmate.  it was POETRY as a sport envisioned through the LEXICON and VISUAL ICONOGRAPHY of KUNG FU films as stand-in metaphors for the black experience in STATEN ISLAND.  there was literally nothing out there as INTELLIGENT and CREATIVE as WU-TANG in any genre.  that debut is one of those turning point records that hasnt been topped since in my opinion.  and just for the sake of honesty, i worship at the high altar of A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, my all-time favorite HIP HOP group, along with PUBLIC ENEMY, OUTKAST, THE PHARCYDE, GETO BOYS, DE LA SOUL and the BEASTIE BOYS.  but in reality none of those groups produced anything as TRANSFORMATIVE as WU-TANG's debut.  its a PERFECT record.  period.

as if that wasnt enough, there is also the less spoken about BUSINESS SAVVY and GENIUS of WU-TANG CLAN.   signed to LOUD RECORDS, a subsidiary of ZOO RECORDS (of GREEN JELLY and TOOL fame), the label in essence had the rights to the catalogue of the band but not its members, which allowed all of them to sign deals with various labels, such as DEF JAM (METHOD MAN), MCA (GZA), EPIC (GHOSTFACE KILLAH, CAPPADONNA), LOUD (INSPECTAH DECK), ELEKTRA (OL' DIRTY BASTARD), BMG (RZA), PRIORITY (U-GOD), RCA (RAEKWON) and NATURE SOUNDS (MASTA KILLA).  in essence this mean that most of the conglomerates at the time had a financial stake in the WU-TANG enterprise, supporting one in essence raised the profiles of the others.  previous to this arrangement, all solo careers of PROMINENT members were pre-arranged to be developed and promoted by the same management and label as the main group, which effectively straddled momentum.  this INNOVATIVE arrangement WU-TANG employed is now commonplace in the industry and has led to more OPPORTUNITY and DIVERSIFICATION of risk in the music business pre-NAPSTER and widespread internet-enabled file sharing.

i find myself always going back to the WU-TANG CLAN debut.  you hear a verse you love and then find out that the next few hours is all about GHOSTFACE KILLAH's SUPREME CLIENTELE (EPIC, 2000) or FISHSCALE (DEF JAM, 2006) or maybe even OL' DIRTY BASTARD's RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS (ELEKTRA, 1995).  its a ride that is worth repeat visits.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired more than three years ago. the playlist includes music from throughout the WU-TANG CLAN catalogue, both the group and its members' various solo and outside projects. enjoy!

parodies by nacrowe

i grew up on ALTERNATIVE ROCK from the 1990s.  i wasnt even in elementary school yet when the 1980s ended, along with it the INFLUENTIAL contemporaneous HARDCORE and INDIE scenes that are still very much CELEBRATED decades on.  my entry to to that discussion was the FAMOUS SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE scene that sparked the 90s with SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and NIRVANA being among the first records i ever received as a child before i became even a decade old.  looking back its almost like being informed about previous PUNK ROCK, GLAM ROCK, NEW WAVE, POST PUNK, PROG ROCK and even BRITISH INVASION movements via a cultural bank shot.  it was NEW music once or twice removed from those veritable scenes, but something uniquely SEPARATE at the same time.

decades on now i see ALTERNATIVE ROCK as the beginning of GENRE-LESS music.  it seemed all manner of PRODUCTION TECNIQUES and ideas were being thrown in the mix, from SAMPLING and BEAT-MAKING utilized in both HIP HOP and INDUSTRIAL circles, new sonic TEXTURES were experienced with bands and artists like BECK, GARBAGE and NINE INCH NAILS that embellished and expanded upon the TRADITIONAL textbook of what a ROCK AND ROLL band sounded like and could get away with.  i also always think of music within a social context and while some listeners doggedly clung to OUTMODED identities based out of geographically LOCAL variations of PUNK, INDIE and HARDCORE scenes, i grew up more or less around people that could appreciate multiple DISPARATE genres and cultural movements ranging from FUNK and R&B to HIP HOP, PUNK ROCK and extreme METAL.  in essence it was all the same VIBE, but DIFFERENT expressions.  decades on you have artists that seamlessly split the difference between various UNRELATED genres and have no issue garnering a MASSIVE audience, which to my perspective showcases the OPEN-MINDEDNESS past down by the ALTERNATIVE ROCK generation that was less interested in PURITY and more concerned about songwriting and sonic INNOVATION.

at least that is my sense of the musical and cultural EVOLUTION that took place during my conscious time on this planet as an ACTIVE listener.  some may disagree and thats alright.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired almost exactly four years ago.  hard to believe ive had a radio show that long! the playlist includes music from throughout the ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement of the 1990s. enjoy!

parody by nacrowe

my senior year of high school was CRAZY.  as ive mentioned many times before, i was in KUWAIT while my parents were stationed there for work until 9/11 happened and i was sent off to finish the rest of the school year in SACRAMENTO where a relative resided.  as soon as the year ended and my graduation was over i bolted to NEW JERSEY where my family had a place that we stayed during the summer in between overseas stints.  it was during this time when i was enrolled at a local community college that i first came across the NORWEGIAN ELECTROPOP duo ROYKSOPP and their TRANSFORMATIVE MELODY A.M. (ASTRALWERKS, 2001) release.  i should mentioned that other NOTEWORTHY artists i discovered during this period were LADYTRON, GOLDFRAPP, AIR and THE KNIFE.  outside of DEPECHE MODE, NEW ORDER and maybe SUICIDE i was not particularly well versed in ELECTRONIC MUSIC writ large, much less a NORDIC variant.  but what caught my ear was that BITTERSWEET sense of MELANCHOLY and NOSTALGIA that is through-line with all their collaborations and their entire catalog.

i felt i had discovered a PERFECT POP album.  tracks like "IN SPACE," "SO EASY," "A HIGHER PLACE" and "SPARKS" are all so effortlessly CINEMATIC with a widescreen scope that seemed to encapsulate the collective emotion of all of humanity.  it was ELECTRONIC MUSIC but it wasnt exactly DANCEABLE, it was more DOWNBEAT and almost exclusively INTROSPECTIVE in nature.  the singles "POOR LENO" and "REMIND ME"  where the first time id ever heard anything remotely like that and it was beyond CONTAGIOUS.  it felt like new ground and really made me go back with gusto and seek out like-minded artists over the years like CUT COPY, M83, HOT CHIP, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, HOLY GHOST! and TORO Y MOI.

the third record JUNIOR SENIOR (WALL OF SOUND, 2009) with tracks was a welcome reminder of ROYKSOPP at the top of their collective songwriting and production powers with powerhouse tracks like "VISION ONE," "THIS MUST BE IT," "HAPPY UP HERE," and "THE GIRL AND THE ROBOT" providing a more UPBEAT counterpoint to their debut.  i obsess over both records to date and wish to promote them as much as possible.  definitely worth checking out.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired relatively recently last year in late 2022. the playlist includes music from throughout ROYKSOPP's INCREDIBLE catalogue. enjoy!

parodies by nacrowe

ive been a TRICKY fan since i first discovered MASSIVE ATTACK my senior year of high school.  as ive written before, that was a CRAZY year since it started out with me living and attending school in KUWAIT where my family was stationed at the time.  9/11 happened and i was quickly shipped off to live with a relative in a WHITE BREAD suburb of SACRAMENTO.  my solace at the time was books and the now DEFUNCT chain of EXCELLENT local record stores called DIMPLE RECORDS.  over that year i discovered everything from SKINNY PUPPY and BAUHAUS to APHEX TWIN and PORTISHEAD.  it was a pretty MISERABLE year all told as i felt understandably quite ISOLATED from friends and family, but in terms of discovering music, authors and films, it was arguably the most PRODUCTIVE period of my life. 

i was lucky enough to see TOOL play at ARCO ARENA that year with ADRIAN "TRICKY" THAWS opening (with MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD in tow!) in support of his recent BLOWBACK (ANTI-, 2001) album.  during this period TRICKY even cameo'd in the ELABORATE and deeply ALLEGORICAL TOOL music video for for the title-track "LATERALUS" off the recent LATERALUS (VOLCANO, 2001) album.  i remember the crowd was DISINTERESTED and multiple people in my section openly feeling comfortable in public yelling out the N-WORD at him.  my low opinion of SACRAMENTO and its inhabitants really hasnt shifted since.  my hope is to never return there for anything, ever.

my first TRICKY album was the ICONIC MAXINQUAYE (4TH & B'WAY, 1995), which i bought at the LEGENDARY TOWER RECORDS in SAN FRANCISCO on my last day in CALIFORNIA after high school graduation before flying home to NEW JERSEY to meet up with my family.  by that point i was familiar with TRIP HOP acts like MASSIVE ATTACK, PORTISHEAD, THIEVERY CORPORATION, DJ SHADOW and SNEAKER PIMPS, but with TRICKY there was a real PALPABLE sense of synesthesia between the HAZY atmospherics and his deeply personal songwriting.  whats more, he had this ANGELIC female singer named MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD (whose solo material over the years is well worth checking out on its own merit) sing what presumably are his parts written in his voice.  to have a woman speak from the first-person perspective was initially deeply JARRING but really gets at the UNIVERSALITY of TRICKY's perspective as a narrator in his own sonic universe.  it also gets at the work of famed psychologist CARL JUNG and his description of the ANIMUS / ANIMA phenomena at the heart of the human psyche.  in essence we all have parts of our psyche rooted in the other sex: ANIMUS is the unconscious MASCULINE SIDE of a woman and ANIMA is the unconscious FEMININE SIDE of a man.  such is so deeply ingrained that it transcends our conscious psyche.  on some level TRICKY is playing with this idea and it works BRILLIANTLY as TOPLEY-BIRD feels like an alternate aspect of his personality commenting on a fleeting EMOTION from an ETHEREAL distant plane a la a GREEK CHORUS.  i found the whole thing completely INTOXICATING and very much shifted my expectations of what GREAT music could sound like and the need to push limitations.

TRICKY is one of my favorite artists and i am always looking forward to his latest work, irregardless of whether it hits me as hard as MAXINQUAYE did that first time.  the dude is on his own trip and he's exploring realms of sonic artistry that i feel only a few others have ever truly thought to explore:  people like KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN, KATE BUSH, JIMI HENDRIX, LOU REED, BJORK, SCOTT WALKER, CHELSEA WOLFE, PHILIP GLASS or even FRANK ZAPPA.  people that bend music to their will and not the other way around.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired in early 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout TRICKY's SINGULAR catalogue. enjoy!

parodies by nacrowe

i get it.

some people are sick of the sight of DAVE GROHL.  in recent years he has been omnipresent in documentaries related to anything and everything ROCK N ROLL.  lazy journalists refer to him as "the nicest guy in the music industry" (which makes my lizard brain immediately counter with, yeah, to journalists) and he has become something of the TORCH BEARER for the HUMAN ELEMENT in music writ large during an era of PITCH CORRECTION and DIGITAL MANIPULATION in the production of music.  so i get the eye rolls and shirking at yet another testimonial to his supposed GREATNESS.

what gets me about GROHL is his capacity to be INCLUSIVE to musicians.  he's collaborated on COUNTLESS projects for other artists (MELVINS, EARTHLINGS?, TENACIOUS D, KILLING JOKE, THE PRODIGY, DAVID BOWIE, NINE INCH NAILS), been in numerous bands (NIRVANA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FOO FIGHTERS, SCREAM, THEM CROOKED VULTURES) and initiated projects designed to showcase the talents of others like PROBOT (LEMMY KILMISTER, MAX CAVALERA, KING DIAMOND, WINO, CRONOS), TEENAGE TIME KILLERS (JELLO BIAFRA, NEIL FALLON, MATT SKIBA, RANDY BLYTHE) and the SOUND CITY soundtrack (LEE VING, PAUL MCCARTNEY, RICK SPRINGFIELD, CHRIS GOSS, STEVIE NICKS).  oh yeah and he made the FOO FIGHTERS record an album of straight-up FUNKY BEE-GEE covers.  you should be dancing, indeed.

its one thing to be an advocate for a community, another entirely to put ENERGY into being a CREATIVE RESOURCE for them to access.  GROHL, given his unique cultural cache and commercial success with NIRVANA and FOO FIGHTERS, has time and again leveraged such a platform to spotlight those around him and causes he believes in.  i just dont see it as SELFISH.  the man has gone through more than his share of suffering from the very public premature passing of his friends and former bandmates that would crush less a person.  hes carried on the spirit and legacy of his friend KURT COBAIN for decades and i imagine the same will be the case with TAYLOR HAWKINS. all i can say is godspeed.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired at the end of 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout the DAVE GROHL's infamous catalogue. enjoy!

parodies by nacrowe  

its funny how when you are a child you just sort of accept things as they are without questioning motives or thinking too deeply about comparisons, because well, your frame of reference is so LIMITED.  everything is essentially a NOVEL EXPERIENCE.  since i remember being alive the music of DAVID BYRNE and the legendary NEW WAVE band TALKING HEADS has been a part of my existence.  as ive written before, i am almost certain that LITTLE CREATURES (SIRE, 1985) was played throughout my early childhood as it was the soundtrack to my parents learning how to care for a child for the first time in the late 1980s.  i remember understanding from an early age that a lot of the songs were about regular people and the ROADS they travelled on and the BUILDINGS they entered.  INFRASTRUCTURE in other words.  its a very un-ROCK N ROLL topic and still a bit jarring.

its no secret that BYRNE attended both the MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART and THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN and that his music essentially splits the difference between CIVIL ENGINEERING and EXPERIMENTAL SONGWRITING.  his influence endures to this day in countless ANGULAR POST PUNK and INDIE ROCK bands that choose to experiment with both FORM and SUBJECT in their songwriting, i.e. everyone from BECK, OINGO BOINGO, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, R.E.M. and VAMPIRE WEEKEND to SUFJAN STEVENS, BLONDIE, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, DIRTY PROJECTORS, THE B-52's and recent collaborator ST. VINCENT.  BYRNE also utilized outside musical forms in his compositions such as most notably early looping grooves that were inspired by NIGERIAN AFROBEAT icon FELA KUTI.  in fact my familiarity with TALKING HEADS made my cultural transition to living in LAGOS in the mid 1990s less musically jarring as the underlying beat and groove was fairly similar.

but what always gets to me about BYRNE was the idea that his songs were about people from a third-person point of view that had some DISTANCE from the subject.  there is a certain OBSERVATIONAL quality to it that lacks INTIMACY, almost like an alien writing a report back to the mothership about mankind without having to be directly involved with it.  in recent years BYRNE has talked openly about his AUTISM and such may be connected to his lyrical outlook, but im not entirely sure.  to me that DISTANT perspective is quite liberating and almost reminds me of that famous HARRY LIME (played by ORSON WELLES) speech in THE THIRD MAN (LONDON FILMS, 1949) where his character is on a giant ferris wheel in post-WORLD WAR II VIENNA looking down at the people below asking if in the wider scheme of things any of them would be missed if they were squashed like the ants they resembled.  alright, maybe the SOCIOPATHIC element is not as pronounced (except maybe in "PSYCHO KILLER"), but there is something to the wider perspective of life through that conscious MACRO perspective on humanity and the large scale SYSTEMS and INSTITUTIONS that enable our species to thrive en masse.

again, very un-ROCK N ROLL but at the same time incredibly COMPELLING to think about, which is why TALKING HEADS are a continued touchstone in my listening habits from early childhood to date.

embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired over a year ago. the playlist includes music from throughout the TALKING HEADS's celebrated catalogue. enjoy!