photo & text by nacrowe
its hard for me to overstate how foundational the music of R.E.M. was for me as a music listener, as some of my earliest memories of experiencing new music was both the OUT OF TIME (WARNER BROS, 1991) and MONSTER (WARNER BROS, 1994) albums. ironically it was the former record that got me interested in playing guitar as a first grader. its ironic because that was the specific album in their discography where guitarist PETER BUCK essentially abandoned the instrument in favor of mandolin.
i think with those initial OUT OF TIME singles like "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE" and "LOSING MY RELIGION" there was a sense of both pop abandon and real pathos in the LYRICS, MANNERISM and VOCALS of singer MICHAEL STIPE. its interesting that he was one of my earliest introductions to a 'rock singer' given his AMBIVALANCE to fame and his highly IDIOSYNCRATIC presentation that showcased a COMPLICATED figure with strong ideas and a seemingly UNDEFINABLE sexuality, this in addition to his obvious INTELLIGENCE and CHARISMA. STIPE was (and still is) a real MERCURIAL and COMPELLING figure, especially for a curious seven year old. when MONSTER came out the tone was more SOMBER and AGGRESSIVE with singles like "STAR 69," "BANG AND BLAME," "WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KENNETH?" and "CRUSH WITH EYELINER." all the guitar feedback and lyrics about DISLOCATION, strained relationships and potential VIOLENCE was a world away from "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE" and was more in keeping with the NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM songs i heard on the radio station 106.7 FM KROQ out of nearby LOS ANGELES that bordered ORANGE COUNTY where i lived growing up. both visually and aurally, MONSTER was a major record for me growing up and was somewhat of an introduction to the aggressively REFLECTIVE and SELF-DISPARAGING aesthetic of ALTERNATIVE ROCK much as OUT OF TIME was an introduction to the PLAINTIVE, direct songwriting stylings of INDIE ROCK. whats interesting to me as an adult looking back is how arguably the STRONGEST R.E.M. record ever made, AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (WARNER BROS, 1991), which came out between OUT OF TIME and MONSTER, was not in the mix for me during that period. until discovering it later in my late teens i had no memory of the record whatsoever. back in the early and mid 1990s there was no SPOTIFY or YOUTUBE, just the tail end of a national cassette trading network that i was not privy to at that age. i was literally only aware of what was on the radio and what my parents, usually my father, added to their CD collection. getting compact discs was a REVELATORY ritual up until the birth of MP3 trading and disc burning that began when i was in high school in the late 1990s and later the adoption of the iPod that came about a few years into the new millennium. prior to such i was TRANSFIXED to the ARTWORK and details of PACKAGING and their connection to musical content. that experience with OUT OF TIME and MONSTER was as TRANSCENDENT an experience as the music itself in many ways. that eye to visual ICONOGRAPHY, TYPOGRAPHY, LAYOUT and GRAPHIC DESIGN vocabulary in general was an education in and of itself and my earliest VIVD memories of experiencing such, again are probably those two records (as well as LIVING COLOUR, SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM releases from that same period). i find it more than amusing that since i began parodying album covers in an effort to promote my regular DEER GOD RADIO show at nonprofit radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, the only pushback i ever got back was from 'angry' R.E.M. supporters. i was told on INSTAGRAM by a random person that STIPE didnt take kindly to people stealing from him and would sue me to oblivion. my hope and expectation is that if he did discover my promotional parodies he would be delighted by them as a LOVING homage to a band i ADORE and have respected since childhood. i certainly make no money from such and nor does the station. all that being said, R.E.M. please dont sue me. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the spring of 2022 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of R.E.M. from throughout their extensive catalogue. enjoy!
0 Comments
parodies by nacrowe
i was thinking the other day about WHITEWASHING in AMERICAN culture over the years. how ELVIS PRESLEY unfairly gained undue adulation with the general public that was probably more appropriately due to LITTLE RICHARD and CHUCK BERRY. same dynamic could be argued with EMINEM, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, BENNY GOODMAN, BEASTIE BOYS and so on. seems to be a bit of a tradition that a genre or style only gains mainstream acceptance and critical recognition once a white musician does it with some competency. i dont know about BENNY GOODMAN (whose music i am not a fan of at all - much prefer DUKE ELLINGTON), but the majority of these artists were all steeped in the musical traditions that they pursued and had the utmost respect for the artists that came before. for EMINEM this means explicit shoutouts on tracks mentioning the likes of celebrated lyricists like RAKIM, 2PAC, NAS, ANDRE 3000, JAY-Z, REDMAN, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., LL COOL J and ICE CUBE among others. my problem is not with the artists but with the general public's COLLECTIVE AMNESIA towards and HISTORIC DISREGARD towards BLACK CULTURE until a white body inhabits such. its bullshit.
this led me to thinking about the 2-TONE SKA movement out of the UNITED KINGDOM in the late 1970s at the height of THATCHERISM and the VILE, RACIST, ANTI-IMMIGRANT perspective that her government embodied. since the post war era there had been a massive influx of immigrants from THE CARIBBEAN, known as the WINDRUSH GENERATION, who worked in northern factories alongside their CAUCASIAN counterparts and grew to establish a similar working class lifestyle. this close racial proximity in both living and work contexts saw cultural and musical innovations from JAMAICA, part of THE COMMONWEALTH, find active listenership in ENGLAND from both their descendants and their white counterparts. SKA, ROCKSTEADY and later REGGAE became a facet of BRITISH culture not dissimilar from other inherited artifacts like tea (INDIA), polo (IRAN), baked beans (UNITED STATES), ST. GEORGE (SYRIA), tennis (BASQUE), penny farthings (FRANCE), marmalade (PORTUGAL), pubs (ANCIENT ROME) and fish and chips (SPAIN). that penchant for CULTURAL APPROPRIATION is a distinctly BRITISH tradition in my opinion. whats cool about 2-TONE SKA is how it explicitly indicates in its names its roots as the common meeting point between two cultures and musical traditions. in the face of the AUSTERE domestic and seething ANTI-IMMIGRANT policies employed by MARGARET THATCHER and the rising tide of RACISM that such engendered in the larger culture and body politic, these musicians showcased an ALTERNATIVE vision that valued INCLUSION, COOPERATION and celebrating DIVERSITY. these bands include iconic BRITISH multi-ethnic acts such as THE SPECIALS, THE BEAT, THE SELECTER, BAD MANNERS and THE BODYSNATCHERS as well as aligned all-CAUCASIAN acts like MADNESS among others. it is nearly impossible to not see 2-TONE SKA as a distinctly POLITICAL act within the BRITISH context it was birthed under. i think people today, especially in the UNITED STATES, just see it in retrospect as derivative dance music that takes its cues from JAMAICAN culture. they dont see the intent or evolution of a sound. dont believe me, just listen to third-wave AMERICAN ska bands from the 1990s (like LESS THAN JAKE, REEL BIG FISH, CHERRY POPPIN' DADDIES, BUCK-O-NINE, VOODOO GLOWSKULLS and THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES) that took the sound but none of the politics and made something VIBRANT, SOPHISTICATED and INTOXICATINGLY ENGAGING to something BLAND and easily DISPENSABLE. of course there are a number of bands that thoughtfully (like EMINEM) paid homage to the history of the form and felt comfortable further INNOVATING on top of such. i want to give a shoutout to the modern bands i feel are in keeping with the true legacy of 2-TONE SKA such as the FISHBONE, DANCE HALL CRASHERS, THE SUICIDE MACHINES, NO DOUBT, THE SLACKERS, THE AQUABATS, GOLDFINGER, STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO, CATCH 22, THE AGGRO-LITES, THE INTERRUPTERS and SAVE FERRIS among others. i just wish AMERICAN audiences would care more about issues related to CULTURAL APPROPRIATION and WHITEWASHING. maybe as our country becomes less white this unfortunate dynamic will shift in a generation or two. here's hoping! embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the fall of 2019 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to 2-TONE SKA and the thoughtful hybrid bands that came thereafter. enjoy! RIP TERRY HALL.
parodies by nacrowe
MASSIVE ATTACK was an absolute game changer for me.
maybe it was because of the household i grew up in or the decades-old myopic vestiges of the "DISCO SUCKS" mentality from a generation before, but for whatever reason ELECTRONIC MUSIC was not really a part of my upbringing and nobody i was around listened to it or took it seriously. in fact, for something to be electronic-based was effectively code for inauthenticity and lack of musicianship (unlike say string, percussion or woodwind instruments) and therefore utterly discardable. which of course is all complete utter bullshit. when i moved to KUWAIT for high school in 2000 i discovered MASSIVE ATTACK and APHEX TWIN, both of which shifted everything. MASSIVE ATTACK was the spearhead collective of BRITISH TRIP HOP scene that was concurrent with BRITPOP movement of the 1990s, though the COOL BRITANNIA that they exemplified was one of an musically ECLECTIC (HIP HOP, REGGAE, HOUSE MUSIC) and racially INTEGRATED community made up mostly of recent immigrants rather than posh, thin-skinned art school wankers (SUEDE, BLUR, ELASTICA) and unintelligible and uncultured northern oiks (OASIS). APHEX TWIN innovated EXPERIMENTAL electronic music and were exemplars of GLITCH (along with SQUAREPUSHER and AUTECHRE) and their sound was sound TRANSGRESSIVE and REVOLUTIONARY that people are still catching up almost three decades later. what caught my ear about MASSIVE ATTACK was the sheer EMOTIVE potential of their sound. it all felt DRAMATIC and entirely CINEMATIC, like this was widescreen color cinemascope in a theater and before i was only used to a household black-and-white television. their was a DEPTH and GROOVE and sense of WONDER and ADVENTURE. its difficult to describe but discovering their music was a REVELATION and taught me to really expand my musical palette in search of new EXPANSIVE sonic landscapes, which is essentially what i did the next year when i moved to SACRAMENTO for my final year of high school and effectively got into SHOEGAZE (SLOWDIVE, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, LUSH, SWIRLIES), NO WAVE (SWANS, SUICIDE, GLENN BRANCA), INDUSTRIAL MUSIC (SKINNY PUPPY, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT, GODFLESH, THROBBING GRISTLE, MINISTRY, FRONT 242, KMFDM),POST PUNK (BAUHAUS, THE CURE, PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED, JOY DIVISION, COCTEAU TWINS), 90s HIP HOP (WU-TANG CLAN, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, THE PHARCYDE, DE LA SOUL, SOULS OF MISCHIEF) and KRAUTROCK (KRAFTWERK, NEU!, CAN, BRIAN ENO, TANGERINE DREAM). more so than that, through MASSIVE ATTACK and APHEX TWIN i really jumped into the deep end of electronic music with AMBIENT acts like ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER, TELEFON TEL AVIV and BOARDS OF CANADA, as well as other more ACCESSIBLE groups like AIR, THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS, DAFT PUNK and THE FLYING LOTUS. MASSIVE ATTACK and APHEX TWIN were the gateway band to a whole separate wing of my listening experience life. and for that change in trajectory i am eternally grateful. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from late 2021 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to BRITISH TRIP HOP icons MASSIVE ATTACK. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
it seems every time i become completely jaded by music i reach for INDUSTRIAL bands like THROBBING GRISTLE, FRONT 242, EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, SISTER MACHINE GUN, CABARET VOLTAIRE, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY or SKINNY PUPPY to essentially reset my expectations anew. there is just something so invigorating about music that discards convention and attempts to remove the HUMAN ELEMENT entirely, creating ideally something MECHANICAL and devoid of nuance and sensitivity. of course, even in that INTRIGUING pursuit those human embellishments still find their way into the composition, but the attempt in and of itself is LIBERATING.
i definitely got drawn into this genre via the INDUSTRIAL METAL variant that became popular in the 1990s thanks to bands like MINISTRY, FEAR FACTORY, KMFDM, RAMMSTEIN and of course NINE INCH NAILS. i think there is something about the booming DISSONANT NOISE of METAL guitars that blends seamlessly into the highly SYNCOPATED RHYTHMIC PATTERNS of INDUSTRIAL MUSIC that just makes the HYBRID SOUND an INTOXICATING and OVERWHELMING LISTENING EXPERIENCE. it can also be DANCEABLE which is awkward territory for METAL in general, but oddly it works. like any genre, things do become STALE over time and GENRE CONVENTIONS calcify into GENRE ORTHODOXY, both on the part of the players and the audience, but one band that continues to take chances both in terms of TONE and PRESENTATION is MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT. their whole DEBAUCHED, SEXUALLY-LIBERATED vibe definitely utilized the ROTE stability of the RHYTHMS into something else entirely: a FREAK, idealized future vision of a world devoid of government world orders and corporate overlords that allowed for individuals to effectively pursue pleasure unencumbered by OPPRESSIVE social structures and religious institutions. an EDEN in essence. the ROBOTIC nature of the music is somehow inverted to be something inarguably LIBERATING and REVOLUTIONARY. MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT is easily on of my favorites of the genre. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from 2020 (just before the pandemic) on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to various INDUSTRIAL bands. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
for me the experience of listening to anything MAX CAVALERA has been involved in over the years (i.e. SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, NAILBOMB, KILLER BE KILLED, PROBOT and of course SEPULTURA) is akin to snuggling in a warm familiar blanket. the minute i hear that POWERFUL SNARLING, SNEERING, VICIOUS beast of a voice, i am instantaneously transported to being a GLEEFULLY nodding-in-approval twelve year-old, when i first heard CHAOS A.D. () off a tape an older middle school friend had at the time. CAVALERA's presence and PASSION for music was also an interesting primer for BRAZILIAN culture writ large, which interestingly is not far removed from that of the WEST AFRICAN culture i was immersed in when i first became aware of his music.
and i think it is that ENTHUSIASM and unadulterated JOY in getting lost in the music that separates him from most in his peer group, i.e. classic 80s THRASH METAL bands like SLAYER, TESTAMENT, MEGADETH, EXODUS, ANTHRAX, DEATH ANGEL and METALLICA, DEATH METAL bands like OBITUARY, DEATH and MORBID ANGEL, BOLT THROWER and NAPALM DEATH as well as GROOVE METAL bands like PANTERA, WHITE ZOMBIE and their later acolytes in MASTODON, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA and the like. with the exception of maybe DIMEBAG DARRELL, CAVALERA in my opinion singularly personified the transcendent escapist ABANDON that only great METAL provided. and did i mention that the dude is still a DIEHARD fan of the genre and, like ROB HALFORD of JUDAS PRIEST, seemingly loves paying it forward to the next generation of musicians. CAVALERA is a veritable METAL ambassador and elder statesman at this stage in his career nearly four decades in and has yet to loose his footing in the least. here's hoping he keeps the streak going as undoubtedly the man has given so much HAPPINESS to my life and that of my brother who is also a huge fan. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from late 2020 (during the pandemic) on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the vast catalogue of MAX CAVALERA. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
ive been on a huge SHOEGAZE kick as of late. been reading the new memoir by LUSH front-woman MIKI BERENYI (review to come shortly) which got me down the rabbit-hole reinvestigating bands like RIDE, SWIRLIES, PALE SAINTS and CHAPTERHOUSE in addition to newer bands like ASOBI SEKSU, NO JOY, THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART and DIIV. ive pretty much been listening nonstop since my senior year of high school to SLOWDIVE, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, THE CATHERINE WHEEL and LUSH. that year was when i largely jumped into the EXPERIMENTAL waters of 80s POST PUNK and early 90s SHOEGAZE and largely havent looked back since.
there is something innately SEDUCTIVE about being washed over and smothered in repeating seasick waves of delayed distorted reverb. its a romantically HYPNOTIC guitar tone that is very much both ETHEREAL and MANTRA-LIKE as it envelopes and passes over your senses. ive always found the sound to be incredible dream-like and even NOSTALGIC as it makes you consider past EMOTIONAL states both good and bad that the sound has evoked. when employed poorly it sounds like nonsensical unstructured mush, but when conceived and composed intelligently in a great song it is something to be marveled at. it feels almost ALCHEMICAL in nature. examples of such include "WHEN THE SUN HITS" by SLOWDIVE, "WHEN YOU SLEEP" by MY BLOODY VALENTINE, "SWEETNESS AND LIGHT" by LUSH and even the more recent by "HARE TAROT LIES" by NO JOY. definitely encourage anyone interested to seek out those specific tracks. lightning in a bottle in my opinion. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to SHOEGAZE bands past and present. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
ive already written here about the fact the best live show ive ever witnessed, and its not even close, was PRINCE at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN in 2004 on the MUSICOLOGY LIVE 2004ever tour. pretty sure it was the last time he explicitly tour playing "the hits," but yeah, i had like eighth row seats or something. dude was beyond INCREDIBLE. but ive written about that before (linked HERE).
lately ive gone down the PRINCE rabbit hole again. he is one of those handful of artists the i double back to when i start to feel jaded about music. and im probably speaking about new music here in that sometimes stuff feels like a COPY OF A COPY OF A COPY. which i acknowledge technically that describes everything that has or will exist since there are only so many chord progressions, but you get the idea. PRINCE was seemingly endlessly INVENTIVE and had the COURAGE and DRIVE to just go and do it. he didnt care about gatekeepers or critics, just was completely on his own tip and followed his muse to where it led him. and its really hard not to respect that. people speak of freedom, but mostly we limit ourselves within comfortable established social confines. with him i just hear pure ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. he was an original of a breed that i can only point to a few other examples: LITTLE RICHARD, GEORGE CLINTON, MILES DAVIS and SUN RA. all dudes that did their thing despite consequences ranging from very real threats of physical danger to looking ridiculous. in SPINAL TAP there is that classic line about there being a "very fine line between stupid and clever" and these artists were never on the stupid side, but they definitely did risk it at times. it just feels to me like everything CULTURALLY IS SAFE right now. and i dont mean in some type of whining, cry wolf ELON MUSK / DAVE CHAPELLE "woe is me" cancel culture screed about the state of discourse on the internet. i mean that artists are not taking CREATIVE CHANCES that may unsettle their base and the STREAMS, MERCH SALES they depend on to make a living in this increasingly FRAGMENTED DIGITAL MARKETPLACE. sure there are modern artists like THUNDERCAT, MIKE PATTON, FLYING LOTUS, BJORK and so on that create increasingly divergent recordings that challenge their audience, but they are few and far between. maybe that was also the case. as PRINCE once said after playing a few bars of ELVIS PRESLEY's "JAILHOUSE ROCK" at that 2004 MADISON SQUARE GARDEN show, "you cant be no king if you aint no prince." truer words never spoken. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to PRINCE. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
maybe its the generation im from or growing up in suburban SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA in the early 1990s without MTV and only access to the radio and 106.7FM KROQ on constantly, but so much of what i understood to be modern music from an early age was produced by BUTCH VIG.
i remember being at a SHAKEY'S PIZZA in ORANGE COUNTY after what had to be a youth soccer game during my early elementary school years (maybe 1892?) and hearing "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT" for the first time as someone played it from the jukebox. had no clue who NIRVANA was or anything about INDIE ROCK, PUNK ROCK or the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK scene at the time. i just knew that whatever that was, it sounded how i felt and i connected with it on first listen. i can only think of a rare few other times thats happened with bands like GLASSJAW and THE GET UP KIDS among others. i dont believe i even had a copy of NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991) or the STEVE ALBINI-produced follow-up IN UTERO (DGC, 1993) until christmas of 1993. i was just too young. and NIRVANA is just the beginning. as i grew older and discovered more bands it was always a pleasure to learn this new discovery (to me) inevitably led back to BUTCH VIG, as was the case with L7, SONIC YOUTH, HELMET, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS and much later GARBAGE. whats compelling to me about his output is how eclectic his production catalogue has been, as AFI sound nothing like AGAINST ME! and sonically and aesthetically sit on a different planet from KILLDOZER, yet they all bear his fingerprint. the man does not pigeonhole himself, even within the greater ROCK N ROLL milieu. the versatility likely comes from his production chops and work ethic that kept the doors of his MADISON, WISCONSIN-based SMART STUDIOS open to all newcomers, but i also feel it comes from the lack of pretense that comes with his midwestern upbringing. with culture caught up with him he didnt seem to become fazed by the attention, instead maintaining a distance while taking advantage of the ability to be selective with upcoming exciting new projects. even his decision to initiate GARBAGE does not feel like an inevitability, but a genuine artistic choice to push the limits of technology and marry it with the songwriting prowess and sardonic yet earnest ethos of ALTERNATIVE ROCK. when i first heard "STUPID GIRL" on MTV at a relatives house, i had no idea BUTCH VIG was involved. which is likely the highest compliment i can offer. the dude is a chameleon and he is always someone whose latest project i look forward to consuming, just to see what latest madness he's help midwife into the world. below is a pandemic episode of DEER GOD RADIO from june of 2020 dedicated to the production work of BUTCH VIG. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
my listening habits are a MYSTERY to me. i feel like i spend a lot of time and effort seeking out new sounds online by finding what i consider INNOVATIVE musicians pushing SONG STRUCTURE and SONIC TEXTURE forward with CREATIVE JUXTAPOSITIONS and COMPOSITIONS. even getting out the word on such is the idea behind the CHECK OUT THIS BAND blog segment i publish every friday.
but i always seem to inevitably return to OASIS. as far out on the deep end i get there is something MAGICAL about the MEAT-AND-POTATOES AESTHETIC SIMPLICITY of a STELLAR NOEL GALLAGHER-penned track. notorious for wearing their influences on their sleeve (THE KINKS, T. REX, THE WHO, THE ROLLING STONES, DAVID BOWIE, THE JAM, THE SMITHS, THE STONE ROSES and of course THE BEATLES), there is a PALPABLE sense of UNADULTERATED POP TRADITIONALISM when listening to an OASIS song. its like they took those CHORD and SONG STRUCTURES and wrote better songs with more ATTITUDE (courtesy of ICONIC frontman LIAM GALLAGHER). im constantly reminded of the U2 song "EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING" when thinking about OASIS. ORIGINALITY and INNOVATION is beside the point. its kind of a distraction from what actually matters, which is the SONG. OASIS write and perform the best songs. period. for me its a cycle i go through. one minute searching for something FRESH and INVENTIVE and then ultimately coming to the conclusion that OASIS got it right the first time. no real need to look elsewhere. and man do i wish theyd reform already. i need to see them play an arena at least once in my life. here's still hoping.
parodies by nacrowe
theres been talk of a PANTERA "reunion" as the METAL band's stature and legend has ballooned in the intervening years since guitarist DIMEBAG DARRELL's SENSELESS and SHOCKING on-stage murder in OHIO in 2004. you look at all the major bands that have come to prominence in their wake (GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, MASTODON, POWERTRIP, etc.) and seemingly all of them have a deep sense of GROOVE at the core of their sound, which for me was DARRELL's major contribution eve given his celebrated technical lead guitar heroics. for me PANTERA sonically was ZZ TOP on steroids.
like a lot of die-hard fans, im pretty AMBIVALENT about the upcoming "reunion" of PANTERA as a global touring entity. PANTERA drummer (and older brother to DIMEBAG) VINNIE PAUL was against the idea wholesale during his life (he passed away in 2018 from cardiac arrest) in no small part to how the band ended in 2001. essentially singer PHIL ANSELMO and bassist REX BROWN became incommunicado after their tour dates on behalf of REINVENTING THE STEEL (EAST WEST, 2000) stalled in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. the pair instead focused on SLUDGE METAL supergroup DOWN's debut and in the case of ANSELMO, numerous OBSCURE side projects that allowed him to explore his passion of early BLACK METAL and DEATH METAL. which is all well and good if they needed a break from PANTERA, but they left DIMEBAG and VINNIE PAUL absolutely hanging with no heads up whatsoever, which is pretty LAME. and it still is. the fact that the ABBOTT BROTHERS are no longer around to participate for what was a project that they alone SWEAT, BLED and FOUGHT for is a pretty bitter pill to swallow. the fact that the two surviving members that effectively abandoned the project at its peak, ANSELMO and BROWN, are the ones carrying it forward just feels wrong on some level. the saving grace is that ZAKK WYLDE of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY / OZZY OSBOURNE is set to take on guitar duties and CHARLIE BENANTE of ANTHRAX is drumming for the revamped project. both were close friends of PANTERA and especially the ABBOTT BROTHERS. in spite of whatever moniker this project will be billed as on global festival marquees, this "reunion" for WYLDE and BENANTE is a largely a CELEBRATION of their friends and a means of reintroducing the music of PANTERA to a new generation that was denied access to this seminal group. and for me, despite my reservations about ANSELMO and BROWN, i believe that this outing will be a NET POSITIVE for the legacy of the band. much as WYLDE has kept the legacy of fall guitar god RANDY RHOADS alive and relevant with his live work supporting OZZY OSBOURNE, i can only see the same being done on behalf of his former drinking buddy DIMEBAG. almost 20 years later its really a quite touching act of LOVE and MUTUAL RESPECT that will no doubt have a new generation of musicians go back and listen to those records and wow over DIMEBAG's genius much as i did as a teenager. it really is a gift. that is how im choosing to see this, especially since the estates of both DIMEBAG and VINNIE PAUL have cosigned this "reunion." if i can score tickets im there since i only got to see the band once way back on OZZFEST 2000. much like with OASIS, i just want to hear those songs played on that scale again in a big venue. should be AMAZING. below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the summer of 2021 celebrating the music of PANTERA on nonprofit radio station MAKER PARK RADIO. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
its funny, i literally just did a DEER GOD RADIO episode on SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POP PUNK icons BLINK-182 and the group reforms with its original lineup shortly thereafter.
figures. im pretty ambivalent about it. it feels like TOM DELONGE only feels compelled to rejoin the band that made him able to pursue his LAME side projects when one of the other two core members survives a life-threatening situation. those being a PLANE CRASH with TRAVIS BARKER and CANCER with MARK HOPPUS. it seems like there is a reason this lineup split up twice and i really wonder what chemistry they still have at this point. it just smells like a cash-grab to be totally honest. and that neednt be the case since BLINK-182 had put out two stellar post-DELONGE albums with his more than competent replacement MATT SKIBA of the iconic CHICAGO PUNK ROCK band ALKALINE TRIO. id even argue that the band was on a creative hot streak with singles that matched if not surpassed the classic lineup at their peak. they managed to sound ENERGETIC, SNARKY and dare-i-say-it, MATURE. with DELONGE back in the fold its difficult to surmise a reason other than the fact that outside of GREEN DAY, BLINK-182 is arguably the most influential POP PUNK band of all-time. this line-up will no doubt allow for a cash-in unlike anything seen in recent memory. i just have my concerns of how long this will last. inevitably DELONGE will return to his yes-men in ANGELS & AIRWAVES and put out more unlistenable, D-grade U2 retread music from the profits of this coming go around. get the feeling sometimes that you're being used? i do.
photo & text by nacrowe
with all the TURMOIL going on right now with KANYE WEST and his MANIC ego-driven public SELF-IMMOLATION that has seen his reputation eviscerated and his lucrative business ventures ABANDONED by corporate partners, its hard to not question the beginnings of how all this went down. KANYE has long been a controversial figure, even before he became co-opted by CANDACE OWENS and the rabid MAGA crowd and made INCENDIARY public ANTI-SEMITIC statements that have led to his DOWNFALL. in some ways, his CONTRARIAN nature was an asset earlier in his career when he challenged basic tenants of HIP HOP culture and RETROGRADE conceptions of MASCULINITY and essentially expanded the palette of regarding the sound and presentation rappers could get away with. that ANTAGONISTIC personality tic coupled with a RELENTLESS artistic vision led him to make inroads in fashion and footwear the likes of which previously was the exclusive domain of superstar athletes.
last year i was attempting to find the proper context for explaining KANYE, because i myself find the dude to be both a sublimely GIFTED and VISIONARY HIP HOP producer (whose first five albums are near perfect) and CREATIVE while also being a MORALLY BANKRUPT egoist whose need for public attention and validation knows absolutely no bounds. case in point: the fact that such a character flaw led him to cozy up utilize his cultural capital on behalf of the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is a STAIN on his legacy that will never wash off. i kept attempting to think if there was a model for an alternate path by someone of equal cultural stature and artistic bonafides. it hit me that PHARRELL had navigated very similar waters in terms of SUCCESSFUL forays into FASHION (BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB, ICE CREAM SHOES, ADIDAS and CHANEL collaborations), BUSINESS (DOODLES), and of course trend-setting MUSIC PRODUCTION (THE CLIPSE, JAY-Z, SNOOP DOGG, BRITNEY SPEARS, NELLY, OL' DIRTY BASTARD, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, BEYONCE) and solo projects (N.E.R.D.). and he has done all of this while remaining an INCLUSIVE public figure who on the looks of things has remained pretty humble given his STRATOSPHERIC SUCCESS over the past 20+ years. i appreciate the fact that in a world of oversharing (this blog being an example of such), PHARRELL keeps things pretty close to his chest. he is a celebrity who clout is based on his AESTHETIC TASTES and musical genius. his personal life has remained PRIVATE and is the embodiment of a version of the AMERICAN DREAM that holds true (some would say quixotically) that TALENT, HARD WORK and LUCK can get you anywhere no matter how humble your beginnings. im presenting both the PHARRELL and KANYE WEST episodes of DEER GOD RADIO on nonprofit MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC because at the time i saw PHARRELL's example as being a beacon of sorts for KANYE to emulate. unfortunately now they feel like inverses of each other. one is a star that has slowly built up an empire based on ambition, talent and a firm foot in the community that support him. the other is a star that burned too bright too fast and mistook his gifts as a cudgel to extract himself from society with. KANYE is not a tragic hero, he's an ASSHOLE. like everyone i hope he can get help but the DAMAGE and PAIN he has inflicted already is UNCONSCIONABLE and likely UNFORGIVABLE. its probably too late im afraid. i get the feeling even he in his heart of hearts realizes how LOST he has become and has no bearing on how to get back home. if anything KANYE's a CAUTIONARY tale. enjoy both episodes. i see them as a pair.
parodies by nacrowe
the late 1960s and early 1970s was an interesting time for creativity across the arts in WEST GERMANY. you had this whole generation of visual artists, writers and musicians that came of age in the wake of WORLD WAR II and their parents involvement to varying degrees with the NAZI regime. its a very interesting sociopolitical situation whereby in essence you have a whole cohort of peers that have roundly rejected wholesale the traditions of previous generations. AMERICAN history and culture is complicated enough, but art and music (from BLUES to JAZZ to ROCK 'N' ROLL to HIP HOP and beyond) is somewhat of a unifying force that delineates an evolving national identity.
but what if you started over completely. from scratch. that "year zero" mentality is largely what is at heart with KRAUTROCK, or the experimental WEST GERAMANY music scene of the late 60s and early 70s. previous classical and folk musical traditions were now tainted and sullied by their association with NAZISM. bands associated with the KRAUTROCK movement included the likes of KRAFTWERK, NEU!, FAUST, CAN, HARMONIA, AMON DUUL II, POPOL VUH, TANGERINE DREAM and CLUSTER among others. some of these bands employed JAZZ FUSION popular at the time in the UNITED STATES, but most sought a new tone, musical lexicon and identity in the emerging world of SYNTHESIZERS and SEQUENCERS. these new instruments had less of a history and understand "proper" usage tradition like say guitars or brass instruments. and they went after such with gusto creating new textures and sonic juxtapositions that influenced everyone over the years from DAVID BOWIE, DAFT PUNK and AFRIKA BAMBAATAA to DEPECHE MODE, SWANS, STEREOLAB and the POST-PUNK movement in general (JOY DIVISION, THE FALL, PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED, etc.). with the rise and ever-present existential threat posed by TRUMPISM in the current AMERICAN political climate i really wonder what traditions will be abandoned by their association with this failed demigod should he gain power again. his reemergence to power is a frightful but very real concern almost two years out from the next presidential election. i could go on about all the loser musicians that have supported him over the years but im not trying to provide them any oxygen, they should drown in permanent cultural irrelevance. what interests me is the possibility that some future REPUBLICAN-led FASCIST state will bend our cultural traditions to its will, leaving later generations having to parse through the rubble since at that point the legacy of such will be irreparably warped. will a generation of artists need to adopt a "year zero" mentality and adopt new AMERICAN traditions? just a thought. also definitely check out this embedded episode of DEER GOD RADIO from january 2020 on the nonprofit radio station MAKER PARK RADIO with a playlist celebrating KRAUTROCK and all said bands associated with the movement. i am ever fascinated by the experimental nature of the music and what it meant to the emerging consciousness of a new nation that sprang forth from the darkest recesses and indignity of human imagination.
parodies by nacrowe
so years ago i found myself in IOWA at an international teaching fair in the dead of winter with no real prospects of finding a job. it was 2009 and essentially the GREAT RECESSION effectuated a dearth of possible positions stateside since older teachers were holding off their retirements, thus i looked abroad. as it so happened, so was everyone else.
so im sitting in my hotel room thinking about what to do in IOWA when i realized that BUDDY HOLLY played his last show at a local club a few hours away in CLEAR LAKE. a few other fast friends i made from FLORIDA (who were in the same boat), had a rental car and decided that making the trip sounded like as good a use of our time as any so we b-lined there. what was crazy is that the SURF BALLROOM was closed as, of all people, YOKO ONO was inside being interviewed for an upcoming documentary. turns out we arrived, by pure coincidence, on the 50th anniversary of the famous plane crash that took the lives of not only HOLLY but also RICHIE VALENS and THE BIG BOPPER back in 1959. still hard to believe that the one time i visited the venue and the crash site, by dumb luck, was on such an auspicious day. not sure if id go back. its more than a little morbid. whats cool about HOLLY is that he established so much of the vocabulary associated with ROCK AND ROLL. this covers everything from our expectations regarding a singer-songwriter fronting a band with music composed and lyrics written by said musician. before this you had TIN PAN ALLEY and standards written by songwriters and sung by gifted, professional singers a la FRANK SINATRA, ELLA FITZGERALD and the like. HOLLY in my mind was a revolution in that he personalized that art of making music and opened the door for BRITISH INVASION acts like THE BEATLES, THE KINKS, THE WHO and THE ROLLING STONES, who all adored him, to channel their own personality and perspectives into songs composed and played by themselves. even peers like the supremely gifted EVERLY BROTHERS sang songs for the most part written by BOUDLEAUX and FELICE BRYANT who did so at the behest of their record label. HOLLY to me represents the first time a musician and their instrument armed with catchy songs took over the planet. he paved the way for literally everyone, which is why his music has been covered by countless acts from LOU REED, BLONDIE, WANDA JACKSON, THE BEATLES, FIONA APPPLE, RUSH, PATTI SMITH and THE ROLLING STONES to ERASURE, CHRIS ISAAK, GRATEFUL DEAD, BO DIDDLEY, X, JEFF LYNNE, THE RAVEONETTES, ALBERT LEE, MODEST MOUSE and LEMMY KILMISTER. definitely check out the DEER GOD RADIO episode celebrating BUDDY HOLLY from back in september 2021.
parodies by nacrowe
the more i stop to consider the HIP HOP duo RUN THE JEWELS, the more i come to the realization that they have quietly become the most significant rap group of the past decade. there are so many concurrent threads and movements in HIP HOP, some cane be described as geographic (SOUTHERN, EAST COAST, WEST COAST) while others are socio-political (NATIVE TONGUES) or hyper-literate (WU-TANG CLAN, EMINEM, RAKIM) or just plain entertainment. whats interesting to me is that RUN THE JEWELS seemingly covers all those bases.
i think what got me think about KILLER MIKE and EL-P recently was the fact that they were set to open for RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE on their recent comeback(?) tour that was cancelled due to ZACK DE LA ROCHA's on-stage leg injury. it made me consider that the last time RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE had a high profile HIP HOP tour-mate was when they co-headlined with WU-TANG CLAN in the late 1990s. its safe to say that at this point in time WU-TANG is a cultural institution that has stood the test of time, both for their lyrical dexterity and creative production, but also for what they represent as a unit of black artists who have supported each other for decades. when i consider RUN THE JEWELS and the communities KILLER MIKE and EL-P represent, they seem positioned to be a likewise beacon for creative stability and potent expression on behalf of their audiences as the speak truth to power. literally. KILLER MIKE is famously from ATLANTA and is associated with OUTKAST during his early career. he has released several solo albums and in the wake of success with RUN THE JEWELS was a vocal proponent of BERNIE SANDERS 2020 presidential campaign. EL-P is a celebrated NYC producer and MC, who previous to RUN THE JEWELS was essentially ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP royalty. his work with COMPANY FLOW and time running the label he founded DEFINITIVE JUX, make him an icon of sorts for underground HIP HOP heads. the fact that this unlikely pairing of respected (but not previously bankable) MCs have become so widely successful is quite extraordinary. what i appreciate is that their time in the spotlight has been utilized deftly as a platform to promote social change by discussing prison reform, police violence and education policy openly in their lyrics. that stance alone puts them in unique company. makes me think of them alongside PUBLIC ENEMY, ANA TIJOUX, KRS-ONE, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and TALIB KWELI among others that leverage their popularity to advocate causes they believe in. for me that is their true legacy and i look forward to seeing how their music and politics evolve for years to come. below is an episode of DEER GOD RADIO from July 2020 on nonprofit NYC radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC celebrating RUN THE JEWELS. enjoy
parodies & text by nacrowe
i find myself always returning to the music of MARVIN GAYE. there is just something so SOOTHING and AUTHENTIC about it. there is a sense of being emotionally overwhelmed by the MOOD and POSITIVE SENTIMENT of an artist you knew damn well had suffered a great deal. listening to GAYE almost feels like a SPIRITUAL CLEANSING or a PURIFICATION RITUAL of sorts. im well aware that his music as well as all of that from MOTOWN and TAMLA RECORDS was rooted in GOSPEL, and therefore the JUDEO-CHRISTIAN belief in RENEWAL.
im not even remotely religious, but you dont need to be to appreciate GAYE. aside from his SEDUCTIVE crooning and the undeniable GROOVE of his music, there is the socio-political messaging of his later work that was very much influenced by the senseless daily atrocities and steadily amassing body count of the VIETNAM WAR. the price was paid by the poor and those of the inner city. its hard not to see parallels to today with our seemingly hopelessly entangled web of tribal POLITICAL STRIFE and manufactured MONETIZED HATRED of our fellow citizen. it feels real bad right now and listening to GAYE for me brings about an irrational belief in something seemingly improbable: HOPE. hope that things will cool down and this political moment will melt away. like i said, i dont believe that will come about during my lifetime, but when listening to GAYE it feels emotionally like a tangible possibility. enjoy this show dedicated in his honor from july of 2021.
parodies by nacrowe
i first became aware of the ENGLISH NEW WAVE band DURAN DURAN when i the singles from their then-current album DURAN DURAN [THE WEDDING ALBUM] (PARLOPHONE, 1993) playing throughout DISNEYLAND's TOMORROWLAND as a child. its interesting because that album is a bit SUBDUED and sonically much of a down-tempo departure from the celebrated core elements of their earlier sound. i just felt "COME UNDONE" and "ORDINARY WORLD" were catchy songs and made an impact on me as a child.
for whatever reason DURAN DURAN don't get the credit they deserve as ACCOMPLISHED musicians or songwriters. maybe its because they were so globally MASSIVE and commercially SUCCESSFUL back in the 1980s and had lots of young female fans. i dont know, i wasnt there. like everything, i heard their music out of context when i was in high school living in KUWAIT of all places. what really struck me about their sound on records like their debut DURAN DURAN (review linked HERE) and RIO (EMI, 1982) was the FUNKY and PROPULSIVE bass lines of JOHN TAYLOR and the LUSH layered keyboard pad textures of NICK RHODES. the combination of those two brought a sound that was both KINETIC and CATCHY while being SOPHISTICATED and well-ORCHESTRATED. because of such i always considered DURAN DURAN to be INTELLIGENTLY constructed pop music. still not sure why this band doesnt get the attention or acclaim they deserve, but my guess is that the context of the 1980s was such that there were other "serious" artists during that era that had "SERIOUS" socio-political messages about the state of the world, i.e. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, U2, DIRE STRAITS, MADONNA, PRINCE and even THE SMITHS. for me, listening to DURAN DURAN is just fun and i dont overthink it. as GEORGE CLINTON once so astutely surmised, "FREE YOUR MIND AND YOUR ASS WILL FOLLOW." and that was the general fun vibe of this episode from two and a half years ago.
parodies by nacrowe
when i did an episode on the influential NATIVE TONGUES HIP HOP collective back the spring of 2020 i decided pretty early to expand from the core group of affiliated members DE LA SOUL, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, THE JUNGLE BROTHERS, QUEEN LATIFAH, CHI-ALI, MONIE LOVE, BRAND NUBIAN, COMMON, MOS DEF and THE PHARCYDE to also include like-minded peers such as BLACK MOON, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL, BLACK SHEEP and MAIN SOURCE as well as later acolytes like KANYE WEST, JURASSIC 5, THE ROOTS, N.E.R.D. and OUTKAST.
part of that was to showcase its CULTURAL and POLITICAL influence both at its peak as a movement in the early 1990s, but also as a common thread in modern HIP HOP that has continued unabated to currents artists. had i had more time with the playlist i could easily have expended it to include the likes of SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS modern rappers like RUN THE JEWELS, LITTLE SIMZ, J. COLE, VINCE STAPLES, NIPSEY HUSSLE (R.I.P.) and KENDRICK LAMAR among others. its a vein of a talent that marches all the way back to beginnings of HIP HOP with the likes of AFRIKA BAMBAATAA and KRS-ONE. there are times where i feel jaded and bored with music in general and it is during those periods when i go back and listen to a lot of the artists highlighted on this episode. the inventive WORDPLAY, HUMOR, SONG CONSTRUCTION and INCLUSIVE INTENT is still as powerful today as it was back then. im not saying i wish that this era would repeat itself in our modern cultural climate, but i do feel that the values exemplified therein of EMPATHY, CURIOSITY and DIVERSITY would be most beneficial in what feels like a POLITICAL and CULTURAL MOMENT that we all are being squeezed together with an ever-tightening vice grip. it feels like the UNITED STATES is hurdling fast towards a future fraught with peril and derision. listening to NATIVE TONGUES artists, their peers and their acolytes still feels fresh and above else an act of hope. or maybe i am being naive. definitely.
parodies by nacrowe
its funny, the DEER GOD RADIO episode i did on the fabulous modern DARKWAVE band DRAB MAJESTY was only a few months ago, but the idea about a doing a show on their small output of releases was at least two years coming. and it represents a dilemma i have when constructing a playlist based on a promising new band: its quite possible their best is yet to come. i have playlists (and artwork parodies) currently waiting for bands like CHILDISH GAMBINO, LA LUZ, THE COATHANGERS, KENDRICK LAMAR, PANDA BEAR and NEW FOUND GLORY among others that im not quite sure whether or not to pull the trigger since its possible their next is the culmination of all their past efforts, like say the previous A DAY TO REMEMBER album (which was released well over a year after the EPISODE 75 show dedicated to them). its a small, insignificant quibble of mine, but its probably the reason i dont do many shows on upcoming bands.
im always rethinking such. i learned about the band via my brother's ex-girlfriend a few years back. thanks LOURDES! what i love about DRAB MAJESTY is that their music is beyond sonically intoxicating and conjures up all the seductive textural guitar elements i adore from guitarists like JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS), DANIEL ASH (BAUHAUS, LOVE AND ROCKETS, TONES ON TAIL), BERNARD SUMNER (JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER), MARTIN GORE (DEPECHE MODE) and especially ROBERT SMITH (THE CURE). in my mind DRAB MAJESTY is a part of that legacy of 80s INDIE and POST PUNK bands who put a premium on songwriting and emotional weight through blending idiosyncratic sound textures. their power is in their ability to evoke a sound without sounding contrived or derivative, which is my personal gripe with DARKWAVE in general. those ringing, ambient guitar lines that wash over one another and culminate brilliantly in a sonic climax also find common bedfellows with the likes of SHOEGAZE icons KEVIN SHIELDS (MY BLOODY VALENTINE) and NEIL HALSTEAD (SLOWDIVE). so basically i was absolutely destined to love DRAB MAJESTY since they remind me of the contagiously melodic, experimental end of all my favorite bands! my hope is that their next record blows all the others apart. maybe ill just have to do a follow-up or part two. why not? i cannot encourage you enough to check out their music. DRAB MAJESTY is easily my favorite band of the last 10 years. the recent DEER GOD RADIO dedicated to them is embedded below.
parodies by nacrowe
every now and then on DEER GOD RADIO i like to pepper in some artists that i feel are CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED, including BROADCAST, THE STRANGLERS, DEVIN TOWNSEND, ELASTICA, LADYTRON, TRICKY and DANIEL ASH. i feel strongly that standout 1960s singer-songwriter HARRY NILSSON is of that variety as well. none other than THE BEATLES name-dropped in early interviews and considered him a peer (much like BRIAN WILSON of THE BEACH BOYS later on). my introduction to his music as a child was thought-provoking children's animated film THE POINT! (review linked HERE).
what i appreciate about him is the unique INVENTIVENESS of his lyrics and upbeat SOPHISTICATION of how he constructed his melodies. he could convincingly make any song topic compelling (even a desk!) and was able to evoke seemingly any emotion with a unique voice that was as IMPASSIONED as it was ANGELIC. if you are unfamiliar with his catalogue, then please check out this episode i did on NILSSON back at the beginning of 2021. i definitely consider it a highlight. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
May 2024
CATEGORIES
All
|