If you were in Jr. High school in the 70's, there was all this music called disco. It was white-collar, over-produced, over-hyped and over-here (thanks Australia). But in the midst of all this incredibly popular music the needle took a violent swing in the opposite direction.
Bands like the Ramones, Bad Brains, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, The Clash took the style over substance and injected incredible amounts of energetic angst. Overnight, disco was dead and raucous rock and roll was back in. Yeah - disco hung around for another 5 years, but it was the kind of music your recently divorced mother's new boyfriend liked. Wanker.
And while few of these punk and hard-core/rock bands became commercially successful, they worked incredible hard and as a result influenced music for decades. Once again, rock and roll wasn't something used to sell cars. It was something that was supposed to piss off your neighbors, your teachers and your mother's new boyfriend.
So here we are again. 2010. IMO music has been incredibly bland for the last 5 years or so. U2 sounds nearly as whiny as REM.
Here's what's popular right now. As a (for the most part) self-taught musician that started playing piano at six, then picked up brass and strings over the next 15 years it unnerves me that kids would rather pretend to play popular music (ala "Rock Band") than actually learn to tune a guitar. It's an irony hasn't gone unnoticed. Just watch the first 2 minutes.
Where's the present day musicianship?? Who's playing the instruments on these pop records? You wouldn't know, because it's all the cult of personality about the lead singer. Just like disco. Here we are again. Mark my words:
When the children of movie stars release instantly successful rap and hip-hop records free of hard-earned and poorly payed dues, it's time to look somewhere else.
So between Disney Radio and pre-pubescent, auto-tuned boy/girl bands and first-name-only solo acts that are far too warm, well-fed - I recon the needle is about to swing. Really, really hard.
There's hope over the horizon. Hard working, blue-collar, cold-weather and dry knuckes kind of hope. Jack White is leading the rock and blues charge with his ex-wife. Old Crow Medicine Show is the standard bearer for the Bluegrass revival and selling out venues in Europe. Hank Williams III is giving his granddaddy something to get drunk to and sing along for a change.
And from the end of a dirt road in Hickory, North Carolina comes 3 guys and a lead singer that wields pipe wrenches and cans of PBR like Odin's hammer. And I recon these guys are going to help swing the needle.
This is from 2007.
And this is from 2010.
These guys have been ripping up the east coast for the last 5 years and now they're starting to head inland. Leading the way is another collection of original and live tracks that goes to press today. In the next few weeks it'll all be available from distro and iTunes. The cover looks something like this:
And the back looks something like this:
They're called "crazy eyes" people. So don't stand too close to the stage. Not unless you want to get knocked over by a flying bottle or sprayed with beer. You think I'm kidding? NSFW.
See you at SXSW. Maybe even AU 2011. And hopefully a lot sooner. If there's a venue in your town (or country) where you think these guys should play - let me know. And when you decide to see them when they pass through your town, I recon you shouldn't wear your good shoes.
Seriously.
Check out Phil Read at Architecture-Tech dot com
