Alternative Music Talk

There’s a lot of recorded music out that there that’s heralded as some unique pillar to creativity. And simply because some journo figured out that line early on in the album’s press rounds, the sentiment is repeated over and over again. Of course, average albums later being claimed as masterpieces isn’t anything new, but what makes it all the more confusing is when an ensemble releases a stunning work and then a disc issued a bit later in its career is more frequently referred to with some sort of grand deference. Read more

Growing up with baby boomers as parents, most of the subsequent generation was relegated to listening to the Beatles, the Stones and the American folk related stuffs of the ‘60s era. Included amongst it all was the Mamas and the Papas, which as a group could be pinned as pop purveyors of a more rugged music. That’s not to say that the ensemble took a valid musical form and turned it into something ridiculous – there was musical merit to what the group did. But it didn’t necessarily figure the most highly regarded clutch of tunes ever written despite chart success. Read more

During the last few years of the ‘60s music saw an incredible ground swell of talent take to the studio to release an untold amount of interesting music. Granted, some of the efforts are half cocked and display nothing more than a keen ability to ape some other group’s style. But even when that’s the case, the copy cats – or Monkees – were able to concoct music the held at least a bit of redeeming value. Read more

A music that sports theoretical backing is a confounding thing. There’s not necessarily a way by which to figure that any group of musicians adheres to some strict set of standards unless otherwise noted somewhere. And AFCGT (A-Frames/Climax Golden Twins) don’t seem to be too big on explaining stuff – as well they shouldn’t be.

Regardless, the merger of the two disparate groups a few years back already yielded a self titled disc brimming with genre checks and some perceived avant leanings. Again, there’s not necessarily some rock solid, preconceived stuff propping all of this music up. But when listeners hear the mess of rock and noise splayed out all over the group’s latest disc, most are going to want the key to understanding it all. Read more

Having no real peers musically can either render a band as some sort of towering, popular success or relegate it to a non-entity. Can isn’t really either, but a bit of both.

There were groups that attempted to work out some of the same musical concepts that the German based ensemble approached – thus the English speaking nations referring to whatever was going on over there as krautrock. But Can’s amalgam of minimalism, psychedelia, strangled poetry and free improv had no peers. Surely, Faust is thought of in the same breath – as well it should be. That group, though, seems to have stumbled upon its sound as opposed to subtly changing over time and arriving at a startling monument to creativity in the form of something like Tago Mago. Read more

Over the last decade, there’s been a renewed interest in a variety of Ohio based, left of center rock acts. There’s a tremendous back log of stuff that falls into categories as varied as punk, blooze, rock and whatever the forbearer of lo-fi was. And while the lion’s share of attention has been focused on the Cleveland axis – Rocket from the Tombs, Pere Ubu, the Dead Boys, the Mirrors and the Pagans – there’s just as rich a musical tradition down there in the state’s capitol. Read more

02.20 – Deals Gone Bad – Beat Kitchen
Chicago’s home to a huge number of independent record labels. Chuck Wren’s Jump Up imprint, though, has persisted through the ska thing disintegrating a decade ago. And while the genre isn’t showing signs of a popular revival, a group on its roster, Deals Gone Bad, have worked through the lean times and are slated to head out on a pretty extensive tour after this appearance at the Beat Kitchen. Read more

Yes, the Monkees do represent the most blatant and insidious attempt by business types to turn a buck after all involved figured out that the counter culture had a few dollars to spend. And while the players that comprised the group (Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz) are as culpable for working to pull the wool over the collective eyes of ‘60s audiences, it at least made a play at taking over recording duties subsequent to the group’s first two albums. Read more

It’s gotta be tough coming from a place with such a deep musical history – and a culturally important one as well. But Detroit, of late, hasn’t been doing to well in the eye of the general public.

J-Dilla died, the White Stripes haven’t been an engaging group for at least half a decade and the entire car bailout mania has pretty much rendered the city some cut rate Cleveland. Seriously, are there two cities that are more generally maligned? I think not. And while Clevo had it’s moment to influence music back there in the ‘70s, it’s largely played host to hardcore groups that have to goto Japan for anyone to really care about them. Read more

Concurrent to the development of punk – in the States and in the UK – there were a slew of discs that copped some of the new genre’s attitude while remaining independent of it. Of course, some of these offerings were being issued by folks who had initially inspired the ‘70s punk thing by working in out of control, spastic ‘60s styled hard rock and psychedelia. In Britain, one of the most respectable and influential folks of this ilk was Mick Farren.

Beginning in the mid ‘60s, Farren fronted a group called the Deviants from which any number of theories can be derived relating to the founding of a punk ethic. And while the group’s discs followed a slight downward trajectory, there wasn’t ever anything that rendered Farren a hack. Read more