12th Avenue: Getting My South African Rock On

Everyone has a favorite world renowned band/musician. You know at least one or fifty people who are into Green Day, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, U2, Pearl Jam, Metallica – possibly even Ke$ha insert eye roll here … whatever. What about bands you wish people knew about and liked as much as you did?  I’m sure there are some bands out there you’re totally down with that when you tell your friends about them, all you receive is a blank stare or a, “Who?” This happens to me quite often.

The most recent band I have been sucked in by, via a recommendation from a reliable and serious rock fan, is 12^th Avenue. The band hails from Cape Town, South Africa.  Oooo, I almost heard you say it! Who? Where? That’s ok, because I thought the same thing. I did, however, check them out, and I have to say I was intrigued.

Before writing this, I decided to go for a drive and just listen to all three of their releases from the first song to the last in order to sit back and take it all in. I never got to a point where I had to skip halfway through a song out of disdain or boredom. This band possesses some mad listenability. The influences on the music are subtle, but definitely there – think old-school rock/metal riffs of with a modern alternative edge.

With 12^th Avenue, I found myself hitting repeat on a few of the tracks just so I could sing along with it, subjecting myself to strange looks from other drivers and various pedestrians. Don’t laugh. You know you do the same thing or some variation of it! My personal faves were “Crazy” and “Single” from their first release Crazy; “Anjee & Me” from the second release Insane; and finally “Timebomb” off the current release Sober. In my opinion, when you’ve got me wanting to sing along with your tunes, you’ve definitely succeeded in getting my attention.

I love listening to bands like Iron Maiden, The Offspring and My Chemical Romance because, vocally, they’re just so damn recognizable and fun to sing! Sorry all you death/speed/black metal freaks, but I just can’t listen to a band when the vocals actually hurt my feelings. It’s all about self-preservation when I hit mute or change the song when I’m attacked with an all-out blitzkrieg of murderous growls and screams I cannot understand or sing along with. I can appreciate acts like Slayer and Venom based on their talent because they are definitely talented, but it’s just not my bag.

In the end, there was something about it that grabbed me, held on and left me waiting for more. All I can say to the boys of 12^th Avenue is that the hooks are in – well done. Now, all I need to do find a way to get halfway around the world to catch these cats in action because I have a feeling it would definitely be worth the trip.

For more on the band and to have a listen for yourself, head on over to the following:

http://www.12thavenueband.com

http://www.twitter.com/12thavenueband

http://www.myspace.com/12thavenueband

A Nostalgic Look Into the Past – My Top 5 of the 80′s

So, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately with regard to music. Although I am still in constant search for new tunes to listen to, lately, I find myself falling back into the comfort of the music that is familiar and, let’s face it, old. I’m talking about the 80’s. As a teenager in the 80’s, I feel I was privileged to be there while the music in the 80’s was happening. The music was carefree, for the most part, and it seemed to just be…fun.

Having been so into the music at that time, I can’t tell you how disheartening it was to also witness its collapse. I saw the emergence of Indie music and the rise of Grunge kill my beloved happy, rockin’ and sometimes just plain silly favorite bands, with only a handful surviving the aftermath.  It had to happen. The late 80’s saw the oversaturation of Hair Metal acts drowning all that was good in rock, making anything metal seem cartoonish in nature. The age of synth-laden acts such as Erasure and New Order were rapidly becoming passé. Times were also changing. The economy was headed south and teens at the time didn’t really see a bright future ahead of themselves. Who really wanted to hear the sticky sweet teen laments chirped by Tiffany and Debbie Gibson wannabes or the soulful androgynous crooning of Boy George & Culture Club?

The 90’s did to the 80’s what the 60’s did to the 50’s. What was once all about having fun and dancing like nothing was ever going to go wrong was put to rest by new bands’ growing social awareness and willingness to take a creative chance and slap us all back into reality. The evolution of music is necessary and that is what makes it o fascinating to me. To never change is boring! Can you imagine music becoming routine and uninteresting? The thought makes me cringe.

I will always, however, have a soft spot in my cold black little heart for the music of the 80’s.I will now share with you my top 5 bands of the 80’s. To narrow it down to five was very tough, considering how much there was, but these were my constants in that decade. Before I go on, I wanted to let you know that I asked people what bands they were into in the 80’s, and the responses I got made me smile. Here’s a sampling of the responses I received: Cyndi Lauper, OMD, Scorpions, Rick Springfield, Depeche Mode, Judas Priest, Guns n’ Roses, Prince, Madonna etc. Ok, here we go!

Duran Duran: This was the first band I was fangirl crazy about! I pinned up every pic I could find of them that adorned the pages of Tiger Beat magazine. The dreamy Birmingham-based poptastic “Fab Five” ruled both the airwaves and MTV. I remember the first song I heard by them was “Is There Something I Should Know?” After that, I was hooked. They were a visually stunning band. By that, I mean the videos. These guys went all out when it came to videos. You always seemed to be taken away to a tropical paradise in their videos for “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Save a Prayer”. They also made mini movies! There was film noir panache in the video for “New Moon on Monday” and a touch of post-apocalyptic flash for “Wild Boys”. The visual aspect of the band kept you waiting for more. Of course, it helped that they were just about the prettiest group of guys around. I was smitten like a kitten for bassist John Taylor. At 13 years old, he was definitely the first guy I found totally hot! He was tall, lanky  and rocked the guyliner. In the end, when all the glitz was taken away, the music was good. I mean, c’mon! I think we all know and dig more than one Duran Duran song Needless to say, my Junior High years were ruled by them, and I still find myself wondering what it means to be “dancing on the Valentine.”

The Alarm: I stumbled upon this North Wales band by chance at a time when I was seriously getting into heavy metal. A high school friend was into them – mainly due to her older brother’s influence. They were anything but metal. I went over to her house one day and she played me the song “The Stand” from the album Declaration (1984). It was unlike anything I had ever listened to. It was definitely the first band I had been exposed to that was rock with a heavy dose of folk influence. There was a great deal of acoustic work and harmonica in their work. They often built a song from an easy beginning to a rollicking chorus. What hooked me, however, was what the songs were about. It was also the first time I found myself honestly paying attention to all of the lyrics. This band definitely had a conscience and told a sad story or two about life. It wasn’t all partying and rocking. It was sad and the rigors of society would always try to keep you down, but you did have the power to overcome it. Well, that’s what I heard at least. I could not get enough of the powerful single “The Spirit of ‘76” off of Strength (1985). “You see some nights when I can’t sleep I still think of you And all the promises, all our dreams we shared I know those lights still call to you I can hear them now…”  To this day, it is still one of the best stories set to music that I’ve ever heard.

Def Leppard: Anyone who reads this that knew me back in the day will confirm that Def Leppard was just about my favorite band as a teenager. I was obsessed the working class quintet out of Sheffield I have vivid memories of seeing the video for “Photograph” off 1983’s Pyromania on MTV’s Friday Night Video Fights with my sister, and we both were just like “Whoa…” That album was absolutely huge, and it was easy to see why. This band had mastered the art of writing arena rock anthems that you just couldn’t help singing along to at full volume. Who didn’t want to scream “I want rock and roll!” along with the bombastic “Rock of Ages”? In my opinion, everything they put out was pure genius, and it was obvious that they should be the kings of the rock/metal scene. 1987’s Hysteria was an absolute monster garnering seven charted singles, and I bought into it hook, line and sinker. It was impossible to escape the pop metal masterpiece “Pour Some Sugar on Me”. I saw them live four times while they toured on that album. This band was a perfect example of pure fun rock which still has staying power. I even caught them live just this past summer, and the music was just as much fun as it was when I was seventeen.

Iron Maiden: I was introduced to the awesomeness of Iron Maiden by my best friend when we were just 15 years old. She always leaned toward the heavier sounds of metal and insisted that I listen to what she thought was the best record she had ever heard. So we traipsed up to a secluded hill with our “boom box”, a pack of cigarettes and the cassette of 1982’s The Number of the Beast, which a friend of hers copied for her. We laid back and listened to that bad boy from start to finish without saying a word. When the tape stopped, she looked at me and asked me what I thought. What did I think? Was she kidding? I couldn’t think. My senses were on overload! The music was almost oppressively heavy and the imagery was massive. The next day we were at the record store purchasing our own copies of the record. When I saw the cover of that record the image of the band’s mascot Eddie jumped out at me. The scary zombie-like, jeans and t-shirt wearing monster was just about the coolest thing I had ever seen. At that time, the band had just released 1986’s Somewhere in Time, and it was decided right there that we going to go see that concert. The trick? Getting our parents to let us go to the show. It was determined that if my parents were ok with it, then her parents would be ok with it. I was racked with nerves when I asked my dad if I could go. He asked to see the record. I was certain one look at Eddie and it would be a solid “No way!” I was shocked when he said yes. I haven’t missed seeing this band live since. That is 20+ years of devotion. To me, everything this band has released has been worth it. They have a style and a sound that is all their own, and I’m still in as much awe of it as I was in 1986. It is probable that I will be 80 years old and still rockin’ out to “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and being the bane of the nursing home screaming “Up the irons!”

Cheap Trick: Looking back on the last few bands, I realize that this is the only American band I’ve chosen for my five. If there has been one band that has been a constant in my life, it has been Cheap Trick Although most would say that Cheap Trick would likely be considered a 70’s band based on the songs “I Want You To Want Me”, “Surrender” and “The Dream Police”, they were very crucial to me in the 80’s. I was introduced to them in the 70’s, but I really got into them in the 80’s. They released seven albums in the 80’s. The two most memorable were 1985’s Standing on the Edge and  1988’s Lap of Luxury. The first of the two contained the single “Tonight It’s You”, which I was mad into, and I played it until friends were ready to grind the cassette into dust. The second of the two contained their  huge hit “The Flame”, which is also probably one of the most “un-Cheap Trick” – like songs they have in their arsenal. I was high on “If You Want My Love” from 1982’s One on One, an underrated album, in my opinion. Critically, they hit some lows in the 80’s and I just couldn’t see why. Throughout that decade, I always felt like this band never got the respect they deserved. I always made sure I included the Trick’s music on all mix tapes I made. There was an endearing and even silliness about their music that I just always gravitated back to. They didn’t seem to fit into any specific genre at the time, and they still really don’t. I guess I feel that they’re the last of the straight up rock and roll bands left out there. They’re still constantly touring and recording simply because that’s just what they do.

Well, there you have it. My top 5 bands of the 80’s. You may agree. You may not, and that’s fine. I don’t expect you to. If you didn’t listen to one or more of these bands, check ‘em out. You never know. You may like what you hear. What I would really like is to find out what you were into during the Decade of Decadence, so please comment and let me know!

The Impact of The Black Parade: How One Little Album Changed My Life

This is an open letter to My Chemical Romance, the band that, “…wants to save your life.” Hmmm… When I first heard that some years back, I found it to be a fairly impetuous, if not arrogant credo from a band that seemed to champion the Hot Topic_TM generation, even if it was totally unintentional.

Don’t get me wrong, I thought the music was great. I was totally down with Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, and if I was 17 at the time, I may have put some – maybe even all of my faith into that statement. Seventeen, however, had been survived and put down into the books of my boring history for quite some time. I was rapidly approaching what could very well be the halfway mark of my life as a woman in her mid-thirties.

I was way past being young and idealistic. My years of being a dreamer were long gone, and I was just another foot soldier marching through the rest of my mediocre existence in the “real world”. I was an over-educated professional stuck in a job I was hardly satisfied with. I had become jaded and broken down by life; my own problems – real or self-created – and my ever-growing disdain toward what seemed like…everything.

I couldn’t see how anything, let alone a band, however much I loved it, was ever going to save my life.  Well, it appears that My Chemical Romance was unknowingly going to teach me a lesson in the Never Say Never department.

In the late fall of 2006, I was driving out to hang with my oldest sister. I still liked to keep up with what was new on the rock/metal/alternative scene, so I was flipping through the radio stations. I came to one that announced they were going to play something new from My Chemical Romance.  I immediately heard rumblings of “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” in my head and remembered being more than amused by the video.  I was not prepared, however, for what I heard.

That was the first time I heard “Welcome to the Black Parade”, and I was blown away by the overwhelming grandeur of the song. It didn’t sound anything like what I had expected. I had goose bumps running down my arms, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It had been a long time since I had had a physical response to a song.

I became consumed with having to listen to it, and within 48 hours, I had The Black Parade in my possession. I was delighted that I found something appealing in every track and enjoyed listening to the album from start to finish. All I could say to myself was Whoa….

So it was good, right? Well, it was great – at least I thought so, but that was that. I liked it and carried on with everyday life.  I never thought I would end up feeling like I must defend the honor of this record to naysayers. So, why does this album mean so much to me, you may ask. Well, maybe you don’t care, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Here’s the story of how one record had such a profound effect on my life.

I had lost my best friend of over 20 years to drugs and depression in 2004 – something I don’t think I’ll ever get over. This past October, my sister Michelle fought her final battle in a decade-long war against skin cancer. She was only 40, and she is gone. My family could only stand by and watch the disease ravage, rot, deform and slowly destroy her.

I would never, in a million years, say that dealing with cancer – be it victim, friend or family member – is easier for some than it is for others. NEVER. I do, however, feel it necessary to briefly talk about my sister. Michelle was not like any cancer victim I had ever known or heard of. You see, my sister was developmentally disabled. She was severely retarded, displayed signs of OCD, Tourette’s syndrome and autistic behavior. She had the cognitive reasoning ability of a child. A doctor could not sit her down and explain to her what was happening to her. She could not process that she was terminally ill.

The way that she behaved throughout most of her illness was very much the same as when she was not sick. When her health deteriorated, we could see that she didn’t understand why she was feeling the way she felt, why she couldn’t see and why she couldn’t eat. Neither my family nor I would ever be able to sit with her and help her deal with it and accept it. We would never be able to really say goodbye. It made living with what was happening to her a living Hell for my family, and I did my best to keep a poker face throughout.

One morning, prior to her death, I was sitting on the early train and thinking about my sister. At the time, we had only just learned that the disease had progressed and was likely spreading to her brain. The inevitable was closer than we thought.  Normally, I listened to music to get my mind off of the absolutely craptastic hand life had dealt her. My iPod happened to shuffle to “Disenchanted” off The Black Parade. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the reality that my sister was dying.

Now I have always had such good command over my emotions that I have once been accused of being an emotional atheist; however, I couldn’t stop it once it started. I sat there in front a train full of strangers with my face buried in my hands and cried on my way to work.

I pulled myself together once I got to my office and carried on with my day as if nothing had happened. I cheerfully chatted with other passengers on the train ride home. When I got home, I immediately headed to my stereo and lay on my bed and listened to The Black Parade from start to finish, and it was like listening to it for the first time.

Regardless of what the album was supposed to mean, I knew what it meant to me. I knew at the moment it ended with - I am not afraid to keep on living. I am not afraid to walk this world alone. Honey if you stay, I’ll be forgiven. Nothing you can say can stop me going home. – I was seeing what was happening differently. I wasn’t completely depressed. I was actually…hopeful. My sister’s death was inevitable; however, it was something to be embraced.

Having her in my life had definitely left its mark on me. I believe that knowing her had made me a better person – more open-minded, more tolerant of everyone’s differences and the uniqueness we all have to offer. Hers was a beautiful soul, and every time I listen to The Black Parade I am reminded of her and the way she touched my life and the lives of those around her. I am no longer sad that she’s gone, but grateful that she was here. My hope is that everyone can experience that gift that someone leaves you when they leave this earth.

So, now i must apologize and take back my initial statement calling this band impetuous or arrogant. Perhaps the statement regarding saving lives was merely a simple wish or hope. Five people, whom I am certain to never meet, connected with me for a moment in my life when I needed it to make me realize that I am human. It is okay to be sad and depressed over the things I will never be able to control. Death happens, and you don’t realize what it does to you until it is someone close to you that’s gone. To internalize and cage my emotions was only going to make me lose my mind. One album had enough of an impact to make me accept my sister’s death and see the beauty of her life. As far as I’m concerned, this is close enough to saving my life.

How Music Became Everything

Ok, let me just start by saying this: I love music. I mean I seriously love it and not just any one genre in particular mind you. Although my heart belongs to all things rock and metal, I love all kinds of music. My iPod has anything and everything on it – Megadeath to Manilow; Lita Ford to Celine Dion; Iron Maiden to…yes, I’ll admit it – the Backstreet Boys.

I don’t believe I’m underestimating when I say that at least half of an average day of mine is spent listening to music. I honestly don’t think I could live without it. Depending on the song, I am always reminded of something. I can track all the highlights of my life with music. Call me corny, but I really believe that everyone’s life has a soundtrack.

I owe my love for music to my parents. My formative years were spent listening to whatever my dad was into: Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Rod Stewart to name only a few.  My mom wasn’t as into it as my dad, but she bought my sister and I records. We had a sweet little record player that played only 45’s and a case that was filled with songs that were all over the map. We had Ram Jam’s Black Betty all the way to Rick Dees’ disastrous Disco Duck. We were always begging our mom for those little vinyl gems when we went out shopping.

I vividly remember two of the first singles my mom ever bought me because they were to be the foundation of my 30+ year love affair with music.  The first was Calling Dr. Love by Kiss (1976 Rock and Rollover). It just sounded like something I wasn’t supposed to be listening to, and, at around seven years old, it probably wasn’t. Hey, it was the 1970’s and a lot of parents weren’t aware of the dangers of rock and roll on impressionable young minds yet Hellloo sarcasm! I remember being glued to the TV at my grandparents’ house with my sis and cousins the night the beautifully tacky Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park aired in the fall of 1978. It totally freaked me out, and I loved it.

The second was the live masterpiece I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick (1978 At Budokan). I simply couldn’t get enough of that song. I wore that record out – back when you could literally wear a record out. Every time I listened to it I sang and danced my heart out. In 1981 I saw them live at the historic Chicagofest with my cousin. *sigh* My first concert!! I still think they’re one of the most underrated bands ever. I have seen them countless times since then.

Don’t get me wrong, I went through a very cheesy period. I loved Leif Garrett, the Bay City Rollers and Shaun Cassidy. I repeat – It was the late 1970’s. I was young and bound to fall victim to what was popular at the time. I don’t regret a minute of it either, and when I hear that fluff, I remember it fondly. My sis and I still crank that shit up in the car and sing along at the top of our lungs.

Fast forward to around 1984. I was 13 and did the first of two short summer stints working at a carnival. Don’t ask… I worked a game across from a ride called the Flying Bobs, which had loud rock music blaring from it all day. The guy running the ride loved classic and hard rock. The music hit me like a punch right to the face – Styx, The Who, .38 Special, Led Zepplin and Journey were just a scratch on the surface.  It was there that I was introduced to Iron Maiden via the rockin’ Flight of Icarus (1983 Piece of Mind) and the Scorpions by way of No One Like You (1982 Blackout).It was akin to a religious experience as a flurry of others wormed their way into my brain, and it became all things rock for me for a while.

By the time I got to high school – it was over. I was in full-blown obsession mode. My locker was covered with pics of the bands I loved. I scrawled lyrics all over my notebooks. Joining the working force became a necessary evil to support my addiction. Music became my life.

That same summer my best friend and I discovered, albeit a little late, Motley Crue, Dio, Def Leppard and Ozzy Osbourne. I became insatiable. I couldn’t own enough music. I began to amass a bragging rights-worthy collection of records and took my infatuation a step further by having to see all my favorites live. At the age of 15 I beheld the greatness that was Iron Maiden. I have not missed a tour since.

I could go on for a while with the rest of how music has impacted my life, but that’s a lot years, a ton of bands, and it’s not really the point. I just wanted to give an overview of my early years and where my roots lie.

Over the course of time, I worked to widen my horizons. Now I have achieved the open-mindedness that I believe a true fan of music should have. While finding comfort in the music of the past, I have found that I love listening to what’s new and can be quite fanatic regarding what I feel should be heard by the masses.

So the point is I love to talk about music. I also love to hear what everyone else thinks about it as well – the good, the bad and the downright insulting. Well that’s the plan anyway….