Throwback Thursday: Wake Up the Neighborhood, by Wake Up the Neighborhood

You know what? I'm getting bored with the same old routine. Every week I pick some classic album from the days of yore of rock n' roll (though some times not all THAT long ago) and I talk about it for a few paragraphs. This week we're going to do something a little different just to change things up a bit. This week we're talking about an album from a band I used to be in called Wake Up the Neighborhood.

Five years ago when I was a hopeful, optimistic lad with big dreams of becoming a big rock star, I was in a band with some buddies called Wake Up the Neighborhood. We mostly played locally, but every now and again we did get a little further out there. In 2013 though, I decided it was time for us to do an album. We spent the summer getting our original material all sorted out and then recorded it all in our drummer's basement. It took a while to do, but eventually we got the whole thing done and called it simply Wake Up the Neighborhood.

Wake Up the Neighborhood at least as far as I'm concerned has a few different styles thrown into it, but for the most part it's a cohesive bluesy classic rock influenced album. I actually had multiple people tell me they thought they were listening to something from the 70's when putting it on. I took that as a compliment. Regardless, it goes from loud, pound your walls, finger blistering rock n' roll to heartfelt ballads to moments of funk to folksy acoustic and beyond.

"Let's Wake Up the Neighborhood" is the first song I ever took part in writing that I actually took pride in. I had written other stuff before, but it always felt like amateur-ish crap to me. This song however made me want to pump my fist and shout "FUCK YEAH!". It's this mid-tempo, chugging, blues tinged party rock kind of song. The kind you blare through the loudest speakers you can find in your neighborhood so you can wake them up and get them to join in on the party. I was pretty proud of the guitar solo I did on it as well.

"Relapse" is one of the other old songs from that album that was already about 3-ish years old (give or take) by the time we laid it down. It's a clean guitar and piano driven ballad that talks about the first real heartbreak I ever had and how I felt like no matter how hard I tried to move on, even the smallest thing could make me crumble back down. I'm pretty proud of how it all came together for the most part. It knows how to set a mood and then go balls to the wall rock and then back again.

Wake Up the Neighborhood is far from being a perfect album by any stretch of the imagination. Years later I can hear all the fuck-ups and things that could have been done better, but I still treasure and cherish the album nonetheless. I am proud of what we as a team managed to accomplish. There are some solid tracks on it that I will still stand by even to this day. If you have a bit of time to kill, check it out for yourself and see what you think. Maybe even leave a comment about it if you feel like.

Wake Up the Neighborhood, by Wake Up the Neighborhood receives 3 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Let's Wake Up the Neighborhood
2. S.O.L.
3. Relapse
4. Just Like This
5. Dirt
6. Keys to the Night
7. Dream
8. Crawl
9. Band Jam
10. Walk Away

Listen to the album (for free) on Bandcamp:

https://wakeuptheneighborhood.bandcamp.com/album/wake-up-the-neighborhood

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #177

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Angel Witch, by Angel Witch

I just discovered this heavily under rated hidden gem of a band recently. They are from the early 80's New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene and they definitely sound as such. What sets them apart from all of the other bands of that time though is that their music has a lot more memorable melody and tasty vocal harmonies. They are still heavy and fast as hell, but there is more to them than that. It's a shame they never made it as big as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.

2. Be Forewarned, by Pentagram

I used to just sort of gloss over this song when listening to Pentagram's First Daze Here album. It's a compilation that has all of their unreleased 70's demos recorded by the original line-up. However, I went back to this song recently and was completely blown away by it. The vocal octave layering in the beginning is just so eerie, yet delightful. It gets intense musically and lyrically intriguing. It just draws you in and keeps you hooked from start to finish. There are so many layers to dissect, so I suggest multiple listens.

3. Killing is My Business, by Megadeth

So Megadeth a little while back put out this AMAZING remix of their 1985 debut album Killing is My Business... And Business is Good!. There is so much more clarity, punch, and raw energy in the songs now. You can hear stuff you wouldn't have noticed before on the original mixes. This tune in particular sounds absolutely killer (pun totally intended). I can guarantee you will be banging your head along to it as much as I did.

4. Holy Diver, by Dio

Do I really need to describe this song for you? If you are a metalhead or even a classic rock fan for that matter you know this song. It's one of Ronnie James Dio's most remembered and beloved songs of all time. It is the definition of a heavy metal anthem. I was at Uproar Festival back in 2010 not long after Dio died and they played the Killswitch Engage version of this over the PA in between bands and HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of us started singing along to it in unison in remembrance of the Man on the Silver Mountain. It was a powerful moment, for sure.

5. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, by The Shirelles

And now for something completely different. I'm going to end this week's playlist on a lighter note. This is the kind of music that I remember hearing as a little kid all the time while in the car with my mom. She would always play the oldies station to protect my innocence or whatever. Regardless, this is some of the first music I ever remember hearing and I LOVED it. I still do. Stuff like this no matter how intense of music I listen to will always hold a special place in my heart.

Throwback Thursday: Powerage, by AC/DC

By 1978, AC/DC had managed to gain quite a bit of notoriety and reputation in the world of rock n' roll. With a few solid (and to this day classic) releases under their belts, they were definitely progressing musically in many ways from where they had started only five years prior. Their music was getting louder, longer, a bit more complex, and overall more creative both musically and lyrically. This definitely showed in their fifth studio album Powerage. This was also their first album with long time bassist Cliff Williams.

Powerage in a ways is sort of a transitional record of sorts between the raw, untamed, and wild early days of AC/DC and the refined, hard rocking, commercially successful band that we all came to know and love from Highway to Hell, Back in Black, and onwards. This is sort of the culmination of what the band had managed to accomplish, learn, and grow into without all that much influence from the outside. It still has that rough, raw, edge to it, but it's more focused.

"Gone Shootin'" in my opinion is one of AC/DC's absolute coolest tracks. It's not the hardest rocking (though there is still plenty of that), but they really manage to use dynamics, nuance, and twangy blues riffs to build something that has an irresistible groove to it. The verses lay back a bit and focus more on grooving rather than going balls to the wall, but the pre-choruses are where things manage to get intense and then lay back off. It's a damn cool tune.

"Riff Raff" on the other hand is one of the best fast tempo hard rocking songs that AC/DC ever wrote and put to tape. Usually "Whole Lotta Rosie" earns that title for most people, but I would argue that "Riff Raff" could give it a run for its money. The riff is infectious, the groove is just pedal to the metal, and it just makes you want to bang your head. Plus, you can tell the band is absolutely on fire and having a blast.

While I definitely don't think Powerage is AC/DC's best album by any stretch of the imagination, I do feel that it earns its place on the shelf with the rest of the beloved classic material. The noteworthy tracks on it are definitely memorable and hold up with age. If you are an AC/DC fan or just a rock n' roller in general, I guarantee you will find at least a couple tracks on here that you will like and keep in your regular rotation.

Powerage, by AC/DC receives 3.25 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Rock n' Roll Damnation
2. Gimme a Bullet
3. Down Payment Blues
4. Gone Shootin'
5. Riff Raff
6. Sin CIty
7. Up to My Neck in You
8. What's Next to the Moon
9. Cold Hearted Man
10. Kicked in the Teeth

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Powerage-AC-DC/dp/B00O75S240/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1533875207&sr=8-1&keywords=Powerage

Throwback Thursday: Sea of Cowards, by The Dead Weather

After a surprising amount of success, Jack White side project band The Dead Weather made a fairly quick return for a follow-up LP to their Horehound, which had come out the year before. The result was an LP that was sort of but not really a concept album by the name of Sea of Cowards, which is what Jack White refers to the internet as, since people can say what they want and never be accountable for it by hiding behind aliases.

Unlike Horehound, Sea of Cowards seems to go in a less raucous, yet all the more dark and focused direction. It still has some tunes on it that absolutely rock, but in a more dark, grooving, and textured kind of way. If that makes any sense to you at all. Alison Mosshart definitely brings some more of those black as night, smokey vocal performances to this album for sure. The whole band overall seems a lot more interlocked and tight in this album for sure.

"Hustle and Cuss". Oh my god. This was one of the first songs I ever heard from The Dead Weather and I fell in love right away. That thick, grooving bass line holds the song together and makes you want to just MOVE. It has this eerie, calm atmosphere to it most of the time. It honestly sends chills up my spine every time. The vocals sound absolutely ghostly and haunting in all the best ways. Play this in the dark. It's really something else.

"The Difference Between Us" in my opinion is one of the most catchy songs on the entire record. It feels the most like a traditional pop rock song. It has this earworm synth riff that plays through most of the song and sounds to me what candy would sound like if it had a sound. The whole song is so dark, ominous, and full of emotion that this is definitely not your average mindless, catchy Top 40 pop tune. There is some content to digest here from multiple listens.

In my opinion, Sea of Cowards is definitely one of the better records to come out in the 2010's so far. I wouldn't say it's the absolute best, but it is an album that will stick with you if you give it a fair shake. I will warn you now that it takes multiple listens to get the feel for, but if you do give it more than one chance then you will find that it might just be the album that satisfies the darker reaches of your mind and soul.

Sea of Cowards, by The Dead Weather receives 3.75/5 stars.

Track List:

1. Blue Blood Blues

2. Hustle and Cuss

3. The Difference Between Us

4. I'm Mad

5. Die By the Drop

6. I Can't Hear You

7. Gasoline

8. No Horse

9. Looking for the Invisible Man

10. Jawbreaker

11. Old Mary

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Cowards-Dead-Weather/dp/B003JHJSUY/ref=sr_1_1_atc_badge_A2N1U4I2KOS032?ie=UTF8&qid=1533270172&sr=8-1&keywords=Sea+of+Cowards

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #176

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Driving Rain, by Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

Guns N' Roses hot-shot six string god Slash just came out with a new solo career song last week that will be on his upcoming record. It's not too shabby. Sounds a lot like a lot of the other stuff Slash has done in his solo career so far, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Definitely worth cranking and giving a fair listen to once or twice. It's pure, straight-up, unadulterated rock n' roll and that is all it needs to be.

2. I'll See You in My Dreams, by Django Reinhardt

While certainly not rock n' roll by any stretch of the imagination, the world of rock and metal owes a great deal to this jazz guitar genius. Despite missing parts of his fingers, he went on to create some of the most intricate and fast played guitar jazz the world has ever known. He was the direct inspiration for Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi to keep playing and try new things after he had his own fingers related accident before Black Sabbath got started.

3. Black Math, by The White Stripes

This is one of the tracks that got me into checking out The White Stripes outside of their hit "Seven Nation Army". I wasn't sure what to expect from the rest of the Elephant album, but this definitely had me hooked. It's loud, pulsing, raw, and is completely in your face without being overly preachy or political in any way. Plus, the way it shifts gears so drastically in ways that still make sense is absolutely astonishing.

4. Burn, by Deep Purple

When Deep Purple got rid of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover in 1973, no one knew what would be next for the band, or if there would even be a next. The arrival of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes proved that not only would they survive, but they would flourish. This track was a big "FUCK YOU" to Gillan and Glover, showing that Deep Purple could rattle out groundbreaking material without them that was arguably even better than what they had done before.

5. Rock or Bust, by AC/DC

This is one of AC/DC's more solid recent efforts. It's from their latest album Rock or Bust, which is already a few years old at this point. Still, despite having no Malcolm Young this song in particular still manages to crank out that AC/DC fire that we have all come to know and love over the years. You can definitely tell they are missing a key component of the band, but it doesn't stop them from rocking it out anyway.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #175

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Get What's Coming, by Rival Sons

This is one of the songs that initially got me into Rival Sons in the first place. The way it builds up to a pseudo-Deep Purple kind of blues swing with balls makes me want to bang my head and dance around the room. This is another song where the band really seems to know when to pull back so that the next moment can have that much more impact. That's the thing with music. It's not always about what you play. Some times it's what you DON'T play that makes something amazing.

2. Don't Fear the Reaper (in the style of Ghost), by Anthony Vincent and Erock

So in case you guys don't know, these two guys are pretty well known musicians on YouTube. They both have their gimmicks, but they are genuinely talented people. This collaboration they recently did together where they did a Blue Oyster Cult classic in the style of modern metal band Ghost works surprisingly well. It feels like such a grand, yet heavy and melodic production that it feels like you are witnessing an event. Definitely worth checking out.

3. Flash of the Blade, by Iron Maiden

A while back I posted the Avenged Sevenfold cover of this classic, but I figured it was time to share the original. This is Iron Maiden in their prime and it shows. They were firing on all cylinders here and they were not about to slow down for anyone or anything. This song is so full of fire, passion, and raw fury that it makes you want to pretend you are up on stage, air guitar, and bang your head until your neck is sore for days.

4. Crystal Light, by UFO

If you need a quick break from the hard rocking though, this UFO ballad should have you covered. It might be an acoustic tune, but it has this sway and flow to it that makes you feel all caught up in it. You kind of forget the world for a moment by closing your eyes, putting this on, and humming along (especially to the harmonized humming parts). It's also a lot of fun to play on guitar too. Great for learning to do arpeggios.

5. Caught in the Middle, by Dio

This has to be one of my absolute favorite songs that Ronnie James Dio ever did during his solo career. That riff combined with the thundering of the rhythm section and Dio's soaring vocal melodies and delicious harmonies makes this a classic in my book. Why it never was a big radio hit or even a well known metal classic is beyond me. Sonically it is incredibly pleasing. It has that heavy metal punch while still maintaining catchy melody.

Throwback Thursday: Rival Sons, by Rival Sons

In 2011 Rival Sons were still on the precipice of breaking out. Two years prior they had put out their debut record Before the Fire, though that album had not made all that huge of a splash with the mainstream rock audience. That entire album had been recorded for the band that they were before they got Jay Buchanan on vocals. The band then decided to do an EP that would be a better representation of what their sound was now that they had some time to gel as a foursome. The result was Rival Sons.

Though Rival Sons was only six tracks long, it had a great deal more fire, energy, and drive to it than the entire Before the Fire album did. The EP ranges from fun zippy radio rock tunes to lumbering stoner rock tunes to acoustic ballads to jazz and beyond. They are all over the map here and yet it still manages to gel together into something cohesive and fun that to this day I still play on repeat over and over again without getting bored.

"Torture" is a Rival Sons staple. No show of theirs is complete without it being performed. It's a hard rocking stomper for sure. It has an ear worm of a riff from guitarist Scott Holiday. One of the great things about this song though is that it is not all full blast all the time. It knows when to back off to create more suspense, which results in that much more explosive and fun energy when the band comes roaring back in. It's a modern classic for sure.

My absolute favorite Rival Sons song of all time comes from this record, which is "Soul". It is a bass and drum centric song in terms of instrumentation and has a more slow jazzy feel to it. However, don't let that make you think it's a wimpy song. It most certainly is not. It has a real Led Zeppelin vibe and can get incredibly powerful. Jay's performance on it is haunting and flooring. Robin Everhart plays an incredibly thick bass line that seems so intricate yet simple at the same time. Michael Miley shows some of his greatest finesse behind the kit here as well.

I cannot recommend Rival Sons enough. Like I said earlier, it may only be six tracks long but it makes up for it by being all killer and no filler. Honestly, the short track list is probably what gives it its strength. There is something to enjoy in every track. Even the guys who have not listened to anything since they graduated high school in 1977 might actually find something in here to enjoy as well. What a novel concept, right?

Rival Sons, by Rival Sons receives 4.5/5 stars.

Track List:

1. Get What's Coming
2. Torture
3. Radio
4. Sacred Tongue
5. Sleepwalker
6. Soul

Buy the album on Bandcamp:

https://rival-sons.bandcamp.com/album/rival-sons-ep