Trouble in Mind

Today in Music History:

In 1993 'Get a Grip,' Aerosmith's 11th studio album, debuts at #1. It goes on to sell 7 million copies in the U.S. and more than 10 million worldwide. It also ushers forth another quartet of hits: "Livin' On the Edge" (#18), "Cryin'" (#12), "Amazing" (#24) and "Crazy" (#17).

If you haven’t already heard any of Hayes Carll's music, then I must ask where the heck have you been? His new album Trouble in Mind came out in April and yes folks we have another entry into the top 10 albums of the year. I've already told you about seeing Hayes in concert back in Feb. After seeing his performance homercat did something he has never done in his life. For the first time ever I pre-ordered someone's album. I did it the day after the concert. Folks I'm here to tell you this guy is someone you're going to hear a lot about in the future.

The 32-year-old Texan's songs blend some of the finest elements of folk, country and rock with brainy, quirky lyrics. Trouble in Mind is the third album from Hayes. His first record was recorded in five days, the second one in twelve days and on his newest he had the luxury of spending a whole month on the project. Some of the songs could melt even the hardest heart in town, such as the tear-in-your-beer waltz "Beaumont," in which a suitor bearing a single white rose makes a fruitless trip to try to win over a lady love. There are ragged, brawling roadhouse tunes such as "I Got A Gig" or "Wild as a Turkey." One of my favorite tracks the satirical, tongue in cheek “She Left Me For Jesus” is a downright hoot. A clueless lover is upset and suspicious over the changes in his girlfriend. The premise of course is that the guy doesn't know who Jesus is or was, and just thinks his girlfriend found a new guy...some sandal wearing long haired hippy commie type.

SHE LEFT ME FOR JESUS AND THAT JUST AINT FAIR
SHE SAYS THAT HES PERFECT HOW COULD I COMPARE
SHE SAYS I SHOULD FIND HIM AND ILL KNOW PEACE AT LAST
IF I EVER FIND JESUS IM KICKIN HIS ASS

Some folks might say well homercat this Hayes Carll sounds a little to close to country for my taste. Not really say I. I can go from listening to Iron Maiden straight into Hayes Carll, because the bottom line is whether metal, pop, country or any other form of music, good is good. So take my word for it, this is one artist you should definitely check out.

I Got A Gig by Hayes Carll
She Left Me for Jesus by Hayes Carll
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Have You Heard The Newz

Today in Music History:

In 1979 The Allan Arkush-directed 'Rock ‘n’ Roll High School,' featuring the Ramones on the soundtrack and in the movie, premieres in Los Angeles.

Some of you may remember that homercat attended a Nazareth concert last summer. Before I talk about The Newz , let's refresh our memories about that show as it will tie in nicely with what I have to say about The Newz. The show begin with the strains of a bagpipe solo played by vocalist Dan McCafferty, the rest of the band then took the stage and proceeded to rock harder than any group I have ever seen. You would think that with the way Dan McCafferty sings, his voice would be nearly wrecked after 40 plus years. Not the case, in fact it was more powerful and better sounding than ever. I saw these guys 25 years ago in their heyday with all the original members and that show paled in comparison to what I witnessed last summer. The hits were there of course but so too were a host of lesser known material from their first four albums, which was an absolute treat to hear. They weren't afraid to show their age, and the original members, Dan McCafferty and Pete Agnew, were either content to hold their ground on stage or stroll around like they were playing in their living rooms. Such is the confidence of rock elder statesmen. "This one's about 100 years old," joked Dan McCafferty, before screeching through Razamanaz. Having attended a score of rock concerts in Victoria, this was the most animated I have seen the crowd get.

So after 40 years of rocking, Nazareth isn't content to sit back on their laurels and keep reissuing greatest hits packages like some bands do. They have just released a new album titled The Newz and the newz is that this could possibly be the best Nazareth album ever released. I know what you're thinking, how could it possibly surpass the holy trinity of Razamanaz, Loud n' Proud and Hair of the Dog that are considered Nazareth's best albums. Well one would have to judge for oneself, but if it isn't better then it's the best album since Hair of the Dog. From the opening track of Goin' Loco and through the course of the album's 13 tracks this is one album that rocks and rocks fucking hard. In typical Nazareth fashion there are a couple ballads sandwiched in there for good measure. Nazareth have managed to create a masterpiece of an album for the year 2008. Every song is absolutely brilliantly crafted and the music is as good as the glory days. With an album full of top notch material it's hard to talk about particular tracks over others, so I'll give some brief highlights. `Day At The Beach' is an anthemic summer classic with a killer chorus, `Liar' is a heavy growling metal moster(about a certain president), `Mean Streets' and `Goin' Loco' have funky thrash metal undertones, `Road Trip' is a blistering rocker which makes one think of AC/DC. The album covers many subjects, such as how our society has gone to the dogs, people who need to get a life instead of being hooked on the internet, relationships, tragedies of war and a certain lying american president. To put it simply buy this album if you're not even a Nazareth fan and this band will become your favourite. This music should be played to the major label record companies and young bands, so that they can actually listen to great 'new' music and hear what rock n roll is supposed to sound like. I shit you not, the album is amazing and will most probably end up in the #1 position in my year end top ten albums of 2008. I for one give a hearty Thank You to these Scottish elder statesmen for such a magnificent new album. Unfortunately it's only available as an import at a higher price but well worth it. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for the next one. Don't take my word for it, have a gander at these excellent tracks.


Liar by Nazareth
Goin Loco by Nazareth
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Streetheart Revisited

Today in Music History:

In 1989, Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt's first album for Capitol Records, enters the album chart. Produced by Don Was, it is one of the major success stories of the year, rising to #1 and minor hits in "Have a Heart" and "Nick of Time."

Streetheart was a Canadian rock band from Regina, Saskatchewan. In 1975, vocalist Ken Shields, keyboard player Daryl Gutheil and bassist Ken Sinnaeve formed the band Wascana. After being renamed Witness, the group became Streetheart when guitarist Paul Dean and drummer Matt Frenette joined in 1977. Streetheart's heyday as a popular club and concert attraction in Canada was during the late 1970s until the mid-1980s. They originally drew the attention of Atlantic Records and were signed in 1977. Their first LP, Meanwhile Back in Paris, sold 100 000 copies in 1977 and brought the band a Juno Award as most promising group of 1979. Seven LPs followed 1979-83: Under Heaven, Over Hell, Quicksand Shoes. Action - The Best of Streetheart, Drugstore Dancer, Streetheart, Dancing with Danger, and Live after Dark. Record sales earned them six gold albums and four platinum albums; the single 'Under My Thumb' achieved gold single status.

At the peak of their career, Streetheart toured with several Canadian rock bands including Chilliwack, Rush, Harlequin, Max Webster (see Kim Mitchell), Aldo Nova, April Wine and with American bands including Sammy Hagar, Styx, Kansas, and Blue Oyster Cult. Paul Dean and Matt Frenette left Streetheart in 78 and 79 respectively and you may remember them from another little old Canadian band by the name of Loverboy. Streetheart played together until 1984, and Streetheart's most popular single, "Under My Thumb" (1979), was a remake of the song by the Rolling Stones, who were an early Streetheart influence. Keith Richard's himself said that Streetheart's version of the song was the best cover of a Stones song that he'd ever heard. In fact he liked it much better than the Stones version.

Look in Your Eyes by Streetheart
out of print

Trouble by Streetheart
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Nerf Herder

Today in Music History:

In 1993 Elton John’s “Simple Life,” from his 1992 album 'The One,' enters Billboard’s Top Forty. With this charting single, John breaks Elvis Presley’s longstanding record with 24 consecutive years of Top Forty hits.

My good friend Pete over at the Planetary Group is great at keeping me informed about new music which is where I got my first gander at Nerf Herder's forthcoming album IV, which is set to hit stores on April 29. Yes Nerf Herder is a band and they are probably most noted for composing the theme tune to the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and for their 1996 single "Van Halen", a parody tribute to the band of the same name, which attracted significant radio airplay and led to their first major record deal.

Now if you're a major geek nerd such as myself, then you already know where they got their name. If you are unsure I shall enlighten you. The band takes their name from a Star Wars reference — a "nerf herder" is a fictional occupation referred to by Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, when she insults Han Solo for arrogantly asserting that she has romantic feelings for him: "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!" Apparently a nerf herder is a lower class outdoorsman who spends his days safeguarding the nerfs on various planets across the universe. They can best be compared to the American cowboy or shepherds of old in their steadfast pursuit of an independent lifestyle. They generally wear old, worn out work clothes and carry simple projectile weapons as well as staves they use to drive obstinate nerfs out of their hiding places. Due to their significant skills in fieldcraft and gunplay, as well as not having the resources to bathe and change their clothes often, the rest of the "civilized" universe looks down upon them.

Enough of that though and more about the band. They describe themselves as a "nerd rock" band, and are known for simplistic modern pop punk-style songs with frequently humorous, juvenile and pop-culture-referencing lyrics. Between 1996 and 2002 they had put a few albums under their belt, but after the final tour dates promoting their album American Cheese the band had disintegrated, without announcing an official split in 2003, and a post by on the band's website some time afterwards detailed how most of the former band members had gone on to get "proper jobs". In late 2005, however, Nerf Herder made a surprise comeback, announcing on their website that they were playing a handful of gigs with the original lineup of Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass) and Steve Sherlock (drums). For Parry's May 7, 2007 review of the day, he announced that the original lineup had finally finished recording their 4th album.

This is an album that homercat is heartily recommending. Chock full of pop culture references, witty and humourous lyrics abound and the music is great. For the last week(at least twice a day) I've been playing this album more than anything else in my library and really enjoying it. Not a klunker to be found here folks. A couple of the songs had me laughing out loud and really to sum it all up this album is stuck in my head. Honestly this is my favorite album so far of 2008. Nerf Herder IV is destined to make my top ten list at the end of the year. My advice pre order it now. Why take my word though, here's a couple samples.

Garage Sale by Nerf Herder
High School Reunion by Nerf Herder
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The Watchmen

Today in Music History:

In 1971, New York radio station WNBC banned the song 'One Toke Over the Line' by Brewer & Shipley because of its alleged drug references. Other stations around the country followed.

The Watchmen were a Canadian rock band that was one of the most commercially successful Canadian alternative rock groups of the early 1990s. The group was formed in 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by vocalist Daniel Greaves, guitarist Joey Serlin, bassist Pete Loewen and drummer Sammy Kohn. Serlin was a comic fan and named the group after the DC comic. The band's 1994 album In The Trees confirmed their place in Canadian rock with the hit singles "Boneyard Tree", "All Uncovered" and "Lusitana".

In 1998 the band released Silent Radar which was their fourth studio album and it spawned numerous hits for the band. The album provided the band with their third and final Juno nomination as they were nominated for Best Rock Album at the 1999 Juno Awards. As was the case with their previous two Juno nominations, the band lost the award to The Tragically Hip. In November 2003 the band decided to go their separate ways. Before they did, they performed one last short tour across Canada as a "Thank You" to their fans. The tour was called "The Watchman's Last Road Trip" and included 9 concerts in 6 Canadian cities and 1 American city. Another Canadian band that while well known in it's native land, did not garner much exposure south of the border.

Stereo by The Watchmen
Any Day Now by The Watchmen
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Absolutely Anytime by the Watchmen
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Danny Joe Brown

Today in Music History:

In 1980, 28 year-old Joseph Riviera held up the Asylum Records office in New York and demanded to see either Jackson Browne or The Eagles. Riviera wanted to talk to them to see if they would finance his trucking operation. He gave him-self up when told that neither act was in the office at the time.

After the first two highly successful albums with Molly Hatchet, vocalist Danny Joe Brown left the band in 1980. Some folks have said that certain "success syndrome" problems led Danny Joe, whose voice and persona had defined Molly Hatchet up to that point, to leave the band. While partially true, another reason was that Brown was a diabetic since the age of 19 and Hatchet's exhausting tour schedule behind Flirtin' With Disaster was also taking a serious toll on his health and he had to slow down because of his diabetes. So he had to leave the band. While Hatchet was taking a new approach with their sound behind new vocalist Jimmy Farrar, Farrar's voice was less immediately identifiable, and the band's commercial appeal began to slowly decline. The second album with Farrar actually featured a horn section, which was not the Hatchet us fans had grown to love. Danny Joe's voice which had a raspy thrillbilly growl combined with whistles, hoots and hollers and he was essentially the heart and soul of Hatchet's sound, along with their trademark triple guitar assault. Essentially no Brown, no Hatchet.

Danny Joe formed the Danny Joe Brown Band and kept its musical emphasis quite close to the original style that his former band, Molly Hatchet had originated. It was a no frills southern rock approach expected by fans of the music genre. The band only released one album in 1981 and Brown eventually returned to Molly Hatchet at the end of 1982. When all is said and done this is essentially a Molly Hatchet album under another name. This is probably the hardest rocking of any "southern rock" album of the 1975-1985 period, bordering on being more of a "southern metal" on some songs. If you're into other 80's AOR or hard rock, you'll like the cuts I have here from the album.

A major stroke ended Brown's career in 1998. Three years ago on Mar. 12, 2005, after he had been hospitalized for five weeks, Danny Joe Brown died of renal failure at his home in Davie Florida at the age of 53. RIP Danny Joe. No one could belt out a tune like you.

Edge of Sundown by the Danny Joe Brown Band
Hear My Song by the Danny Joe Brown Band
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Kiss Army

Today in Music History:

In 1976 'Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975,' a best-of drawn from the Eagles' first four albums, enters the album chart. One-third of a century later it will be pronounced the best-selling album in history.

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I've been a card carrying member of the KISS ARMY ever since order forms for the Kiss Army first appeared in November 1976's Rock and Roll Over album. I stuck by them during their lowest period (Unmasked and The Elder) and was still there when Lick it Up came out and it was cool to like KISS again. There is no doubt that KISS has had an influence upon many many artists. In fact KISS caused many of us to pick up that first guitar and start wailing. We yearned to be like Ace so much that we had to have a guitar.

Yep during that low period it was tough to be a KISS fan. People thought that Unmasked and The Elder were so bad that you were shunned if you were a KISS fan because they were so uncool. In their defense those two albums are actually pretty darn good. Unmasked Is actually a great pop album (aye there's the rub) which is not what the fans wanted. The Elder was to be a concept album as a soundtrack to an aborted film project. When the record was put together the songs were out of sequence of their original intention and the concept was lost upon the fans. Again another album that I quite like a lot. In fact my least favorite album was 1989's Hot in the Shade. Featuring 15 songs, Hot in the Shade contains the largest amount of material of any of Kiss's studio albums. Subsequently, the album is also one of the band's longest, with a running time of nearly a full hour (58:39). I just had a real hard time getting in tune with that one.

A personal fave of mine was Creatures of the Night which came out in 1982. By 1982, Kiss' popularity in the U.S. had plummeted. This was due partly to the changing landscape of popular music, but also due to the fact that Kiss had strayed from the hard rock style that had made them popular in the first place. When recording sessions for Creatures of the Night began in July 1982, Kiss was essentially a trio. Frehley still made appearances with the band but had ended his musical involvement with Kiss. Musically, Creatures of the Night was the band's heaviest recording since Love Gun in 1977, and was matched later only by Revenge in 1992 and Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions in 1997. Make no mistake it kicks some serious ass. The progressive rock stylings of Music From "The Elder" and the pop of Dynasty and Unmasked were completely absent from Creatures of the Night – which was, of course, the point. "I Still Love You", the only ballad on Creatures, was still heavier and darker than any ballad Kiss had released in earlier years. The production values contributed to the heaviness - in particular, the drum sound was louder and heavier than on any previous Kiss album.

But wait I'm getting off on a wild tangent here. Regardless of your feelings about KISS, one cannot deny their influence and let's face it alot of catchy tunes. Unfortunately in recent years it seems that Gene is only concerned about how many times he can keep repackaging old material. I don't care though because this band is one of my favorites and love them or hate them a Kiss concert was a thing of beauty. Besides, now that I'm an old fart I could care less if Kiss is cool or not. I likes what I likes.

So it's an amazing thing about the sheer amount of times their music has been recorded by other artists as a tribute to their influence. Garth Brooks, Cher, Anthrax, Nirvana, The Donnas, Foo Fighters and Motorhead, just to name a few, have all recorded a Kiss song. So I wanted to share a few of my favorite Kiss covers today. A couple of these have had some interesting retooling done to them.

Heaven's On Fire by Stars
Only You by Doro
I Love it Loud by Phunk Junkiez
Tomorrow by Pretty Boy Floyd
Shock Me by Red House Painters
Shout it Out Loud by Motorhead


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Bill Wyman

Today in Music History:

In 1983 Adam Ant is the first guest VJ on MTV.

Back in the 80's when The Rolling Stones were fooling around with songs which would eventually become the classic album Tattoo You, Bill Wyman released his third solo album in 1982, simply titled Bill Wyman. The critics gave it a thumbs down because hey, it wasn't the Stones. Looking back at it now it was a classic 80's album full of synth pop tunes. Most of them pretty catchy. I was introduced to this album courtesy of my friend the duck back in the 80's. He even let me borrow it for a while. Not an easy thing to do because you could only get it as an import back then. And if I had messed it up by spilling beer on it or scratching it the duck would have had my nads in a vice. My favorite track on the album has to be Come Back Suzanne which is a damn catchy tune. Bill's work with the Rhythm Kings is pretty good stuff but I really liked this album and I say to hell with the critics. Fun is Fun. I think you'll like it too. Don't bother with the critics, If you can find this out of print gem then buy and enjoy the sounds of the 80-s. The synthesizers, drum machines and all.

(Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star by Bill Wyman
Come Back Suzanne by Bill Wyman
buy it

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