Top 10 Albums of 2012

It's that time of year where websites and magazines put out there Best of 2012 list.  This year I either bought or was given 10 new CDs of music; I thought I'd rank them too.   All of the albums have been good and I recommend them all, but here is my list...

Rocking on a Wednesday Night

Going to see a rock concert and staying out after midnight on a Wednesday night is not something this 33 year old married guy does very often but I'm very glad I did last night.

Yesterday my wife and I went to see the Cheap Girls, the Front Bottoms and Trepak play a show at The Pinhook up in Durham.  It was our first trip to The Pinhook, which is a small bar/club located in downtown Durham, and I hope I will have a chance to go back soon.  It's the kind of place where the bands all hang out in the bar before and after their sets and you can actually talk with them.  That is something I love.

Ian, me and Adam

I have no problem with bands making it big and getting popular, some say "selling out," but there really is nothing better than seeing a band before they make it big in an intimate setting.  We didn't even make it in the door of the club before we got to meet one of the bands.  I got to chat with Ian and Adam from the Cheap Girls for a few minutes before the show and they were both really cool guys.  I talked with Ian about the tour and he even asked what I wanted to hear tonight. 

The crowd never probably got bigger than forty people in the bar and while I wish more people were there to see some good music, I selfishly really enjoyed the small group.  I like that there are bands like them, out on the road in an Econovan touring the country, playing music and bringing fun into people's lives.

Cheap Girls & Front Bottoms

I really enjoy getting new music, especially when it's from a band I'm not familiar with.  Today I was introduced to two new bands that I've been digging listening to all day.

Cheap Girls

The first is Cheap Girls.  I came across them through a recommendation on Twitter from Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem saying "If you don’t have “Giant Orange” by @cheap_girls you’re missing out BIG TIME!"  I tend to trust other musicians I like when it comes to introducing me to good music and Brian knows his music.

Cheap Girls, who look nothing like I thought they would, are a three piece group out of Lansing, Michigan.  They remind me of another Great Lakes band, The Hold Steady.  C.P. has a really nice rock sound.  They were the first band to record an album for Total Treble Music, a label started by punk band Against Me!.  Their sound is a guitar driven rock and sounds like what I'd call local rock.  They seem to be one of those bands who will put out good rock music for years to come and gather a strong following along the way by playing local shows.  I recommend checking them out.

The Front Bottoms

The second group I've been pumping through my headphones today is The Front Bottoms.  When I went to check out Cheap Girls, I found that they were going to be touring this fall with The Front Bottoms, including a stop up the road in Durham at The Pinhook on October 24th.  Describing The Front Bottoms is not as easy.  They are a two piece group and part of their bio reads " a punk band that uses acoustic guitar, indie-rock dance grooves, Springsteen-y keyboard lines (this they might deny). It’s hook-filled… it’s anthemic… it’s confessional. Maybe Joni Mitchell by way of Green Day?"

I highly doubt you'll find many bands that list one of its members as "drummer-bullhornist."  Throwing in a banjo, violin and even the occasional yodel and you've got The Front Bottoms.  I am sure my wife is going to love this band.  I'm already making plans to check out these two acts in October.  Check them out if your looking for some new music or if they come through your town.

Friday Flashback: What's Up?!

 

" I said hey, what's going on?"

I know what you're thinking, "Why did you put that song in my head?"  Because it's stuck in my head and I thought I'd make others suffer.

Truth be told I love this song.  It instantly transports me back to the mid-90s.   I have it on my Ipod and I swear the video is burned into my brain.  That was that magic time in history where MTV actually played music videos.    I do tend to mix in scenes from Cannonball for some reason.  I guess since both had distinct female lead singers.  The 90s really did have some great female lead singers: The Cranberries, Garbage, L7, Poe, etc.

Sadly you don't really see many alternative rock bands with female lead singers anymore.  I blame the Spice Girls.  They seemed to usher in that phase of Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilera and all those other teenie boppers.  We are only starting to recover.  

That's not to say there are not great female lead singers out there.  One of my favorite new acts, the Alabama Shakes, are lead by a woman, Brittney Howard, who has a powerful voice full of rock and soul.  And since music tends to be cyclical, she may be just the lady to lead the next wave of great female rock bands.