ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Artistic expression manifests in myriad forms. Music, in particular, is an amorphous beast at best—ranging from shuddering dub-step bass drops, to stripped-down acoustic folk numbers—variety is inherently enmeshed within the medium. With a surplus of musical diversity comes an equally ravenous following of enthusiasts. While some may confine themselves to one genre, there are the pioneers out there—those who thrive in the poly-rhythmic chaos of aural variety.
For those desirous of venues with a multiplicity of musical options, look no further: here are 5 spots that range the spectrum—providing the panacean sounds of your choice!
A friend once burned me a CD entitled “Green Eyed Fighting Peppers.” It was a mix of Green Day, Third Eye Blind, The Foo Fighters and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’d say throw some Goo Goo Dolls in there and you’ve got one of the best alternative playlists I’ve ever cruised to.
I was never a big fan of the Foo Fighters, not because I didn’t like them, but I had never listened to them much. Sure, I had played Rockband before and so I was familiar with “Learn to Fly.” However, it wasn’t until that CD that I first peered into the Foo Fighters, and my god, it was one hell of a journey.
He started me off with some of the more popular songs like “Times like These,” “My Hero,” “The Best of You,” and “Everlong.” And yet, he exposed me to their second album, The Colour and the Shape, which was hosting “Walking After You”. To this day, “Walking After You” is still one of my favorite songs to doze of too.
Its been 5 years since The Foo Fighters last album so there were many skeptics out there. However, after taking forty minutes to listen I can only imagine people are blown away by what the Foo Fighters have produced.
The first track, “Bridge is Burning,” catapults you into the Foo Fighters rocking world. It starts off with some mean guitar and hits you with the first, ironic lyrics of the album, “These are my famous last words!” Sure, there’s a bit of screaming, but when the chorus comes around Dave Grohl harmonizes better than anyone.
“Rope,” the second track in the album starts off way more relaxed, however the chorus once again, blows my mind. Not only are the lyrics an intense play on suicide, but Grohl is nothing short of fantastic. I find myself only able to dance back and forth as the upbeat vibe of "Rope" strangely complements springs sunshine quite well; and trust me, I'm a great dancer.
Give me some rope I'm coming loose, I'm hanging on you
Give me some rope I'm coming loose, I'm pulling for you now
Give me some rope I'm coming, out of my head, into the clear
When you go I come loose
The third track “Rosemary,” is catchy yet it makes you wonder what goes on in the heads of these talented musicians. Rosemary, if you ask me, sounds like a bittersweet bitch.
You got away got away got away from me
Now get away get away get away from me
I found the fourth track, “White Limo,” to be kind of strange. The vocals consisted of screaming, yet there was a strange distortion to them; as if they were hushed. In a strange way it reminds me of the Beastie Boys, “Sabotage.” This is definitely a song I could rip it up in the gym to. This would also make for one hell of a guitar hero experience.
The fifth track “Arlandria,” brings Dave back to life.
There has been an influx of rock songs and groups with classical instruments for many years. Musicians like the Dixie Chicks (though in country music/bluegress violins are often played as a fiddle), Coldplay, and Andrew Bird along with Guns N' Roses' November Rain, Aerosmith's Don't Want to Miss a Thing, and almost all of Arcade Fire's discography has influenced up and coming musicians in interesting ways.
Darlingside is the continuation of this influence.
Darlingside features five part harmonies, guitar, bass, drums, cello, violin, mandolin, saz, and a penny whistle. Together the group members, Auyon Mukharji, Don Mitchell, Sam Kapal, David Senft, and Harris Paseltiner, all have diverse musical backgrounds include experiences. These experiences include writing traditional Brazilian, Turkish, and Irish music, performing in sunset cruises in Maine, participating in an/ creating music for a cappella group.
Hailing from New Jersey, Status Green is a four piece, alternative pop-rock band. They released their most recent album, Cheap Sunglasses back in Feburary and have been blowing up their hometown music scene one show at a time. Known to melt faces with their live performances, the band has taken to the stage all over the tri-state area and are now preparing to take New York City by storm this winter. I recently chatted with band member Lou Montesano who told me about the bands most recent single (available for free download here), their upcoming show opening for The B52's, and what the band will be up to this winter.
Album: Nothing Personal
Genre: Alternative, Pop/Rock
With their boyish good looks and rockstar-esque charm, the boys of All Time Low are back for another album. It seems they have finally learned to tame their music to the liking of girls (ones with too cute lyrics and pop beats that are impossible to nod your head to). Nothing Personal continues with the band’s alternative rock roots. Luckily ATL is not acquiescing like all other artists by replacing electronic synthesized beats for actual instrumentation. Though each song has a similar background to it, there’s an individual flair for each one that creates the sound of a blended orange and cream soda, tangy sounds of pulsating rock infiltrated with sweet pop melodies.
CKY
Genre: Alternative Rock
Website: www.ckyalliance.com
"CKY will take over the name of rock and roll and piss on its face, I promise." -Chad I. Ginsburg (guitar)
Originally hailing from West Chester, PA, the roots of CKY stretch back to 1992, when friends Deron Miller (vocals, guitar) and Jess Margera (drums) met in high school math class, eventually forming the group Foreign Objects together. Picking up their third live bassist, Ryan Bruni, they released two more EPs, 1996's Lifeline and a 1997 self-titled one. During recording sessions for their debut full-length, the trio met producer Chad I. Ginsburg (aka CIG), who was soon asked to join on permanently as their second guitarist. The guys stopped trying to appeal to the mainstream and changed their name to Camp Kill Yourself (Miller thought of the name, thinking it would make a perfect title for a horror movie). Bam Margera, Jesse’s little brother, was offered to do other videos for MTV and called upon his brother's band to supply the soundtracks -- resulting in the release of the 1999's Camp Kill Yourself, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, which included all the songs from the videos. CKY's songs have also been featured on the popular MTV show Jackass (which prominently featured good ol' Bam), and in 2001, both volumes of Camp Kill Yourself were reissued, just as the group was signed to Def Jam/Island.
Discography
Camp Kill Yourself, Vol. 1 (1999)
Camp, Vol. 1 (2000)
CKY, Vol. 2 (2001)
Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild (2002)
An Answer Can Be Found (2005)
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