YouTube Stars!

So guess who was recently at a festival in my area? BABYMETAL!
I recently wrote about their US television debut, performing "Gimme Chocolate!" So when they were here for Carolina Rebellion, I thought I'd check YouTube for some concert footage. In the related videos to the right, I noticed another band that was at the show, called Ghost.

Ghost (a.k.a. Ghost B.C.) is a Swedish rock/metal/doom band who are touring in promoting their third full length album, Meliora (link at left). They have something in common with BabyMetal. BabyMetal combines Metal and Thrash musical stylings with the theater presentation of J-Pop. Ghost combines the musical styles of Rock and Doom with the theatrical shock value of a Satanic Cult. All the members wear the same black robe and plastic devil face mask, and are known as Nameless Ghouls. The exception is the singer who dresses like the anti-pope and goes by the name of Papa Emeritus.

So what do they sound like? There is a definite influence of Blue Oyster Cult, KISS, Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper. They sound like BOC and Pink Floyd mixed with Black Sabbath, but they look like KISS in that their identities are hidden. They borrow from the Horror themes of Alice Cooper but dress alike like Devo.

Let's discuss and watch their Official Video for Cirice. This song won them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance! Here are some lyrics, to give you an idea of what it's about...
I feel your presence amongst us.
I know your soul is not tainted, Even though you’ve been told so.
I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart; I can see through the scars inside you!
You and I see eye to eye.
Now there is nothing between us. From now our merge is eternal.
Can’t you see that you’re lost? Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?

It is clear that the singer is forging a connection, a bond, with the listener. The listener is told that they are part of the group, they are understood, they are in a place where they should be. Without this in their life, they are lost. Notice that cults and, some will say, religions work to perform this psychological function in people's lives. They make them feel like part of a tight group where they are wanted and if they depart, their life will be devoid of meaning, left in Hell on Earth or perhaps eternal fires of damnation. Heavy subject matter but something to think about!

The video starts with Cirice, about 11 or 12, and her mom entering a school to watch a talent show. They were late and have to sit in the front row. Cirice looks less than interested in the acts, until Ghost comes out to play. The crowd is uncomfortable except for one couple who look slightly demonic; possibly the parents of Papa Emeritus, who is now singing directly to Cirice. She instantly feels a connection, and stands hand in hand with Papa as her mom tried to pull them apart. She succeeds but then when the MC tries to attack Papa, Cirice exhibits powers that are similar to those of movie icon Carrie who has a similar sounding name. All Hell breaks loose!

So is this an Award Winning Metal Performance or the work of The Devil himself? Have a look and decide for yourself!



Now if you thought that was Satanic, evil and creepily disconcerting... let's go back 50 years to the groovy 60s when the Hippies were singing about Love and Flowers. Not everyone was so happy. There was a man named Jason Crest who related his experience at a terrifying Black Mass.

Let there be light; stop these sounds! ahhhhh Black Mass-s-s-s-s-s. Heavy organ music, creepy evil lyrics and chanting, and a backwards percussion track might give you nightmares. Have a listen to "Black Mass" by Jason Crest, and ponder on whether this old slice of demonic horror from the swingin' 60s outdoes the new Satanic Ghost band or not!

Labels: Alice Cooper, BABYMETAL, Black Mass, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Carrie, Cirice, doom, Ghost, GhostBCVEVO, Jason Crest, KISS, metal, Pink Floyd, religion, Rock, Satan

posted by KennyCrane at 5/20/2016 01:45:00 AM 2 Comments

Nine summers ago, sisters Meg and Dia Frampton released a video for their song "Monster" which would come to have over 2 million views in time. This alt rock tune is full of guitars and pounding drum beats, but it was the sweet pouty words of the chorus that would become immortal in the dubstep dance community:

Monster! How should I feel? Creatures lie here; looking through the window!

In the video, there is much jumping around, as someone's living room gets totally trashed! Watch and bang your head!

Four years ago, out comes the video for the DotEXE Dubstep Remix of Monster. It takes the sweet version of the chorus, not the more aggressive version from the original song, and adds adds all the dubstep accouterments that turned this into a major dance tune! The chorus gets repeated for nearly four minutes and the video views keep piling up to over 40 million! You've heard it, but listen again!

Three years ago, the Nightcore community got a hold of Monster! Nightcore music is the manipulation of an original song which speeds it up about 25%. The result is a chipmunk sound effect and it increases the calories burned as you dance to it! This version was always on the playlist this summer at the worlds best parties! Now its the Fall but it's still in my head! Monster! How should I feel? Not tired yet!

Labels: alternative, dance, dubstep, Meg and Dia, Monster, nightcore, Rock

posted by KennyCrane at 10/17/2015 03:59:00 AM 0 Comments

Anna Interviews The Silver Spoons

1) Hallo Augustin, could you please introduce your band, tell us about what type of music you play, where you're from and give us a brief history of the formation of 'The Silver Spoons'?
Hi Anna, we consist of 3 siblings and a brother from another mother. We play a rather alternative rock, which started with Hal writing songs which I felt as a 15 year old were too good not be taken seriously. So I whipped my choir voice into shape, Hal began conducting on his guitar, we threw Sarah behind the drums, had our brother slapping that bass and then played our first gig within 3 months!

2) Hi Hal; could you tell our readers why you called yourselves 'The Silver Spoons,' does it have to do with the expression 'to be born with a silver spoon by any chance?
Bit of a difficult story to tell as no one quite remembers it the same way. From what I recall, Augustine came up the Silver Buckles (as in shoe buckle) and someone said the Silver Spoons, this being such a sardonic name (we were all born with a tin spoon), so we kept it. Originally we were called "Melton Constable" but no once could pronounce it or understand it (even we, when on stage, would forget it), so that was no good.

3) Sarah, in an immensely male dominated drumming world, have you met any prejudice as a female artist so far and who are your influences?
I don't know how many times I've heard "you're okay..for a girl". Though it annoyed me immensely at first I got used to the fact that men can't accept women being good at something they usually are good at themselves.

4) John, you're the only one who isn't a sibling of the other band members, what's your experience being part of the band and could you tell us about the shoot of your mental video 'tainted colours'?
My experience is nothing but awesome so far. I dont really mind being the "one who isn't a sibling". At least I don't fight with them that much hahah. And sadly I wasn't part of the band at the time of shooting the music clip for "Tainted Colours" so I can't tell much about it. Only that it really got me interested in joining the band.

5) Augustin, what inspires the lyrics to your songs and who writes them?
The majority of songs we play are written by Hal the rest by me. To write a song one must be walking the fine line between the conscious and subconscious mind, you get the same feeling when you take control in a dream. For me its like self therapy, if done correctly the outcome is from the heart, truthful and pure. That been said we get inspired by whatever happens to be on our minds at the time, which is mostly girls, ha.

6) Hal, you guys play a lot of live concerts, could you give is your favourite memory of a performance?
One of my favourite was Kuře v hodinkách (Prague) which was packed and the atmosphere was wicked. Although, we recently played Karlovy Vary and Brno and I have to say those were really good fun!

7) Sarah, what about a great memory from the tour?
One evening Augustine had mysteriously disappeared and Hal had gone to bed I was left with John and instead of being left to talk to John alone I was spoken to by all...that was my favorite moment.. Well partying with bands such as The Fellas is an insane experience, otherwise after getting off stage once we were confronted with a bunch of fans who wanted to take photos with us, autographs, and interviews. It was all quite overwhelming!

8) John, how much of what you play live is improvised?
Usually it is the few bass solos here and there and very rarely when a string goes off hahah.

9) Augustin, if you could collaborate with any musician (or band) dead or alive who would it be and why?
That's not an easy question to answer, but I guess Id have to say the Beatles in the late 60s. I love their approach to song writing and whacky lyrics.

10) Sarah, what do you think, in its essence is what ties your band together?
Of course most of the band is my family so I have a connection automatically in this way, but apart from that we all want to be a success musically and have some laughs as we try getting there. Whenever I have nothing, I always feel "oh well..I've still got the band".

11) Hal, do you guys have any rituals, before getting up on the stage?
My ritual is to worry, haha. Seriously though, we all eat a yogurt with our personally engraved silver spoon.

12) John, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still playing enjoying music and generally.. I just hope nothing brings me down till I reach that point of life. That's pretty much all I can see from here. I'll just wait for what the future has in store for me...

13) To all of you: What's your present state of mind?
Augustine: I'm generally very excited where the band is going. Sarah: Feel like we've moved a step further and it feels great John: I pretty much agree with Sarah. We have improved a lot in general and it can be felt with each gig we perform in. Hal: Psyched about what will come next!

Labels: alternative, Annaconda1984, Beatles, interview, Jefferson Airplane, psychedelic, Rock, The Beatles, The Doors, The Monkees, The Sliver Spoons

posted by KennyCrane at 10/05/2015 12:19:00 AM 0 Comments

Back in the swingin' 60s during the heart of Beatlemania, the British Invasion, and Garage Rock - a groovy TV show hit the air waves - The Munsters! They looked like Horror Movie Stars, but they acted like Vaudeville Comedians. They were the All American family, with a twist. Mindless comedy eased the worried minds of Vietnam War weary viewers who saw riots in the streets on the Nightly News and lived with the ever present fear of the Cold War turning hot, nuclear hot.

One of the cool aspects of The Munsters was their theme song. Although words were written, the song was performed as an instrumental. With a fast beat and both crisp and droning horns, the moving melody was played on guitar in a manner similar to the surf music of the day with some Garage Rock thrown in for good measure. Written by Jack Marshall, here is a video of The Munsters Theme!

With their outfits, the Munsters could be mistaken for some Goths from the 90s. One of the better Goth Rock bands from the 90s was Type O Negative. Late singer Peter Steele had the stage presence of a Vampire and could produce vocal sounds reminiscent of Bela Lugosi. The band made a name for themselves with their Bloody Kisses album and with MTV videos like Christian Woman which is about as strange as they come! "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" is the other big hit from this album by Type O Negative and they do use a bit of The Munsters Theme and even mention Lily Munster. This is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the Goth lifestyle, so you can enjoy it whether you are a fan of this genre or not. Check out the music, and the lyrics! "She's in love with herself, she likes the dark. On her milk white neck, the devil's mark!" Listen for the Munsters at the 0:30 mark!

Fall Out Boy is a New Rock band that has had much success in recent years. They are out with their latest release, American Beauty / American Psycho. On the radio right now, you'll hear their song Uma Thurman. Uma Thurman played a gangster's wife in the popular movie Pulp Fiction, and did a famous dance scene with John Travolta. So the Fallout Boys talk about a girl who wants to dance like Uma Thurman, in this new single. The video is out less than 2 weeks but already has nearly 3 million views. Sarah wins a contest to be a Fall Out Boy assistant, and mayhem ensues. Almost from the start, we get to hear a very lightly processed original sample from The Munsters Theme. Enjoy the song and the sample, and DO NOT turn off the video too soon! What an ending, very cool!

Labels: 60s music, Fall Out Boy, Goth, pulp fiction, Punk, Rock, The Munsters, Theme song, TV Show, Type O Negative, Uma Thurman

posted by KennyCrane at 5/01/2015 06:11:00 AM 0 Comments

Lado Sichinava and Profusion

Today, I would like to introduce you to a young, talented Georgian musician, living in Italy, Lado Sichinava. Lado is the drummer, composer, producer and co-founder of the rapidly thriving underground band: Profusion. Their Winter Album is about to be released at the beginning of 2015. We discovered interesting facts about him, the band's history and the role of Georgian folklore in their music.

In their Youtube Miniseries (their most recent upload) we follow the recording of their new album and get to peek behind the scenes and get to know the artists behind the band a little bit.

"Profusion is a merge of a multitude of genres, timbres and rhythms, an organic fusion", Lado explains. "Profusion is a bouquet. It can be a bouquet of everything. People think that we play progressive Rock and Fusion. Doesn't Fusion mean bouquet? Profusion of Flowers. In my opinion, this definition is more correct (…) we are a musical bouquet, a cultural bouquet."

Before they morphed into Profusion, for about a year they were called the Mardi Gras Experience. Since they formed exactly during this festival. "There were three of us, a Mexican, a Sicilian and a Georgian. Marco Pieri on the bass, Gionathan (Caradonna) was and still is the pianist and Lado the drummer. Nowadays, they are a quintet. This video was uploaded to Lado's personal channel and shows the band in concert; The Tower (1 and 2) are tracks from their second album Rewotower.

BONUS VIDEO! APPLE PARODY by PROFUSION

So what sparked Lado's love for music? "Everything began, when I was little, I was shouting and screaming. He'll be an opera singer, people said. I was singing all the time at school. They were preparing a group of kids for an opera of Gia Kancheli." "Here, take Lado, on the contrary he will help us, there will be a little peace." They took me and I was in this choir.

The Spaniard Andres Segoviam sparked Lados wish to play the guitar. He studied it at the 'Academy of the Gifted' for three years until he came across the Black Album of Metallica for the first time. And that was it, everything turned around. "I would like to continue with a different instrument and that is the drum." To continue studying, Lado moved to Italy as he had relatives there.

To say it in his words, his first home country is Georgia, the second Italy. There will be a time when I'll definitely return to Georgia. I don't know where I'll live but I know where I want to die. Profusion just finished working on their Winter Album after One Piece Puzzle, (2006) and RewoTower, (2011) which is to be released this winter.

Regarding Georgian folklore in their music: "It's my fault. Fault, in a good sense, because I think that the present, the child of past is the parent of the future. Georgian rhythm is a very progressive style of music. One can say that Georgian 'folk' is the base of progressive understanding. We can create a very interesting 'mix' out of Georgian music." According to Lado, Germans have their classical music which they can take a lot from. He thinks that the music of Zakaria Paliashvili is very interesting to look at under this aspect. It's not just Georgian classic folk but the foundation of progressive rock; this is exactly why we used Zakaria Paliashvili's moments in our composition Chuta Chani.

Profusion toured around Italy and France in 2013. We wish them best of luck with their music and many invites to Rock Festivals all over the world.

Labels: Annaconda1984, folk, Georgia, Italy, Lado Sichinava, music, Profusion, progressive, Rock

posted by KennyCrane at 2/01/2015 05:26:00 AM 0 Comments

One of the coolest dance tunes of the 80s is back on the radio! "What I Like About You" was originally recorded by The Romantics, and has been recently covered by Five Seconds Of Summer. Here are both videos along with some trivia about the song!

The Romantics are a Rock / New Wave band from Detroit. They called themselves The Romantics because they started the band on Valentine's Day. Although this song became a staple of dance clubs in the 80's, it was recorded as a single in 1979. The lead singer of this song is the band's drummer, which is quite rare. Although the song is strongly guitar driven with massive power chords, the middle break features a harmonica, much like early Beatles songs like Love Me Do. Although some think the lyrics are "Keep on whispering in my ear" the actual lyrics are "Phone whispering in my ear". Before that, the words are, "Tell me I'm the only one, wanna come over tonight." She is not with him at the time, she is telling him this on the phone, apparently in a whisper. Further evidence appears in a very similar sounding song from the same album - The Romantics self titled first album. This other song is titled, "When I Look In Your Eyes" (video here) in which we find the lyrics, "When I get you alone, its so much different from the telephone" at the 1:34 mark.

Here is the official video for What I Like About You, on TheRomanticsVEVO channel. Get up and dance!

What I Like About You was huge at Rock Dance Clubs but never a big radio hit when it came out in the US. However, it went to #2 on the charts in Australia. Now, the Australian band Five Seconds Of Summer has covered the song What I Like About You, and it is a fairly big hit on the radio. The band, also known as 5SOS, is in competition with One Direction for young fans, especially girls, but they rock a bit harder than One Direction. 5SOS sing the lyric "Keep on whispering in my ear" which is incorrect as stated above. But it is not uncommon to change some lyrics when covering a song.

Check out the new pop rock version of The Romantics classic dance rock hit. Listen for the different lyric and the middle guitar break. Dance dance dance!

Still in the mood to DANCE? New Year's resolution says you will excersize more and get in shape? Check out dancer Heather Vaughn as she shows you how to dance, Gangnam style! Almost 60 thousand subscribers love JellyBeanNose as she calls herself on YouTube, and this video has over 600 thousand views!

Go To Our Article on JellyBeanNose, Hey Sexy Lady!

Labels: 5 Seconds Of Summer, 5SOS, 80s, dance, Five Seconds Of Summer, JellyBeanNose, New Wave, pop, Rock, The Romantics, What I Like About You

posted by KennyCrane at 1/22/2015 12:12:00 AM 0 Comments

Guest blogger Lyn Price is back with her third YouTubeStars post! Lyn is a talented singer who is here to review awesome Music Videos from the 1960s! Read what Lyn says about The Tokens, The Dave Clark 5, and The 13th Floor Elevators.


Classic 1960s Music!

THE TOKENS - Swing 1964

This band is from the early 60's and had one spectacular hit - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which was used in "The Lion King". They are from Brooklyn, New York and fit in with the Doo Wop scene. They started out in high school. There was some reshuffling of members and name changes, but the core band stuck together and found two great musicians, one was about 13 years old. Vocally, he was a first tenor and his brother a baritone. The lead singer was Jay Siegel (from 1956 to 1973). There was a lot of excitement around this band - Brooklyn Doo Wop was a great time and place to be.

In 1961, the Tokens released a single for Warwick Records entitled "Tonight I Fell in Love" which scored #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and led them to American Bandstand. After that, more recording opportunities opened up for them. After the TV appearance, they had more offers on the table. Their hit single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" sold more than one million copies. The band were awarded gold discs.

From 1962 to 1970, the Tokens released nine more songs that scored the Top 100. One of them was "Swing". No one could stay off the dance floor and the video featured here shows baby boomers are still dancing to it.

Beginning in 1963, the Tokens began serving as record producers for other artists, such as the Girl Groups and Randy & The Rainbows. It was called B.T. Puppy Records. In 1972, one of the Tokens (Jay Siegel) did background vocals for a re-recording of Lion Sleeps Tonight with Robert John as the lead vocalist.

The Tokens reunited during 1975 for occasional weeks as singing regulars on the Adam Wade hosted game show/Musical Chairs and in 1978 recorded a song for ABC's Schoolhouse Rock named "A Victim of Gravity".

Afterwards there was more reshuffling and the 2 brothers, Mitch and Philip Margo continue to perform with new members. In the year 2000 they reunited with Jay Siegel, one of the original members. They did a stint on the PBS special, Doo Wop 51. The Tokens were then Siegel, Reid and Eddy Rezzonico. Rezzonico replaced Richie Grasso during the 1990's.

Brooklyn, New York Doo Wop was bluesy, romantic and special. The Tokens colored the skies with their version of Doo Wop.

THE DAVE CLARK 5 - Try Too Hard

When the Dave Clark 5 arrived on US soil, fans shifted their undying love for the Beatles - to the Dave Clark 5. This fashionable group of 5 musicians appeared on the Ed Sullivan show 18 times, more than any UK Rock group.

The Dave Clark 5 were from Tottenham, London, England. They formed in 1958 under the name, the Dave Clark Quintet. After some reshuffling - with new members replacing other members, the band became the Dave Clark 5 or DC5 in 1962. Dave Clark played drums and was the leader of the group. The band's huge hit, "Glad All Over" knocked the Beatles "I Want To Hold Your Hand" right off the charts. The DC5 appeared to be more popular in the USA than their native UK. But between 1967 and 1970, the group had a "renaissance" in the UK, receiving notice from the rock music community.

In March 2008, the Dave Clark 5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The DC5 had to their credit - 17 records in the top 40 of the US Billboard chart and 12 top 40 hits between 1964 and 1967. There was a film, "Catch Us If You Can". The song featured here is "Try Too Hard" but it didn't do what it should have in the USA - but in Europe the song was very popular.

The Dave Clark 5 will always be remembered as a feature attraction in the British Invasion. These 5 fashionable young men, all good musicians, would be the object of adoration by record buying fans. Their loyal fans were sad when the group disbanded in late 1970. Their great rock hits, recorded on Columbia (EMI Records), Epic (USA) and Capitol (Canada) will continue to amaze British Invasion fans. This was a group of great Pop Rock hits - and they will forever rock the music world.

THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS - You're Gonna Miss Me, Original Mono

The 13th Floor Elevators were an American Texas based band, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band existed from 1965 to 1969. During their career they made 4 LP records and 7 45's for the International Artists record label. Credited with being one of the first psychedelic bands in Rock n' Roll history, according to the 2005 documentary, "You're Gonna Miss Me", Tommy Hall was credited with the term "psychedelic rock" although a few other artists used the term to describe their music before the 13th Floor Elevators. Contemporary influences are Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Peter Allim (Big Brother & The Holding Company) and Chris Gerniottis (Zakary Thaks).

The Elevators 45 Debut, "You're Gonna Miss Me" reached national Billboard #55 in 1966, and is featured on the 1972 compilation "NUGGETS: ORIGINAL ARTIFACTS FROM THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC ERA (1965-1968), which is considered vital in the history of Garage Rock and the development of Punk Rock. In January, 1966, the band went to Houston to record 2 songs. One of them was "You're Gonna Miss Me". The two songs were ready for 45 release. Besides the Texas Tour in Spring 1966 they also appeared on live TV to perform on teen dance shows. As the band's musical future took hold, their "touring map" added more locations. The Elevators were very popular outside Texas - especially Miami, Detroit and the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 1967, they returned to Texas. They released a 45 rpm called "Levitation" and they continued live performances in Texas cities. They did a gig at the Fillmore while in San Francisco, and a place called The Avalon.

In November 1967, the band's second album hit the stores. The psychedelic masterwork with the opening track "Slip Inside This House" - critics and fans alike rate this album as their finest work.

There were some heavy problems that the band's line up had to deal with. Arguing among the members over topics such as LSD use and it's effect on the audience became a frequent occurrence. Sometimes the band had to perform without the lead singer.

The very last 13th Floor Elevators record was released by International Artists and was a reissue of the "You're Gonna Miss Me" 45 rpm. The last concert was in April 1968. Drug arrests and hospitalizations were the downfall of the band, as well as mismanagement and arguments over drug use and money. However, despite the band's problems, the original leader Roky Erikson returned to music in the 1990's. With the help of a close relative, he hooked up with a lawyer who helped him get sorted out with royalties.

Two of the band's members were continuously debating the issue with LSD. Disputes, poor management, bickering over the use of suggestive drug related lyrics and an overzealous advocacy of LSD "leading" to a higher state - as a result these two members were not credited on the album's sleeve notes. Despite long, hard efforts in the studio, and resources utilized and the studio's legendary status, "Easter Everywhere" did not get the sales hoped for and was never reprinted.

Despite all the issues, the 13th Floor Elevators remained a powerful presence on the Texas Rock music scene. The Elevators were apart from the bands at that time - they had a unique sound. But as time went on, the problems still had their presence and the live shows lost their original energy. Much of this was due to an unstable member lineup.

The 13th Floor Elevators have been covered by many bands and nearly all the covers were a tribute to these wonderful musicians whose music would be loved and considered by other more mainstream acts. In the 1990's, ZZ Top, and R.E.M. would be among the music admirers of the Elevators. Many other musicians were influenced by their music.

The 13th Floor Elevators shone like gold in the Nuggets Collection and their track, "You're Gonna Miss Me" will go down in Rock n' Roll history.

Labels: "Lyn Price", 1960s, Garage Rock, Rock, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Dave Clark 5, The Tokens

posted by KennyCrane at 9/29/2014 03:50:00 AM 0 Comments

As fast as those bands were, I was still blown away the first time I heard "Through the Fire and the Flames" by British Extreme Power Metal kings, DragonForce. I first thought they must have sped it up in the studio - no one could play That Fast! But I've spoken to people who have seen them Live, and the word is, they do indeed shred at the speed of Light! The video for that manic metal masterpiece hit YouTube at the end of 2006 and now has over 62 Million views. If you never saw it, I put it below for your Metal enjoyment!

But first, here is the NEW song from DragonForce! Maximum Overload will be the name of DragonForce's sixth studio release, due out in a few weeks. The first single is The Game, shown below. These guys have not slowed down! They still play some of the fastest songs I've ever heard! Uploaded to YouTube on June 18th, this video is approaching a half Million views. Of special interest - the word is that DragonForce cover the Johnny Cash classic, Ring of Fire, on this recording; that should be interesting! Long Live Speed Metal; Long live DragonForce! \m/

Labels: DragonForce, New, Power Metal, Rock, speed metal, thrash metal

posted by KennyCrane at 8/05/2014 03:48:00 AM 0 Comments

Earlier this week, I saw a very cool band on Late Night with David Letterman. The Orwells are 5 guys who are just out of High School from a suburb of Chicago called Elmhurst, Illinois. These sk8er bois are channeling certain 60s Garage and 90s Grunge bands that came before them. The singer, Mario Cuomo, reminds me of Jim Morrison from The Doors, Kurt Cobain from Nirvana and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. The music is straight ahead Hard Rock with 60s Garage influences.

The Orwells were on Letterman's show back in January. Dave seems to really love them! They put on an animated performance. Singer Mario was wearing a Black Leather Jacket and whipped his shoulder length hair until it covered his face. He was on his back on the floor at times! Dave asked them for an encore back then, but guitarist Matt O'Keefe was unable to comply since he broke every one of his guitar strings during the schedule number. So Letterman's band, with Paul Shaffer on vocals, reprised "Who Needs You" but with his own lyrics. Watch the end of the video below to see that!

Now on to the performance I just saw. Singer Mario was again animated with a bit of a demented look on his face, as all great rockers do! Half his blonde hair was dyed black, and strands were cemented to his forehead by sweat. The band played "The Righteous One" from their new album Disgraceland. Quite a brilliant rock tune! I think this is right up there with songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Watch The Orwells perform this song on Letterman, then watch the Official Video for it! Both versions Rock! \m/

Labels: Chicago, David Letterman, Garage, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Late Show, Letterman, Nirvana, Orwells, Punk, Rock, The Doors, TheOrwellsMusic

posted by KennyCrane at 6/15/2014 03:54:00 AM 0 Comments

Today we welcome a NEW guest blogger, Lyn Price. Lyn is a talented singer who is joining us to review Music Videos from the 1960s! Read what Lyn says about two Garage Rock videos and a huge Psychedelic Pop hit by rock stars Tommy James and the Shondells.


Groovy Sixties Tunes!

The Monocles
"I Can't Win"



In Los Angeles, 1967, a songwriter named Jim Newby wrote a classic garage hit - "I Can't Win"

This track stood out among others because it contained all the makings of a great Garage song. In a record shop, in the front row, you could see the song "I Can't Win". Once you hear this song, you want to hear it again and again.

"I Can't Win" is still a winner. One reason may be that elements of Garage Rock are flying high at high speed. This track delivers - Garage at it's best with Surf, Rockabilly, Psychedelic and Exotica. The music flows - makes the listener want to dance.


The Illusion
"Did You See Her Eyes"



In 1969, a band from Hempstead, Long Island, New York got hold of a smoking hot Garage song entitled "Did You See Her Eyes". The song, filled with exquisite drum rolls, earth shaking harmonies and psychedelic heaven, made it to 32 on the Top Forty.

The video, put together by Music Mike, has not lost anything, even a moment of the excitement that this track generates. Illusion are a fantastically good Garage band and this video, with music and pictures, put Illusion on the map.

The video is psychedelic, with colors flowing and images dancing. This song did put Illusion on the map. And it's still there, ready to pick up and move forward.

Do not miss out on listening to this track. It moves.


TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS
"Crimson & Clover"



“Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Draggin’ The Line”... The music of Tommy James is heard continuously, everyday, in every country in the world: on radio, television or a film soundtrack. To date, he's sold over 100 million records and has been awarded 23 gold singles plus nine gold and platinum albums.

Born in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Michigan, Tommy James was modelling at age 4. He formed his first band early on - and recorded "Hanky Panky". Although it achieved success on a local level, it didn't move the way it should have but, several years later, the song was found in a record bin by a D.J. Then the crowds began to request the song again and again.

This song, "Crimson and Clover" is sung with a lot of feeling and was immensely popular. The same goes for all his songs, and "Hanky Panky" is such a good dance record that it's not surprising the crowd responded well to the D.J.'s decision to push it. The response to "Crimson and Clover" was something close to magic. Tommy James, born Tommy Jackson, has been putting music out there for a very long time. Let's give him and the Shondells a large round of applause !

Labels: "Lyn Price", "Tommy James and the Shondells", "Tommy James", 1960s, 60s, Garage, Garage Rock, Lyn, music, Rock

posted by KennyCrane at 2/20/2014 07:01:00 AM 0 Comments

Many of you know that I am a huge fan of 1960s pop culture, especially 60s Music.

In the mid 60s, when the War in Viet Nam was raging and its body count was featured on the TV News every night, there was a need for mindless comedies to take people's minds off the more serious issues of the day.  One such TV show was Gilligan's Island.

Gilligan, the Skipper, the Howells, the Professor, Ginger and Mary Ann were stranded on a remote deserted island.  Sometimes they had visitors from the outside world but incredibly they were never able to get off the island.  In one episode, Rock band The Mosquitos ended up on the island.  This was an episode titled "Don't Bug the Mosquitoes" - Season 2, Episode 12 - and was originally on the air on December 09, 1965.

It seems that the girls wanted to form their own singing group.  So Mrs, Howell, Ginger and Mary Ann created a group called The Honey Bees and sang a song called, "You Need Us".  They performed the song for the guys, and you can see that performance below.

This song, You Need Us, has always been one of my favorite TV show songs from the 60s, right up there with The Alvin Twist and The Bedrock Twitch.  If you want to listen to an MP3 of You Need Us, by The Honeybees, from Gilligan's Island, click here.

I recently came across a simply delightful lipsync cover of You Need Us, performed by a family who shot this video in two takes and posted it to YouTube.  The mother plays Mrs. Howell and her two daughters play Ginger and Mary Ann.  They are all adorable as they lipsync and do The Honey Bees dance moves.  We are Featuring this video this week on our YouTube Top 100 Weekly Chart. Check it out!



Now, here is the original performance of You Need Us sung by The Honeybees - Lovey Howell, Ginger and Mary Ann. This was originally on TV back in 1965 and reflects the kind of Garage Rock music that was popular at the time. The Beatles were huge and every teen in the world dreamed of being in a band that would make the girls scream and chase after them, like they did to The Beatles. It was quite an interesting time for music!



If YOU decide to do a cover of this groovy 60s tune, email me a link to your video and I'll feature it here too!

Labels: 1960s, Garage Rock, Gilligan's Island, Rock, thinkingbeetv, TV, TV Show, worldchang3r, You Need Us

posted by KennyCrane at 5/30/2012 03:14:00 AM 0 Comments

Here are 4 videos of songs that came out in the 90s from bands that either had women vocalists or were comprised of all chicks! Rock out with the ladies as you recall younger days when MTV actually was Music Video Television!

But first, The News!

This week's Featured Video on our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts is a cover version of Sara Bareilles' "King Of Anything," sung as a duet by talented teens Emily Harder and Rochelle Diamante. Check out their awesome singing and cute dance moves! Please visit our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts of the Most Subscribed YouTube Channels every week!


How many views does our Featured Video really get each week?
Unfortunately, YouTube does not count views of embedded videos that are set to AutoPlay, like our featured video, according to TubeMogul. So if you click on "641 views" (or whatever its up to currently) on Christina's video that we featured 2 weeks ago - you will see that 64 views came from the link on our charts (listed as www.bkserv.net and www.bkserv.n) But how many times was the video watched On Our Site? When we look at Google Analytics, which we use to track pageviews, we find that Christina's video was seen on our Featured Video page a total of 1,840 times! YouTube shows that she got 641 views but she actually got 4 times that many views, and 3/4 of those views occurred on our Featured Video page. :-) That is a typical number. The Featured Video gets about 8000 views a month or about 2000 a week. We want to thank you all for visiting our Featured Video each week, and we wanted to let the videomakers that we feature know how many views they are getting on our site!


Now, here are the 90s Rocker Chicks!



I remember the first time I saw Kay Hanley and the guys from Letter To Cleo in their video for this very catchy Indy Rocker, "Here And Now" - I loved it right from the start. It was not until recently, when you could look up lyrics online, that I learned the words Kay was singing during the "fast part."

"The comfort of a knowledge of a rise above the sky above could never parallel the challenge of an acquisition in the here and now, here and now."

Now you know the words to the fast part, so sing along!






I remember the first time I saw this video too, with the crunchy guitar power chords and scream to kick off this very cool pop headbanger tune! Seether is by Veruca Salt which features the cute and playful chick pair Louise Post and Nina Gordon, both on guitar and vocals! Want more VS, then also watch them bouncing on bungie cords, singing Volcano Girls!





Too sweet to be Goth, too dark to be pop, "Only Happy When It Rains" is by Scottish/American Alt-rock band "Garbage", formed in Wisconsin, and fronted by captivating vocalist Shirley Manson. I LOVE this song and video; it has such emotional depth and atmosphere. Check out Shirely with her reddish hair contrasting her blue eye shadow and mini-dress, later turning into a red mini-dress, fishnet stockings and knee high black boots - very cool!






Now for a song that grabs you by the throat and never lets go! Courtney Love was married to Kurt Cobain from Nirvana and she had her own alt-rock band "Hole." Their hardest rocking song is this one, "Violet" which could equally as well have been named "Violent."

"Go on, take everything! Take everything; I want you to!"

What a powerful song and crazy video! Courtney is having a complete emotional breakdown by the time the song ends! I think we can guess what kind of a mood she is in. ;-) Turn it UP and Rock Out!

Labels: 90s, alternative, chicks, garbage, girls, hole, letters to cleo, Rock, veruca salt

posted by KennyCrane at 10/11/2010 02:32:00 AM 1 Comments

As you may know, I LOVE 1960s Rock n Roll! I especially love the genre called Garage Rock. This is a raw kind of 1960s punk pop featuring fuzzy guitars, pounding drums, pulsating organs, pumping basslines and snearing vocals with background harmonies.

This website - Garage Rock Radio - has MP3s and podcasts of 60s Garage Rock tunes and I Love them all!

Now they have a Record Label - Garage Rock Radio Records - that distribute bands from today that have that 60s Garage Rock sound. Free MP3s here.

Please enjoy a very short video of the Garage Rock Radio Theme Song which is used at the beginning of their podcasts, sung by Lyndsey Price. Groovy, man!



Description:
This is the Theme Song for our 1960s Garage Rock podcasts, sung by Lyndsey Price. Visit our website at

http://www.GarageRockRadio.com

and buy Garage Rock music from our Record Label at

http://www.GarageRockRadioRecords.com


Pictures in this video are from Johnny B. Fuzz
http://www.myspace.com/saico66

Children of the Mushroom
New Colony Six
Ohio Express
The Action
The Banshees
The Esquires
The Es Shades
The Henchmen
The Kingsmen
The Moving Sidewalks
The Pleasure Seekers
The Standells

Check out free MP3s and our 14 song Sampler Album at

http://www.garagerockradiorecords.com...

Rock on, Garage Rockers!

Labels: 1960s, 60s, Garage, music, Rock

posted by KennyCrane at 11/19/2009 01:06:00 AM 1 Comments

Garage Rock is a sub-genre of Rock that started in the 60s. When The Beatles hit the United States, every kid dreamt of starting a Rock Band and being the Next Big Thing! And by the time Man walked on the Moon, 40 years ago today, thousands of Garage Bands had come and gone, leaving behind some groovy tunes!

According to Garage Rock Radio Records:

If you enjoy the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, Monkees, Animals, Doors, Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, Iron Butterfly and similar bands, you might like [Garage Rock].

According to Wikipedia:

"Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967... "Garage rock" comes from the perception that many such performers were young and amateurish, and often rehearsed in a family garage... Typical themes revolved around the traumas of high school life. The lyrics and delivery were notably more aggressive than was common at the time, often with growled or shouted vocals that dissolved into incoherent screaming... In the late 1990s, Steven Van Zandt ("Little Steven") became a torchbearer, spokesperson, and proponent for both garage rock and the garage rock revival... In 2002, he started a syndicated radio program called Little Steven's Underground Garage and has also launched an Underground Garage channel on the Sirius Satellite Radio network. Van Zandt has described the music format as "Groups that inspired the Ramones, groups inspired by the Ramones, and the Ramones."

I am a huge fan of Garage Rock! There are some great bands around today that play music inspired by 60s Garage Rock. Among the best are McFadden's Parachute and Lyndsey Price. Here are 2 videos of McFadden's Parachute recorded at a live performance, and one for Lyndsey Price's recent song about the quest to get a Garage Rock exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Enjoy!

For more real 1960s Garage Rock, visit GarageRockRadio.com.

To learn more about McFadden's Parachute and Lyndsey Price, visit Garage Rock Radio Records.

After the videos are AmazonMP3 widgets with High Quality samples of the tracks from recent McFadden's Parachute and Lyndsey Price releases. Have a listen!

Labels: Garage, Lyndsey, McFadden's Parachute, Price, Rock

posted by KennyCrane at 7/20/2009 02:19:00 AM 1 Comments

This post adds to four videos I discussed in the 1960s Music Videos post. This time, I'll list some Garage Rock videos I found on YouTube. If you like this kind of music, check out some Garage podcasts on this blog and some MP3s here. There is a longer list of YouTube Garage videos at this blog post.


Leaves - Hey Joe

This is not the Jimi Hendrix version. It's the uptempo 60's Garage Rock version by The Leaves, from California.



Black Diamonds - I Want, Need, Love You

This fuzzpunk Garager is from an Australain band.



T h i r t e e n t h F l o o r E l e v a t o r s

Roky and the boys from Texas sing their one hit, "You're Gonna Miss Me" on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. From the record titled "The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators."



M A X F R O S T A N D THE TROOPERS - Shape Of Things To Come

From the movie "Wild in the Streets." Change the voting age to 14 and elect the first "wigged-out" president. Then stick anyone over 30 in LSD camps. Interesting movie with a great soundtrack.



The Honeybees - You Need Us

Here's a fun one from Gilligan's Island! Ginger, Mary Anne and Mrs. Howell form The Honeybees and perform their smash hit, "You Need Us."

Labels: 1960s, Garage, music, Rock

posted by KennyCrane at 7/17/2007 03:40:00 AM 0 Comments