A Few Good Bands

A look at the ones that got away, and the ones that are coming your way

   As a lover of all things musical, I find great joy and comfort in hearing many different artists perform. From a very early age I have been anxious to hear everything that I could possibly cram into the sides of my head. Along the way, I have blindly experimented and “taken a chance” on artists that either had great art on their covers, or intriguing song titles, or they just simply fit into the genre that I was looking for at the time. I mean let’s be honest, who didn’t seek out every Seattle-based band after Nirvana hit with “Nevermind?” During that time, for example, I found a few “keepers,” like Gruntruck and Mother Love Bone. But whatever the inspiration might be for seeking out new sounds, it’s always a gift when you find something that sticks with you. In this report, I am attempting to enlighten your lives as music fans by conveying the thoughts and suggestions of fellow music lovers like yourselves. When I asked my readership to name an artist that not many know, but everyone should, the response was nothing short of breathtaking. As you will see, there are so many tastes and talents that we, as slaves to the music, have yet to savor.

   Let me start out with some of my thoughts on the subject. I’ve heard so many artists that have gone undiscovered, the thought makes me ill. While acts like Village People were selling hundreds of thousands of records during the disastrous Disco era, legitimate artists such as Wishbone Ash, Budgie and Captain Beyond were struggling to move enough product to feed themselves. I’ve come to accept that it is not always raw talent that sells records; as a matter of fact, talent usually has little to do with it. Fame and fortune isn’t what this report is about; this is about music that we, as the listening and buying public, missed along the way. And when I speak of artists that got missed, or overlooked, the first band that comes to mind is Jellyfish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish_(band)). This was an unadulterated pop band of the purest kind that wrote some of the best songs that I have ever heard. If you are looking for a catchy pop record that will stick with you forever, you must check out Jellyfish’s only two studio releases, “Bellybutton” and “Spilt Milk.” Another artist that still has yet to be known around the world is Butch Walker (www.butchwalker.com). Now, Butch is responsible for making many newer artists famous, such as Avril Lavigne, Bowling For Soup, and Simple Plan, but has yet to be in the limelight himself. Walker has written music and produced some of the biggest hits from the acts I just mentioned, along with a few others as well. Butch Walker started as a member of Southgang, and later found a home with the Marvelous 3, where he cut two of the best power pop albums known to mankind (“Hey Album” and “Ready, Sex, Go”). Walker has also released a couple of solo discs - the first, “Left Of Self Centered,” was fantastic; the second, “Letters,” is probably the worst thing that Walker has been involved with. If you want to hear Walker’s best work check out either of the Marvelous 3 records I mentioned, or Bowling For Soup’s “A Hangover You Don’t Deserve.” As far as instrumental music goes, any fan of guitar based rock instrumental, in the spirit of Jeff Beck, Wishbone Ash, and Joe Satriani, will absolutely love The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers (www.ryanetics.com). The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers are Jimmy and Johnny Ryan on twin lead guitars, along with a cast of miraculous musicians that have to be heard to be believed. Their latest disc, “Blue Marble,” is just what the doctor ordered for those who can’t get enough of instrumental rock. And now the metal bands that all of you should know. The first one that comes to mind is Chicago “doom metal” band, Trouble (www.newtrouble.com). Here’s a band that has been going since 1979, and has influenced everyone from Corrosion Of Conformity to Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters fame. With only a handful of releases to their credit in all those years of existence, that may be a contributing factor to their anonymity. But, if you want Sabbath-like riffs and some deep, dark lyrics, you’re looking for Trouble. Start off with their Rick Rubin-produced masterpiece “Manic Frustration.” Next is Badlands (www.jakeelee.com), guitarist Jake E. Lee’s project after leaving the Ozzy Osbourne nest. For a classic, hard rocking blues record with overdoses of sharp guitar solos and riffs, check out the self-titled debut and their second release, “Voodoo Highway.” And now we move on to the ladies of forgotten metal. ROCK GODDESS (www.aurealm.com/rckgdds.htm). This was a three piece band from England who rocked hard. They got a little silly and adolescent with the lyrics at times, but these girls kicked major ass. Find their “Hell Hath No Fury” record from the mid-80's and crank it up. Much in the same style, Drain S.T.H.(http://mbcerbere.free.fr/menua.htm) was an all-girl outfit from Sweden that rocked with a fury. Mixing dark lyrical overtones with punishing instrumental work, this was a legitimate band that deserves to be heard. Either “Freaks Of Nature” or their debut, “Horror Wrestling,” are worthy of a listen. And lastly, the newly disbanded Nightwish (www.nightwish.com) would be my last choice of bands. Nightwish is a Finnish band that has taken the best elements of progressive rock/metal and blended it perfectly with traditional opera. Yes, ...opera. Singer Tarja Turunen, who was recently fired from the band, is a sensational opera singer that gave Nightwish a sound like no other. If you want a totally new and unique style of progressive metal in your life, you want Nightwish. Well, enough about me and my choices, let’s hear what you had to say……….

   There seemed to be two reactions to this subject of revealing unknown bands - those who wanted to tell about their old obscure favorites and those that wanted to expose some new local talent. One of the first responses I received was from someone that wanted to tell the world about an act that calls Birmingham, Alabama home, their nifty name is Rollin’ In The Hay. This came to me described as “a ‘newgrass,’ ‘jamgrass,’ ‘redneck speed metal,’ ‘hillbilly hip hop,’ ‘honky tonk hippie rock’ band.” Need I say anything more? You can see them for yourselves at www.rollininthehay.com. Another promising entry came in for a band called Grey Eye Glances, which sounded fantastic when I went to their website (www.greyeyeglances.com) and played a few tracks. Kind of a combination of Fleetwood Mac, Evanescence, and The Corrs, this band sounds exactly like it was described to me - “great and completely overlooked.” The same person sent another suggestion in for Willy Porter also, stating that he plays a great guitar both solo and with a band. You can check out Porter’s modern folk style here: www.willyporter.com/willy_flash.html. Next, I received a submission that had two great names that I know well, and one artist that I was just introduced to for the first time. Wishbone Ash (www.wishboneash.com) and The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers (www.ryanetics.com) are two bands that I love, and a couple that need to be heard by more people. The band that was new to me was Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit (www.aquariumrescueunit.com); an eclectic sound that combines The Grateful Dead with the likes of Frank Zappa-style lyrics. Interesting, to say the least. My heart went pitter-patter when I received this next list of bands from a big guitar rock fan. Let me show you the great list of artists that this person dropped on me: Far Corner (www.far-corner.com) - an experimental chamber rock quintet, The Flyin' Ryan Brothers, King's X (www.kingsxonline.com), Kopecky (http://kopecky.8m.com), Parallel Mind (www.parallelmind.com) - a progressive trio (keyboards, bass, and drums) with oodles of style and flair, Plankton (www.plankton.nu), Protein (www.sonymusic.com/artists/Protein), Truth Squad (www.ryanetics.com/truthsquad.htm). This is a list that contains many pieces of brilliance from bassist extraordinaire William Kopecky. This is also a list that includes both of The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers’ Jimmy Ryan’s projects. Truth Squad is Jimmy’s hard hitting classic power trio outfit; and Protein and Plankton are guitar infected bands that carry the torch for all that love the rock guitar. The truly unique Far Corner and Parallel Mind were great to see recognized, along with melodic rock mainstays King’s X. I received a total of 6 votes for The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers over this past month, and found this extremely encouraging. The Ryans are one of the hottest acts in the world, and it seems that I’m not alone in that thought. I also got 3 votes for Wishbone Ash, and even a vote for ex-Wishbone Ash guitarist Ben Granfelt (www.bengranfelt.com) and his band. It’s great to see the legends being remembered.
   When entries for the likes of Canada’s Max Webster (www.maxwebster.ca), metal legends Iced Earth (www.icedearth.com), and two separate votes for Grim Reaper (www.angelfire.com/band/GrimReaper) came in, I was floored. I’m really not the only one that remembers 80's metal band Grim Reaper, huh?!! One of the “patients” that sent the Grim Reaper entry also sent a long list of artists that he felt deserved attention. When I asked him to pick one artist off of the list that he would draw special attention to, he simply came back to me with “Tony Levin.” Here is his complete list, except for the aforementioned Grim Reaper: Parallel Mind, Shadow Gallery (www.shadowgallery.com) - a Queensryche-type progressive rock, Liquid Tension Experiment (www.yesiknow.com/lte/) - a few of the Dream Theater guys fire it up with Levin on bass, BLS (Bozzio, Levin, Stevens)(www.tonylevin.com/bls.htm), Bruford-Levin (http://www.billbruford.com/discog/main.html), Abraxis Pool - a little known Santana spin-off, Chris Rea (www.chrisrea.nl), DeMiola / McLaughlin / DeLucia, Mind Bomb - local Chicago hard rock, Amanda Marshall (www.amandamarshall.com) - strong vocalist from the Lilith Fair period, Gary Moore (www.gary-moore.com) - one of the best guitarists ever, Strict Nine - unpolished progrockfusion band out of Chicago, 7 Months - another prog band featuring former Strict Nine singer Joe Boo, Jesse Cook (www.jessecook.com) - gifted acoustic guitarist with a flair for flamenco, Billy McLaughlin (www.billymclaughlin.com) - another acoustic guitarist that plays with poise and passion, Gary Hoey (www.garyhoey.com) - a fired up guitar player that can shred with the best of 'em, Verve Pipe (www.thevervepipe.com) - eclectic tunes for the open-mided, Del Amitri (www.delamitri.com) - great traditional pop band. I also got a smaller list from a person that enjoys the more obscure acts out there, that list included: Asylum Street Spankers (www.asylumstreetspankers.com), Inspector 7, Moxy Fruvous (www.fruvous.com), Sleepyhead (sleepyhead.net) and Dungen (www.dungen-music.com).

   There were other folks that submitted small, precise descriptions of their choices. Here are two informational pieces that might peak your interest:
1. Brendan Benson, and especially his release The Alternative To Love (2005). Make no mistake, this is a 100% modern CD, although a lot of Benson's musical references hail from the sixties and seventies. He obviously has a big love for McCartney, Wings-era, whereas the title cut gives way at the end to homage to Brian Wilson. Brendan Benson has a knack for combining these influences in some catchy, fresh pop rock songs that we haven’t heard since Matthew Sweet came on the scene. Also a big credit for this highly enjoyable album is producer Tchad Blake, who learned the trade as a sidekick to Mitchell Froom. On The Alternative To Love he builds a sound that is as once transparent, open and radiant, and that perfectly suits the pop gems of Benson. Please don’t make the mistake of labeling Brendan Benson as a singer-songwriter. His songs benefit, unlike on his previous, somewhat amateuristic album Lapalco, from a rich ‘full band’ approach, with amongst other things some amazing drumming and lots of detail being given to backing vocals. The “hip” factor of Brendan Benson will rise in early 2006, when the album that he recorded with Jack White (The White Stripes) will be released. If you want to stay one step ahead of the hype, check out The Alternative To Love. (www.brendanbenson.com)
2. During the late eighties and early nineties, a lot of interesting guitar bands emerged from the US scene. Before the Nirvana era, you had some good stuff from alternative rock bands and college rockers such as Green On Red, Dream Syndicate, Rainmakers, Del Fuegos, Jason & the Scorchers and Beatfarmers. The one band that didn’t quite made it to that cult status, but that deserves all kind of attention – even in 2005 – is called The Rave Ups. They put out three albums, all excellent and definitely worth checking out for everyone that’s a big fan of R.E.M. (just to quote this reference as a “big name” in left-of-center intelligent guitar rock). (theacf.com/raveups)

   It was really nice to see people researching and seeking out their local music. I had choices sent in for power pop act Barefoot Bride (www.barefootbrideband.com), The Drive By Truckers (www.drivebytruckers.com), who were described as “Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Neil Young,” and folk/country rockers Sisters Morales (www.sistersmorales.com) who hail from San Antonio, Texas. All of these were sent in from people who are out there supporting their local musicians. A big tip of the proverbial cap to all of you, and thanks for letting us in on your best kept secrets!

   I’d like to leave you with one of the most eclectic and diverse lists that I received. This is a list with everything from traditional Irish music, to solo acoustic pianists, to heavy metal reggae. Check it out: Soilwork (www.soilwork.org)- heavy groove metal from Sweden, Skindred (www.skindred.com) - metal reggae, From Zero (www.fromzero.com) - now defunct Chicago metal, Nonpoint (www.nonpoint.com) - Florida rapcore, Darwins Waiting Room (www.showandtellonline.com/_darwins_waiting_room) - heavy stuff loosely connected to Nonpoint, Denny Daniels (www.deluxury.com) - solo acoustic pianist, Govi (www.realmusic.com/a_govi.htm) - “the Steve Vai of Latin flavored music,” Leahy (www.leahymusic.com) - Upbeat Irish music with crazy violin work. “Steve Vai's of the fiddle,” possibly?, Zebrahead (www.zebrahead.tv) - rap/punk/power pop, Primer 55 (http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-299266---Primer-55) - funky hardcore metal from Memphis, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra (www.trans-siberian.com) - the sensational act, with former members of Savatage and Testament, that brings us their annual conceptual Christmas record and concert tour.

   There you have it - this is what all of your fellow "patients" would like to turn you on to. It took many, many words to give you this info, but I hope you take at least one new band with you when you go. I'm sure that all of the folks that sent in choices are hoping that you do as well. I like to think of music as the distant handshake that strangers can share, even unknowingly. Happy listening!
                                                                                                                                                                                     -- Scott "Dr. Music" Itter