Song Of The Week: 4/29/18

Song: "Waterfall"

Artist: Ash

Album: "Candy" cd single

Year: 2001

Place Of Origin: Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

Years Active: 1992 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

When I read the lyrics to "Waterfall", I get the sense that the vocalist is either dying or has died and is in spirit form. I almost feel like he can see his girl and his friends and he remembers good times but those things are beginning to fade and fragment by the end of the song. "Waterfall" is actually one of Ash's earliest recorded songs. This version I chose for my song of the week was re-recorded in 2001 and made it as a b-side on the band's "Candy" cd single.

ASH DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1993 - Garage Girl (self-released)
1993 - Trailer (Infectious Records)
1996 - 1977 (Infectious Records)
1997 - Live At The Wireless (Death Star Records)
1998 - Nuclear Sounds (Infectious Records)
2001 - Free All Angels (Infectious Records)
2002 - Cosmic Debris (Infectious Records)
2004 - Meltdown (Infectious Records)
2007 - Twilight Of The Innocents (Infectious Records)
2010 - A-Z Vol. 1 (Atomic Heart Records)
2010 - A-Z Vol. 2 (Atomic Heart Records)
2015 - Kablammo! (Atomic Heart Records)
2016 - Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997 (Atomic Heart Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF ASH:

Ash formed as a band back in 1992, hailing from Northern Ireland. The band first began creating some noise with their song "Jack Names The Planets" but it was their 1996 album, "1977", that really put the band on the map thanks to the singles "Goldfinger", "Girl From Mars" and "Oh Yeah". That album quickly shot to number 1 on U.K. music charts and eventually went platinum. The band, then a trio of Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray, decided to add a second guitarist/vocalist to the line-up, Charlotte Hatherley. While releasing their next album, "Nuclear Sounds", Ash almost went bankrupt. It was their 2001 album, "Free All Angels", which once again thrusted Ash's popularity, especially in their native Ireland and in England. With singles like "Shining Light" and "Burn Baby Burn", "Free All Angels" also claimed a #1 spot in England and also sold platinum. After 2004's "Meltdown", the band decided to go back to being a trio and split amicably with Hatherley. In 2010, the band decided to release a single every two weeks. This was called the A to Z series, each single named relative to the letters of the alphabet. Eventually, the band released two albums which featured the 26 singles, "A-Z" volumes 1 and 2. At this time, it would also mark the band's relationship with Atomic Heart Records after pretty much spending the first 15 years as a band on Infectious Records. The band's last proper full length studio album was 2015's "Kablammo!" and their most recent release was a live album in 2016, "Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997". The band was touring in early 2017 in support of that live album. Ash has also confirmed that on May 18, 2018, their new album, "Islands", will be released. Ash broke on the music scene right at a time when Seattle's grunge was king but there was a burgeoning alternative rock movement that was creeping to the surface. Though they're from Ireland, they sometimes get tossed in with the Brit pop scene that was beginning to happen as well. Though they got some love in the United States, especially when "1977" came out, they were a pretty big deal in Europe, especially Ireland and England. Their style is alternative rock with definite hints of pop and at times punk. If you like the music of bands like Superdrag, Everclear, Donots, The Vines and Oasis, then you'd most likely enjoy Ash. Ash is one of my favorite bands, moreso when I was younger, but I still love their music. It's a shame that Charlotte isn't still in the band though. She added a dynamic to the band that I miss, especially her harmonizing background vocals that fit so well with Tim Wheeler's lead vocals. To this day still, when I hear "Goldfinger" or "Burn Baby Burn" I get excited. Definitely takes me back to my younger days getting loaded with good friends!!

TEN ASH SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Goldfinger
2. Burn Baby Burn
3. A Life Less Ordinary
4. Shining Light
5. Jesus Says
6. Starcrossed
7. What Deaner Was Talking About
8. Tracers (featuring Emmy The Great)
9. Cocoon
10. Warmer Than Fire

Song Of The Week: 4/22/18

Song: "Waste"

Artist: Bigwig

Album: "An Invitation To Tragedy"

Year: 2001

Place Of Origin: Nutley, New Jersey

Years Active: 1995 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Waste" appears to be about people who go through life with blinders on. These people are like robots with no minds of their own, never rocking the boat or never acting on something they believe in. They are puppets, just wasting their lives away. The vocalist is not about to stick his head in the sand like these people. He's ready to react, and to revolt if need be.

BIGWIG DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1997 - Unmerry Melodies (Fearless Records)
1999 - Stay Asleep (Kung Fu Records)
2001 - An Invitation To Tragedy (Fearless Records)
2006 - Reclamation (Fearless Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF BIGWIG:

Bigwig formed as a band back in 1995, hailing from New Jersey. After dropping a self-titled 7" single, Bigwig hooked on with Fearless Records for their debut full length album in 1997, "Unmerry Melodies". It was the band's second full length, however, that put them square on the punk rock map. 1999's "Stay Asleep" was great mixture of hardcore with skate punk melodies as shown with songs like "Sellout", "Flavor Ice", "Still" and "Friends". Bigwig was soon sharing stages with the likes of Pennywise, The Ataris, No Use For A Name, Less Than Jake, NOFX and Lagwagon to name a few. After recording "Stay Asleep" with Kung Fu Records, Bigwig would return to Fearless for their next two albums, 2001's "An Invitation To Tragedy" and 2006's "Reclamation". Those two albums definitely saw the band strike a heavier tone with much more technical playing. Unfortunately, "Reclamation" is still the band's last studio album. It's been more than 10 years since Bigwig has given it's fans more material, which sucks!! This does not mean the band has been dormant however. Bigwig has continued to tour throughout the years, whether supporting other acts or heading to various festivals. Vocalist and lead guitarist Tom Petta also keeps himself busy as a producer. He is credited with producing albums for bands such as Midtown and Only Way Back. Perhaps his focus has been more on the production end at this point and Bigwig is more of a hobby to get out of the house. Who knows? I'm hoping that the band heads back in the studio and gives us some more material because Bigwig is a really good band. If you like your punk hardcore, with technical playing then you'd like Bigwig. I'd say their style is similar to that of bands like Propagandhi, Good Riddance, A Wilhelm Scream, Strike Anywhere and This Is A Standoff. Solid, solid punk rock band. Now let's get a new fuckin' album already guys!!!

TEN BIGWIG SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Flavor Ice
2. A War Inside
3. Sink Or Swim
4. Sellout
5. Sore Losers
6. Still
7. Hope
8. Outer Rings
9. Last Song, Last Call
10. Cheers

Song Of The Week: 4/15/18

Song: "In Search"

Artist: Pulley

Album: "Together Again For The First Time"

Year: 2001

Place Of Origin: Simi Valley, California

Years Active: 1994 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"In Search" appears to be a song about going back to your youth, mentally and physically, to not forget who you are and where you came from. You almost get the sense that the vocalist is talking to himself, or his younger self. He's trying to get back to the core of who he is, and what made him be what he has become. Kind of a "get back to your roots" song.

PULLEY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1996 - Esteem Driven Engine (Epitaph Records)
1997 - 60 Cycle Hum (Epitaph Records)
1999 - @#!* (Epitaph Records)
2001 - Together Again For The First Time (Epitaph Records)
2004 - Matters (Epitaph Records)
2005 - Beyond Warped (Immergent Records)
2016 - No Change In The Weather (Cyber Tracks Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF PULLEY:

In the early 90's, skate punk band Ten Foot Pole decided to part ways with their lead singer, Scott Radinsky, mainly so that they could tour and record more frequently. The problem was that Scott was also a Major League Baseball pitcher so for a long stretch of the year, he couldn't be there for the band. Radinsky's passion for punk rock music could not be contained however and in 1994, he formed the band Pulley. Quickly signed to legendary punk label, Epitaph Records, Pulley would drop five albums in an 8 year span. "Esteem Driven Engine", "60 Cycle Hum", "@#!*", "Together Again For The First Time" and "Matters" more than put Pulley on the southern California skate punk map! Then, the hiatus! From 2004 to 2016, Pulley managed to put out 2 EP's, "Time Insensitive Material" and "The Long And Short Of It" as well as a live album, "Beyond Warped". Radinsky's MLB career was winding down, but he took multiple jobs in the sport, mostly as pitching coach and bullpen coach, which he currently does for the Los Angeles Angels. 2016 saw the return of a brand new full length from Pulley, "No Change In The Weather". Despite the band's sporadic nature, this new album proves that Pulley still has their chops!. I remember back in 1996, I was at a listening station at the Tower Records in Boston, MA and for the first time, I checked out this band Pulley. From the first chords of "Cashed Out", I was hooked and have been a fan ever since. Besides my love of the Seattle sound, the skate punk bands were a huge part of my youth. Bands like Ten Foot Pole, No Use For A Name, Lagwagon, Good Riddance, Much The Same and Face To Face were right in my wheelhouse. And Pulley was right there with those bands for me. Awesome to see that these guys are still making great music. Much props to Scotty Radz!!!

TEN PULLEY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. The Ocean Song
2. If
3. Insects Destroy
4. Working Class Whore
5. Cashed In
6. In Search
7. No "I" In Team
8. Sick
9. Immune
10. Sick

Song Of The Week: 4/8/18

Song: "Hail To The King"

Artist: No Use For A Name

Album: "Live In A Dive"

Year: 2001

Place Of Origin: San Jose, California

Years Active: 1986 - 2012



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Hail To The King" appears to be a song about two different views of a sexual relationship. The girl doesn't really love the man, but loves what he can do for her. He has power and pull. She sees sex as a tool to get what she wants from him or out of him. The man sees her as just another number or notch in his belt. He has no feelings whatsover for her, but he knows he can have her so he does. It's just pure lust to him. The girl may regret her actions in the future, but in the present, she will do whatever she has to do to get where she wants. For my song of the week, I chose a live version of "Hail To The King" which appeared on No Use For A Name's live album, "Live In A Dive". The song has roots back to the band's 1988 self-titled EP, which featured Chris Dodge on vocals. The song was re-recorded for the band's debut full length album, "Incognito", as well with Tony Sly on vocals.

NO USE FOR A NAME DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1990 - Incognito (New Red Archives)
1992 - Don't Miss The Train (New Red Archives)
1993 - The Daily Grind (Fat Wreck Chords)
1995 - Leche Con Carne (Fat Wreck Chords)
1997 - Making Friends (Fat Wreck Chords)
1999 - More Betterness (Fat Wreck Chords)
2001 - Live In A Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
2002 - Hard Rock Bottom (Fat Wreck Chords)
2005 - Keep Them Confused (Fat Wreck Chords)
2008 - The Feel Good Record Of The Year (Fat Wreck Chords)
2017 - Rarities Vol. 1: The Covers (Fat Wreck Chords)

CURRENT STATUS OF NO USE FOR A NAME:

No Use For A Name formed as a band in 1986 and right from the jump, their was lots of inner turmoil with band members seemingly coming in and going out. But, in 1987, Tony Sly would join the band, originally as a guitarist. The band dropped a couple of EP's and by '89, songwriting and vocal duties would be turned over to Tony Sly. This is when things got serious for No Use, but not quite right off the bat. The band's first two albums, 1990's "Incognito" and 1992's "Don't Miss The Train" were clearly a band trying to find themselves and especially Tony Sly trying to find his voice. These albums were essentially hardcore punk albums. That's not quite what the band was however. In 1993, No Use hooked up with Fat Wreck Chords and released "The Daily Grind". You can start to hear a band coming together with this album. Soon after this album, punk rock began having a bit of a revival with bands like Green Day, Rancid, Bad Religion and The Offspring putting out massive hit albums. Fat Wreck would soon catch the wave, with bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, Swingin' Utters and No Use For A Name ready to corner the skate punk market. In 1995, No Use dropped "Leche Con Carne" and they had officially found their sound. The video for their song "Soulmate" started getting in rotation on MTV's alternative video show "120 Minutes". In fact, "Soulmate" was the very first video of any Fat Wreck Chord band to air on MTV. The band was at it's height during these next few years. The line-up of Tony Sly on guitar/vocals, Chris Shiflett on lead guitar, Matt Riddle on bass and Rory Koff on drums is really the definitive No Use line-up. I'll slide Dave Nassie in their as well as he took over lead guitar when Chris Shiflett joined the Foo Fighters. 1997's "Making Friends", 1999's "More Betterness" and 2001's "Hard Rock Bottom" are essential punk rock albums, period. To this point, Tony Sly's songwriting had been mostly personal as well as socially aware, but he hadn't been overly political. This changed with 2005's "Keep Them Confused". The band's last studio effort together would be 2008's "The Feel Good Record Of The Year". At this point, Sly was beginning to focus more on his solo career and doing acoustic shows. No Use would still play some shows and festivals, but you could tell Tony's heart was in his acoustic material. On July 31, 2012, tragedy befell the band when Tony Sly passed away in his sleep. Just a total black day in the world of punk rock music. The band obviously could no longer go on without Tony. They did perform four tribute concerts as No Use and Friends, most notably celebrating Tony's life at the 25th anniversary show for Fat Wreck Chords. Matt Riddle, Rory Koff, Chris Rest and Dave Nassie were joined by punk frontmen like Joey Cape (Lagwagon), Jason Cruz (Strung Out) and Fat Mike (NOFX) to perform No Use classics. In 2017, Fat Wreck released "Rarities Vol. 1: The Covers" which features the many songs that No Use covered over their career. The "Vol. 1" suggests that maybe there is more No Use material that will surface one day. No Use For A Name. Let me just say it. This is one of my favorite bands of all time. They are top 5 for me. In any genre. When I was younger, No Use was just the soundtrack. What set them apart for me was the songs. Tony Sly, in my mind, is the best songwriter in punk music. His lyrics were so strong and personal. His sense of melody was incredible. "Leche Con Carne", "Making Friends", "More Betterness" and "Hard Rock Bottom" are four of my favorite albums and to this day get heavy rotation in my car and on my itunes when i'm at home. These four albums are just greatness to me. If you don't think so, hey, that's your problem and your loss because those are classic albums. When Tony Sly passed away it left a hole in the music world. Definitely in my world. Selfishly, I want one more album. One more show. One more song. Still sad over his death but grateful he left us with a whole bunch of great songs.

TEN NO USE FOR A NAME SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. A Postcard Would Be Nice
2. Let Me Down
3. Chasing Rainbows
4. Friends Of The Enemy
5. Justified Black Eye
6. On The Outside
7. Soulmate
8. Invincible
9. Room 19
10. Biggest Lie

Song Of The Week: 4/1/18

Song: "Oh Yeah"

Artist: Ash

Album: "Live At The Wireless"

Year: 1997

Place Of Origin: Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

Years Active: 1992 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Oh Yeah" appears to be about the vocalist's very first romance. You get the sense that this is the very first girl that he was intimate with. He remembers everything about it, the beginning of summer, the warm wind, her swollen lips, her flowing hair, her kisses. Though the relationship didn't last, he never regrets it and looks back to it remembering every detail. Definitely a "first love" song. This version I chose for my song of the week is taken from Ash's 1997 live album, "Live At The Wireless". The original version of the song appears on the band's 1996 album "1977".

ASH DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1993 - Garage Girl (self-released)
1993 - Trailer (Infectious Records)
1996 - 1977 (Infectious Records)
1997 - Live At The Wireless (Death Star Records)
1998 - Nuclear Sounds (Infectious Records)
2001 - Free All Angels (Infectious Records)
2002 - Cosmic Debris (Infectious Records)
2004 - Meltdown (Infectious Records)
2007 - Twilight Of The Innocents (Infectious Records)
2010 - A-Z Vol. 1 (Atomic Heart Records)
2010 - A-Z Vol. 2 (Atomic Heart Records)
2015 - Kablammo! (Atomic Heart Records)
2016 - Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997 (Atomic Heart Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF ASH:

Ash formed as a band back in 1992, hailing from Northern Ireland. The band first began creating some noise with their song "Jack Names The Planets" but it was their 1996 album, "1977", that really put the band on the map thanks to the singles "Goldfinger", "Girl From Mars" and "Oh Yeah". That album quickly shot to number 1 on U.K. music charts and eventually went platinum. The band, then a trio of Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray, decided to add a second guitarist/vocalist to the line-up, Charlotte Hatherley. While releasing their next album, "Nuclear Sounds", Ash almost went bankrupt. It was their 2001 album, "Free All Angels", which once again thrusted Ash's popularity, especially in their native Ireland and in England. With singles like "Shining Light" and "Burn Baby Burn", "Free All Angels" also claimed a #1 spot in England and also sold platinum. After 2004's "Meltdown", the band decided to go back to being a trio and split amicably with Hatherley. In 2010, the band decided to release a single every two weeks. This was called the A to Z series, each single named relative to the letters of the alphabet. Eventually, the band released two albums which featured the 26 singles, "A-Z" volumes 1 and 2. At this time, it would also mark the band's relationship with Atomic Heart Records after pretty much spending the first 15 years as a band on Infectious Records. The band's last proper full length studio album was 2015's "Kablammo!" and their most recent release was a live album in 2016, "Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997". The band was touring in early 2017 in support of that live album. Ash has also confirmed that on May 18, 2018, their new album, "Islands", will be released. Ash broke on the music scene right at a time when Seattle's grunge was king but there was a burgeoning alternative rock movement that was creeping to the surface. Though they're from Ireland, they sometimes get tossed in with the Brit pop scene that was beginning to happen as well. Though they got some love in the United States, especially when "1977" came out, they were a pretty big deal in Europe, especially Ireland and England. Their style is alternative rock with definite hints of pop and at times punk. If you like the music of bands like Superdrag, Everclear, Donots, The Vines and Oasis, then you'd most likely enjoy Ash. Ash is one of my favorite bands, moreso when I was younger, but I still love their music. It's a shame that Charlotte isn't still in the band though. She added a dynamic to the band that I miss, especially her harmonizing background vocals that fit so well with Tim Wheeler's lead vocals. To this day still, when I hear "Goldfinger" or "Burn Baby Burn" I get excited. Definitely takes me back to my younger days getting loaded with good friends!!

TEN ASH SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Goldfinger
2. Burn Baby Burn
3. A Life Less Ordinary
4. Shining Light
5. Jesus Says
6. Starcrossed
7. What Deaner Was Talking About
8. Tracers (featuring Emmy The Great)
9. Cocoon
10. Warmer Than Fire