Song Of The Week: 9/30/18

Song: "Feiticeira"

Artist: Deftones

Album: "White Pony"

Year: 2000

Place Of Origin: Sacramento, California

Years Active: 1988 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Here is what the song "Feiticeira" is all about straight from Deftones lead singer Chino Moreno. "The name Feiticeira is some Portuguese name that I read in a magazine and just liked. It's based on the scenario of being taken captive. It's completely fictional. I want that people who listen to it feel like they are the ones in the situation. Because of that I sing it in first person. It's up to people to figure out if i'm having fun (with them) or not, even though it sounds a bit eerie".

DEFTONES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - Adrenaline (Maverick Records)
1997 - Around The Fur (Maverick Records)
2000 - White Pony (Maverick Records)
2003 - Deftones (Maverick Records)
2005 - B-Sides & Rarities (Maverick Records)
2006 - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick Records)
2010 - Diamond Eyes (Reprise Records)
2011 - Covers (Reprise Records)
2012 - Koi No Yokan (Reprise Records)
2016 - Gore (Reprise Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF DEFTONES:

The Deftones formed as a band as far back as 1988 when all the guys were in high school. After years of making demos, playing shows locally and working hard to get their name out there, they were finally rewarded and signed to Maverick Records. In 1995, the band released it's debut album, "Adrenaline". This album was basically recorded live in the studio. It definitely set the tone right out of the gate that the Deftones were a band that meant business. This album achieved platinum status by 2008. The follow up album, "Around The Fur", started to see a band that was more comfortable and experimental in the studio. This album peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 charts, thanks in part to the hit singles "My Own Summer" and "Be Quiet And Drive", and would also achieve platinum status. 2000 saw the band drop it's most successful album, the also certified platinum "White Pony". This album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling over 1.3 million units in the U.S. alone. The band also won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite". Success continued for the Deftones with album number four, "Deftones". Debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200, this album would also spend nine weeks in Billboard's Top 100. Though the 2006 album, "Saturday Night Wrist", would debut at #10 on the Billboard 200, record sales would eventually fall well below the band's previous albums. This could be due to the changing atmosphere in which music was getting out to the masses. More and more people were getting their music through free streams or other avenues over the internet so record sales in general began diminishing at this point for most bands, including the Deftones. Tensions were also creeping to the surface between band members at this time because of personal issues and musical directions. The band was, however, working on an album slated to be called "Eros" but in 2008, bassist Chi Cheng got into a serious car accident which basically left him in a minimally conscious state. The band had to push forward with new bassist, Sergio Vega, due to Cheng's condition. At this point, the band left Maverick and joined the Reprise label. Not a far leap as both Maverick and Reprise are subsidiaries of Warner Bros. 2010 saw the release of "Diamond Eyes", featuring the singles "Rocket Skates" and "Diamond Eyes", the latter doing well on rock radio. In 2012, the band released their seventh full length studio album, "Koi No Yokan". Some four months after the release of that album, Chi Cheng passed away from cardiac arrest. Vocalist Chino Moreno has stated that the never released album "Eros", the last album Cheng played on with the Deftones, will most definitely see the light at some point in the future. On the one year anniversary of Cheng's passing, Deftones released the song "Smile" which was recorded during the "Eros" sessions. The band's most recent release was 2016's "Gore" which featured the singles "Prayers/Triangles" and "Phantom Bride", the latter of which features a guitar solo from Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains. Deftones can be labeled many things. Some call them nu-metal. Some call them post-grunge or post-hardcore. Some even call them art rock or experimental rock. They have often been called "the Radiohead of metal" because of their experimental nature when it comes to their music. I know this, there were a lot of bands that tried carrying the torch from the Seattle grunge bands in the mid to late 90's and most of them failed and were really nothing more than watered down carbon copies of those Seattle bands. The Deftones were not one of those carbon copies. This band could stand on their own and had no problem standing side by side along the likes of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. For some reason, popular rock music started being won over by bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit and I always thought to myself, are these people stupid?!! Are they not listening to the Deftones?!! The Deftones should have been one of those bands that carried that rock torch into the 2000's and steamrolled. Don't get me wrong, they were successful, especially those first four albums, but they never seemed to get the credit I always believed they should have as one of the best rock bands on the planet. That being said, if you dig bands like Taproot, A Perfect Circle, Chevelle, Drowning Pool or Alice In Chains, then you would most likely enjoy the Deftones. Sick band!!

TEN DEFTONES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Digital Bath
2. Minerva
3. 7 Words
4. Tempest
5. Diamond Eyes
6. Change (In The House Of Flies)
7. My Own Summer (Shove It)
8. Prayers/Triagles
9. Hole In The Earth
10. No Ordinary Love (Sade cover)

Song Of The Week: 9/23/18

Song: "Hexagram"

Artist: Deftones

Album: "Deftones"

Year: 2003

Place Of Origin: Sacramento, California

Years Active: 1988 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Hexagram" is a song that appears to be about a suicide bomber. The vocalist speaks of how these extremists are brainwashed at an early age to believe that becoming a martyr is a beautiful thing, even encouraged by their own parents to take their own life and the lives of innocent people who happen to be near them at the wrong time. He speaks of the chaos in the streets and the panic and fear after the bomb goes off. What is it all for? The vocalist feels we should be protecting life not engaging in senseless acts of terrorism. After all, we are all human.

DEFTONES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - Adrenaline (Maverick Records)
1997 - Around The Fur (Maverick Records)
2000 - White Pony (Maverick Records)
2003 - Deftones (Maverick Records)
2005 - B-Sides & Rarities (Maverick Records)
2006 - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick Records)
2010 - Diamond Eyes (Reprise Records)
2011 - Covers (Reprise Records)
2012 - Koi No Yokan (Reprise Records)
2016 - Gore (Reprise Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF DEFTONES:

The Deftones formed as a band as far back as 1988 when all the guys were in high school. After years of making demos, playing shows locally and working hard to get their name out there, they were finally rewarded and signed to Maverick Records. In 1995, the band released it's debut album, "Adrenaline". This album was basically recorded live in the studio. It definitely set the tone right out of the gate that the Deftones were a band that meant business. This album achieved platinum status by 2008. The follow up album, "Around The Fur", started to see a band that was more comfortable and experimental in the studio. This album peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 charts, thanks in part to the hit singles "My Own Summer" and "Be Quiet And Drive", and would also achieve platinum status. 2000 saw the band drop it's most successful album, the also certified platinum "White Pony". This album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling over 1.3 million units in the U.S. alone. The band also won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite". Success continued for the Deftones with album number four, "Deftones". Debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200, this album would also spend nine weeks in Billboard's Top 100. Though the 2006 album, "Saturday Night Wrist", would debut at #10 on the Billboard 200, record sales would eventually fall well below the band's previous albums. This could be due to the changing atmosphere in which music was getting out to the masses. More and more people were getting their music through free streams or other avenues over the internet so record sales in general began diminishing at this point for most bands, including the Deftones. Tensions were also creeping to the surface between band members at this time because of personal issues and musical directions. The band was, however, working on an album slated to be called "Eros" but in 2008, bassist Chi Cheng got into a serious car accident which basically left him in a minimally conscious state. The band had to push forward with new bassist, Sergio Vega, due to Cheng's condition. At this point, the band left Maverick and joined the Reprise label. Not a far leap as both Maverick and Reprise are subsidiaries of Warner Bros. 2010 saw the release of "Diamond Eyes", featuring the singles "Rocket Skates" and "Diamond Eyes", the latter doing well on rock radio. In 2012, the band released their seventh full length studio album, "Koi No Yokan". Some four months after the release of that album, Chi Cheng passed away from cardiac arrest. Vocalist Chino Moreno has stated that the never released album "Eros", the last album Cheng played on with the Deftones, will most definitely see the light at some point in the future. On the one year anniversary of Cheng's passing, Deftones released the song "Smile" which was recorded during the "Eros" sessions. The band's most recent release was 2016's "Gore" which featured the singles "Prayers/Triangles" and "Phantom Bride", the latter of which features a guitar solo from Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains. Deftones can be labeled many things. Some call them nu-metal. Some call them post-grunge or post-hardcore. Some even call them art rock or experimental rock. They have often been called "the Radiohead of metal" because of their experimental nature when it comes to their music. I know this, there were a lot of bands that tried carrying the torch from the Seattle grunge bands in the mid to late 90's and most of them failed and were really nothing more than watered down carbon copies of those Seattle bands. The Deftones were not one of those carbon copies. This band could stand on their own and had no problem standing side by side along the likes of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. For some reason, popular rock music started being won over by bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit and I always thought to myself, are these people stupid?!! Are they not listening to the Deftones?!! The Deftones should have been one of those bands that carried that rock torch into the 2000's and steamrolled. Don't get me wrong, they were successful, especially those first four albums, but they never seemed to get the credit I always believed they should have as one of the best rock bands on the planet. That being said, if you dig bands like Taproot, A Perfect Circle, Chevelle, Drowning Pool or Alice In Chains, then you would most likely enjoy the Deftones. Sick band!!

TEN DEFTONES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Digital Bath
2. Minerva
3. 7 Words
4. Tempest
5. Diamond Eyes
6. Change (In The House Of Flies)
7. My Own Summer (Shove It)
8. Prayers/Triagles
9. Hole In The Earth
10. No Ordinary Love (Sade cover)

Song Of The Week: 9/16/18

Song: "Darkside Lightside"

Artist: Ash

Album: "Meltdown Live"

Year: 2004

Place Of Origin: Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

Years Active: 1992 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Darkside Lightside" is a song that appears to be about meeting someone or having a relationship with someone who makes you nostalgic about older, easier times. Perhaps this person seems to trigger old memories for the vocalist and feelings that over the years, he has forgotten. These are definitely good feelings for the vocalist, almost as if she makes him feel like she is his first love again. Her smile brings those feelings and memories back. This version of "Darkside Lightside" was recorded live during Ash's U.K. "Clones" tour. The original version of the song can be found on the 1996 Ash 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)
2018 - Islands (Infectious 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: 9/9/18

Song: "Moby Dick"

Artist: Led Zeppelin

Album: "How The West Was Won"

Year: 2003

Place Of Origin: London, England

Years Active: 1968 - 1980



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Moby Dick" has no lyrics. The song essentially is a showcase for what a bad ass John Bonham is on the drum kit!! Starting off with a bluesy riff, "Moby Dick" eventually leaves Bonham to himself for a LONG drum solo. Bonham has always been considered one of the best, if not THE best drummer in rock and roll and "Moby Dick" is part of the evidence in his favor along with the entire Zeppelin music catalog. This was a live performance of the song which was recorded on June 25, 1972 at the L.A. Forum but wasn't released until 2003 as part of Led Zeppelin's triple disc live album, "How The West Was Won". The studio version of "Moby Dick" is on the 1969 album "Led Zeppelin II".

LED ZEPPELIN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1969 - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic Records)
1969 - Led Zeppelin II (Atlantic Records)
1970 - Led Zeppelin III (Atlantic Records)
1971 - Led Zeppelin IV (Atlantic Records)
1973 - Houses Of The Holy (Atlantic Records)
1975 - Physical Graffiti (Swan Song Records)
1976 - The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song Records)
1976 - Presence (Swan Song Records)
1979 - In Through The Out Door (Swan Song Records)
1982 - Coda (Swan Song Records)
1997 - BBC Sessions (Atlantic Records)
2003 - How The West Was Won (Atlantic Records)
2012 - Celebration Day (Atlantic Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF LED ZEPPELIN:

Formed in 1968 out of the ashes of The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records before the label even saw the band play. Atlantic also gave Zeppelin total creative freedom when it came to recording their music. With the release of their debut self-titled album in 1969, Led Zeppelin took blues driven songs, amped them up, and gave them a heavy bottom, thanks to the drumming of John Bonham. In the very same year, Zeppelin released "Led Zeppelin II". Recorded during breaks from touring, "Led Zeppelin II" is an iconic album. From the opening riff of "Whole Lotta Love" to the fiery "Bring It On Home" to close out the album, "Zeppelin II" would mark the first time a Zeppelin record would reach #1 on the Billboard charts. It would not be the last however. In fact, the next six studio albums that Zeppelin would release would hit #1. 1970's "Led Zeppelin III" showed a departure in style and the diversity the band had. This album almost had a folksy feel at times, featuring more acoustic guitars on the majority of songs. Then there was 1971. An album with no title, most often called "Led Zeppelin IV" by fans, exploded on the music scene. This album incorporated heavy songs like the first two albums and some acoustic tracks like "Zeppelin III". Side 1 says it all. "Black Dog", "Rock And Roll", "The Battle Of Evermore" and "Stairway To Heaven"!! Are you shitting me?!! And Side 2 is no slouch either with tracks like "Going To California" and "When The Levee Breaks". This album is closing in on reaching 3X Diamond status!! What does that mean? That's almost 40 million sold!! Zeppelin was officially the king of the hard rock mountain at this time. The band's next two albums, 1973's "Houses Of The Holy" and 1975's "Physical Graffiti" have also achieved Diamond status, over 10 million sold for each. Injuries suffered during a car accident made it virtually impossible for lead singer Robert Plant to tour after "Physical Graffiti" was released so the band put out a video and album titled "The Song Remains The Same", highlighting live performances and behind the scenes footage featuring all the band members. While recording their next album, 1976's "Presence", Plant was still confined to a wheelchair. Jimmy Page, guitarist for the band, was also falling into a heroin addiction at this time as well. You can see it was affecting the band not only on "Presence", but also on their next album "In Through The Out Door". Jimmy Page, who was so actively involved in the songwriting processes of all the albums up to "Presence", was not putting as much into the band as he was before. "In Through The Out Door" is basically a Robert Plant and John Paul Jones (bassist, keyboards) album. While both albums have some great tracks, "Achilles Last Stand" and "Fool In The Rain" to name a few, they both seem to be missing some teeth that their earlier albums had. On September 25, 1980, tragedy struck the band when John Bonham died from choking on his own vomit after a full day of heavy drinking. That was the day that Led Zeppelin ended as the remaining band members refused to replace Bonham out of respect for him as a friend and from the fact that he was basically irreplaceable in that band. Zeppelin released "Coda" in 1982 which basically featured some unreleased tracks mostly recorded earlier in the band's career. Led Zeppelin only reunited on four one-off occasions. 1985's "Live Aid" concert. 1988's Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show. 1995's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. And probably the biggest event for the band, the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert which featured Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham's son Jason for a full on concert at London's O2 Arena. This show would be captured for a CD/DVD release called "Celebration Day". This unfortunately would mark the last time that Led Zeppelin has performed together. Rumors are that Page, Jones and Jason Bonham wanted to do a full Zeppelin tour and possibly even create new music but for whatever reason, Plant does not want to commit to that. Many say that The Beatles are the most important band in rock and roll and I can agree with that. But when it comes to hard rock? Led Zeppelin is the most important band to that genre. Zeppelin had an edge and a mystery about them. They almost felt dangerous. They took American blues and injected an aggression and a sexual tension into it. They had the ability to change styles from blues, to metal, to hard rock, to folk, to Indian inspired music. Robert Plant is the epitome of a front man. He had crowds eating out of the palm of his hands and he could channel Janis Joplin with his screams. Jimmy Page, one of the most influential guitarists of all time. The riff master!! Bluesy and powerful. One of the most iconic songwriters of all time. John Paul Jones. Underrated. Slick bass player and superb multi-instrumentalist. John Bonham. The backbone. One of, if not the greatest drummer of all time. Heavy on the kit. Ferocious drummer. The albums. Zeppelin's first six albums could be on any "best of all time" list. You talk about front to back, every song is killer, amazing music. I'm gonna list my 10 top songs at the bottom of this blog, but those could change daily really. This band just has so many awesome songs! Simply put, Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest musical artists of all time!

TEN LED ZEPPELIN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Immigrant Song
2. Kashmir
3. Whole Lotta Love
4. Travelling Riverside Blues
5. When The Levee Breaks
6. The Battle Of Evermore
7. Going To California
8. What Is And What Should Never Be
9. Over The Hills And Far Away
10. Thank You

Song Of The Week: 9/2/18

Song: "On Legendary"

Artist: Further Seems Forever

Album: "How To Start A Fire"

Year: 2003

Place Of Origin: Pompano Beach, Florida

Years Active: 1998 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"On Legendary" is a song that appears to be about finding that special someone that completes your life and makes you feel whole. You get the sense that the vocalist feels that his life has really begun the moment he and his girl became one. She is his true soulmate.

FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2001 - The Moon Is Down (Tooth & Nail Records)
2003 - How To Start A Fire (Tooth & Nail Records)
2004 - Hide Nothing (Tooth & Nail Records)
2007 - The Final Curtain (567 Records)
2012 - Penny Black (Rise Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER:

Further Seems Forever formed as a band back in 1998, hailing from Pompano Beach, Florida. When Christian hardcore band Strongarm dissolved, the band members sought out a new lead singer and a change of direction musically. Enter Chris Carrabba. The band's very first release was a song called "Vengeance Factor" which appeared on a 1999 compilation cd. After dropping an EP the very same year, Carrabba was already set to work on his own project, Dashboard Confessional. He did however lay down the vocals for Further Seems Forever's debut full length album, "The Moon Is Down". Shortly after the release of this album, Carrabba announced his departure from the band. Enter Jason Gleason. Gleason was the lead singer of a band called Affinity which had recently disbanded. He was asked to replace Carrabba on vocals for the band's second album, 2003's "How To Start A Fire". This would prove to be a short-lived stint with the band as inner turmoil between band members would lead to Gleason's departure. Enter Jon Bunch. Bunch was the lead singer of the band Sense Field which had recently broke up. He joined Further Seems Forever for the release of 2004's "Hide Nothing". By 2006, Further Seems Forever appeared to have burned out. Many of the band members wanted to focus on their families and it seemed that being in a band full time was not in the cards for everyone involved. The band released a live album called "The Final Curtain" in 2007 that was supposed to close the book on Further Seems Forever as a band. Chris Carrabba and Jon Bunch formed a band called Fields Forever in which they toured and performed acoustic renditions of Further Seems Forever songs. In 2010, Carrabba decided to reform "The Moon Is Down" Further Seems Forever line-up and the band released their fourth full length studio album, "Penny Black" in 2012. In 2015, Jason Gleason rejoined the band for some live shows. In 2016 tragedy befell the band as former vocalist Jon Bunch had died on January 31st, his death ruled a suicidal overdose. As of the current date, it appears Carrabba is still the vocalist for the band. Not sure if Gleason is also still a part of the band or not. Further Seems Forever is considered a Christian emo band. They spent their early years on famed Christian label Tooth & Nail Records. The band members however, don't like to be labeled as Christian as it tends to pidgeonhole them into one criteria. As for similar sounding artists, Further Seems Forever could be lumped in with bands such as The Early November, Hot Rod Circuit, Armor For Sleep, Sense Field and Acceptance. For me personally, I prefer the Gleason era of Further Seems Forever. I just prefer his vocal style compared to Carrabba and Bunch, not that those two guys are bad. "How To Start A Fire" is just my favorite album by the band. Further Seems Forever is a decent band, not my favorite by any stretch, but not a bad band. It's been quite a stretch of time, 6 years, since their last album and not much news out there as to whether they are working on new material. They have played live over the last few years so, they do remain active.

TEN FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. How To Start A Fire
2. The Sound
3. Light Up Ahead
4. So Cold
5. Vengeance Factor
6. Hide Nothing
7. On Legendary
8. The Moon Is Down
9. Janie
10. New Year's Project