Song Of The Week: 10/28/18

Song: "Amber Changing"

Artist: Rise Against

Album: "Revolutions Per Minute"

Year: 2003

Place Of Origin: Chicago, Illinois

Years Active: 1999 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Amber Changing" is a song that appears to be about a relationship that has run it's course. The first verse kind of represents the relationship at it's end while the second verse shows that they are in fact separated. Even though the vocalist could see that this relationship wasn't going to last, he still has strong feelings for her. he's still trying to mend fences and she's still pushing him away. Despite their problems, he still feels that he'd rather be with her and hopes that one day, she'll feel the same.

RISE AGAINST DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2001 - The Unraveling (Fat Wreck Chords)
2003 - Revolutions Per Minute (Fat Wreck Chords)
2004 - Siren Song Of The Counter Culture (Geffen Records)
2006 - The Sufferer & The Witness (Geffen Records)
2008 - Appeal To Reason (DGC/Interscope Records)
2011 - Endgame (DGC/Interscope Records)
2013 - Long Forgotten Songs: B-sides & Covers 2000-2013 (Interscope Records)
2014 - The Black Market (Interscope Records)
2017 - Wolves (Virgin Records)
2018 - The Ghost Note Symphonies, Vol. 1 (Virgin Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF RISE AGAINST:

Joe Principe, formerly of punk band 88 Fingers Louie, had sights set on forming a new band. He found the perfect vocalist in Tim Mcllrath and Rise Against was formed. Now early on, it took some time to mesh Principe's aggressive punk rock to Mcllrath's darker vocals but before long, they would catch lightning in a bottle. The band quickly signed to Fat Wreck Chords and released "The Unraveling" in 2001 and "Revolutions Per Minute" in 2003. The latter album is when Rise Against really began to find their sound as a band. And the majors came calling. The band signed a deal with Dreamworks which they were really happy about, but not so happy when Dreamworks was bought out by Geffen Records. Either way, their 2004 major label debut, "Siren Song Of The Counter Culture" would reach #136 on the Billboard 200 charts and eventually go gold thanks to the hit singles "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away". 2006 saw a band that was comfortable live as well as in the studio and it showed with their album "The Sufferer & The Witness". Full of stomp along, sing alongs, this album reached #10 on the Billboard 200 charts and went platinum in Canada. In fact, very early on, Canada became a big time supporter of Rise Against. 2008 saw the band move to Interscope Records and the release of their highest charting album "Appeal To Reason", which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts. The single "Savior" would remain on the Modern Rock Charts for 65 weeks. In 2011, the band released "Endgame" which featured such social/political singles as "Help Is On The Way" and "Make It Stop (September's Children)". In 2013, the band released a b-sides and covers compilation called "Long Forgotten Songs" and in 2014 released their seventh full length studio album, "The Black Market". In 2017, the band moved to Virgin Records for the release of the album "Wolves" and their most recent release, 2018's "The Ghost Note Symphonies, Vol. 1", which features new acoustic takes on some of the band's classic songs. At it's heart, Rise Against is a hardcore, melodic punk band. But, their style couldn't be contained in that one genre and their songs eventually became accepted in mainstream rock circles. Of course, when this happens you get the people coming out of the cracks yelling about "sell outs" and what not, but Rise Against has never lost their fire. Many of their songs shine a light on various social injustices or political issues as well as personal issues. They use their voice and their platform to try to invoke some good and hope in a world gone mad at times. If you like bands like Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, Pennywise, AFI or Bad Religion, then you'd most likely enjoy the songs of Rise Against. I consider Tim Mcllrath one of the best vocalists in rock music today. That's any genre, period. The songwriting team of Mcllrath and Principe create anthems that are both melodic and heavy. Simply put, in my mind Rise Against is one of the best bands out there today. Definitely one of my favorite bands.

TEN RISE AGAINST SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Prayer Of The Refugee
2. Savior
3. Like The Angel
4. I Don't Want To Be Here Anymore
5. The Violence
6. Hero Of War
7. Swing Life Away
8. Everchanging
9. Death Blossoms
10. Satellite

Song Of The Week: 10/21/18

Song: "La Cerca"

Artist: Sparta

Album: "Porcelain"

Year: 2004

Place Of Origin: El Paso, Texas

Years Active: 2001 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"La Cerca" appears to be a song about opening yourself up to the realities of life going on around you. As you're young, there is a certain feeling of being safe within the walls of your house. But, outside of that window lies truths that are not so pretty. This song is kind of about gaining knowledge of the world outside, and some things you discover are hard to comprehend but, the more you learn, the more you grow as a human being.

SPARTA DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2002 - Wiretap Scars (DreamWorks Records)
2004 - Porcelain (Geffen Records)
2006 - Threes (Hollywood Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF SPARTA:

When legendary El Paso, Texas hardcore band At The Drive In called it quits, three members of that band, guitarist/vocalist Jim Ward, drummer Tony Hajjar and bassist Paul Hinojos decided to form a new band and Sparta was born. The band first broke on the scene with their debut EP "Austere" which showed a band who quite didn't have their sound figured out yet, but the promise was certainly there. In 2002, the band released it's first full length album through DreamWorks called "Wiretap Scars". This album earned the band an opening slot on Pearl Jam's 2003 tour. The band would release a live EP, "Live At La Zona", in 2004 which tried to capture the energy of the band's live performances. Sparta signed with Geffen for their next release, 2004's Porcelain. This album peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200 charts and featured the single "Breaking The Broken" which received modest radio play. By 2006, the band went through some line-up changes and vocalist Jim Ward was beginning to question whether or not he was going to continue on with the band. Luckily, "Threes" would be released that year featuring the great single, "Taking Back Control". The band toured in support of "Threes" but by 2008, Ward announced that the band was on hiatus and without a record label. Ward began working with his new band, Sleepercar, at this time. In 2011, however, Sparta reunited to perform some shows in their hometown of El Paso, Texas. Showing some signs of life, Sparta released a new song in 2012 called "Chemical Feel". At The Drive In decided to reunite in 2012 as well, perhaps putting a delay on new Sparta material. By 2016, however, Ward parted ways with At The Drive In and announced a new Sparta line-up. Two more songs were released as well. "Graveyard Luck" in 2017 and "Cat Scream" in 2018. With any luck, this is a sign that a new Sparta album is right around the corner. Sparta has it's roots in hardcore or post-hardcore. They possess a cleaner sound than what they had when the members were in At The Drive In, but it still is a sound that carries intensity and purpose. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of Sparta than At The Drive In. I think they are a really good band and they seemed like they were getting better and better with each album. I thought "Threes" was an incredible album and "Taking Back Control", to this day, is one of my favorite songs. This is yet another band that I can't believe didn't have more success. I'm glad that it seems Jim Ward is currently working on new Sparta material and I can't wait to see what the band sounds like in 2018. If you like bands like At The Drive In, Rival Schools, Thursday, Thrice or Finch, then you would probably like what you hear from Sparta. Check em out!!

TEN SPARTA SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Taking Back Control
2. Breaking The Broken
3. Air
4. While Oceana Sleeps
5. Cut Your Ribbon
6. Erase It Again
7. Collapse
8. Farewell Ruins
9. Untreatable Disease
10. Glasshouse Tarot

Song Of The Week: 10/14/18

Song: "Breach Birth"

Artist: Chevelle

Album: "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)"

Year: 2004

Place Of Origin: Grayslake, Illinois

Years Active: 1995 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Breach Birth" appears to be a song about not conforming to a pre-determined mold of what other people think that you should be. In an interview, the band claimed that this song takes a jab at things like "American Idol", where people are giving you a formula and a path that they believe you should follow to become successful. But, a real artist wants to bend the mold or go under the mold or even better, break the mold. They want to tweak and shape their own path and let their vision become their own vision, not what someone else expects them to be.

CHEVELLE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1999 - Point #1 (Squint Records)
2002 - Wonder What's Next (Epic Records)
2003 - Live From The Road (Epic Records)
2004 - This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In) (Epic Records)
2007 - Vena Sera (Epic Records)
2009 - Sci-Fi Crimes (Epic Records)
2011 - Hats Off To The Bull (Epic Records)
2011 - Any Last Words (Sony Music Entertainment)
2014 - La Gargola (Epic Records)
2016 - The North Corridor (Epic Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF CHEVELLE:

Hailing from Grayslake, Illinois, Chevelle got it's start as a band back in 1995 when brothers Pete Loeffler (guitar/vocals), Sam Loeffler (drums) and Joe Loeffler (bass) began playing music together when they were still in high school. After playing live locally and getting a demo out there, the band was signed by Squint Records who released their debut album "Point #1". Soon after the release of this album, the band's record label, Squint, folded. Luckily, their first album garnered them interest from Epic Records who quickly signed Chevelle. The pinnacle! The band's 2002 album "Wonder What Next" would prove to be the band's most successful album, debuting at #14 on the Billboard 200 charts and within a year, becoming certified platinum. Singles "The Red" and "Send The Pain Below" reached #3 and #1 respectively on the Mainstream Rock charts. The band's next album, 2004's "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)", debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 charts and also became certified gold. Singles "The Clincher" and "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)" reached #3 and #1 respectively on the Mainstream Rock charts as well. Joe Loeffler would leave the band, or get fired depending on who you ask, in 2005 and be replaced by Pete and Sam's brother-in-law Dean Bernardini on bass. 2007's "Vena Sera" would debut at #12 on the Billboard 200 and 2009's "Sci-Fi Crimes" would reach as high as #6. In 2011, Chevelle released "Hats Off To The Bull". This album received some positive critical reviews for being a much tighter product without losing the band's signature alternative metal sound. "Face To The Floor" would be yet another top 10 single for the band, reaching #3 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Continuing to be a hard working band, Chevelle would release "La Gargola" in 2014 and their most recent album release, 2016's "The North Corridor". The single "Joyride (Omen)" reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts, proving that the band is still relevant and vital. The band is set to release a b-sides compilation called "12 Bloody Spies" in late October of 2018. Call them alternative metal, nu metal or post grunge, whatever you want to label them, Chevelle is a pretty solid band. Vocally, Pete's singing is similar to Maynard James Keenan of Tool but Chevelle's style is more melodic than Tool while still retaining a heavy edge to it. If you enjoy bands like Staind, Seether, Taproot, Breaking Benjamin or Trapt then you would most likely enjoy the music of Chevelle. While Chevelle had radio hits like those bands I just mentioned, they always gave me the feel of an underground band. They never quite polished up their singles to crossover like some of those other bands seemed to do. Chevelle is a hard working band, releasing new material every 2 to 3 years and constantly touring. A clear case that good rock music is still alive and kicking amidst changing music landscapes.

TEN CHEVELLE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Face To The Floor
2. Send The Pain Below
3. The Clincher
4. The Red
5. Jars
6. Take Out The Gunman
7. Point #1
8. Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)
9. I Get It
10. Joyride (Omen)

Song Of The Week: 10/7/18

Song: "Slowdance On The Inside"

Artist: Taking Back Sunday

Album: "Where You Want To Be"

Year: 2004

Place Of Origin: Long Island, New York

Years Active: 1999 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

There are two possibilities of what I think that "Slowdance On The Inside" could be about. And both involve drama between band members involving a girl. One possibility is the song is aimed at guitarist John Nolan, who left Taking Back Sunday after a rocky relationship between his sister and TBS frontman Adam Lazzara. The other possibility is a shot against Taking Back Sunday founder and current frontman of Brand New, Jesse Lacey. Insults hurled between these two bands is nothing new. The backstory is that Nolan was caught making out with Lacey's then girlfriend. This prompted Lacey to leave the band, form Brand New and write a song called "Seventy Times 7", directed at Nolan. Taking Back Sunday fired back with "There's No 'I' In Team" directed at Lacey. Perhaps Lazzara joined in on the emo feud with "Slowdance On The Inside", which, right off the bat, references key lyrics from Brand New's "Soco Amaretto Lime". Ahh these silly emo kids!!

TAKING BACK SUNDAY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2002 - Tell All Your Friends (Victory Records)
2004 - Where You Want To Be (Victory Records)
2006 - Louder Now (Warner Bros. Records)
2007 - The Louder Now: Part Two (Warner Bros. Records)
2009 - New Again (Warner Bros. Records)
2010 - Live From Orensanz (Warner Bros. Records)
2011 - Taking Back Sunday (Warner Bros. Records)
2013 - TAYF10 Acoustic (Sorry Records)
2014 - Happiness Is (Hopeless Records)
2016 - Tidal Wave (Hopeless Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF TAKING BACK SUNDAY:

Taking Back Sunday formed as a band back in 1999, founded by guitarists Eddie Reyes and Jesse Lacey. John Nolan soon joined the band on guitar shifting Lacey to bass. Lacey would leave the band soon after due to incident with Nolan that I referred to previously. Adam Lazzara was originally brought in to take over bass duties but eventually would become the lead singer. The band dropped an EP which caught the ear of Victory Records who signed the band and would release their first two albums. "Tell All You Friends" dropped in 2002 as Taking Back Sunday got their musical feet wet. Eventually this album would sell over a million units worldwide. Making the album and constant touring proved to be too much for guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper as they left the band and would go on to form Straylight Run. Enter guitarist Fred Mascherino and bassist Matt Rubano. With a new line-up, Taking Back Sunday dropped their next album, "Where You Want To Be". This album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts and the singles "A Decade Under The Influence" and "This Photograph Is Proof" made Taking Back Sunday a band on the rise. 2006's "Louder Now" debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts and is still the bands most successful record. "MakeDamnSure" would pretty much become the band's signature song and the band's first three albums would all be certified gold. Fred Mascherino would leave the band after this release. 2009 saw the band release "New Again" and for the band's 2011 self-titled release, the "Tell All Your Friends" line-up would be reunited as John Nolan and Shaun Cooper rejoined the band. "Taking Back Sunday" would be the last album released through major label Warner Bros., who signed the band back in 2006. The band decided to go on a 10 year anniversary tour in support of "Tell All Your Friends" and released a live acoustic album called "TAYF10 Acoustic" as well to pay homage to their debut album. By 2014, the band would sign with famed punk/emo label Hopeless Records and drop "Happiness Is". The band's most recent release was 2016's "Tidal Wave", also through Hopeless Records. In 2018, original member and founder Eddie Reyes would leave the band in order to deal with his alcohol struggles. Taking Back Sunday could be considered pop punk, definitely emo or melodic pop rock. From 2002 to 2007, they were a band that seemed to be on the rise but by 2009, record sales began to decline big time. Again, a lot of this could be due to the way people consume music now. Album sales and cd sales aren't what they used to be. And there are so many ways to get songs on the internet, whether digitally or through streaming, that it's easy not to pay anything for music today. I look at Taking Back Sunday as a definite leader of it's genre. For a really good treat, check out their live acoustic album "Live From Orensanz" which is a stripped down masterpiece of an album in my mind. If you are into bands like The Starting Line, Armor For Sleep, The Early November, The Used or Bayside, then you would most likely enjoy the music of Taking Back Sunday so check em out if you haven't already!

TEN TAKING BACK SUNDAY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)
2. A Decade Under The Influence
3. MakeDamnSure
4. This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)
5. Liar (It Takes One To Know One)
6. Flicker, Fade
7. You're So Last Summer
8. Faith (When I Let You Down)
9. Tidal Wave
10. Sink Into Me