Song Of The Week: 3/1/20

Song: "(Memento Mori)"

Artist: Tim Barry

Album: "28th & Stonewall"

Year: 2010

Place Of Origin: Richmond, Virginia

Years Active: 1990 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"(Memento Mori)" appears to be a song about always keeping in motion, or moving forward. Sometimes life can get stagnant, but the vocalist seems at ease when he in on the road. No surprise this thinking comes from Tim Barry, a guy who is constantly on the road playing shows. There's a sense that, as long as you have time, you can strive to reach new goals that you set for yourself so, keep pushing forward and accomplish as much as you can before you die!

TIM BARRY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Rivanna Junction (Suburban Home Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2008 - Manchester (Suburban Home Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2010 - 28th & Stonewall (Suburban Home Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2012 - 40 Miler (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2013 - Laurel St. Demo 2005 & Live At Munford Elementary (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2014 - Raising Hell & Living Cheap: Live In Richmond (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2014 - Lost & Rootless (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2017 - High On 95 (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2019 - The Roads To Richmond (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON TIM BARRY:

Tim Barry has been making music since 1990. Most notably, the Richmond, Virginia native made his mark as the lead singer for the legendary underground hardcore punk band Avail. Avail dropped six full length albums and several live albums and EP's right up till 2007 when they took a long hiatus. It was during this time that Barry began embarking on a solo career. This was somewhat of a trend for punk rock frontmen I'd say around the mid 2000's. They packed up their acoustic guitar and began performing stripped down sets. Some performed their band's songs in an acoustic setting, while others just pursued creating new songs to highlight this new stage in their musical careers. Tim Barry was the latter. Barry's songs are honest portrayals of life on the road, keeping family close and the struggle to make ends meet. His songwriting paints portraits. You almost feel as if you can picture the places he's singing about in your head. I was a casual fan of Avail, but when I got "Rivanna Junction", I was hooked! I think Barry's solo work blows Avail away. And i'm not a big country/folk fan either. I do respect old outlaw country like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson. I think Tim Barry captures some elements of their music. It's brutally honest and painful and hard. Not hard in the sense of heavy music, but that life is hard and Tim Barry captures the struggle super poetically. When you're talking about acoustic/folk/punkers, Tim Barry is right up on the top of the mountain with Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music in my opinion. These two guys got their shit together in this particular genre. Tim Barry's been pretty much releasing new solo albums every 2 to 3 years with his most recent being 2019's "The Roads To Richmond". He also found time for a reunion tour with Avail in 2019, but there is no news as to whether those hardcore legends will create new music in the future.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Chuck Ragan
Dave Hause
Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room
Sundowner
Mike Ness

TEN TIM BARRY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Avoiding Catatonic Disaster
2. Thing Of The Past
3. No News From The North
4. Idle Idylist
5. South Hill
6. 40 Miler
7. Giving Up
8. Driver Pull
9. Wait At Milano
10. High On 95

Song Of The Week: 2/23/20

Song: "Good Enough For Rock And Roll"

Artist: Chuck Ragan

Album: "Gold Country"

Year: 2009

Place Of Origin: Gainesville, Florida

Years Active: 1993 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Good Enough For Rock And Roll" appears to be a song about life on the road, loading up the truck or van with your gear and heading to the next town to set up and play a show. Then you break it down, load it up and drive to the next town and do it all over again. It's the life of a touring musician. If you stay in one place too long, it probably means you're ready to die so keep loading up that truck!!

CHUCK RAGAN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2007 - Feast Or Famine (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2007 - Los Feliz (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2007 - The Blueprint Sessions (No Idea Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2008 - Bristle Ridge w/ Austin Lucas (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2009 - Live At Hafenkneipe Zurich (Leech Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2009 - Gold Country (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2011 - Covering Ground (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2011 - Live At Cafe Du Nord (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2014 - Live At Skaters Palace (Uncle M Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2014 - Till Midnight (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2016 - The Flame In The Flood (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

2016 - The Winter Haul Live w/ The Camaraderie (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON CHUCK RAGAN:

For those who know, Chuck Ragan is more well known as the guitarist/vocalist of seminal Gainesville, Florida punk outfit Hot Water Music. Hot Water made their bones as a live act, kind of considered the Bruce Springsteen of punk bands when it came to their live performances. In the late 90's, Ragan and fellow Hot Water bandmate Chris Wollard started an acoustic project called Rumbleseat which was probably the seed for Chuck to pursue a solo career a little later on. In 2005, Hot Water Music actually disbanded with Ragan pursuing a solo/acoustic career and the other three members of the band forming The Draft. This would be a short-lived hiatus as Hot Water Music would get back together, create new music, release new material and still go on tours. Ragan does manage to split his time between his band and his solo material however. In 2005, Ragan came up with the idea of touring with like-minded musicians performing acoustic sets and allowing for jams and collaborations by all the artists on the tour. This was The Revival Tour and it was awesome!! Fellow punk rock frontment like Tim Barry (Avail), Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!), Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem), Dave Hause (The Loved Ones), Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio) and many more often joined The Revival Tour and it proved to be a great time for not only the audience, but the artists themselves. In 2014, when Ragan released his "Till Midnight" album, he chose to work with a full band, albeit still with an acoustic feel. He dubbed that band The Camaraderie. Chuck Ragan's a beast man!! I almost like his solo stuff better than Hot Water Music, and Hot Water Music is great. I love the dude's gruffy vocals and he's a great songwriter. The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon often is cited as the "Bruce Springsteen" of punk rock because of his Jersey connection, but in my mind, Chuck Ragan is punk rock's "Boss"! Ragan was kind of at the forefront of the whole punk rock frontman going acoustic craze that's been going on since the mid-2000's. And I place him in the top tier of that genre for sure.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Dave Hause
Tim Barry
Brian Fallon
Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room
Sundowner

TEN CHUCK RAGAN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Meet You In The Middle
2. Something May Catch Fire
3. Pretty Good Year (The Loved Ones cover)
4. Symmetry
5. For Broken Ears
6. The Boat
7. Let It Rain
8. Revival Road
9. The Fire, The Steel, The Tread
10. Non Typical

Song Of The Week: 2/16/20

Song: "Lost In You"

Artist: Three Days Grace

Album: "Life Starts Now"

Year: 2009

Place Of Origin: Norwood, Ontario, Canada

Years Active: 1997 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Lost In You" appears to be a post break-up song. It shines a light on how two people in a relationship can see it's demise very differently. The vocalist is still very much in love with the girl, almost infatuated with her, like he is nothing without her. The girl, on the other hand, seems more than content with no longer having a relationship with the vocalist. He wants to "get lost in her". She prefers he just get lost!!

THREE DAYS GRACE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2003 - Three Days Grace (Jive Records)
* #69 on Billboard 200
* certified 2X platinum

2006 - One-X (Jive Records)
* #5 on Billboard 200
* certified 3X platinum

2009 - Life Stars Now (Jive Records/Sony Music)
* #3 on Billboard 200
* certified platinum

2012 - Transit Of Venus (RCA Records)
* #5 on Billboard 200

2015 - Human (RCA Records)
* #16 on Billboard 200

2018 - Outsider (RCA Records)
* #24 on Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THREE DAYS GRACE:

Three Days Grace, the alternative metal/post-grunge/alternative rock type band from Canada, actually formed out of the ashes of the band Groundswell which formed in 1992 and featured Adam Gontier (vocals/guitar), Brad Walst (bass) and Neil Sanderson (drums) as well as two other members. That band broke up in 1995 and Gontier, Walst and Sanderson decided to carry on as a band and in 1997, Three Days Grace was formed. This band was very successful right out of the gate. Their first three albums went double platinum, triple platinum and platinum respectively. All six of their albums charted on the Billboard 200, three of which landed in the top five! Unfortunately, after four albums in which he poured his soul into the songs, lead vocalist/guitarist Adam Gontier abruptly left the band, basically saying that he just wanted to start a new chapter in his life. Bassist Brad Walst recruited his brother Matt, who was singing for the band My Darkest Days, to become the new lead vocalist of Three Days Grace. With Matt in tow, the band has dropped two more albums, the most recent being 2018's "Outsider". Three Days Grace is very active as a band, having dropped a new album consistently every three years. They are also one of the more successful rock acts of the early 2000's to the present. In fact, Three Days Grace holds the record for having the most #1 songs (15) on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, edging out Van Halen who had 13 #1's. I've been a fan of Three Days Grace since they dropped their self-titled debut album in 2003. I have to admit, I wasn't happy when Gontier left the band. It's hard when the voice of the band leaves. Only a few bands seem like they can pull it off. Three Days Grace has done a good job with that as Matt Walst has been a good replacement but nothing can touch those first four albums with Gontier at the helm. Just as I spoke highly of Breaking Benjamin for last week's blog, I believe that Three Days Grace is a top tier alt metal/rock, post-grunge band as well.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Thousand Foot Krutch
Breaking Benjamin
Seether
Trapt
Finger Eleven

TEN THREE DAYS GRACE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Animal I Have Become
2. I Hate Everything About You
3. Break
4. Home
5. World So Cold
6. Never Too Late
7. Chalk Outline
8. I Am Machine
9. The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)
10. Infra-Red

Song Of The Week: 2/9/20

Song: "Into The Nothing"

Artist: Breaking Benjamin

Album: "Dear Agony"

Year: 2009

Place Of Origin: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Years Active: 1999 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

This is what the lead singer and songwriter of Breaking Benjamin, Benjamin Burnley had to say about "Into The Nothing". "It's a little reflective of what's going on in the country right now, and it's a little reflective of the camaraderie of our armed forces. You could apply it to that, or you could apply it to a relationship. Leaving things vague is actually harder than people think, and that's something that sobriety has helped with too. It's really easy to write about a subject because you have that subject to go off of. I really take great efforts so that it's vague enough to mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I'm the sole lyric writer in the band so every album is a reflection of what I'm going through at the time or what I was thinking."

BREAKING BENJAMIN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2002 - Saturate (Hollywood Records)
* did not chart on Billboard 200
* certified gold

2004 - We Are Not Alone (Hollywood Records)
* #20 on Billboard 200
* certified platinum

2006 - Phobia (Hollywood Records)
* #2 on Billboard 200
* certified platinum

2009 - Dear Agony (Hollywood Records)
* #4 on Billboard 200
* certified platinum

2015 - Dark Before Dawn (Hollywood Records)
* #1 on Billboard 200
* certified gold

2018 - Ember (Hollywood Records)
* #3 on Billboard 200

2020 - Aurora (Hollywood Records)
* #29 on Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BREAKING BENJAMIN:

Breaking Benjamin is an alternative metal/post-grunge/melodic rock type of band. This Pennsylvania product is really the brainchild on their lead singer/guitarist Benjamin Burnley who acts as the chief songwriter and producer. Also by the fact that the band has gone through two complete line-up changes over the years. A lot of the band's lyrics and themes are dark, mostly because of Burnley's prior bouts with alcholism and his several phobias. The band has sold over 7 million albums worldwide and has had three of their albums certified platinum, making them one of the more successful alternative metal acts out there since the year 2000. For me personally, I gravitated towards the band after getting their "We Are Not Alone" album in 2004. All of their albums are very good though. They are definitely one of the top bands in alternative metal/post-grunge in my mind. Plus, they are very active. They had one 6 year lull between albums, but for the most part, they drop new music every 2 to 3 years with their most recent effort 2020's "Aurora", which is an album featuring their songs re-worked as acoustic numbers. Breaking Benjamin is a top tier alternative metal/post-grunge band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Three Days Grace
Seether
Trapt
Staind
Thousand Foot Krutch

TEN BREAKING BENJAMIN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. The Diary Of Jane
2. So Cold
3. I Will Not Bow
4. Lights Out
5. Breath
6. Failure
7. Red Cold River
8. Sooner Or Later
9. Polyamorous
10. Torn In Two

Song Of The Week: 2/2/20

Song: "Small Desert Town"

Artist: Tumbledown

Album: "Arrested In El Paso Blues" 7" single

Year: 2010

Place Of Origin: Bremerton, Washington

Years Active: 2007 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Small Desert Town" appears to be a song about being stuck in a, for lack of a better term, small desert town where the only entertainment, or perhaps salvation, you have is to drink like a fish and maybe even get into some fisticuffs! Though the vocalist describes the town as hell, he'll get up the next day and do the exact same thing again. Good, "get into the booze" type of song!!

TUMBLEDOWN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - Mike Herrera's Tumbledown (End Sounds Records)
2010 - Live In Tulsa (End Sounds Records)
2010 - Empty Bottle (End Sounds Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF TUMBLEDOWN:

Tumbledown is a country/folk side-project for MxPx frontman Mike Herrera. In 2005, he wrote the song "Late Again" for MxPx's "Panic" album. This was his first foray into country style writing and really was the impetus for his Tumbledown project. He enlisted the help of Jack Parker, Marshall Trotland and Harley Trotland, also know as the Rocky Point All Stars, and created his country side project. The band was officially formed in 2007. They released three songs that year, all of which appeared on their debut EP, "Atlantic City" in 2008. The band's first full length studio album was 2009's "Mike Herrera's Tumbledown". Initially, that's how the band was referred to as, but after that album they shortened down to just Tumbledown. In 2010, the band released a live album called "Live In Tulsa" and later that year, they released their sophomore studio album, "Empty Bottle". Most recently, Tumbledown appeared on the 2014 Warped Tour. As I said before, this is a side project for Mike Herrera and in the last few years, he's been more involved with his main gig, MxPx. Tumbledown is basically a country/folk/acoustic type band and with Mike Herrera being the main songwriter and vocalist, it will always have that pop/skate punk edge to it. If you're a fan of MxPx, this is a cool little project. Herrera just writes cool, fun, melodic and catchy songs and Tumbledown is no different. This is my kind of country music. Probably because I'm not a huge fan of country music. I gotta give it to these punk musicians who have dabbled in country though. They pay homage to Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Woody Guthrie. Outlaw country! Not like this crossover, mainstream crap that's out there today. If you like the music of Chuck Ragan, 500 Miles To Memphis, Arliss Nancy, Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants or Mike Ness, you would most likely enjoy Tumbledown. Just put your shit kickin' cowboys boots on before checkin' em out!!

TEN TUMBLEDOWN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Empty Bottle
2. Son Of A Gun
3. Butcher Of San Antone
4. Let's Drink
5. Arrested In El Paso Blues
6. Sunny In Dallas
7. Small Desert Town
8. She's In Texas (And I'm Insane)
9. Lonesome
10. American Band (Grand Funk Railroad cover)