SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/27/22

SONG:  "Somebody To Love" (Queen cover)

ARTIST:  Foo Fighters

ALBUM:  None (live performance from Argentina. 3-20-2022)

YEAR:  2022

IN MEMORIAM

TAYLOR HAWKINS 

2/17/1972 - 3/25/2022

Wow. What a bad way to wake up today. A friend of mine sent a text saying that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away shortly before the band was supposed to play live in Colombia. Unreal. This dude seemed to be in such great shape and was always in great spirits it seemed. In every interview I saw of him he was always joking and happy and it just reflected off of him. So for this week of my song of the week blog, I choose to dedicate to Taylor Hawkins. This would be the last time he would perform live with the Foo's and fittingly, I chose their cover of Queen's "Somebody To Love". The band has performed this song many times live and it gives Taylor a chance to take the mic for lead vocals and allows Dave Grohl to get behind the drum kit. Taylor Hawkins was a huge Queen fan and over time formed a great friendship with Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor. He was also heavily influenced musically by The Police and Genesis as well. Taylor Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters in 1997. As the Foo's were recording "The Colour And The Shape", their current drummer William Goldsmith wasn't cutting it so Grohl completed the drum tracks for the album. When Goldsmith left, or was kicked out depending on what story you believe, Grohl was left looking for a new drummer. He met Taylor at an Alanis Morissette gig as Hawkins was her touring drummer. The two formed an instant connection and when Dave asked Taylor if he knew of any good drummers that could join the Foo Fighters, Hawkins didn't hesitate and said he would join. Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins would become the best of friends since that day as well as being bandmates. Selfishly, I hope Dave Grohl will continue on with the Foo Fighters. When he was in Nirvana anc Kurt Cobain killed himself, Dave wasn't quite sure he could ever play music again but eventually, it was that music that helped him get through. You could easily argue that this tragic death may hit him even harder. He and Taylor were best buds for over twenty years now. There are stories out there that Cobain's relationship with Grohl was lukewarm at best so Taylor's death must be crushing him right now. You could see how much these guys enjoyed each other's company in interviews that they've done together. You could just see their connection was pure. The Foo Fighters have been around for so long now and i've been a fan for so long that when something like this happens, it almost feels like you've lost a friend. There is not more than a few days that goes by that I'm not listening to a Foo Fighters song with Taylor Hawkins pounding away on the drums. And speaking of drums, what a testament to this guy for excelling and meeting the expectations of one of the greatest drummers in rock and roll history, Dave Grohl. Taylor didn't miss a beat when playing songs from the first two Foo albums that Grohl laid the studio drum tracks on and his contributions to the rest of their discography are outstanding. Taylor had the chops no doubt. His love for classic rock led him to form the cover band Chevy Metal which is a kick ass cover band. His love of 70's glam rock led him to form Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. And most recently he had formed a band with Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney called NHC. But his first love in music was always being behind his best friend Dave Grohl as the bad ass drummer of the Foo Fighters. Just 50 years old and gone way too soon. I don't know what the cause was and I'm sure all that stuff will come out soon. No matter what it is, it definitely sucks and my prayers go out to his wife and kids and his bandmates. Rest in peace Taylor Hawkins.

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/20/22

SONG:  "I And I"

ARTIST:  Bayside

ALBUM:  "Live At The Bayside Social Club"

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  New York City, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2000 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"I And I" appears to be a song about overcoming the feeling of being alone or feeling that you are less adequate. The vocalist appears to be taking control of his life in a positive way and he's showing those who were once like him that they too can feel a sense of purpose and a sense of community. And they can do this together. I chose the live version of "I And I" taken from Bayside's 2008 live album, "Live At The Bayside Social Club". The original version of the song can be found on the band's 2007 album "The Walking Wounded". 

BAYSIDE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2004 - Sirens And Condolences (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Bayside (Victory Records)

* peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200 on 9-10-05

2006 - Acoustic (Victory Records)

* peaked at #200 on the Billboard 200 on 3-18-06

2007 - The Walking Wounded (Victory Records)

* peaked at #75 on the Billboard 200 on 2-24-07

2008 - Live At The Bayside Social Club (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - Shudder (Victory Records)

* peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200 on 10-18-08

2011 - Killing Time (Wind-Up Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200 on 3-12-11

2014 - Cult (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200 on 3-8-14

2016 - Vacancy (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #69 on the Billboard 200 on 9-10-16

2019 - Interrobang (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #109 on the Billboard 200 on 10-19-19

MY THOUGHTS ON BAYSIDE:

Bayside formed as a band back in 2000, hailing from New York City, Queens to be exact. The band's early years resulted in a few EP's and specifically a demo that the band managed to pass on to the band New Found Glory, whose connections helped Bayside get their foot in the door. The band would eventually ink a deal with Victory Records which would last for four studio albums, a live album and an acoustic album. Bayside's debut album would be 2004's "Sirens And Condolences". The band started generating some buzz in pop punk circles with their single "Masterpiece". The began generating more success with their next album, 2005's "Bayside". The band finished out their Victory contract with the albums "The Walking Wounded" (2007) and "Shudder" (2008). In 2011, the band did a one off deal with Wind-Up Records for the release of "Killing Time". This album features the song "Already Gone" which happens to be my favorite track by Bayside. In 2014, Bayside signed a deal with Hopeless Records where they remain to this day. They have released three albums through Hopeless, 2014's "Cult", 2016's "Vacancy" and the last full length album they have released, 2019's "Interrobang". 2014's "Cult" is the band's highest charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at #24. Bayside's most recent release was the EP "Acoustic Vol. 3" which they put out in 2020. Bayside is a pop punk/melodic rock band at it's core. I think the vocal style of Anthony Raneri makes Bayside stick out amongst their peers. His vocal delivery just always made their sound unique to me. I got hooked on Bayside pretty much from their debut album, "Sirens And Condolences" but the lead single on their next album, "Devotion And Desire" really solidified my fandom for Bayside. I really don't think they've released a bad album. If I had to pick a favorite, I'm really fond of 2011's "Killing Time", perhaps it's because as I said earlier it has my favorite track by the band, "Already Gone". The band's first "Acoustic" album is really great as well. All in all, Bayside is a great band and definitely at the top of that melodic rock/pop punk food chain for sure.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Senses Fail

Alkaline Trio

I Am The Avalanche

Taking Back Sunday

Hawthorne Heights

TEN BAYSIDE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Already Gone

2. Winter

3. Devotion And Desire

4. Duality

5. Masterpiece

6. No One Understands

7. I've Been Dead All Day

8. Prayers

9. Time Has Come

10. Monster

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/13/22

SONG:  "Mother's Day"

ARTIST:  Dave Hause

ALBUM:  "September Haze" EP

YEAR:  2019

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

YEARS ACTIVE:  1995 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Mother's Day" appears to be a song about reflecting on mistakes made and regrets in a relationship and in life. But, what could tear this relationship apart is what is making them overcome and persevere through their problems. "Mother's Day" was written by Dave Hause just as he became sober and a lot of the pain and sorrow is reflected as he looks back at the suffering he caused to himself and more importantly to his family because of his alcoholism. In "Mother's Day", you sense that he can see a light at the end of the tunnel where things can finally get better.

DAVE HAUSE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Resolutions (Paper + Plastick Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Devour (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - Bury Me In Philly (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Kick (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2021 - Blood Harmony (Blood Harmony Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON DAVE HAUSE:

Dave Hause has been part of the Philadelphia punk rock scene dating back to the mid-90's. He first played in a band called Step Ahead which dissolved and some of the guys in that band formed The Curse, which was Dave's first foray into lead vocals. While in The Curse, Hause also played guitar and performed backup vocals with the band Paint It Black. In 2004, he formed his own band, The Loved Ones. The Loved Ones were Hause's main focus till about 2009 when he began touring solo, doing acoustic sets. In fact, Hause was one of the first people to hitch on with Chuck Ragan's "Revival Tours", which featured punk rock frontmen in more stripped down, acoustic sets. At this point, Hause was all in on doing his solo thing. His debut full length album was 2011's "Resolutions". On the strength of that album, Hause signed a deal with Rise Records. His first album through Rise was 2013's "Devour", which features my favorite song by Hause, "We Could Be Kings". Do yourself a favor and check out the acoustic version of that song. It's incredible. In 2017, Hause released "Bury Me In Philly". At this point, he formed a touring band called The Mermaid to play on his tours. The Mermaid features his brother Tim Hause as well. 2019's "Kick" would be his last album through Rise Records. Hause and his brother Tim formed their own record label, Blood Harmony Records, which they released Dave's most recent album, "Blood Harmony". Dave Hause is a beast! His roots are very much in punk rock and his songwriting is excellent. This dude can really write awesome melodic songs! I love The Loved Ones. I was, and still am, a little bit bummed that they have not released anything since 2009. I guess they aren't broken up as they still perform the odd show every now and again, but Dave Hause is clearly focused on his solo career. Though, he also performed in the band The All Brights in 2015 and the punk rock supergroup The Falcon, which also features Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms and Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio. I first learned of Dave's music from The Loved One's debut album back in 2006. "100K" is still one of my favorite songs. As for his solo stuff, as I said earlier, Hause is an incredible songwriter. I think "Devour" and "Bury Me In Philly" are phenomenal albums but all his stuff is aces. When I listen to how good his songs are and the crap that they play on the radio now, I wonder often what the Christ is wrong with people!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Brian Fallon

Chuck Ragan

The Gaslight Anthem

Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room

Sundowner

TEN DAVE HAUSE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. We Could Be Kings (acoustic version)

2. My Mistake

3. The Great Depression

4. Resolutions

5. Dirty Fucker

6. C'mon Kid

7. Gary

8. Saboteurs

9. Surfboard

10. Mother's Day

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/6/22

SONG:  "Homesick And Stable"

ARTIST:  Fort Street

ALBUM:  "Homesick And Stable"

YEAR:  2013

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Kingston, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2013 - 2015 ???

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Homesick And Stable" appears to be about a relationship between two people that go together like oil and water. It seems the two people have totally seperate visions of what their relationship actually is. Perhaps their only reason for being together is convienience. I don't have the lyrics to this song so i'm just trying to piece them together by listening so I could be totally wrong. Who knows?!!

FORT STREET DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

Fort Street has no full length releases.

MY THOUGHTS ON FORT STREET:

Fort Street formed as a band sometime around 2013. The band is from Kingston, NY. The band was signed to Broken English records who distributed the only release I know by them, 2013's "Homesick And Stable" EP. There's really not a whole lot to say about this band. They seemed to leave the scene as quick as they got in. The last that I found out about them is that they played a live show back in January of 2015 according to their Twitter and Facebook. Their bandcamp page only has their EP on it and there is not a whole lot of information out there about them. I assume they broke up in 2015. I found out about this band through the Dying Scene webpage which has been down for a few years but I'm psyched to hear that they may be back up this spring. I found out about a shitload of great bands through that site. As for Fort Street's sound? They're a melodic punk rock band. I dug their EP. I thought the band showed some promise and I was looking forward for more from them but like I said earlier, they've done nothing since early 2015.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Nightmares For A Week

Banquets

The Holy Mess

Blacklist Royals

Flirting With Disaster

TEN FORT STREET SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Sorry, they only have 5 songs that I know of!!

1. Pardon Me

2. Gasoline

3. Homesick And Stable

4. Heaven Sent

5. Forty Days