This is a weekly blog to let you in on what song and/or band that i've been feeling for that particular week. Music will always be a very important part of my life. I see it as the soundtrack for memories that bring you back to a certain place and time and new songs help to create new memories. Hope you enjoy!! :)
Here's what Vinnie Caruana said "I Don't Believe You" is about. "I Don't Believe You' is a celebration of wisdom. With age, I've gained wisdom and the ability to see through the bullshit. I don't have time to waste on dishonesty, cruelty, pettiness, or the unreliable. Life is too utterly precious and short. The title is a nod to my favorite band The Magnetic Fields. Liberty from bullshit in 2016? One can only hope."
VINNIE CARUANA DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2016 - Survivor's Guilt (Equal Vision Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2020 - Live At The Black Heart (Big Scary Monsters Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON VINNIE CARUANA:
Vinnie Caruana got his start in music in 1997. The Long Island, New York product fronted the highly influential New York band The Movielife from 1997 till 2003 when they disbanded. More to come on that later. After The Movielife, Caruana went on the form the band I Am The Avalanche who is still active to the present day. He went on to front a short lived west coast band called Peace'd Out as well. Around 2013, Caruana began to perform solo acoustic shows, mostly around New York at first. This led to his first solo release, an EP called "City By The Sea". In 2016, he released his debut solo full length album, "Survivor's Guilt". Most recently, he released another EP in 2019 called "Aging Frontman" and also put out a live album in 2020 called "Live At The Black Heart". Caruana has also been fronting a new hardcore band called Constant Elevation. Vinnie Caruana is very well respected in hardcore punk circles, especially in the New York and New Jersey area. His first band, The Movielife, has been a major influence to bands like Thursday, Bayside and Polar Bear Club to name a few. The Movielife has actually reunited and put out an album 2017 much to the delight of their longtime fans. Caruana is super busy as all his other projects are active, maybe with the exception of the short lived Peace'd Out. And when they aren't active, he's doing his solo thing. I first learned of Vinnie Caruana from The Movielife. The song "Jamestown" makes many a playlist of mine to this day. Killer song. It was Caruana's second band, I Am The Avalanche, that I really fell in love with though. I love that band!! His solo stuff is a branch off of those two bands' sound but more of an acoustic and experimental vibe to them. Caruana is an awesome frontman and songwriter and as I said earlier, a highly influential figure in punk rock circles.
"Can't Go Back" appears to be a song about leaving a special someone behind from where you came from. Sometimes people want to start a new life and pick up and start over somewhere else. Others are chained to their hometown and aren't as eager to uproot. When these two people are in a relationship, it makes it that much harder. The vocalist seems like he was ready to start a new life somewhere else. His girl wasn't. Now he has to live with the decision of severing ties of that relationship but he feels he can't go back.
ARLISS NANCY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2009 - Dance To Forget (self-released)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2012 - Simple Machines (Gunner Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2013 - Wild American Runners (Gunner Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2016 - Greater Divides (Gunner Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON ARLISS NANCY:
Arliss Nancy formed as a band back in 2007, hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado. Their first release was an EP in 2008 called "Rust". Their debut full length studio album would be 2009's self-released "Dance To Forget". That album helped the band forge a relationship with Gunner Records who distributed their next three full lengths beginning with 2012's "Simple Machines". In 2013 the band released "Wild American Runners". Arliss Nancy's most recent release would come in 2016, titled "Greater Divides". The band posted on their Facebook page in 2019 that they are on an indefinite hiatus. Arliss Nancy is like a mash of rock and roll, punk rock and alt. country. They've always been kinda an underground band. I'm not sure exactly how I found out about these guys but I know the first album I had by them was their debut "Dance To Forget". They almost gave me a Hot Water Music vibe or maybe just Chuck Ragan solo vibe when he played with his full band. They are a pretty interesting band. They seem to have lots of energy and their style is pretty damn cool. Hopefully, they are just on a hiatus and they haven't broken up but haven't heard any news from them since 2019.
"Wild Thing" is a raunchy, goofy ode to unbridled lust that anybody could relate to. The song was written by Chip Taylor and made famous by the band The Troggs. You can find the original version on The Troggs 1966 album "From Nowhere". Lita Ford helps out Ace Frehley on this cover version.
ACE FREHLEY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
Ace Frehley's origins, no pun intended, into the world of rock and roll dates back to the mid 60's. The Bronx, New York native toiled around, joining several local bar bands. He had some short lived success with the bands Cathedral and Molimo but it was his fateful answering of a newspaper ad from a band seeking out a lead guitarist that would change his life forever. That band of course was Kiss and once Ace plugged in and jammed with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss, all of them knew that Ace was their new guitarist. Kiss, of course, went on to be one of the most successful acts of the 70's, especially due to their live shows. By 1978, however, there were cracks in the armor when it came to the band. Ace actually threatened to leave the band around this time but the band chose to release four solo albums by all the members as a way to perhaps bring them together. In fact, it may have been the thing that pulled them apart. it especially gave Ace the confidence that he could pull off a solo career if he decided to do so. As the 80's approached, Ace was more and more unhappy with the musical direction of Kiss. He wanted them to put out a really hard rock album to win back their fallen fan base. When Kiss released the 1981 concept album "The Elder", the writing was pretty much on the wall. Ace was done. Though he appeared on the cover of Kiss' 1982 album "Creatures Of The Night", he did not play on the album at all. He helped the band promote the album, but by the time for the tour, Ace had left the band. In the mid 80's, Ace formed the band Frehley's Comet and their self-titled debut came out in 1987. The album had some success behind the singles "Into The Night" and "Rock Soldiers". The band's sophomore effort, "Second Sighting" was not well received by fans and critics alike. In 1989, Frehley dropped the Frehley's Comet moniker and began releasing music under his own name. His first album just as Ace Frehley would be "Trouble Walkin'". While this album wasn't hugely successful, it was really Ace at his best, a really solid hard rock album. The album features a great take on the Kiss song "Hide Your Heart" which was also released that year. In the mid 90's, Kiss was doing fan conventions all over the country where the band would perform acoustically and pull out some old, rarely played favorites. One night, Peter Criss was in the crowd and the band invited him on the stage to perform "Hard Luck Woman". MTV Unplugged came calling for Kiss to do one of their shows. Kiss decided to invite Peter and Ace to take part in that show which made the wheels begin turning about a full on, full make-up Kiss reunion tour. In 1996, Ace was back with Kiss for the reunion tour. Ace would continue with the band for a few more tours but in 2002, he officially left Kiss again and seemingly for good. Some of the same problems that the band was dealing with in the late 70's began resurfacing again and Ace opted out. In 2009, Ace came back with his first solo release since 1989 with "Anomaly". The success of that album led Ace to form a relationship with eOne Music, where he still is today. He has released four albums with eOne in 6 years, starting with 2014's "Space Invader". 2018's "Spaceman" was Ace's last studio album of original content released and he also put out two cover albums, 2016's "Origins Vol. 1" and 2020's "Origins Vol. 2". Ace Frehley is a legend and one of the most influential guitarists in rock and roll history. While some say his style is somewhat sloppy, I say that's what gives it character. I would say his guitar playing on 1975's Kiss "Alive", probably was one of the blueprints for guitarists in the 80's and 90's. His influence reaches bands such as Skid Row, Guns N' Roses and Pantera as well as bands like Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Foo Fighters. I've been a Kiss fan since I was in diapers! Ace was always my favorite member of the band and I'm very happy that he has been super active the last 10 years. It sucks that the guys in Kiss just can't get on the same page because Ace seems like he's so full of creativity right now. But, who knows. I mean, Kiss is on a farewell tour.... AGAIN!! I'm not sure those guys want to create any music anymore. At least not as the band. If that's the case, I'm happy Ace is still plugging away at this music thing.
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
Kiss
Alice Cooper
Van Halen
Def Leppard
Cheap Trick
TEN ACE FREHLEY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Rip It Out
2. New York Groove (Hello cover)
3. Do Ya (ELO cover)
4. Into The Night (Russ Ballard cover)
5. Fox On The Run (Sweet cover)
6. What Every Girl Wants
7. Fire And Water (featuring Paul Stanley) (Free cover)
"Swan Song" is the last song that North Lincoln ever finished writing. According to the band, the song is about the band being in the process of breaking up or knowing that they needed to.
NORTH LINCOLN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2000 - North Lincoln (Offsite Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2004 - Truth Is A Menace (No Idea Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2009 - Midwestern Blood (No Idea Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2012 - Last Show At Mulligan's Pub (Self-Released)
North Lincoln is a band from Grand Rapids, Michigan that got it's start back in 1999. All the members were in high school when the band started. The trio's self-titled debut album came out in 2000 through Offsite Records. The band's sound caught the ear of well known punk label No Idea Records whom the band would share a relationship with for the rest of their career. In 2004, the band's first album through No Idea was released called "Truth Is A Menace" and five years later, the band dropped their last full length studio album together, "Midwestern Blood". The band also sprinkled in a few EP's, split singles and 7" singles around their three major releases. The long time between releases was mostly due to all of the bandmembers being active in other bands as well as North Lincoln. One year after the release of "Midwestern Blood", North Lincoln decided to call it quits as a band. They played their last official show on January 16, 2010 at Mulligan's Pub in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The band recorded this show and put it up for sale on it's bandcamp page in 2012, in what would be the final recording that the band would release. You can clearly tell that North Lincoln is a band that is highly influenced by the band Hot Water Music. Gritty vocals, melodic songs but with a heavy feel to them. North Lincoln became a pretty big deal in their home state and surrounding midwest areas. If you enjoy bands like The Tim Version, Samiam, The Arrivals, A Death In The Family and obviously Hot Water Music, then you should definitely check out North Lincoln. A very solid gritty punk band! It's a shame they couldn't keep it together to provide us fans with more solid music!
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
The Tim Version
The Riot Before
A Death In The Family
The Sainte Catherines
How Dare You
TEN NORTH LINCOLN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Bridge Jumpers 2. Truth Is A Menace 3. This Is Gonna Hurt 4. Seasons 5. Satellite 6. Sick Of Sorrys 7. In Your Hands 8. Weight Of The World 9. Jeane 10. Swan Song
