SONG OF THE WEEK: 4-30-2023

SONG:  "Bouncing Off The Wall"

ARTIST:  Green Day

ALBUM:  "Revolution Radio"

YEAR:  2016

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  East Bay, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1987 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Bouncing Off The Wall" appears to be a song about the vocalist following a lifelong dream instead of being tied down with a mundane 9 to 5 job. The vocalist in this case, Billie Joe Armstrong, knew he would be in a rock and roll band despite what those around him thought. He never swayed from his dream while others are content with being stuck in boring jobs because they were afraid to take a chance and follow their passion.

GREEN DAY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1990 - 39/Smooth (Lookout! Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1991 - Kerplunk (Lookout! Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1994 - Dookie (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 2-1-94

* certified diamond

1995 - Insomniac (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 10-10-95

* certified 2X platinum

1997 - Nimrod (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 on 10-14-97

* certified 2X platinum

2000 - Warning (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 on 10-3-00

* certified gold

2002 - Shenanigans (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #27 on the Billboard 200 on 7-2-02

2004 - American Idiot (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 9-21-04

* certified 6X platinum

2005 - Bullet In A Bible (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on 11-15-05

2009 - 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 5-15-09

* certified platinum

2011 - Awesome As Fuck (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 on 3-22-11

2012 - Uno! (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 9-25-12

2012 - Dos! (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 on 11-13-12

2012 - Tre! (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200 on 12-11-12

2014 - Demolicious (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #112 on the Billboard 200 on 4-19-14

2016 - Revolution Radio (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 10-7-16

2019 - Woodstock 1994 (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #156 on the Billboard 200 on 4-13-19

2020 - Father Of All Motherfuckers (Reprise Records)

* peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 on 2-7-20

2021 - BBC Sessions (Reprise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON GREEN DAY:

Green Day formed as a band back in 1987, hailing from the East Bay, California. They made a name for themselves at the legendary 924 Gilman St. club in Berkeley early in their career. Originally called Sweet Children, the band changed their name to Green Day in 1989. Already formed by vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt, in 1990, drummer Tre Cool rounded out the trio and that is the same line-up that the band has today. Green Day was getting some buzz with their first two albums, 1990's "39/Smooth" and 1991's "Kerplunk", but it was their major label debut "Dookie" in 1994 that exploded the band on the musical map. Green Day would be one of the leaders of the new wave of punk rock music that had been revitalized in the mid 90's along with bands like The Offspring, Rancid and Bad Religion. "Dookie" has sold over 20 million units world wide and to this date, has been certified diamond! The band followed that up with the much heavier and darker "Insomniac" in 1995. 1997's "Nimrod" would feature the suprise acoustic hit song "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)". 2000's "Warning" featured a cleaner sound for the band. While it was a solid album, many thought Green Day was on the down slide. Boy, were they wrong! In 2004, the band dropped the punk rock opera/concept album "American Idiot". Just like that, Green Day was once again on top of the music world. This album has achieved 6X platinum status to the current date. It was also their first #1 album on the Billboard 200, an achievement their next album, 2009's "21st Century Breakdown" would also accomplish. In 2012, the band put out three albums in four months, "Uno!", "Dos!" and "Tre!". It was an ambitious project, but I think they could have narrowed these songs down to the best 13 or 14 and made a killer album. Not saying these albums aren't good, I just think it could have been better. In 2016, the band released "Revolution Radio". This felt like a back to their roots kind of album and it really is an excellent album, also hitting the #1 spot on the charts. In 2020, Green Day dropped their most recent album, "Father Of All Motherfuckers". This album saw the band make a stylistic change and to be honest, it's the only Green Day album that I hardly listen to. They kinda lost me with this one. Most recently, the band has put out three stand alone singles in 2021. I'm not sure if these are part of a bigger project or if they were just put out as singles. Green Day is an incredible band. These guys have been putting out great music for over 35 years! I can't believe they've been around that long. It's crazy. Unlike a lot of bands from the 90's that I still love, Green Day has been able to stay relevant to a whole younger generation. Billie Joe Armstrong is a tremendous songwriter. You want hooks and melodies, this guy is like a melodic song factory! Just when you seem to count these guys out, they seem to come back with a fury. 1994's "Dookie" was monumental. Ten years later they drop the masterpiece that is "American Idiot". Well guess what? It's almost 10 years after that and there's no doubt I expect Green Day to drop a hammer on us! These guys were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2015. They are one of the most influential bands in rock music as well as being one of the most successful acts in the industry. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Foxboro Hot Tubs

The Network

Pinhead Gunpowder

My Chemical Romance

The Offspring

TEN GREEN DAY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1 J.A.R.

2. Suffocate

3. Going To Pasalacqua

4. Armatage Shanks

5. She

6. Know Your Enemy

7. Minority

8. Youngblood

9. American Idiot

10. A Quick One While He's Away (The Who cover)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 4-23-2023

SONG:  "Weight Of The World"

ARTIST:  Bastards On Parade

ALBUM:  "Empty Bottles & Broken Things"

YEAR:  2013

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Coruna, Galicia, Spain

YEARS ACTIVE:  2007 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Without having the lyrics in front of me for "Weight Of The World", it's hard to tell exactly what the song is about. I took a few listens but the vocalist's accent makes it a little hard to get all the words. The song title suggest dealing with some sort of pressure or dealing with something that's heavy emotionally. So that's all I got!

BASTARDS ON PARADE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Tales From The Death Shore (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Empty Bottles & Broken Things (Wolverine Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Cara A Liberdade (Maldito Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BASTARDS ON PARADE:

Bastards On Parade formed as a band back in 2007, hailing from Spain. The band released four EP's between 2008 and 2012. Their debut full length album dropped in 2011, titled "Tales From The Death Shore". This album was self-released by the band. In 2013, the band signed a deal with Wolverine Records to drop their sophomore effort, "Empty Bottles & Broken Things". The band's most recent release, 2019's "Cara A Liberdade", is the band's first release sung in their native language. In 2022, Bastards On Parade supported Bad Religion on their "40 Years +2" tour. Bastards On Parade plays a brand of Celtic punk made popular by bands like Flogging Molly and my hometown boys, Dropkick Murphys. I'm not sure if I found out about these guys on a Celtic punk compilation album or if I heard about them through DyingScene.com. Either way, this is a good Celtic punk band. They may not stand out like some bands of that ilk, but nonetheless, Bastards On Parade are a solid band. I hope one day they release their "Cara A Liberdade" album in English. We'll see.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Lexington Field

The Roughneck Riot

The Go Set

Hoist The Colors

The Bollox

TEN BASTARDS ON PARADE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Whiskey Your The Devil

2. Bootleggers

3. Drunken Haze

4. Drink This City

5. Infamous

6. Weight Of The World

7. Gaelic

8. The Old Wooden Bridge

9. Rise Up

10. (Black) Flags And Torches

SONG OF THE WEEK: 4-16-2023

SONG:  "Norse Truth"

ARTIST:  Against Me!

ALBUM:  "Shape Shift With Me"

YEAR:  2016

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Naples, Florida

YEARS ACTIVE:  1997 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Here's what Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace had to say about "Norse Truth". "‘Norse Truth’ was the first song on the record that was written for the record. Cody sent me a demo of it and I had a notebook full of things written down and went in and spat out all the lyrics in one go. I wanted to have each song on the record be representative of a state of emotion that you go through with relationships. So, there’s the really happy light moments and then there’s the dark moments where love turns into anger, love turns into hate, you know, and that’s the end of the spectrum that ‘Norse Truth’ is on."

AGAINST ME! DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2002 - Reinventing Axl Rose (No Idea Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - The Eternal Cowboy (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Searching For A Former Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #114 on the Billboard 200 on 9-6-05

2006 - Americans Abroad! Against Me! Live In London! (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - New Wave (Sire Records)

* peaked at #57 on the Billboard 200 on 7-10-07

2010 - White Crosses (Sire Records)

* peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200 on 6-8-10

2011 - Total Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Black Crosses (Total Trebel Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Trebel Music)

* peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 on 1-21-14

2015 - 23 Live Sex Acts (Total Trebel Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Shape Shift With Me (Total Treble Music)

* peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200 on 9-16-16

MY THOUGHTS ON AGAINST ME!:

Against Me! formed as a band back in 1997, hailing from Naples, Florida. Early on, even though Against Me! was a band name, it was really just a vehicle for singer/songwriter Tom Gabel (at the time) to release acoustic demo's and EP's. It wasn't until around 2002 that Against Me! became a full fledged, four piece punk band. That year the band dropped it's debut full length album, "Reinventing Axl Rose". Very early on, the band caught the ear of Fat Mike from NOFX who quickly signed the band to his Fat Wreck Chords label. Against Me! released two albums through Fat, 2003's "The Eternal Cowboy" and 2005's "Searching For A Former Clarity". The success of the latter album helped Against Me! ink a deal with major label Sire Records. For whatever reason, Against Me! started catching a lot of shit for their move to a major even though throughout the years, punk bands have released albums through majors. Not sure what, if anything, Against Me! did wrong. Anyway, the band dropped 2007's "New Wave" and 2010's "White Crosses" through Sire. In 2012, Tom Gabel came out as transgender and began his transition, changing his/her name to Laura Jane Grace. Against Me! released their first album after her transition in 2014 through their own label, Total Trebel Music. That album was the super personal "Transgender Dysphoria Blues", their highest charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at #23. The band's most recent full length was released in 2016, called "Shape Shift With Me". Their most recent recording was a cover of "People Who Died" by The Jim Carroll Band in 2018. When the covid pandemic hit in 2020, the band went on a hiatus and in 2022, Laura Jane Grace confirmed the band was still on a hiatus, even though their was word that they had been working on a new album around 2019/2020. Against Me! is a top notch band. Their style is punk rock with a keen sense of melody. I always felt that had a unique sound though. I don't know if it's Grace's vocals or her delivery, the sound just seems fresh to me. It makes the band stand out for sure. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm not quite sure why Against Me! got so much shit when they went to a major. A lot of people called them sell outs and all that dumb shit. You didn't hear people say that about bands like Rancid or Bad Religion when they signed with majors. I guess Green Day caught some of that flack for a while. I don't know. I love all those bands, whether they release shit through indie labels or if they release stuff through majors. Don't really matter to me. All that being said, Against Me! is a total kick ass band and I hope this hiatus thing is just temporary. We need more music from this band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Menzingers

The Lawrence Arms

The Gaslight Anthem

Alkaline Trio

Off With Their Heads

TEN AGAINST ME! SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. I Was A Teenage Anarchist

2. Don't Lose Touch

3. Black Me Out

4. Baby, I'm An Anarchist!

5. Because Of The Shame (acoustic version)

6. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show cover)

7. Thrash Unreal

8. 333

9. Sink, Florida, Sink

10. Lost And Searching In America

SONG OF THE WEEK: 4-9-2023

SONG:  "Down"

ARTIST:  Pearl Jam

ALBUM:  "Fenway Park, Boston, MA 8/5/16"

YEAR:  2016

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Seattle, Washington

YEARS ACTIVE:  1990 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Down" is a song that was written by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready with help from lead singer Eddie Vedder. The song is about hope. More specifically, how McCready overcame his addictions which once held him down. If he could do it, maybe others can as well.

PEARL JAM DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1991 - Ten (Epic Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 8-27-91

* certified 13X diamond

1993 - VS (Epic Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 10-19-93

* certified 7X platinum

1994 - Vitalogy (Epic Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 11-22-94

* certified 6X platinum

1996 - No Code (Epic Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 8-27-96

* certified platinum

1998 - Yield (Epic Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 2-3-98

* certified platinum

1998 - Live On Two Legs (Epic Records)

* peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 on 11-24-98

* certified platinum

2000 - Binaural (Epic Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 5-16-00

* certified gold

2002 - Riot Act (Epic Records)

* peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 on 11-12-02

* certified gold

2003 - Lost Dogs (Epic Records)

* peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 on 11-11-03

* certified gold

2004 - Live At Benaroya Hall (BMG Records)

* peaked at #18 on the Billboard 200 on 7-27-04

2006 - Pearl Jam (J Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 5-2-06

* certified gold

2009 - Backspacer (Universal Music Group)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 9-20-09

* certified gold

2011 - Live On Ten Legs (Universal Music)

* peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 on 1-17-11

2013 - Lightning Bolt (Monkeywrench Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 10-15-13

* certified gold

2017 - Let's Play Two (Republic Records)

* peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200 on 9-29-17

2020 - Gigaton (Monkeywrench Records)

* peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 on 3-27-20

MY THOUGHTS ON PEARL JAM:

First and foremost, Pearl Jam is my favorite band. Their history is long so I'll try not to go too in depth here or I can be a while! Of course, they formed out of the ashes of Seattle band Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone's singer died of an overdose leaving bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard wondering what to do next. Add lead guitarist Mike McCready. Get a lead singer from San Diego, Eddie Vedder, thanks to Jack Irons of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band went through drummers Dave Krusen (1990-1991), Matt Chamberlain (1991), Dave Abbruzzese (1991-1994), Jack Irons (1994-1998) and finally settling on Matt Cameron of Soundgarden in 1998 to the present day. Their debut "Ten" in 1991 was a monster! To this day, it has been certified 13X diamond!! That is a shitload of records! Pearl Jam was riding high on that grunge explosion of the 90's along with Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. 1993's "VS", a #1 album. 1994's "Vitalogy", a #1 album. 1996's "No Code", a #1 album. 1998's "Yield" and 2000's "Binaural", #2 albums! 2002's "Riot Act" slipped to #5, then 2006's "Pearl Jam" was back to #2 before the band scored two more #1 albums with 2009's "Backspacer" and 2013's "Lightning Bolt". Their most recent release was 2020's "Gigaton". Pearl Jam has also released a shitload of b-sides, most can be found on the 2003 compilation "Lost Dogs". They also began releasing live bootlegs of all their shows dating back to 2000. Hardcore fans, like myself, scour these live recording for the slew of live cover songs the band plays in addition to their own vast catalogue. Pearl Jam at it's conception was always considered a live band. The energy of their live performances made them almost feel like religious experiences. They had their stumbles here and there. They had to battle the quick rise to fame and the pressures that came along with that. They went through an ill advised battle with Ticketmaster they basically killed what they did best, play live. The had the Roskilde tragedy when 9 fans were trampled to death at their show. Through it all, they continued to persevere. There are many highlights for me from Pearl Jam. Obviously the first few albums are Epic, no pun intended. 1998's "Yield" has always been a personal favorite of mine. I love that album. 2006's self-titled, sometimes called "Avocado" album is a real return to their heavier side. 2009's "Backspacer" possibly grew on me more than any of their albums. I was lukewarm to it at first, now I absolutely love that album. And their most recent release "Gigaton" is a great record, proving that Pearl Jam is still very much relavant and in my opinion, makes them still the best active American rock band. I could go on and on but I'll leave it at that. Oh yeah, one more thing, the band, ever hard working, has been working on new material with producer Andrew Watt, who did an amazing job on Eddie Vedder's most recent solo album.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Soundgarden

Temple Of The Dog

Stone Temple Pilots

Alice In Chains

Mad Season

TEN PEARL JAM SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Come on now, I love this band too much to come up with just 10 songs and they change constantly so i'll put what song I'm feeling right now from every studio album, including "Lost Dogs" and throw in a rarity just for shits and giggles!

"Black" (Ten)

"Dissident" (VS)

"Corduroy" (Vitalogy)

"Red Mosquito" (No Code)

"Brain Of J" (Yield)

"Light Years" (Binaural)

"I Am Mine" (Riot Act)

"Come Back" (Pearl Jam)

"Force Of Nature" (Backspacer)

"Mind Your Manners" (Lightning Bolt)

"Superblood Wolfmoon" (Gigaton)

"Yellow Ledbetter" (Lost Dogs)

"State Of Love And Trust (rarity)

"Crazy Mary" (cover) (orig. by Victoria Williams

SONG OF THE WEEK: 4-2-2023

SONG:  "Justine's Housemate Lives In London"

ARTIST:  Apologies, I Have None

ALBUM:  "Done" EP

YEAR:  2007

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  London, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  2004 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Justine's Housemate Lives In London" appears to be about a relationship that's going through the motions. It seems they'd be better off just ending the relationship but they continue to wallow in it. It's going nowhere.

APOLOGIES, I HAVE NONE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2012 - London (Household Name Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Pharmacie (Animal Style Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON APOLOGIES, I HAVE NONE:

Apologies, I Have None formed as a band back in 2004, hailing from London, England. At first, the band was just a 2 piece band but in 2009, the line-up was rounded out to be a complete, 4 man band. The band's first release was an EP titled "Done" in 2007. Their debut full length studio album dropped in 2012, called "London". Apologies, I Have None released their sophomore full length album, "Pharmacie", in 2016. The band has also put out a handful of EP's and splits over the years. Their most recent recording was a cover of Nirvana's "Breed" for a compilation in 2017. Apologies, I Have None play a brand of melancholic punk that boarders on the edge of post-hardcore. The vibe is raw emotion and frenetic energy. Really a top notch band that I found out about through the awesome punk rock blog site, DyingScene. These guys have been pretty quiet on releasing new music the last 5 years, but they have played live shows as recently as 2022. Can't wait for new music from these guys. Super good band for sure!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Above Them

Crazy Arm

Leagues Apart

Banquets

Paper Arms

TEN APOLOGIES, I HAVE NONE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Clapton Pond

2. Love & Medication

3. Foundations

4. Raging Through The Thick And Heavy Darkness Of A Bloodlust

5. Everybody Wants To Talk About Mental Health

6. Green Green Mabley Green

7. Wraith

8. Long Gone

9. A Pharmacy In Paris

10. 60 Miles