SONG OF THE WEEK: 10-1-2023

SONG:  "Surfaced" 

ARTIST:  The Dangerous Summer

ALBUM:  "An Acoustic Performance Of Reach For The Sun" 

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Ellicott City, Maryland

YEARS ACTIVE:  2006 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Surfaced" appears to be a song about losing yourself in the chaos of everyday life and getting overwhelmed, but finding the strength to pull yourself out again and rediscover your identity and realizing that you have to just go day to day, not taking even the smallest things for granted.

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - Reach For The Sun (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - An Acoustic Performance Of Reach For The Sun (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - War Paint (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #149 on the Billboard 200 on 8-6-11

2013 - Golden Record (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - The Dangerous Summer (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Mother Nature (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Live In Baltimore 2019 (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Coming Home (Rude Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE DANGEROUS SUMMER:

The Dangerous Summer is a Maryland based band that formed back in 2006. In 2007, the band released an EP that caught the ear of Hopeless Records who in turn re-released the EP, beginning what would be a 12 year relationship with the band. Their debut full length studio album was released in 2009, titled "Reach For The Sun". This album hit #42 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. In 2011, the band released an acoustic version of "Reach For The Sun" as well as releasing their follow up full length, "War Paint". This album peaked at #149 on the Billboard 200 charts, making it the only The Dangerous Summer album to enter that chart. In 2013, "Golden Record" was released. In 2014, lead vocalist AJ Perdomo decided to leave that band as he and bandmate, Cody Payne,  just couldn't work together anymore. A few years later, Payne had to serve a year in prison for burglary and in 2017, The Dangerous Summer reunited with AJ Perdomo and Cody Payne posted online that he had left the band. The Dangerous Summer wrapped up their deal with Hopeless Records by releasing 2018's "The Dangerous Summer", 2019's "Mother Nature" and 2020's "Live In Baltimore 2019. The band's most recent album was 2022's "Coming Home", released through Rude Records. The Dangerous Summer is a pop punk/melodic rock/alternative rock type of band. They were highly influenced by bands like Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World. I started listening to these guys in what I call my "Taking Back Sunday years"! This was a period of time from the mid 2000's where I really got on a pop punk/melodic rock trip. The Dangerous Summer falls right in line with that style. I always felt that these guys were closer to the top of that food chain. Very good songs, good vocals. Great to see that their little hiatus in 2014 was short lived and The Dangerous Summer is still going strong.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Starting Line

Transit

The Early November

Acceptance

Armor For Sleep

TEN THE DANGEROUS SUMMER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Ghosts

2. LA In A Cop Car

3. The Permanent Rain

4. Catholic Girls

5. Where I Want To Be

6. War Paint

7. Bring Me Back To Life

8. Northern Lights (acoustic version)

9. Coming Home

10. Way Down

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-24-2023

SONG:  "Jealousy"

ARTIST:  Mark Lind

ALBUM:  "Death Or Jail"

YEAR:  2006

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Boston, Massachusetts

YEARS ACTIVE:  1995 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Jealousy" appears to be a song about having a friend that got caught up in drugs and such and kinda let everyone down. Years created distance between the vocalist and his friend and at first in the song, you sense that the vocalist is done with him and wants nothing to do with him. But by the end of the song, it seems like the vocalist admits that he would be there for him if he reached out. I'm actually going through something like this with a long time friend so i can relate for sure.

MARK LIND DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Death Or Jail (Sailor's Grave Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - Compulsive Fuck Up (State Line Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - The Truth Can Be Brutal (Sailor's Grave Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2009 - Homeward Bound (State Line Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Demos (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - The Last Bastion (State Line Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON MARK LIND:

Mark Lind is a punk rocker from the Boston town of Charlestown. Lind was a teenager back in 1995 when he formed the punk rock band The Ducky Boys. While The Ducky Boys have been his main band, he has also played in the bands Sinners And Saints, Dirty Water and most recently, The Warning Shots as of 2015. But I'm here to talk about his solo works. Lind put out his first solo record in 2006, called "Death Or Jail" and he would stay busy on the solo front, releasing an album every year for four years. After "Death Or Jail", he put out "Compulsive Fuck Up" in 2007. In 2008, he began calling his solo efforts, Mark Lind & The Unloved. The first release under that moniker was 2008's "The Truth Can Be Brutal". Then in 2009, he released "Homeward Bound". In 2013, Lind put out a demo collection through his Bandcamp page. His most recent solo release was 2019's "The Last Bastion". The last few years, Lind has kept it pretty much local. He has his own label, State Line Records, and he was also selling vinyl punk albums or something like that. From his Facebook page, it sounds like he's eager to start doing music again. Lind is an important figure here in the Boston punk rock scene. The Ducky Boys are part of an array of great punk rock bands like Dropkick Murphys, Far From Finished, Street Dogs and Avoid One Thing to name a few. Mark Lind always seemed like he had something coming out for the better part of 25 plus years. If it wasn't the Ducky's, it was Saints And Sinners. If it wasn't Saints And Sinners, it was Dirty Water or solo stuff. The Warning Shots! He always seemed to be busy and putting out new music. It's been a little slow the last few years but like I said, it sounds like he wants to get back into the music. Hopefully that means new Ducky Boys! One can hope!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Dirty Water

The Ducky Boys

The Blue Bloods

Far From Finished

Born To Lose

TEN MARK LIND SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Coke & Jack

2. Everything Falls Apart

3. Better Days

4. An Open Letter To Boston

5. An Anthem For The Damned

6. Who's To Say

7. No One To Cry To

8. New Year's Day

9. Wasted Years

10. Too Much

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-17-2023

SONG:  "Finish What We Started"

ARTIST:  Anti-Flag

ALBUM:  "American Fall"

YEAR:  2017

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

YEARS ACTIVE:  1988 - 2023

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Finish What We Started" appears to be about making sure you are true to the cause. A lot of people say they stand for something but is their heart true? Are they just parroting noise or do they truly believe in what they're fighting for? Before you question everyone else, you have to question yourself first to make sure you are absolutely true to the cause you're fighting for. It's 100% or nothing.

ANTI-FLAG DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1996 - Die For The Government (New Red Archives)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1998 - Their System Doesn't Work For You (A-F Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - A New Kind Of Army (Go-Kart Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Underground Network (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2002 - Mobilize (A-F Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - The Terror State (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #91 on the Billboard 200 on 10-21-03

2006 - For Blood And Empire (RCA Records)

* peaked at #100 on the Billboard 200 on 3-21-06

2008 - The Bright Lights Of America (RCA Records)

* peaked at #118 on the Billboard 200 on 4-1-08

2009 - The People Or The Gun (SideOneDummy Records)

* peaked at #122 on the Billboard 200 on 6-9-09

2012 - The General Strike (SideOneDummy Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - American Spring (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Cease Fires (A-F Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Live Acoustic At 11th Street Records (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - Live Vol. 1 (A-F Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - American Fall (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - American Reckoning (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Live Vol. 2 (A-F Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - 20/20 Vision (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Lies They Tell Our Children (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON ANTI-FLAG:

Anti-Flag initially formed as a band back in 1988 but the project was short-lived. Some four years later in 1992, they guys decided to give it another go. The Pittsburgh products debut album would be 1996's "Die For Your Government". The band's next three albums, 1999's "A New Kind Of Army", 2001's "Underground Network" and 2002's "Mobilize", would start giving some buzz to the band but it was their 2003 release through Fat Wreck Chords called "The Terror State" that would really put the wind under Anti-Flag's sails. After this album, Anti-Flag signed a two album deal with major label RCA, who released "For Blood And Empire" in 2006 and "The Bright Lights Of America" in 2008. In 2009, Anti-Flag signed with SideOneDummy Records for the 2009 album "The People Or The Gun" and the 2012 album "The General Strike". In 2015, Anti-Flag signed with Spinefarm Records. The band went on to drop four successive bangers of albums with that label, 2015's "American Spring", 2017's "American Fall", 2020's "20/20 Vison" and the band's most recent release, 2023's "Lies They Tell Our Children". On July 19, 2023, Anti-Flag abruptly disbanded, taking down all of their social media platforms and closing their own label, A-F Records. Vocalist Justin Sane had been accused of sexual misconduct, first by one woman, then by several more after the fact. The band just couldn't see going forward because the serious accusations stand for everything that the band fought against. Anti-Flag was one of the most consistent bands out there. It seemed like they never rested, putting out new material constantly, sometime after only a year from their last release! They were also a band notorious for shining a light on various social and political issues. One of the issues they championed throughout the years was women's rights and speaking up for victims of sexual assault and abuse which makes the allegations against Justin Sane even harder to swallow. I'm not a judge. At this time, these are just allegations and both side's voices should be heard. At the same time, Anti-Flag is one of my favorite bands so however the Sane situation works out, you have to remember that there were three other guys in the band who put their blood, sweat and tears into Anti-Flag's music as well and they shouldn't be punished because of one of the members. I guess I'll just keep an open mind for now and be bummed that one of the best punk bands out there is officially no more.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Pennywise

Bad Religion

Authority Zero

The Bouncing Souls

Millencolin

TEN ANTI-FLAG SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Brandenburg Gate

2. American Attraction

3. The Bright Lights Of America

4. The Press Corpse

5. Turncoat

6. Broken Bones

7. Die For The Government

8. Christian Nationalist

9. Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. (Sheep In Shepherd's Clothing)

10. Laugh, Cry, Smile, Die

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-10-2023

SONG:  "Greedy Soul"

ARTIST:  Liam Gallagher

ALBUM:  "As You Were"

YEAR:  2017

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Manchester, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  1991 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

 "Greedy Soul" is a song about standing up against someone who has been dishonest and self-serving, and warning them that their actions will have consequences. The repeated reference to the "Midas touch" suggests a sense of pride and power in the protagonist's resistance to this individual. Some say the song was written about his rival brother Noel. It's up for debate I guess.

LIAM GALLAGHER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2017 - As You Were (Warner Bros. Records)

* peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200 on 10-6-17

2019 - Why Me? Why Not (Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - MTV Unplugged (Live At Hull City Hall) (Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - C'mon You Know (Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Down By The River Thames (Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Knebworth 22 (Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON LIAM GALLAGHER:

Liam Gallagher's musical start goes back to 1991 in Manchester, England. Of course, he and his brother Noel were a part of one of the biggest rock and roll bands to do it. I'm talking about Oasis. Oasis took the musical world by storm with a steroids injected Beatles sound! Oasis was active from 1991 to 2009 when Noel decided he could no longer work with his brother Liam. The band left a serious dent though! Liam would go on to form Beady Eye with the other members of Oasis. That project lasted from 2009 till 2014. Liam had no intentions of starting a solo career but by 2017, that's exactly what he did with the release of his debut album "As You Were". The lead single "Wall Of Glass" just crushed proving that Liam still had the goods. His sophomore effort, 2019's "Why Me? Why Not", continued the positive success for Liam as a solo act. 2022 saw Liam drop his third album, "C'mon You Know". The lead single "Everything's Electric" was written for Liam by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters who also provided drums for the track. Liam's most recent release was the live album "Knebworth 22" in 2023. It's true, it's true... Liam Gallagher is a rock and roll star!! While his brother Noel wrote 99 percent of Oasis' material, Liam started to contribute some songs towards the latter part of the band, then he did even more for his band Beady Eye. Liam writes a lot more as a solo, though he does have some collaborations when it comes to the songwriting. His solo albums have been incredible though. I personally think his solo material is better than Noel's. Deep down however, Liam wants Oasis to reunite. The way he is contributing so much more to his own music, I could imagine how good a new Oasis collaboration could be. Unfortunately, Noel doesn't seem interested in bringing Oasis back from the dead. Until then, Liam is dropping bombs with his solo stuff. D'you know what I mean?!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Oasis

Beady Eye

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Ash

Hurricane #1

TEN LIAM GALLAGHER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Everything's Electric

2. Wall Of Glass

3. Once

4. For What It's Worth

5. One Of Us

6. All You're Dreaming Of

7. Better Days

8. Shockwave

9. C'mon You Know

10. Come Back To Me

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-3-2023

SONG:  "Heroes" (David Bowie cover)

ARTIST:  Bush

ALBUM:  "The Kingdom" (Deluxe Edition)

YEAR:  2020

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  London, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  1992 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Heroes" tells the story of two lovers, one from East Berlin and one from West Berlin. Under constant risk of death, they dream of freedom, swimming with dolphins. Like fellow album tracks "Beauty And The Beast" and "Joe The Lion", the song, at its core, represents two opposing forces: the couple's love for each other, and a sense that the Berlin Wall will separate them. You can check out the original version of the song on David Bowie's 1977 album "Heroes". 

BUSH DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1994 - Sixteen Stone (Interscope Records)

* peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 on 12-6-94

* certified 6X platinum

1996 - Razorblade Suitcase (Interscope Records)

* peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 on 11-19-96

* certified 3X platinum

1999 - The Science Of Things (Interscope Records)

* peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 on 10-26-99

* certified platinum

2001 - Golden State (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #22 on the Billboard 200 on 10-23-01

2005- Zen X Four (Kirtland Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - The Sea Of Memories (eOne Music)

* peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 on 9-13-11

2014 - Man On The Run (Zuma Rock)

* peaked at #33 on the Billboard 200 on 10-21-14

2017 - Black And White Rainbows (Zuma Rock)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Live In Tampa (Cleopatra Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - The Kingdom (BMG Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - The Art Of Survival (BMG Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BUSH:

Bush is a London based band that formed back in 1992. With the Seattle grunge explosion rocking the music scene, it spawned several hard rock/alternative bands that were heavily influenced by that sound. Bush was one of those bands. They weren't really heralded in their home country of England, but with the release of their debut album, "Sixteen Stone", in 1994, the band exploded here in America. This album would go on to be certified 6X platinum at the current date thanks in part to the hit singles "Everything Zen", "Come Down", "Little Things" and "Glycerine". Bush became a headlining act overnight. Their sophomore album, 1996's "Razorblade Suitcase", debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts. 1999's "The Science Of Things" was a slight departure in sound for the band, still incorporating hard guitar rock but with electronic elements added to their sound. In 2001, the band signed to Atlantic Records to release their album "Golden State". This proved to be somewhat of a disaster for the band as "Golden State" would be their least selling album which is a little bit of a surprise because I think it's a fairly solid album. The band wasn't in a great place after the release of "Golden State" and in 2002, the group disbanded. Lead singer Gavin Rossdale went on the form a short-lived band called Institute with guitarist Chris Traynor, then embarked on a solo career. By 2008, 2009, Rossdale began reaching out to the other members of Bush to ask about reuniting the band. Guitarist Nigel Pulsford and bassist Dave Parsons opted not to rejoin the band while drummer Robin Goodridge did rejoin. Chris Traynor, who played with Rossdale in his band Institute, also joined the band. In 2011, the revamped band dropped "The Sea Of Memories". 2014 saw the band release "Man On The Run", which would be the last Bush album to chart on the Billboard 200. In 2017 the band released "Black And White Rainbows". In 2020, Bush signed a deal with BMG Records and released "The Kingdom". Their most recent release was 2022's "The Art Of Survival". As I stated earlier, Bush could be considered grunge, post-grunge, hard rock, etc. The Seattle sound is right in my wheelhouse when it comes to music. I totally fell in love with Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. The recording industry tried to oversaturate the market with watered down versions of those bands and many people criticize Bush for being a watered down version of the Seattle four. I don't see it that way. I don't think Bush is as good as those bands but they are not a bad band. "Everything Zen" is a great song. I don't care what anyone says. In fact, Bush's first album "Sixteen Stone" is a fantastic album. The problem with Bush is I don't think they ever came close to that level on any of their albums after that. I'm not saying that their albums were totally bad after "Sixteen Stone". They just never hit that level. That being said, when I hear the band make a song like "The Only Way Out" in 2014, it tells me they still have something left in the chamber. All in all, Bush is a very good hard rock band. I think the shit they get is unwarranted. They're not at the top of the hard rock mountain, but they're hanging out somewhere in the middle!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Stone Temple Pilots

Silverchair

Candlebox

Fuel

Pearl Jam

TEN BUSH SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Everything Zen

2. The Only Way Out

3. The People That We Love

4. Swallowed

5. Old

6. All Night Doctors

7. Warm Machine

8. This Is War

9. Flowers On A Grave

10. More Than Machines