Song Of The Week: 7/17/11

Song: "Improv (That Far)"

Artist: Pearl Jam

Album: "Portland, Oregon; November 2, 2000"

Year: 2000



Since the very beginning of Pearl Jam being a band, their concerts have often included some impromptu jam sessions. Some of these appear to be off the cuff jams where, clearly, the band is making the song up as they go. Others, like "That Far", seem as though the band had been working on song before they introduced it to the audience. "That Far" is not the official title of this particular improv, but it has been given this name through various Pearl Jam fansites across the web. The song itself appears to be about coming home after a long time away, possibly from being on tour. The vocalist is happy to be back home and to see the person that he has missed welcoming him with open arms. "That Far" was recorded live on November 2, 2000 in Portland, OR. This show would be part of the Official Bootleg releases that Pearl Jam embarked on in 2000. This was an unprecedented move by any rock band at the time. Pearl Jam would release 72 bootlegs from their entire 2000 tour, a move that led the band to set a record for having the most albums on the Billboard charts at one time. For years, fans of Pearl jam would spend forty to fifty dollars on bootlegs to try to recapture what was and still is the strength of the band, their live performances. In an effort to lessen the cost for the fans, as well as give them a product that was far superior quality than most of the bootlegs that were out there, the band began releasing the bootlegs themselves. As for future tours, the band tweeked their bootlegs a little bit, selling them through their official website digitally. This made more sense for the band financially rather than releasing 70 plus cd's to record stores. I believe you can still buy hard copy cd's of shows through PearlJam.com. For twenty years, Pearl Jam has always been a band that looks out for it's fans, whether that's fighting Ticketmaster to lower ticket costs, playing two and a half to three hour concerts or releasing affordable, high quality bootleg recordings. As of 2011, Pearl Jam is working on new material for another studio album along with looking forward to their 20th anniversary festival, PJ20, which is a two day event in Alpine Valley, WI. Director Cameron Crowe is also finishing up a documentary of the band which should be out in the fall. Pearl Jam will also be hitting the road in Canada as well as Central and South America, shows which should provide even more rare covers songs and improvs for the impassioned Pearl Jam fan!!

Song Of The Week: 7/10/11

Song: "Can't Keep"

Artist: Pearl Jam

Album: "Live At Benaroyal Hall"

Year: 2004



To me, "Can't Keep" is a song that is about having lived a full life and not being afraid to die. It seems as if it's coming from the perspective of someone who is clearly dying but is very much at peace with the process. You also get the sense that he believes his spirit will live on once his body dies with the one of the last lines of the song, "I will live forever, you can't keep me here". I definitely get a sense of going from the physical world to the spiritual world in this song. The original version of "Can't Keep" was on Pearl Jam's 2002 album "Riot Act". For the song of the week, I chose the version that was on the live recording at Benaroyal Hall. This show was an acoustic set that was recorded on October 22, 2003. "Can't Keep" was just lead singer Eddie Vedder accompanied by his ukulele. Perhaps this is what got the wheels turning for Eddie's 2011 solo album, "Ukulele Songs". Pearl Jam formed out of the ashes of Seattle band Mother Love Bone in 1990. With the release of their debut album "Ten", Pearl Jam was thrust in the spotlight of the grunge movement. This was a pivotal time in rock and roll. The 80's were really a down period for rock music and it very much needed a shot in the arm. Pearl Jam, along with Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains was that shot. Much like the British Invasion of the 60's and the punk uprising of the 70's, the alternative/grunge explosion of the 90's helped rock and roll right itself again. Some twenty years, nine studio albums, dvd's, live compilations and a massive bootleg collection later, there's no denying Pearl Jam's steady influence on the music world. Much like the members of Pearl Jam grew up revering such artists as Neil Young, The Who and The Ramones, now there are a slew of bands who hail Pearl Jam as their major influence. Pearl Jam is a band that achieved the highest of highs, got through the lowest of lows and managed to come out of it a much more solid band and very much a tighter group. Where back in the day, Eddie Vedder really controlled the musical direction of the band, now each member contributes equally. To this day their live shows are still the band's bread and butter. Some artists can't recapture what they do in the studio in a live setting. Pearl Jam is a band that transcends what the do in the studio live. They will forever stand out for their passion for music, their longevity and their influence as a band. Currently, Pearl Jam is working on a new album that they would probably like to have completed before the end of the year. They are celebrating their 20th year anniversary with a two day festival in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin on Labor Day weekend, a small tour of Canada and are also having director Cameron Crowe make a movie/documentary of the band's history entitled PJ20. There's no slowing down for the well oiled machine that is Pearl Jam!

Song Of The Week: 7/3/11

Song: "Evil Town"

Artist: The Vines

Album: "Winning Days"

Year: 2004



According to The Vines' lead vocalist, Craig Nicholls, "Evil Town" isn't necessarily about one person or one place in particular, but it could be anyone or any place where you just get bad vibes from. The Vines formed as a band in their native Australia back in 1999. At the very beginnings of the band, they were very much a garage band at heart. They drew several comparisons to Nirvana with their debut album, 2002's "Highly Evolved". With their stripped down sound and Nicholls' screaming vocals at times, I can see why there was a little similarity between them and Nirvana. They also had elements in their music that harkened back to 1960's psychadelic rock as well. This style got them lumped in with the many bands that started to hit in the early 2000's. Bands such as The Hives and The Strokes and The White Stripes to a certain extent. These bands were perhaps a breath of fresh air because their music was so stripped down and it was really like a back to basics kind of rock and roll. Though The Vines' first album was a great success for them, not only in Australia but in England and the United States, success also brought a lot of pressure on the band. Many publications hyped them up as the next Nirvana, a label that many bands would fail to live up to and The Vines were no different. "Winning Days", the band's second album, failed to live up to the success of their first and cracks in the band's armor were beginning to surface at this time. Soon the band had to deal with some departing band members, being dropped by their record label and the on again, off again depleting mental state of Craig Nicholls, which made things very hard on the band because Nicholls is the main creative force behind the band. The band had to cancel several tours do to Nicholls treatment of the fans. It got so bad that they would not allow Nicholls to do any interviews do to his mental state and what he would say. Eventually the band would get back on the road when Nicholls was more stable to handle it. They also continues to release album throughout the rest of the 2000's. While their popularity in the United States waned, in Australia they still appear and sometimes even headline some big shows and festivals. Currenty, The Vines just finished up their fifth studio album entitled "Future Primitive". It was released in June of 2011 in Australia but no date has yet been announced for it's release in the U.S.

Song Of The Week: 6/26/11

Song: "Said And Done"

Artist: Eighteen Visions

Album: "Obsession"

Year: 2004



"Said And Done" is yet another "relationship on the brink" type of song. Lots of heartbreak in the world of music!! In this song, the vocalist appears to be totally done with the relationship and tells his partner to move on with her life and to turn the page while she is still trying to save what seems to be a lost cause of a relationship. Eighteen Visions formed as a band back in 1995. In the early days, the band was very much a metalcore band with mostly screaming vocals. As the years went by, Eighteen Visions became more and more melodic and by the time of their sixth self-titled album, they featured purely melodic vocals with no screaming. As for style, you could say that they are peers of bands such as Avenged Sevenfold or Bullet For My Valentine. There are definitely some shades of metal, hardcore, straight rock and punk in their music. Where Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine really cemented their style musically is where Eighteen Visions couldn't seem to do the same. Those two bands, while venturing in different forms of music, you can tell they are based in metal. Eighteen Visions seem to go all over the place from album to album. Perhaps this is the reason that they couldn't hold firm a steady fanbase. The minute you begin to enjoy the band as a metalcore fan, they abruptly change their style on the next record say to a more punk feel. These changes probably alienated more fans than it brought new ones. Eighteen Visions was a band that just couldn't seem to figure itself out. By 2007, Eighteen Visions would decide to break-up amidst disappointing record sales of their self-titled major label album. 2004's "Obsession" was their most successful album and even that only managed to sell some 200,000 copies. Despite their struggles, both to find themselves and from various line-up changes, not many bands can say they lasted twelve years and released six albums. Currently, all the members of Eighteen Visions are working on various new musical projects. For fans of Eighteen Visions' lead singer James Hart, you'll be happy to know he does still front a band and it's called Burn Halo, a much more straight-forward rock band.

Song Of The Week: 6/19/11

Song: "Needles And Pins"

Artist: Deftones

Album: "Deftones"

Year: 2003



I've been on a bit of a Deftones kick the last couple of weeks, hence the back to back songs of the week! As for this song, "Needles And Pins" appears to be about finding someone who is as talented and gifted as you when it comes to what you do best. The first verse almost seems like a feeling out of the individual, perhaps in a competitive way. By the time the second verse hits, you sense that a collaboration with that person is at hand. By combining the talents of the two people, they feel that they are unstoppable and cannot be touched. The whole scenario kind of reminds me of the Lennon/McCartney relationship with The Beatles. Seperately, they were both very talented singers and songwriters but when they wrote together, they were biggest band ever! Without getting to much into the history of the Deftones which I explained a little bit in my previous blog, i'll just repeat that they formed as a band in 1988 and have releases six studio album in that span. 2003's "Deftones" was their fourth release and may be considered quited possibly their heaviest album to date. This album took a year to complete and cost the band some 2.5 million dollars to produce, some of the cost going to fines from their record label for missing deadlines. When it was all said and done however, "Deftones" would reach as high as number 2 on the Billboard 200 list. Lead singer Chino Moreno said this about the album, "It's all on record. We told motherfuckers not to lump us in with nu metal because when those bands go down we ain't going to be with them." Moreno's comments ring very true when you look at the popular bands at that time. Staind, who were once very heavy on their first couple of albums, had become soft and radio friendly while another band like Linkin Park just totally lacked any bite with it's music. The Deftones remained true to their style and who they were throughout their career, a main reason why they are so well respected amongst their peers. In 2010, the band released their sixth album, "Diamond Eyes" and currently have tours set up in Europe and Australia in support of that album.

Song Of The Week: 6/12/11

Song: "Around The Fur"

Artist: Deftones

Album: "Around The Fur"

Year: 1997



"Around The Fur" appears to be a song about how superficial and shallow those are that revolve their entire existence around glamour and vanity. That type of lifestyle just seems to be very hollow and lacking any substance and you can tell the vocalist really has little need for it in his own life. The Deftones were formed back in 1988 by three highschool friends from California. They could go under the genre of alternative metal amongst other things but they just stray enough outside the lines that it makes it hard to define their sound by one genre. Their music hits the listener first with it's heavy and aggressive sound. Then it soars to other places with lead singer, Chino Moreno's atmospheric vocals which eventually lead to gutteral screams which stir the final product into a frenzy. The Deftones never quite get recognized with being at the forefront of any musical movement, however. They often seem to get lost a little in the back while the music industry goes from one fad to the next. There is absolutely no doubt about this band's integrity nor the respect that they have in the circles that matter most, their fanbase and their peers. Just some of the band's that have praised the Deftones along the way include Alice In Chains, Suicidal Tendencies, Tool and Korn. During their 20 plus year career, the Deftones have released six studio albums, all of which have at least achieved Gold status. In 2006, longtime band member, bassist Chi Cheng, was seriously injured in an auto accident which really shook the band and it's members. They would ultimately bring in another bassist for the recording of their last album, 2010's "Diamond Eyes". Currently, the band completed a tour in the fall of 2010 with Alice In Chains and Mastodon. They also have several tour dates on schedule for Europe and Australia in 2011. As of now, Cheng is still recovering from his serious injuries and cannot join the band at this time.

Song Of The Week: 6/5/11

Song: "Hellbent"

Artist: Superdrag

Album: "Instant Live: The Paradise. Boston, MA 9/5/03"

Year: 2004



"Hellbent" appears to be a song about wanting to get away from your current living condition and start something new. You get the sense the vocalist seems to build up the courage to move on only to fall back into the same old situations. He can't seem to break the normalcy that is his life. You also get the feeling he is talking about the "rock star" life. He keeps getting sucked in by the drugs and the "hangers on" that only seem to bring him down. Perhaps "Hellbent", which was originally recorded for Superdrag's second album, "Head Trip In Every Key", was a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come for the band, especially lead singer John Davis. After achieving some success in alternative music circles with their debut album, "Regretfully Yours" and the hit single "Sucked Out", it seemed Superdrag really started to veer against the music industry with their follow-up releases. "Head Trip" saw Superdrag really tap into Beatles influences where Superdrag's record label, Elektra really wanted them to ride the wave of the alternative bandwagon and create more "Sucked Out" type songs. On their next release, "In The Valley Of Dying Stars", Davis put his frustration with the industry on his sleeve with the song "Keep It Close To Me". Davis would stand firm and not allow his creations to be compromised by outside forces. By the time of 2002's "Last Call For Vitriol", the wear and tear of physical and emotional strains really began to weigh on the band. Alcohol began to take control of Davis' life in a way that he could no longer function if he continued to live that way. In 2003, Davis would find God, get sober and ultimately leave Superdrag behind. He would release two solo albums between 2003 and 2007. Good news for fans of Superdrag came in 2007. Rumors were confirmed that the original band members would reunite for a small tour. In 2009, Superdrag released a brand new album entitled "Industry Giants". The band would continue to tour in support of that album throughout 2009. Currently, the band is in a bit of a hiatus period again with all the members working on various side projects. John Davis, however, has not closed the book on working on new Superdrag material in the future.