Hello everyone! I’m coming back from a holiday-related hiatus after a few days at my partner’s parents’ house where I ate, missed Gloria Gaynor and Cyndi Lauper kill it at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, drank wassail, met up with some old friends, gave and received gifts, and beat the entire family at Wii boxing, the last activity leaving my arms and torso surprisingly sore. Oh, and I spent the past few hours belting Neko Case and pre-1986 Billy Joel tunes at full volume on the car ride home. So, I’m a little tired and hungry for leftovers. But to limber up and get back into the swing, I thought I’d offer up a quick post.

Driving back to Austin, I also listened to Smog’s A River Ain’t Too Much to Love. As Bill Callahan is a long-time resident of my fair city, I intended for the album to get my partner and me excited about our return home. But then I remembered a music video off this album that got me thinking about female actors acting in clips for songs by male musicians. What does their presence contribute to a music video and how might it change or deepen a song’s meaning? To be clear, I’m referring to protagonists — not creepy playthings like Kim Basinger’s corpse in Keir McFarlane’s music video for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”  

Kim Basinger as Tom Petty's perfect and dead object of desire; image courtesy of fanpop.com

That said, having a female character serve as the lead to a male musical act’s music video doesn’t guarantee a progressive narrative, though does create interesting sites of discourse. She can be problematic as a result of how she’s characterized, what she might suggest about the song’s meaning, or how the director has chosen to frame her. And of course an actress offers her own on- and off-screen personae to the proceedings, often complicating matters when she crosses entertainment mediums. 

Click on the song titles below to access the music videos and consider how these actresses’ presences might make meaning. Also, feel free to offer up any other suggestions as well, particularly if you can come up with more representations of actresses of color or any examples of female actors serving as protagonists in hip-hop music videos for songs by male artists.

In a Smog video, Chloë Sevigny's motel maid see herself reflected through a mirror, a TV screen, and a news achor played by Callahan, but never explicitly comments upon her eyepatch; image courtesy of chloesevigny.info

Sofia Coppola
The Black Crowes
“Sometimes Salvation“
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
Directed by Stéphane Sednaoui

Claire Danes
Soul Asylum
“Just Like Anyone“
Let Your Dim Light Shine
Directed by P.J. Hogan

Sofia Coppola
The Chemical Brothers
“Elektrobank“
Dig Your Own Hole
Directed by Spike Jonze

(Aside: I wonder if any Godfather III detractors are at all resentful of me considering the director to be an actress and to spotlight her presence in multiple music videos)

Rosario Dawson
The Chemical Brothers
“Out of Control“
Surrender
Directed by W.I.Z.

(Aside: I wonder how electronic artists, whose often non-descript physical presences are obscured from packaging, open up the possibilities of who or what can be featured in their music videos)

Chloë Sevigny
Smog
“I Feel Like the Mother of the World“
A River Ain’t Too Much to Love
Directed by Bryce Kass

Afara ploua, perle ies, oamenii din jur se misca foarte incet. Muzica buna, sunetul ploii, pizza la pachet, seminar pe hol, un joint, covig de la unirea. Toate astea fac parte din ziua unui adevarat crp-ist. Nu ca ai sti ce e ala, sau cu ce se mananca, si nici ca te-ar interesa. Alarma unui magazin jefuit, o sirena de politie, semne ca am ajuns unde trebuia. Asta e calculatorul meu. Vlaudut a ajuns acasa si se joaca miss bimbo.

Amintiri se intorc la inaintare si odata cu ele melodia unei trupe foarte bune, cu un solist exponential mai bun, care rezista din 1981.

Melodia si implicit videoclipul ce a marcat multi oameni, dar care probabil ca acum va ridica doar sprancene in randul copiiilor de acum,

Runaway Train – Soul Asylum

Caution Children are one of the many bands that characterize Ithaca sound

Nestled in the foothills of the Finger Lakes, right in the heart of wine country, Ithaca is a community secluded from the rest of the world. There are no major interstates that cut an unsightly swath through its downtown; no passenger trains rumbling across the Cayuga Valley.  One could easily assume that if it wasn’t for Cornell University and Ithaca College, Ithaca would have just been another Podunk upstate burg at the edges of the Rust Belt.

Yet this small college city, just over a one-hour drive from Syracuse and a little under five from New York City, is home to one of the country’s most eclectic, powerful, and thriving music scenes.

After all, the ever-elusive “Ithaca Sound” was created here, a fusion of familiar and ethnic music styles, fundamental to the popularity and acceptance of Roots. Acclaimed reggae group John Brown’s Body considers Ithaca home, as do country singer Johnny Dowd and folk singers The Burns Sisters.  College-town venue The Nines has been hosting the Blue Monday jam session for over 29 years. And the local award-winning college radio station WICB carries such programming as “Home Brew,” a weekly show dedicated to local music, while graduates at the School of Music at nearby Ithaca College go on to play with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

“Whenever you have a college town like this, you have a naturally reoccurring base,” says Dan Smalls, a concert promoter who has been part of the Ithaca scene since his freshman year in 1989. “A scene is only as good as the musicians who lived here, and there were always great musicians here. If you continue to do cutting-edge music then you’re going to have a good scene.”

Putting a face to Ithaca’s intricate personality is difficult at best, simply because it has too many faces to represent its storied history:  the veteran blues artist, the bartender at one of the hottest venues on the Cornell hill, the bouncer who’s worked all across town, the respected Visitor’s Bureau promoter, the music writer turning the city inside out, and the students who, in just three years, have carved their place in the scene. Each of them has their own stories about the music and the people, the bands and the bars, and none of them can ignore the impact this scene has had on their own lives.

THE BLUESMAN

Music in Ithaca always changes. The scene flows in four-year waves, rising and ebbing with each incoming and outgoing college class. But there are still some elements of permanence here: take Pete Panek, for example – one of the few, rare constants in a city whose musicians often grow up and move out.

“We’re the old guards,” says the 58-year old guitarist and lead singer of his epynomous band, Pete Panek and the Blue Cats. “We’re constant, we’re here forever.”

A consummate bluesman, Panek can recite a who’s-who of blues legends he has shared the stage with: Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Charles Musselwhite. He played with the legendary Bo Diddley as his backup band, twice.  Since moving to Ithaca in October 1982, he’s been jamming at The Nines in Collegetown each week — one of the longest-running open blues jams in America, he’s quick to point out.

“In its heyday in the mid-’80s, right after Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughn came out, it was crazy,” he says. “One night 24 guitars showed up to jam.”

As a forum for students to meet and experiment, Ithaca is fertile ground: Panek estimates that 80% of the bands playing at Ithaca’s major venues are college students, as opposed to out-of-town bands.

Yet it’s retaining these acts that’s the major problem.

Panek acknowledges that bands in Ithaca frequently outgrow their small college-town status. Those that move to Boston or New York to take their chances are rarely heard from again—if they even stay together.

“It could be a case of big fish in a small pond,” he shrugs.

Once band members graduate after being popular for 3 or 4 years, there’s “almost like a scramble” for another band to fill the void. Other times, bands that find success in Ithaca usually stick around, sometimes for a few years, sometimes more.

“There’s always a lot of bands, but the ones that really make it to the top have been together for a while. It takes time to get tight.”

And what works in Ithaca may not always work elsewhere in the country, as Panek points out.

“To be honest with you, a lot of times the bands that are really popular locally for a while, don’t leave town for a reason. Because they’ll get their asses kicked.  Some of the bands are pretty good for Ithaca, but if they leave town they’ll get burnt to death. All of a sudden, they’re a little lightweight. It’s a problem.”

But with the talent from the music schools, Panek knows that Ithaca won’t come up short for new and diverse bands anytime soon, and especially now.

“The music is good, the bands are as good as ever, and getting better,” says Panek, keeping an eye on how the current school year is progressing. “It remains to be seen. This semester’s so young.”

THE BARTENDER

Talk to enough people in town about good venues for live music, and a few names will emerge from the riffraff: The Nines. Castaways. Felicia’s Atomic Lounge. The Shop.

Ask John Peterson his favorite venue, and he’ll surely tell you the Haunt Bar and Grille, which he owned until 1996.

Originally, Peterson had intended to stay in Ithaca only for one summer after graduating Cornell. He took up a bartender job at The Haunt in 1972, back when the venue featured one or two local bands covering the Allman Brothers every week. Peterson didn’t stand for it.

“I knew exactly what the college kids wanted,” says Peterson. “It was later in the 70s, between 1976 and 1977 that we started bringing live entertainment back. Strictly original bands. No bands that played covers. I wanted bands that played original music.”

More original bands started to filter in, playing original reggae and blues.  And eventually, Peterson became a partner and stayed in Ithaca to steer The Haunt towards becoming the institution it is now.

In those initial years Peterson took a trendsetting approach to booking, oftentimes bucking the trend on mainstream music. For him, working at The Haunt was a “labor of love.”

“Having a nightclub was just a cool thing and I was very enthused about bringing these bands in,” he said.  “I would promote them really hard, and as opposed to bringing in what people really wanted, I brought in bands I thought I could develop a market for.”

Those acts included the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, who Peterson paid $250 for in 1981 — the same Stevie Ray Vaughn who went on to record Texas Flood and cement his reputation as one of the most acclaimed guitarists of this generation.

“I used to let the bands stay at my house back then,” recalls Peterson, “and Stevie was leaving kind of late after the act. He planned to stay in their van, but he stayed at my place for four to five nights. With his guitar.”

After being in town for so long, someone like Peterson starts to notice trends. Jam bands are on their way out, he says, a sentiment he shares with Panek. Heavy metal struggles to find a thriving audience. Soul and funk are currently crowd-pleasers, as well as African-inspired roots music mixed with good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll.

“The thing that makes me happy about Ithaca now is that it’s known as a town that really supports alternative ethnic music,” Peterson said. “People in Ithaca have a broad taste of music. It’s that kind of community… there’s a definite vibe in Ithaca that makes creative type people stick around that will help keep the scene alive.”

THE BOUNCER

Tim Mavros may be a self-proclaimed metalhead, but his job takes him all across town and across all different genres of music. He’s a bouncer who’s worked almost every major club in Ithaca and tossed drunks and underage kids out of most of them, but he is a man who enjoys the crowd too much to be confrontational.

Working directly with the shows also means that he’s seen the scene change from time to time and knows which venues he enjoys working with (Dark Star Orchestra are among the most entertaining of the “hippie shows”) and which ones may give him trouble (the nascent hip-hop scene isn’t his cup of tea). He enjoys the crowd, he enjoys the glimpses of the show he catches from the door, and he clearly enjoys his job.

He’s also felt the sting of the economic recession, which threatens to pull the carpet out from under the entire scene.

“The prices of everything went up,” he explains. “New York State wants to raise the liquor taxes. So you’re forcing the venues to up their prices, and it deters them from buying what they would usually buy.”

Venue owners rely on college students’ billion-dollar-strong disposable income to survive and thrive. When the recession hit, club owners were worried that their crowds would disappear, and reacted by reducing shows during the slow weekday stretches. But mercifully, the crowds haven’t disappeared altogether, the talent hasn’t vanished like the money has, and musicians are simply requesting more free gigs.

And the love-hate relationship between the permanent residents of Ithaca and the rowdy students on the Hill makes for an interesting dynamic.

“Townies don’t like the students,” explains Mavros, “but they know they bring the jobs. Even mine.”

THE PROMOTER

Fortunately for Bruce Stoff, this summer’s tourism season shook off the worst effects of the recession. A 10-year Ithaca resident, Stoff is the communications manager of the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. His job entails drawing visitors to hike along Ithaca’s famous gorges, tour the wineries on the nation’s first wine trail, kayak down Cayuga Lake, go swimming at Buttermilk Falls, and do some shopping in the newly refurbished downtown Ithaca Commons.

And, while they’re in town, maybe catch a show or two.

“We just love the local music scene here, it’s fun. And we love getting all the national acts coming through,” says Stoff. “But from a tourism perspective, from the visitor’s bureau we just like to spread the word that people can come here and catch a good show.”

Stoff has been involved with the annual GrassRoots Festival for years — the “festival of music and dance,” featuring performers like Donna the Buffalo, has become a staple for folk fans across the country. And it’s one of the many promotions Stoff has worked on during his tenure here.

“We did a CD of local Ithaca music,” explains Stoff, “featuring some of the bands that are popular here. And we inserted it into 12-packs of Ithaca beer that were sold throughout the Northeast. And that was cool, just putting local music out with beer and letting people know there’s a fun music scene here.”

Additional projects target nearby metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, whose NPR station is working with Stoff to bring Lyle Lovett to town for an interview on the program “World Café.”

And the Chamber of Commerce does what it can to help out small and new businesses, says Stoff. Finding sources of funding for clubs, with their razor-thin profit margins, can be difficult, but when they become successful these businesses are a boon to tourism. That’s why local nightclub Felicia’s Atomic Lounge was recently picked by the Chamber as the Best New Business of the Year.

“You don’t expect a chamber to pick a bar or a club as the Best Business of the Year,” says Stoff. “That’s how they try to bring attention to it.”

Seventy to 80 percent of the 750,000 visitors to Ithaca are in town primarily for the waterfalls and the downtown attractions. And after that, the remaining tourists are evenly split between the restaurants, the water sports, and the wine. To them, the music scene almost feels like an afterthought—a testament to Ithaca’s relative isolation on the national stage.

“It’s a little hard to get on the national radar like that,” says Stoff. “But there’s a really strong contingent of national performers who live here, especially with the roots scene.”

It’s a challenge for Stoff, who acknowledges that while student musicians develop their talents in Ithaca, they make their professional impacts in major cities like New York.

“The biggest stumbling block is, how do you keep the talent here long enough to really develop a name for the location? As soon as they start getting really good and popular, they move on to where they can get big shows and media attention.”

THE JOURNALIST

Or perhaps there are those in town who wouldn’t want Ithaca to become huge and corporatized, like the faceless record conglomerates in Los Angeles. Jim Catalano has been covering the scene since 1992, when he wrote a weekly music column entitled “Soundoff” for the Ithaca Journal. Despite being laid off in June 2009, he plans to continue covering music.

Being a music journalist means that he caught a lot of shows, including Dread Zeppelin, Soul Asylum, Buddy Guy and Jeff Buckley. When he first moved to town The Haunt was located downtown instead of by the waterfront, Castaways was a metal bar called Max’s, and locals could earn a good living not only by playing clubs but also fraternities, hotels, and college dorms. The scene ebbs and flows, he says, “but that’s mainly due to the types of venues in town and the local promoters, rather than the musicians themselves.”

Today, Catalano believes the scene is poised for another upswing. With talented and dedicated promoters who understand the scene well, and two newly refurbished venues set to open, “I think it will continue to be bright,” says Catalano.

He believes underground shows like Popcorn Youth, the Ithaca Underground, and Cornell University’s Fanclub Collective are shaping the contemporary scene today. Local bands such as the Sim Redmond Band, J-san & the Analogue Sons, and John Brown’s Body are also putting out new music that, no matter how large or small the crowd is, will manage to draw an audience.

And mercifully for his career, Catalano always finds something to write about.

“I’ve had people ask me how I could possibly write a weekly music column for 17 years,” he saoid. “I usually tell them that between the strong local scene, the number of cool national touring acts that visit, and the variety of regional concerts in the summer, when it’s easier to travel, there’s almost always something worthwhile to write about.”

THE YOUNG BLOOD

Worthwhile new acts, in fact, lie no further than Ithaca’s South Hill, home to the music-intensive Ithaca College and dozens of young student acts.

The six beard-toting, flannel-wearing members of Caution Children spent their junior year in a house on South Hill, drinking Utica Club, recording demo tracks for Myspace and playing gigs on and off campus when they had the time.  Though they’ve since moved into separate houses, they’ve still become something of a fixture on the college scene — so much so, in fact, that they seem to open, headline or otherwise involve themselves in every show that IC puts on.

But for keyboardist and IC senior Aaron Terkel, at least, Caution Children are more a band from Ithaca than a band from Ithaca College.  It’s an atmosphere that he and other college acts say is very hospitable to young bands, largely because the local scene itself is so vibrant.

“There’s a lot of music in this town,” Terkel said by e-mail.  “It has been said that there are more musicians (or at least, musically inclined people) per capita in Ithaca than anywhere else in upstate NY… Local music will always be present and be a big driving force behind what keeps people going in this town.”

Caution Children originally formed in 2007, after an open mic night at IC’s Campus Center.  The band began as a kind of free-spirited collective, sitting on a rainbow parachute and jamming out on toy instruments.  As they began practicing more regularly and playing actual songs, they gained a small following and a reputation for spirited, often riotous, live shows, complete with the token parachute and the “pistols in the sky” hand gesture that have become something of a calling card.

Last year, they opened for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Cornell University.  This month, they’ll play an IC homecoming event.  And over the upcoming winter break, the band intends to record their debut album with Sixteen Sixteen, an artist label and collective started by frontman Steve Burton’s high school friend Chris Ploss and home to fellow IC acts Radio the Ape, Kites in Space and Dandy Little Lions.

But Caution Children are a part of the four-year cycle that Pete Panek and other scene vets cite as critical to Ithaca’s music scene: most of the band’s six are not native to Central New York, and though they groan — literally — at the mention of post-graduation plans, it doesn’t seem that they’re likely to stay in the area.  Few college bands do, said CJ Knowles, a 2008 IC grad and the former frontman of now-defunct folk-pop act the Tundra Toes.

“College bands are in a lot of ways flashes in the pan doomed to fizzle out once everyone graduates,” he wrote in an e-mail interview. “But each one definitely leaves behind some influence, particularly on the administration’s support for college music and the local venues’ ideas of its worth.”

Knowles said that Jack Bauer and Stanley and the Livingstons were critical in paving the way for his band, while Tundra Toes went on to clear the way for Caution Children.  There’s a lot of crossover between the three bands: Caution Children’s saxophonist, Reece Lazarus, used to play with Tundra Toes, while Knowles once played with Stanley and the Livingstons.

Caution Children also share their bassist, Mike Grippi, with Dandy Little Lions, a noise-driven electro act that went on hiatus when keyboardist Jake Forney and drummer Nick Carr graduated last spring.  Forney has since relocated to Brooklyn, while Carr lives in Rhode Island.  There’s no word on if or when the Dandy Little Lions will return.

But that isn’t the case for every college band playing Castaways and The Nines these days.  Nick Bullock, Jason Pratt and Devon Reehl met in the IC dorms in 2000 — nearly 10 years and two line-up changes later, Revision remains a staple of the funk/jazz scene.

Keyboardist Jonathan Petronzio said that it’s a scene on the brink — a fact that explains why Revisions, at least, have never left.

“I’ve often wondered why and how Ithaca isn’t viewed as the Nashville of the Northeast,” he said.  “I compare Ithaca’s music to the likeness of a Carnival quarter machine where all of the quarters are lined up teetering on the edge, and ready to fall at any time… We only need one band to break.”

When all is said and done, the future of the Ithaca music scene appears as strong as ever, in spite of the recent recession, changes to the scene and changes to the industry overall.  The trendsetters of contemporary music are still here, coming and going every four years: these kids know what they want and they are ready to reshape this weird and beautiful town in their own ever-changing image.

“So do what you want, don’t follow trends, make your own trends,” Panek advised newcomers to Ithaca’s music scene.  “And then let them follow you, wherever that may be.”

– story by Blake Rong and Caitlin Dewey
– additional reporting by Donata Lockett and Jamie Miles

Well, since The Swagger Sticks are off until mid-November (we’re playing our video release show at The Bootleg on Sat, 11/14/09), I’m making an effort to go out and see some shows. And, since I missed The Shakers on Wednesday and The Aggrolites in Pamona on Thursday, I made sure to make it out to Alex’s Bar in Long Beach for Mike Watt and Stab City. The flu was responsible for Stab City’s last minute cancellation but, fortunately for me, what followed was an amazing night of music…I saw all four bands and it could not have been better. On the bill were Telomere Repair, The Radio Sweetheart (I love that name), Los Mysteriosos and Mike Watt and The Secondmen.

Power to the Pedro! Mike Watt & The Secondmen

Openers Telemer Repair were filling in for Stab City at the last minute. They played some of the most searingly angular punk I have ever heard. The trio’s musicianship was off the charts. They made Gang of Four sound like a Vegas lounge act. I was totally intimidated by them until I traded CD’s with the bass player and then the band’s girlfriends, who were minding the merch table, gave me some stickers. They were all incredibly nice. I am a fan for life.

The Radio Sweetheart!

Next up was the all-girl punk trio, The Radio Sweetheart. Lead singer Dylan Kent had the most vicious punk guitar tone imaginable and the rhythm section was right on. I fucking loved it. Later that night I asked Kent about her rig and how she got such an amazing sound. She said, “You know, you’re talking to the wrong person about this stuff…I just turn everything up as loud as it will go.”  And that, my friends, is what makes punk rock great. If it sounds good, that’s all that matters. Added to that was a dead-on cover of The Pixies ”Isla de Encanta” at the end of their set. Now if only we can convince TRS to let The Swagger Sticks open for them.

The third band was Long Beach’s very own, Los Mysteriosos, in what can only be described as Latin surf  meets meets a “Fiesta of Flamenco.” Dios Mios, these guys rocked. You don’t need to speak Spanish to understand the ways of the Matador and, as Los Mysteriosos will tell you, they are the only ones who can make a Chupacabra dance on its tail!

When San Pedro natives Mike Watt and The Secondmen hit the stage I wasn’t sure what to expect. Watt had sat patiently on his amp the entire night smiling as he watched all three of the opening bands. I don’t think he got up once the entire time. He could have just as easily showed up five minutes before his set but instead hung out all night talking to friends and fans (myself included). That should tell you something about Watt – he’s one cool cat.

I’d seen Watt at The Echo about five years ago and, I have to admit, my simple I-IV-V mind had trouble digesting the free-form song structure. If Zappa had played bass he might have come close to Watt. On this night the Secondmen were on absolute fire and, combined with Watt’s incredible bass mastery, they worked together to form slightly more accessible songs (translation: this time ‘I got it’). The result was that Watt and his longshoremen absolutley blew my mind. I was mesmerized. 

Never mind the fact that Watt founded some of the most influential punk bands in history like The Minutemen and fIREHOSE and that he’s recorded with members of Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Pixies, Nirvana, The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr, Black Flag, Soul Asylum, Screaming Trees etc.  And yes, forget about the fact that he played bass on Iggy Pop‘s tour a couple years ago. None of it matters. That’s because tonight was all about Mike Watt and The Secondmen. See their MySpace link below for upcoming shows. You won’t want to miss them.

 Thanks to Alex’s Bar for putting together a great night of music. It was my first time there and I had a blast.

If you come across any great local LA bands that you think I should check out please leave me a comment or hit me up on The Swagger Sticks MySpace page. I look forward to hearing from ya! ~ Aron

Links:
Telemer Repair
www.myspace.com/telomererepair

The Radio Sweetheart
www.myspace.com/theradiosweetheart

Los Mysteriosos
www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomlosmysteriosos

Mike Watt & The Secondmen
www.myspace.com/secondmen

Mike Watt Bio
www.allmusic.om/MikeWatt

The Watt From Pedro Radio Show
www.twfps.com

Alex’s Bar
www.Alexsbar.com

AFG Must Rock!
Check Out: www.myspace.com/TheSwaggerSticks

O Soul Asylum é uma banda de Rock Alternativo formada em 1983, e mais tarde, final dos anos 80s começo dos 90s, embarcou na onda do movimento grunge e foi considerada uma das pioneiras do mesmo, junto de bandas como Mudhoney e Screaming Trees.

Somebody To Shove abre as portas para Grave Dancers Union, começando com um riff poderoso, extremamente agudo, rápido, possuindo também refrões bastante marcantes e repetitivos, no final sendo acompanhado por um backing vocal completamente aflito, encaixando perfeitamente na temática da música. Somebody To Shove foi o primeiro clipe/ single, além de ser a única música do álbum que chegou a liderar as paradas.

Grave Dancers Union é de todos os 10 álbuns da banda, o mais popular, lançado em 1992, alcançou inúmeros prêmios, dentre eles Grammys, devido à música Runaway Train, em categorias como: Melhor Musica de Rock, além de alcançar até a segunda colocação nas paradas de todo o mundo.

O grande motivo de todo estouro de Runaway Train, está desde a música, uma canção acústica, porque não, mela cueca, com uma letra extremamente reflexiva, vocal sofrido, tendo todos esses ingredientes adicionados a um refrão fácil de lembrar, completamente grudento. Pronto, já era o suficiente para o Soul Asylum despontar nas paradas, mas não, eles quiseram ter a segurança de que, eles chegariam lá, no topo. E com isso, veio o clipe de Runaway Train, na verdade, oS clipeS. A banda fez uma versão norte-americana e uma Britânica, mas ambos mostrando a mesma idéia: a quantidade de crianças perdidas nos respectivos países. O videoclipe foi muito bem sucedido, trazendo inúmeras crianças desaparecidas às suas respectivas casas, nessa época o Soul Asylum fora convidado pelo presidente Bill Clinton para uma apresentação da respectiva música na Casa Branca, assim realizando.

Black Gold, segunda faixa do álbum começa extremamente calma, dedilhada, de repente, quebrada por um riff simples e “pesado”, ao longo da música podemos perceber que essas partes mais calmas são encaixadas no verso e as mais “agressivas” no refrão. Infelizmente vejo partes desnecessárias na faixa.

Juro que não sei por que, mas tenho uma fascinação por musicas que tem “It Up”, bem e com Keep It Up não é diferente. Uma das faixas mais “agitadas” de todo álbum, e que mais ficam na cabeça, talvez pelo seu refrão a base de “Nánáná” e Keep It Up, ótimo para pessoas de inglês fluente como o meu, sair cantando por aí.

Homesick supera no quesito “Hit Mela Cueca” de Runaway Train, mas vamos às diferenças, Runaway train é uma música incrível, já Homesick…..bem, não passa de um mela cueca bonitinho mesmo, sem grandes brilhos, nada que fuja do comum.

Para quebrar esse clima de mela-cueca e de tristeza chula, nada melhor que Get On Out, seria necessário só os cinco primeiros segundos dela para revigorar toda a “agitação” tirada por Homesick, ao seu final você saberá apenas uma coisa: I Gotta Get On Out

Ok, nada é feito de maravilhas, Grave Dancers Union é capaz de tirar sua paciência, uma vez que, a cada duas músicas uma é uma baladinha safada, pior, parece que a cada música calma do CD, vai só decaindo o nível, bem, essa é New World.

Novamente, o Soul Asylum arruma uma maneira de quebrar esse gelo, desta vez com uma música extremamente pesada, April Fool uma linha de guitarra monstra, em minha opinião, a melhor do álbum, acrescido a um refrão que me soa muito similar a bandas de rock alternativo dos anos 80s.

Bem….. Não preciso falar muito, após uma música mais animada, o que se pode esperar? Bingo, baladas, e assim o álbum vai seguindo toda sua previsibilidade com Without a Trace.

Growing Into You é a típica música dos anos 90s, animada, familiar somado com uma linha de guitarra insana, principalmente no bridge, timbres sensacionais.

99% faixa mais “viajada”, experimental do Grave Dancers Union, efeitos vocais semelhantes à de bandas de pigfuck, ou seja, difícil decifrar o que é pronunciado por David Pirner, no final das contas, nem parece a mesma banda que faz tantas baladas, de repente, fazendo algo tão fora de sua realidade e da realidade de seus fãs.

Só tinha uma forma de o Soul Asylum finalizar seu álbum, sim, música calma, mas eu tenho que admitir, embora ela der sono, adoro a harmonia do refrão, composta por outros instrumentos, mas considero The Sun Maid completamente descartável.

Embora um álbum que possua músicas muito acima da média, como: Somebody To Shove, Runaway Train e April Fool; Grave Dancers Union é muito irregular, possuindo momentos decadentes: Without A Trace, New World, The Sun Maid. Bem, minha recomendação é simples, ouça o CD, dê uma enxugada, tire todas as músicas que estejam entre essas decadentes, caso concorde, e deleite-se do resto, mas uma coisa eu posso garantir que há muito mais coisas para aproveitar do que descartar.

Soul Asylum – Grave Dancers Union (1992)
Gênero: Grunge/ Rock Alternativo

01 – Somebody to Shove – 3:14
02 – Black Gold – 3:57
03 – Runaway Train – 4:26
04 – Keep it up – 3:48
05 – Homesick – 3:34
06 – Get On Out – 3:30
07 – New World – 4:03
08 – April Fool – 3:46
09 – Without a Trace – 3:33
10 – Growing Into You – 3:13
11 – 99% – 3:59
12 – The Sun Maid – 3:53

Destaques:
Somebody to Shove, Runaway Train, Get On Out, April Fool

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Soul Asylum:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7PJLQSA0

Music permeates our existence. It lets us create, celebrate, dance, mourn, worship, and reminisce. Here are a few things that music reminds me of. [Sorry, so many music companies have issues with letting people embed links.]

Everyone Is Free to Wear Sunscreen – Baz Luhrmann

You are my first real girlfriend, and I’m calling you because this is one of my favorite songs at the moment and I want you to hear it. Later you’ll choose “our” song. But in my heart, this is the song that will remind me of sitting in your kitchen at the start of our relationship. I am happy when I think about being there. And, think that it was good.

Mothers of the Disappeared – U2

You’re listening to this song while I ask you if I can go to the upcoming U2 concert. You hear the line “Midnight, our sons and daughters, cut down and taken from us” and glibly say “what a pleasant though.” I realize that I won’t be going to the concert.

The World I Know (Acoustic) – Collective Soul

It’s dark, and this song is playing as we drive along. We park and start walking along the waterfront, and before long we’re talking like we always do. The first night I met you I thought you were stunning. And, in hindsight, I’ll come to think that you wanted me to kiss you by your car. I wanted to–but am terribly awkward so I don’t.

Tonight, we’ll take some pictures with my new camera. They’ll be bad. But we’ll also get a passerby to take one or two, and when we pose you’ll put your arms around my neck and pull me closer than I’m ready for. I will like it.

You’ll write me an email before I post this, and it will be our first contact since this night.

Charmless Man – Blur

I’m standing in a field. I’m dripping sweat, and have a hockey shin pad tied to my right leg. My right arm aches. The machete I’m swinging is dull, and I’m doing a terrible job pruning these trees. I hate my job. Sweat and sunscreen keep leaching into my eyes, causing them to sting. This song comes on my headset radio, and I will later buy the album because of it.

Romeo & Juliet – Dire Straights

I’m in university, and I like a woman I’m sort of getting to know. I don’t know it, but she likes someone who will become my future housemate. Later, we’ll become good friends, and find ourselves in a foreign country together. This song, which I’ll listen to repetitively while I have a crush on her, doesn’t “apply” to us. The song will, however, “apply” to another girl who we’ll spend a great deal of time discussing. I’ll try to date this other girl, and it will fail.

We will wonder if we should date, but won’t because you’ll find someone else.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness

I’ve just asked you out, but you’ve said no. Within a few months you will start dating someone else. And, will post a line from this song in a public space. I will assume that it’s about your new boyfriend, and this will be the first time I am hurt by you.

It won’t be the last.

Lightning Crashes – Live

The three of us we’re driving: windows down, music up, and the wind blowing through the car. It’s dusk and your sitting in the back seat asking me if I like this song. You are the first woman I will have real romantic feelings for. Years in the future, we’ll be hanging out and you’ll stick butterfly stickers all over the inside of my car. You’ll say “This is the last time we’ll hang out that I’m single.” It will be.

The Freshmen – The Verve Pipe

I’m in high school. We’re writing in each others yearbooks. I write “For the life of me I cannot remember what made us think that we where wise and we’d never compromise.” I imagine you reading it much later in life. I imagine you being struck by how profound and true it was. But, you don’t like that I’ve quoted a song. Later, I’ll be offered drugs because of you.

You’re a good friend.

The Scientist – Coldplay

The windows are open and the three of us are hanging out, playing Worms. This album just came out, and this song is playing in the background. I will be glad we lived together, and won’t every really express it very well.

Settle Down – Breaks Co-op

I’m angry–angry at you. I hate that I sunk more and more of myself to make this work–when it felt like you didn’t want it to.

It will be months before I start to deal with my anger, which will continue to snowball out of control until that time. Eventually, it will eat my insides out.

My recovery will start when I realize that staying angry is a way of pretending I don’t still care about you.

Mother-in-law – The Coasters

At first I find it strange that you’re married. I’ll find I don’t know how to act around your husband. This song will remind me of Saturday night oldies, and your house. I’ll grow to like your husband, and to be very happy for the two of you. But we’ll be in contact less and less, and then the two of you will move away.

I haven’t seen you, or your husband, for a few years.

Straight to Hell – Danny Michel
It’s dark. And, I’m waiting outside the club for you guys. I’m uncomfortable, because I don’t go to clubs very often. Inside it’s packed and dark. We find seats right at the front. More and more people pour in, and he gets on stage. I love his mellow sound, and the way he pulls a bunch of different things into his songs. You will drive an hour and a half to go home. And, I’ll realize much later that I should have offered to let you crash at my place. I won’t see you again, until just before I leave the country for a year. Too much time will have passed, and we’ll make awkward small talk.

Runaway Train – Soul Asylum

It’s fall, and the leaves are turning. But right now it’s warm. And, I’ve just gotten off the school-bus. I go down to our market to see how much pumpkin money we’ve earned.

I lie in sun listening to an old portable radio. I’m 13, and will grow to love the smell of pumpkins, and the prickliness of the stems. The smell and feel will remind me of my youth. And, the memory will be better than the original experience.

drt.

Any time I move, the first thing I locate is my library branch. It connects me to my community, and lets me continue my connection to culture. I’m sure you can tell I am a culture consumer. This week I’ve been reading many, many books on screenwriting, and writing in general. I’m not sure which is easier to write, the novel or the screenplay. It think it is the screenplay, but as it is the bare bones of a story, you must get the skeleton right.

Music: Soul Asylum, and all things Michael Jackson. I wish he had not been so careless with his life. On youtube you can watch Ghosts, a short film I had not seen before, co-written by Stephen King. & MJ. The piece has all the hallmarks of fear and fight that MJ lived with, and great dancing. It’s very eerie to see it now, see him ghostly.

DVD: Horseman. Started with all potential, but then….
The Edge Of Love: Historical piece, with Dylan Thomas. Beautiful and strange.

New Release book: 2nd by Stieg Larsson – The Girl Who Played With Fire. Can’t wait.
This writers life and death would make an intriguing film, and what is left behind with the girlfriend
and family, if true, is an ongoing battle. Read the first book: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

TV: Kings. This series is beautifully written and photographed. Too good for tv; should be on cable and not sent to the saturday night lost.

Ah, Martina! Went to the Philadelphia Freedoms and was a few feet away from her and Billy Jean King, and the fetching Jan-Michael Gambill and many others. It’s great to see in person people one has admired, and I got a few good shots of the games. Of course, no one even came close to beating Martina. We lost….

… piesa pe care n-o mai pot suporta: ENRIQUE IGLESIAS & CIARA / Takin’ back my love
… mare dezamagire: LADY GAGA / Poker face la Radio Guerrilla. Cum asa?
… poti asculta atunci cand iti arde de plimbari cu masina: SOUL ASYLUM / Runaway train

What’s the last bad movie you watched? -Arkannitee

Paul Blart: Mall Cop.  The villain was such a poor actor, it reflected terribly on the satisfactory skills of Kevin James, and the surprising chops of Jayma Mays.   Also, the writing wasn’t great.  I’ve never really been a fan of Nick Bakay.

Contrary to popular belief, I think lust can be just as… “beautiful” as love. I mean, it’s not nearly as meaningful, but I think it’s just as important. -Innocensassin

I’m pretty sure this was the early thought process of the serial killer from Silence of the Lambs who was skinning his victims to make a dress.

How does Donte Stallworth get 30 days for killing a man and Michael Vick get 2 years for killing dogs? -The_Frank

If I die and my family has a chance to get rich instead of putting the dude in jail, you damned right I expect them to.  His ass rotting in jail is not doing my family any good.  Plus, I believe that Michael Vick was jailed for some federal gambling charge involving crossing state lines, and had very little to do with the actual killing of dogs.

I don’t get Thriller. So MJ watches MJ rape some girl as a werewolf. His date IRL gets scared of bestiality walks out, MJ follows. Starts singing to her. Then Vincent summons zombies. Who dont want to eat brains like decent zombies but rather to dance with MJ and his date. Then somehow MJ becomes a zombie. They dance and then the lady runs into a house. MJ breaks in and is closing in on her. But he just wakes her up and then turns around is now a monster again? WTF -ConArtiste

That about covers it.  I think you’ve got it all figured out there.

Rate a song: Soul Asylum – “Runaway Train”-Alpha_Omegatron

It was just so god-damned overplayed back in High School it really started to rub the wrong way.   Hearing it now immediately returns me to my junior year. Good times, still a song that’s actual value was ruined for me because of over saturation.

So if your gf catches you smoking weed and wants you to quit, you do it right? -Mazzeltoff

No. You say “I’m going to want to try a lot of different things in our future together. If you don’t want to try them, that’s okay. But I would never ask you to not try something new, and then stop doing it if you enjoyed the experience. That would cause resentment, and that’s not balling to me.”

What would That 70’s Show be called if it actually aired in the 70’s? -urban_apostle

Either “Kelso Loves Jackie” or “Red Foremans Parenting Showcase”

PSP Go is only digital download… that is BAD thing. There will be no more finding cheap used games to save a ton of money.  Digital download’s prices stay the same for YEARS.  I’d rather just get a normal PSP so I can find a bunch of the games for a lot cheaper. -Legendary_Hamburger

That’s a good point. But not losing games is also a significant advantage, for me, anyway.  I still can’t find my beloved copy of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.  Especially for like travel systems, with their tiny, tiny, games.

“Useless item collection” is now “replayability” in games with GP/trophies. that’s ridiculous, the only game I ever wanted to (and did) collect stuff in was GTA:SA  -magayushi

Works for me. I pretty much play the stories as I normally would the first time around. If the gameplay is fun enough which makes me want to continue playing more, it gives me an actual goal to work for. I’m not doing it for the trophies exactly, I’m doing it because the game is fun and it’s a goal to accomplish.

Watching this seasons Entourage? -Teggles11

I don’t care about E and Sloane. AT ALL.  I’ve never been around 3 guys who act more like bitches  than his friends. Why the hell are they on E about his girls, or his relationships?  When did they turn into 13 year old girls? I swear it was the whole god damned episode. Barely a mention of the Scorsese movie. They’d better get back to bonghits, naked girls and movie politics toot sweet.

The Ten Best Songs You’ve Never Heard
From Jimmy Buffett to the Offspring, here’s a brief list of some of the greatest songs most people have never heard. Read it and then add your favorite unknowns to the list.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/168399/the_ten_best_songs_youve_never_heard.html

We’ll be closed tomorrow, July 3rd, for the holiday weekend, but we’ll be back at it on Monday morning.

If you are forgoing the lake cabin getaway and staying in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for the weekend, here’s a sampling of good concerts around town:

Dillinger Four is playing at the Triple Rock Social Club on Saturday night.

Legends of Rock and Roll Tribute Show at the 501 Club on Friday. Local bands play tribute sets to the Ramones, Nirvana, and Rush.  Now that’s a great mix of music!

Lookbook and Ghost In The Water at the 331 Club. As always, the 501’s sister club never charges a cover.

Elvis Costello playing at the Taste of Minnesota festival on the 4th of July at Harriet Island in St. Paul.  The festival runs throughout the entire weekend and features other national and local bands such as Staind, Throw The Fight, The 757’s, Judas Priest, Jason Shannon, and others.

The Roots are playing tonight at the First Avenue Mainroom.

Head to the MN Zoo Amphitheater for Soul Asylum tonight and Toots & The Maytals on Friday night.

Haley Bonar is playing at the Walker Art Center’s Free First Saturday concert in the Sculpture Garden.

If that isn’t enough music for one weekend, there’s still a couple more shows on Sunday: Charlie Parr is playing the Turf Club and No Doubt is at the Xcel Energy Center.

That’s what caught my attention for the weekend.  Anything else going on worth checking out?  Let us know.

And now, I’ll leave you with this patriotic tribute by the Muppets.  Have a great weekend!

¿Recuerdas esta canción?… ains…

Sempre acreditei que os anos 90 nunca foram produtivos. Algumas bandas se salvaram, e esta é uma delas.

ENJOY!

“…They say misery loves company
we could start a company
and make misery…”

Bjs e Abraços

Al parecer Bob Dylan y Paul McCartney han dicho, cada cual por su lado que podrían estar interesados en una colaboración mutua. Esto en los medios a generado mucha expectación y el mundo se está lamiendo los bigotes ante esa posibilidad.

En los próximos días podrán encontrar en la red referencias al próximo disco de Julian Plenti, que será editado con Matador. Pero ¿Quién es Julian Plenti?, Julian Plenti es Paul Banks, pero Julian Plenti es Skycrapper… WTF? El punto es, viene un disco solista del vocalista de Interpol….

Jack White necesita conseguir mujer, ahora anda chambeando con el Dex Romweber duo en un sencillo que saldrá a finales de este mes. El tipo se aventó a tocar la guitarra, el bajo y a cantar en las canciones Last Kind Word Blues y The Wind Did Move. ¿el sonido? por si algo le hacía falta tocar, ahora se va con el Rockabilly.

Ozzy Ousborne se prepara para ser reconocido en el festival musical de Senset Strip, en el que se presentarán entre otros Juliette Leweis, Hot Hot Heat, Soul Asylum y Slash.

Pete Doherty también se une al grupo de la diarrea oral, ahora asegura en una entrevista para la  NME que alguien tiene que demostrarle a Oasis que existen mejores grupos que ellos y que el grupo elegido para ello son…¿Los Babyshambles? ¿neto?

Finalmente Activision confirmó que antes de que termine el año verá la luz el Guitar Hero de Van Hallen, la verdadera pregunta es: ¿Se lanzarán a ponerlo a competir contra el Rock Band de los Beattles? mmm

El día de ayer falleció Ean Evans, Bajista más reciente del añejo grupo Lynard Skynyrd, que en el 2001 substituyó al también fallecido Leon Wilkenson. No soy fan de la banda, pero esta canción me recuerda a alguien muy especial y que  sea para ella esta canción, que se que la necesita.

Everyone loves music. (well almost everyone)

 Through out your life, I’m sure you’ve run across more than a few songs that “chill you to the bone”, move you so emotionally that you are plagued by a rash of bodily goosebumps; then there are the songs that read like a storybook, a memoir of your life so to speak. Your super ego suddenly begins to rev into overdrive, ”This song was written about me… for me!”

 There are also the songs that your family, friends, and lovers assign to you and associate with you- one could easily argue that these songs hold more meaning than the aforementioned. Why is that? The answer is really simple-that someone thinks enough about you to connect the song’s story with your own story and character-words are the most powerful weapon available to mankind.

What I’m about to do is invite you into my little corner of the world by use of music association. It is also my invitation to you to interact by sharing your own experiences. The first list of “top ten songs that describe your life” are songs that were “assigned” to me by friends, exes, and family,or are songs that describe my relationships with each individual- a mutual affiliation. The order of the songs will be compiled from my earliest memories to the most recent.

Enjoy! And remember, be sure to add your own memories!

1. Bonnie Raitt, You Got It- My first “real” best friend Laura, whom I met at age 12, when a young woman begins to change. This became our “friends forever” promise. There wasn’t a thing we wouldn’t have done for one another, and the song, which came from the soundtrack to the movie Boys on the Side was “our story.” See for yourself…

          2. Aerosmith, Crazy- This one will always hold a special place in my heart. When I hit 7th grade, the Seattle grunge scene was in full swing and I was part of a group of “skate rats” who were more popular than the “jock” group. (This is undoubtedly because of the trend at the time, most of “my clique” has since gone on to conform to the standards put forth by society-I, and possibly a handful of others, may be the exception) Even the cheerleaders were skater chic. That year I formed a serious bond with one of the girls in our group. Her name was Tristan, and both the song and the video were the epitome of who we were at the time. She was Liv Tyler and I was Alicia Silverstone.

        3. TLC, Waterfalls- In 8th grade my “juvenile delinquent” period began to take full effect, and I found myself suspended from school indefinitely. Where I lived, when that happened, you were sent to a school by the name of ALC, where you’re closely monitored and begrudgeingly receive the honor of standing in front of a judge. Said judge then places you on probation, which then opens the floodgate into the land of chaos. There was one particular teacher at the school that saw me for who I really was, and called me out on all my bullshit- he said to me,”You’re like that song, don’t go chasing waterfalls.”

        4. Soul Asylum, Run Away Train- I did continue to chase waterfalls until around the age of 17 or 18, along with my first best friend Laura and the rest of our inner circle. (Not the same circle from 7th grade, most of them had transferred schools and we had already grown apart.) We went through a phase (a bad one) where we became so truant at school we had the law chasing after us- for us at that time, we were not going to give into anyone else’s rules, we lived by our own, and so we made a swift decision to bail on the situation. We spent nearly a week going from state to state until I got so sick I was on the verge of pneumonia-that was the end of that. *NOTE- This song still gives me goose bumps to this day, and even as an adult I can still see myself running away…

      5. The Verve Pipe, The Freshman- Sadly, this song marked the end of an era. I got to the point where I knew things had to change. My being a “rebel without a cause” was causing me to  lose the majority of my teen years-spending frequent time in juvenile hall, a month long stint in a group home, and rehab. Rehab came after the unthinkable happened, when I was forced to open my eyes to the reality of mortality. Mixing booze and pot, a friend of mine, who had just been at my house the night before, died in a tragic gun accident. A year later another friend was lost to alcohol and pot while driving through the countryside-they flew off the side of a ravine crashing into a tree at a high velocity. Was this really all worth it? No. I had to go a separate direction, and my friends weren’t ready to follow. They would always stay in my heart…

     6. Hole, Violet- It wasn’t hard for me to find a new group of friends, I’ve always been outgoing- My next stop was Coolsprings Galleria, where we became known as “mallrats.” (We were given this name by the security guards, and this was BEFORE the movie Mallrats ever came about.) We were large in number and as tight a group as any could be; we were the self proclaimed “brat pack.” About a year into this phase of my life a new girl moved into town. Our well known spontaneity, and often obnoxious behavior made us the perfect match. We were inseparable, even earning a trip together to a modeling convention where we were to meet agents and learn the trade. (It didn’t work out for long in case you’re wondering.) There was an incident however, that occurred right before she moved back to her home state-miscommunication caused her to dub Violet my song, from her to me. I’m still not quite sure why, or what exactly happened.

    7. Sublime, Wrong Way- This could easily be construed as an insulting dedication, but there is a simple explanation. Every girl has been here. I briefly dated a guy, and I just could not reciprocate his feelings for me. He did reiterate though, that there were only two lines that truly reminded him of me…”A cigarette rests between her lips but I’m staring at her tits it’s the wrong way.” Classic, right? Then there’s this blatantly hopeless line, “I gave her all that I had to give but she still wouldn’t take it, oh no.” Sad, I know. (Can you detect the sarcasm here?)

    8. Madonna, This Used to Be My Playground- This song is one of my favorite songs of all time, and is significant to my life in a number of ways, but this song, for this list, is a mutual song between myself and my true best friend of over 13 years-”G”. The one best friend that has never wavered, never disappeared-no matter how far away we might be. I remember growing up, my parents always told me-”You’ll be lucky to have one true friend in your lifetime,” and of course at the time I thought they were crazy. If I only knew then what I know now about this world we live in… A few years ago “G” and I went through a test, and we passed with flying colors-then he was offered a chance to go to grad school in Hawaii and he left. Nothing has been the same without him, but we are still there for one another, always in each others thoughts and hearts. “Our playground” will always be the fondest of my memories, and even in death we will know each other-He is my soul mate. Here’s to you dear friend.

   9. Pink, Stupid Girls- First, I have to say. anyone who knows me knows that this particular thought process has long since been a characteristic of mine, an “obvious from the moment you meet me” one. The funny thing about this song association is that my sister brought it to my attention before I ever heard the song. She asked me, “Have you heard Pink’s new song Stupid Girls?” “No”, I answered with a hint of curiosity in my voice. “You have to hear it, everytime I listen to it, it reminds me of you.” “Ok,” I said. She popped in the cd and skipped to the proper track. It made the rest of my day a glorious one.

   10. Garbage, You Look So Fine- This is the hardest one for me to acknowledge, and it will be cut short in terms of storytelling. I met my twin-soul,Erika, (which is very rare) in February of 2006 and she was taken from me on September 14th 2007. Garbage was one of her favorite bands, and in fact we hit it off in a forum discussing “best songs to have sex too” She mentioned a particular Garbage song (which I won’t get into) that had been a song choice of mine previously. That was only the start of something that was to become bigger than either of us could ever imagine. Erika loved making mixed cds, as did I-It was our way of expressing our feelings for one another. (In the words of Diablo Cody, “Nothing says true love like a smoke-colored Sony cassette with handwritten liner notes”, or in our case silver colored cd-r’s.) By the time the second mixed cd arrived in the mail, she had let her guard down and let me know that this cd contained a compendium of “sappy love songs,” one of which was the song “You Look so Fine.” My fondest memory however, was when we were in Florida together-she was laying by the poolside and wanted to go get some tunes. she asked me,”What do you want to listen too?” “It doesn’t matter.” I shrugged. “I know what to get, it’s a surprise”, she grinned. She hurried back out with cd in hand. Glaring at me with a tinge of seriousness she said,”Don’t look.” I smiled. What came next was, of course, the song “You look so fine.”  “This is my song to you, it will always be our song,” she said.

Always…

1.- JEREMY- PEARL JAM (1991)

He estado escuchando de nuevo el  disco Ten que Pearl Jam publicara en 1991,  que ha sido reeditado recientemente con una versión diferente en la producción y otra remasterizada. Incluye este trabajo una de las canciones  emblema del grupo de Seattle  Jeremy y, viendo su video, quise saber más sobre su  historia, que  me era desconocida.

Resulta que la canción la escribió Eddie Vedder al leer una noticia impactante en un periódico: Un chaval adolescente había entrado en su clase del instituto y se había suicidado delante de sus compañeros de clase con una pistola. Parece ser que Jeremy tenía carencias afectivas en su casa y era objeto de constantes burlas en el ambiente académico.

Conociendo el origen de la canción y viendo su video subtitulado, entiendo mucho mejor el tema que siempre me emocionó de por sí.

Se realizó otra grabación de un video anterior a éste, que fue rechazada al decidirse (en un principio) no sacar el single de este tema. También existe otra versión del mismo director en el que se ve como el chico se dispara en la escena final, pero fue censurado.

Entonces recordé estas otras canciones de esa época  que cuentan historias de menores en situaciones límite…

2.-LUKA-SUZANNE VEGA (1987)

Suzanne Vega alcanzó su popularidad con esta canción  acerca del maltrato infantil que escribió inspirándose en la figura de un niño de su antiguo barrio ¿Quién no la recuerda? !Hasta la cantó en español¡

3.-RUNAWAY TRAIN-SOUL ASYLUM (1993)

Soul Asylum también llegaron a ser populares por este tema y se metieron en la escena grunge. La canción habla sobre niños, adolescentes que huyen o que son separados de sus familias.

Este gran tema iba acompañado de el video más deprimente que he visto nunca. Escenas de violencia doméstica, un bebé raptado, discusiones familiares, etc. son cortadas por fotos reales de niños y adolescentes desaparecidos. Al puro estilo ¿Quién sabe dónde? aparece un número de contacto por si alguien reconoce a alguno de los que aparecen en el video. Se realizó hasta una versión especial para el Reino Unido cambiando las fotografías.

Lo cierto es que el sistema funcionó y muchos de los desaparecidos volvieron con sus familias. Las experiencias del regreso no siempre fueron positivas, explicaba el cantante en una entrevista que en ocasiones se volvían a escenarios de vida bastante complicados o desoladores. Se han resuelto hasta asesinatos y raptos…En su día causó mucha polémica el hecho de que la cadena televisiva MTV se negara a difundir el video alegando que ellos no eran un servicio público para atender ese tipo de casos.

4.-POLLY-NIRVANA (1991)

Esta canción, incluida en Nevermind, esta basada en la historia de una chica de 14 años que fue violada a la salida de un concierto Punk. Según la versión narrada por Kurt Cobain, la chica usa sus armas de mujer para evitar que la agresión llegue a tener lugar y así consigue huir del raptor. Un final feliz que, desgraciadamente, no coincide con lo que ocurrió  en realidad. Para que luego digan que el grunge tenía una visión pesimista de la vida…

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Soul Asylum
Runaway Train

Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a slow torch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning

So tired that I couldn’t even sleep
So many secrets I couldn’t keep
Promised myself I wouldn’t weep
One more promise I couldn’t keep

It seems no one can help me now
I’m in too deep, there’s no way out
This time I have really led myself astray

Chorus:
Runaway train never going back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here no there

Can you help me remember how to smile
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded
Life’s mystery seems so faded

I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just drownin’ in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train

Everything seems cut and dry
Day and night, earth and sky
Somehow I just don’t believe it

(chorus)

Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin’ at the rain
Little out of touch, little insane
Just easier than dealing with the pain

(chorus)

Runaway train never comin’ back
Runaway train tearin’ up the track
Runaway train burnin’ in my veins
Runaway but it always seems the same

(1993, Dave Pirner)