Archive for the 'Opinion' Category

Under ‘cover’ in the Q.C.

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

First off, I’m not going to be bashing cover bands. I’ve played in cover bands and can think of many songs that I’d like to cover in my band. Instead, what I’d like to do is pose a question that I hope will get some discussion going.

Charlotte has many cover bands and many events that pay them well to perform. They pay them well because there is a reliable cover-band audience in Charlotte. A classic-rock tribute band is a guaranteed sell in the Queen City but an indie band that plays it’s original music is often a risk.

Not all cities are like this. Audiences in Asheville and Athens, Ga., for example, would likely laugh a cover-band off of the stage since they only want to hear original music. They simply don’t want to hear a band that is trying to sound like an established act. Now that’s a curious fact and I don’t want to speculate too much about it. After all, it’s difficult to make safe generalizations about a city since many individuals and groups feed into a city’s identity. I’d like to look at this another way. (more…)

The return of Chris Brown + mixtape Weezy

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Chris Brown is apparently done wearing big bowtie’s on CNN and taking a break from highway garbage collection, to do the thing he did so well before he went after Rihanna like a spider monkey.

His new video, “I Can Transform Ya,” with Swizz Beats and Lil Wayne seems better suited for the Transformers 3 soundtrack than radio stations but the video is kinda hot. I’m personally not a fan of ninja extras/backup dancers but whatever works right? Here’s the video.

“I leave the pussy micro soft like Windows Vista…”

Ahh, it’s been a while since we’ve heard the clever quips of Lil Wayne on other people’s beats but the return of “Mixtape Weezy” is a very welcomed voice to CD decks and iPod’s everywhere. (more…)

Self-snitching in the club

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Imagine a packed club.

Music thumping, drinks flowing (probably getting spilled on you) and if it’s a good one, lots of people will be dancing.

The beautiful thing about this scene isn’t just the beautiful people but those beautiful people’s reactions to the music. Here lies the true answer to everything you need to know about a woman in the club.

More than what she has on, more than what she’s drinking or who she’s with, I’m almost convinced that a woman’s reaction to certain songs can tell you exactly what she’s all about.

This, is the best kind of self-snitching. (more…)

NASCAR surprisingly hip

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Maybe it was when I heard “Swag Surfing” blaring from someone’s speakers as I pulled into the infield at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Or maybe it was seeing my alma mater’s marching band performing hits from Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross and Luke on the Start/Finish Line before the race.

Whatever the case, NASCAR on Saturday presented something different from what general perception would be. NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. put it best during our interview a few hours before the race started: “Times are changing, man.”

Don’t get me wrong, Confederate flags, camo hats and shirts and some signs of dental neglect were plentiful, but I couldn’t help but feel like one of the few sports yet to have a black star was making an effort to reach out.

The Bank of America 500 was hyped as NASCAR’s Homecoming, and after wandering the infield, from the garages to “Redneck Hill” for hours, I realized it really wasn’t that different from the Homecoming celebrations I know and love from college.

People were surprisingly cool and really. Imagine one of the largest tailgates you’ve ever seen, that just so happens to have dozens of cars whizzing by at crazy speeds. Once you master the whole, “‘hold your thought until all the cars pass by then resume your conversation” thing, it’s dope.

It’s a love/hate thing… I think

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Ok, fearless readers, I need your help. We have quite the quandary to discuss. Help answer the following question: What happens when you don’t like an artist, but like his/her/their music? Is this the equivalent of treason? Does this upset the music gods?

Help me out here. This seems to be a common problem in music land today. Don’t believe me? Here are a few examples to start the conversation:

Kayne West – Yes, he’s a punk. Yes, he’s an ass. And yes, his music is unique, catchy and hard not to like. One minute he’s jumping on stage at the MTV VMAs and ruining America’s sweetheart Taylor Swift’s speech, and the next he’s got one of the hottest song’s (”Run This Town”) off one of the hottest albums (Jay-Z’s The Blueprint Vol. 3). He’s spoiled, an egomaniac, but extremely talented. (more…)

Ryan Bingham tonight at the Muse

Friday, October 16th, 2009

It’s funny the ways you can stumble upon new music.

A good buddy of mine is from Houston. When we lived together here in the Elizabeth neighborhood, he subscribed to a magazine called Texas Monthly. For a while after he moved out, we’d still get the issues in our mailbox.

Bored one day, I decided to pick one up, flipping through the pages of the May 2009 issue until a short story on a musician named Ryan Bingham caught my attention. After all, it’s not often that a pro bull-rider quits the rodeo circuit to pick up the guitar and tour the country as a country rock artist.

If my friend wasn’t from Houston, chances are I never learn about this Bingham guy. Never would’ve become a fan. And quite honestly, I wouldn’t be going to the Evening Muse tonight for the early evening show to see him play.

Check him out. He and his band, the Dead Horses, make really, really good music straight out of the Lone Star State.

You can thank my buddy’s magazine later.

Wanted: Country outlaws

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Remember in those old westerns back in the day when there used to be these really kick ass outlaws? The town would have these “WANTED!” posters all over town offering big rewards for those out-of-control rogue’s whereabouts. Remember that?

Well, I think it’s time to bring back the “WANTED!” posters, because there aren’t any outlaws left. They have somehow gone extinct right under our noses… Like the Dodo bird, but way cooler. And more badass. Let me explain.

Back in the not-so-distant past, there was a group of cooler-than-cool real men who sang songs everyone thought about, but were too afraid to admit it. Songs about drinkin’, women, drugs, rednecks and the government (and how crappy “The Man” was). Stories of workin’ hard for a dollar, from sun up to sun down, and still having time to get drunk and raise some hell. Guys like Johnny Cash, Willie, Wayland and Merle. Kris Kristofferson, Charlie Daniels, and Hank (Jr. and Sr.). Back when country music was real. Those days are long gone. (more…)

That’s why they call it ‘pop’

Friday, October 9th, 2009

You know why they call it “pop” music? If you said because it’s “popular,” you’re mostly right. I tend to think it’s also because the music goes, “pop.” As in — here one day and gone the next.

The only difference between a one-hit wonder and a majority of the crap (and most of it is crap) filling top 40 music these days is that one-hit wonders disappear and those with more stick around a little bit longer.

For example, how many of these hit songs from 2007 are you still listening to?

- Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable”
- Nelly Furtado’s “Say it Right”
- T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank”
- Mims’ “This is Why I’m Hot”
- Akon’s “I Wanna Love You”

My guess is none — and not because you thought they sucked in the first place. If you used to listen to those all the time, chances are that you’ve moved on to the next radio hit and left the others in the past. Hell, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” is probably over and done with by now — if not for the fact that it’s repetitive and annoying as hell.

Just something to think about…

The music thread…

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Whether you’re on Gmail, Yahoo or tempting fate on a work e-mail address, it seems that most people have been part of a few lengthy personal e-mail chains with a group of friends.

Some are recurring, like the fantasy football thread that runs from late July through the holidays. And some die out after a stack of 15 emails, like the hilarious group dialogue about Betty’s gnarly spill on the dance floor.

My personal favorite is the music thread that I share with a few buddies. This week was a big week for us because we added a new member (welcome, Donnie), boosting our group’s total to six. It’s a fine number considering most of my friends think that M. Ward is the fifth district in uptown Charlotte. (more…)

Dude, we don’t have room for all that!

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

We’ve all seen it.

You know, the person that’s in the club dancing up a storm like they’re either on ecstasy or re-creating Footloose. While we all came to move a little bit, we were smart enough to know that there wasn’t a music video shoot at the club tonight and that choreographed danced routines are better suited for You Got Served and breakdancing competitions.

Not this person.

They came prepared. They wore their adidas instead of the loafers. And those khaki cargo pants aren’t an accident either. Little do you know, they are looking to battle.

Look at you.

He thinks you’re a conservative punk! Wearing your fitted jeans and button-up. You’re not ready to party, you’re a corporate cutout. He’s the one who’s really hip-hop, even though both of you grew up in the suburbs and attended private schools where the black guys you knew were either geniuses or athletes.

But you aren’t the douche here.

You know the club is already packed tight and there really isn’t room for somebody to command that kind of dance floor space. Sure, if a Soul Train broke out it’d be cool, but no one signed off on being kicked accidentally by the asshole that’s doing too much.

What you missed when you went and got another beer was the guys who walked in looking like extras from the video.

So now Douche Dance-a-lo has some competition, and these guys aren’t slouches. Unlike the tipsy chick about to break her neck dancing on the bar or the first-time clubber who is getting more quarters than dollars thrown at her in the go-go cage right now, these fuckers are going to take up a lot of room and are ready to jerk.

Jerk. You know. The latest seizure-like dance trend from California. Crumpin was so three years ago man. So was the Heisman and Soulja Boy, Stanky Legg and the Roy. Don’t worry about what the new dance is, they’ll show you. (Like it or not).

Seriously, what’s the age limit on dance trends?

Like an adult, you stick with your two-step. Like Jay-Z says, “you’re in a good groove.” But DJ Dumbass cues up Fergie’s “London Bridge.” It’s not a new song, and it’s not really for dudes but don’t tell them that. Somehow their sweet moves have gotten a member of the opposite sex to grind on them.

After ignoring the subtle racism that is our little dancer reaching out to fist bump the black guy that he doesn’t know. You pray that “Single Ladies” isn’t in the queue, that’s the song that turns the dance floor into a runway and the one most likely to make your significant other embarrass you.

Thank God for security.

See what the clubs care about more than their patrons is the bar. And now that you’ve made the server drop a couple drinks, you’ve just made them lose money.

Big mistake, dance fever.

After laughing at that person and crew getting tossed out of the club like Uncle Phil throwing Jazz in the Fresh Prince, you realize things are kind of dead now. I mean, there aren’t any characters inside anymore. No one to laugh at, no one that’s wildin’, basically, no one to keep the party going.

Maybe its true, every party needs an asshole.