Friday, February 18, 2011

Jamestown Revival - An Introduction


My whole inspiration for creating this blog was to use this as an outlet to share with others the great music and movies I came across that you wouldn't see in the racks at Wal-Mart. I had no idea that such great stuff was out there and I am constantly blown away by what I literally stumble across by happy accident.

Today I opened the latest issue of Rolling Stone. From my previous post, you know that I have a very much love/hate relationship with them. This issue was the PERFECT example of that. On the cover is none other than the baby-faced "superstar" Justin Beiber. I think it is pretty safe to say that I don't have "Beiber Fever." Anyhoo, I seriously considered just tossing the issue because the thought of that scary man-girl face starring at me all week quite frankly scares the bejeezes out of me. However, against my better judgment, I began flipping through the pages. And what a wonderful surprise awaited me!


On page 33, I remembered why Rolling Stone holds a place in my heart. They are promoting a contest where the fans get to choose a cover of one of the August issues. Exciting, right? But it gets better (at least for people like me). The cover will be one of sixteen unsigned artists, and in addition to the cover, they will receive a recording contract with Atlantic Records. VERY cool stuff, kids. I mean, this couldn't be any more up my ally.

I was surprised to find that I was unfamiliar with all sixteen artists, so I quickly began my research with old faithfuls, ITUNES and Youtube. Some I liked, some I didn't, but two I loved! One of them was a duo of quite attractive young men (an no that's not why I loved them) called Jamestown Revival. I think if you follow the trend of what my favorite music style is, you will see that these guys fall right in. I really love that alternative folk rock vibe that my all-time fave band Deer Tick performs, and these guys certainly fall into that category.



They have an EP out on ITUNES that I highly recommend, and I have attached a video from Youtube for you to judge for yourself with. I am proud to say that I am the newest Jamestown Revival fan...I hope you will be too.











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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

One of the Greatest Movies You've Never Hear of: Nowhere Boy


Nowhere Boy (2009)

R  98 min  (UK)

A chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life. (from IMDB)

Director: Sam Taylor-Wood

Writers: Matt Greenhalgh (screenplay), Julia Baird (memoir)

Stars:Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff



In lieu of flowers and dinner this Valentine's Day, my husband and I spent a quiet evening at home and watched the biopic Nowhere Boy.  The film chronicles the life of a young John Lennon, starting around the age of 15 and ends around the time of his mother's tragic death in his college years. I cannot speak for the historical accuracy of the film, but I can attest to the great entertainment value of the movie. The acting is superb, especially by Aaron Johnson, who plays Lennon. He truly embodies the teen angst that Lennon must have felt, growing up raised by a strict aunt, and a mother who was absent from most of his life.

The film starts out with the death of Lennon's uncle.  His biological mother attends the services and after seeing her there, he attempts to reconnect with her.  However, since the age of 5, his mother's sister, Mimi, has raised him.  There is a constant struggle between the two sisters battle for Lennon's affection, as well as a constant struggle internally for Lennon, who wants desperately to be loved by his mother, but also doesn't want to betray the woman who raised him.

He turns to his love of music and begins a rock band, The Quarrymen, with his school friends. As the band becomes popular locally, Lennon is introduced to a young Paul McCartney, and the two become friends and begin playing together. But don't misunderstand, this is not a Beatles film. This movie is strictly about John Lennon and his early struggles with his mother, aunt, and his desperate need to be loved by someone. 

The movie starts with a death, and ends with a death, the tragic death of his mother, Julia.  It gives insight to the backstory that lead to such amazing songwriting.  It helps define John Lennon as an individual, outside of the fame of the Beatles. I truly enjoyed it and felt the film was strong as a whole. I had a few issues: I felt the relationship between Lennon and his mother was portrayed as a romance almost.  Don't get me wrong, there was no line crossed, but it seemed somewhat inappropriate.  The other issue I had was I felt that the film expected you to alrady have some background on John Lennon. People and places weren't always explained, and someone who has no background may be left scratching their heads. Also be aware that most of the characters speak with a heavy Liverpool accent, so if you don't have an ear for it, you may be left wondering what was said! Overall, it was a fantastic film!








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Bonnaroo Line-up Just Announced & Why You Won't See Me There

I'm not a fan of mud.
Just over an hour ago the 2011 Bonnaroo line-up was released.  I had already received a few text messages from one of my best friends attempting to lure me into attending this year with the anticipation that some of my favorite bands would be there. And after all, it is a very tempting offer. In fact, when the line-up was posted online, I counted at least twenty bands that I would LOVE to see that will be rocking those stages in the fields of that Manchester, TN, farm in June...but I won't be there.

Or huge crowds.
Why not, you ask? It's as simple as I am a big baby p****.  There, I admitted it.

The hippie in me says "this is the closest to Woodstock you will ever get." And I admit that there is a part of me that desperately wishes I could bring myself to go. But the much bigger part of me says, "3 days in a tent, bad weather and 100 degree heat, stinky, dirty, no showers, etc. NO THANK YOU."

So this leads to my internal struggle...am I really the rock princess I claim to be, or just some loser poser? Here I claim that music means more to me than most anything, yet I won't sit out in the heat to see twenty of my favorite bands?

And then I remember why I love music so much. Music ignites feelings and emoitions, good and bad. We are able to relate to the words or the melody and it reaches a place inside us that we often don't let anyone into. We have songs we laugh to, cry to, work out to, drive to, remember to, etc. But it's all about the feeling; about the comfort level you reach with a song or artist. Being in that setting takes me out of my comfort level, which in turn, would take away from my experience.  Therefore, it's not worth it to me. A seedy little basement hole-in-the-wall bar is much more my style...

I prefer a mattress.
For those of you non-p***ies, you are in for one helluva a show. Do me a solid and check out Deer Tick (of course...you suck if you don't).

The 2011 Bonnaroo Line-up:
And again, I hate huge crowds...and mud...and no mattress.
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

My Love/Hate Relationship with Rolling Stone

The first Rolling Stone I ever purchased.
Growing up with "hippie" parents and with "Rhiannon" as my first name, it was pretty much always a given that I would be very passionate about music. And I didn't disappoint. Although my taste in music has evolved and varied over the years, one thing remains true...if I love it, I LOVE it; and if I hate it, I HATE it. 

I started subscribing to Rolling Stone when I was around 13 years old. I had turned to the iconic magazine as my tool for discovering new music. As discussed in a previous post, I'm a total nerd who loves to research things I am in to and Rolling Stone was a fantastic source that allowed me to do that. I loved reading interviews with new bands, as well as musical legends. I loved that the magazine didn't hold anything back, and artists could speak candidly about their music or other projects, and they cursed a lot too! I was in heaven! I couldn't wait for the new issue to arrive in my mailbox every two weeks.  My mom would bring it in with the rest of the mail and roll her eyes as she handed it to me because inevitably I would lock myself in my bedroom for the entire evening, and also would discover a new perverse word that I would later ask her the meaning of, causing her skin to flush red and tell me she would talk to me about it later, which she never did.


Some bands that make the cover deserve it!
However, around the time I turned 19, I noticed a change in the magazine. Every issue's cover was plastered with some goofy boy band, or a  bimbo pop princess holding a Teletubby, or some gangsta rap artist who had been shot 119 times and now rapped about it in every song. In my frustration, I "broke up" with Rolling Stone after a 6 year relationship. It was hard at first, but as they say, "time heals all wounds," and I eventually quit looking for it in my mailbox. 

Time went on, and so did I, until one day years later, I realized what I was listening to on the radio.  To my absolute horror, what did I find myself singing along with?  Goofy boy bands, bimbo pop princesses, and gangsta rap. WTF? Was this who I had become?  I refused to believe that I had allowed myself to fall into the trap of the corporate music world. But I had. The song lyrics I had been singing along with had no meaning, no substance.  It was crap. Total and utter crap.

Others...not so much...
So, I bit the bullet and begrudgingly sent in my subscription card to Rolling Stone. First of all, I was shocked when the first issue came. It was no longer the grungy, dull tabloid sized magazine that I was used to. It was a full blown magazine, wrapped in a slick, shiny cover. I rolled my eyes and thought, "here we go again." But I owe everything to that issue of that magazine, because inside was a review on the Deer Tick album, War Elephant. I thought they sounded interesting and so I went immediately to Itunes and downloaded the album. I instantly fell in love with what is now my favorite band of all time; and thus starting me back down this path of great independent music.

So while I still have some contempt for the magazine and their desire to promote their pop stars and push their political opinions onto everyone who reads it (if I wanted to read about politics, I would subscribe to Newsweek), I hold a special place in my heart for them for introducing me to Deer Tick, and for that tiny section in the back of reviews of the unknown artists I hold so dear.
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Monday, February 7, 2011

The Top 100 Bands/Artists You Should Be Listening to and Aren't.

One of my favorite things about listening to the obscure is the reaction I get when I tell someone about a band they have never heard of and they fall in love with them. There truly is no greater happiness for me than letting someone in on my little secret. Some of these on my top 100 list used to be a secret, but have found success in the mainstream world. I struggle with this, because on the one hand, I really want to see these talented individuals reach their full potential and make it big. On the other hand, I hate losing my secret. Then again, I can always say I loved them "way back when..."

My goal is to use this blog to give you a little insight into each of the following. I am a total nerd and reseach in depth everything I am in to. I love to learn the backstroy of the things I love. So eventually, I will share what I kow about all of these artists with you.  Seriously, check out these guys. You might hate some, you might love some, but I hope that you will appreciate the talent in all of them. You suck if you don't.

100. The Black Lips
99. Bat For Lashes
98. Circa Survive
97. Blacklist Royals
96. The Shivers
95. Dirty Projectors
94. Jason Isbell
93. Johny Corndawg
92. Sufjan Stevens
91. Bawn in the Mash
90. The Weepies
89. Death Cab for Cutie
88. Mumm-Ra
87. Jessica Lea Mayfield
86. Dar Williams
85. Lucero
84. Tegan and Sara
83. Zee Avi
82. The xx
81. The White Stripes
80. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
79. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
78. The Black Ghosts
77. Missy Higgins
76. The Romany Rye
75. Loose Baggy Monster
74. The Swell Season
73. Lykki Li
72. Sam Bradley
71. Eels
70. Greenhornes
69. Metric
68. Cat Power
67. Girl in a Coma
66. The Moondoggies
65. Joshua Radin
64. The Killers
63. Fleet Foxes
62. The Appleseed Cast
61. The Morning Benders
60. Klondike & The Slow Rush
59. Bon Iver
58. The Smiths
57. Ben Harper & Thr Relentless Seven
56. Vampire Weekend
55. Margot & The Nuclear So & So's
54. Billy Boy on Poison
53. Grizzly Bear
52. The Kills
51. Pheonix
50. Josh Ritter
49. MGMT
48. Band of Skulls
47. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
46. Modest Mouse
45. The Mars Volta
44. Drive-By Truckers
43. Old Crow Medicine Show
42. Haley Bonar
41. Silversun Pickups
40. The Decemberists
39. The Kooks
38. Joshua James
37. My Morning Jacket
36. The Ravonettes
35. The Dead Weather
34. My Terrible Friend
33. The Duke Spirit
32. Neko Case
31. Paramore
30. A Fine Frenzy
29. Karen Elson
28. Laura Marling
27. Frontier Ruckus
26. Muse
25. The Civil Wars
24. Johnny Flynn
23. Iron & Wine
22. Dr. Dog
21. Monsters of Folk
20. Jenny Lewis
19. Those Darlins
18. Tilly & The Wall
17. Band of Horses
16. Cage The Elephant
15. The Avett Brothers
14. Mumford & Sons
13. Fruit Bats
12. The Weeks
11. Arctic Monkeys
10. Middle Brother
9.  Dawes
8. Rilo Kiley
7. The Black Keys
6. Bobby Long
5. Kings of Leon
4. Marcus Foster
3. Delta Spirit
2. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
1. Deer Tick
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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Paramore: True to their roots, or corporate machine?



 One of my favorite bands ever is Paramore. No one can deny the talent of this group. Fronted by lead singer, Hayley Williams, the band has experienced quite a lot of success in recent years.  But with success comes turmoil, and the band has recently faced quite a setback with the departure of founding members, Josh and Zac Farro. There seemed to be quite a bit of animosity, and talk of Williams becoming "too controlled by the record company".  Whether or not this is the case, I don't know. Regardless, this band writes and creates their own music on their own terms, and that to me is what is important. I don't begrudge anyone wanting to "make it." After all, most if not all musicians dream of becoming a huge success, don't they? They want the recognition and respect that comes along with making great music. And why would anyone want to deny them that? That is what they work so hard for.

Many of my friends who claim to be "indies" were really dogging the remaining band members and griping about how Hayley had sold out, and blah, blah, blah. I call bullshit on that. The band, as a whole or as two fewer, have always done things their way.  They write their own music, not walk into a board room and are told what to sing. They bust their tails to preform amazing live shows (I know because I traveled from Nashville to Atlanta to see them in '09 and it was so worth it). Why can't we allow them to enjoy their success? Being an "indie princess" doesn't mean I lose respect for a musician I love just because they made it. Come on folks.

I guess we will see what happens with the band on down the road and if they become part of the corporate machine or continue to make awesome music that has purpose and truth. Only they can decide that. But I am betting on the band I love. And I will do so until they prove otherwise.


 (all photos taken by my dear friend, Megan Maddox).




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Starting over...

So, I started this blog several months ago because I wanted to discuss my love for independent music and cinema. Unfortunately, time restrictions and writer's block have forced me to phone in most of my posts. Therefore, I am starting over. I figure, I started from scratch with my music, abandoning the mainstream crap I was listening to in order to discover my true passion for "music with meaning," so why not do the same with my blog? I am committing to this in hopes that out there is someone who is searching for what I have been searching for up until this point. I didn't know where to look. I was completely unaware that there was great music out there that I couldn't find on the pop charts or on the Target shelves. So this is for all of you who need some guidance. I understand that my taste may not be yours, and that's ok. That being said, I simply want to share with you what I love and why I love it; what I hate and why I hate it; and help provide a way for you to discover on your own some of the greatest music and movies you've never heard of...
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