Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 7
Part three of my concert trifecta is tonight. The band is Howlin’ Rain, a band I’ve wanted to see for 10 years. The venue is the Earl. My favorite little venue in Atlanta. It’s gonna be great.
Howlin’ Rain was formed by Ethan Miller to pursue a more melodic sound in his music and express the influence of growing up in Northern California’s Lost Coast. Previously Miller fronted Comets On Fire, a heavy noise rock band. Howlin’ Rain have been described as a combination of psychedelia, blues, funk and classic 1970s arena rock. All of those are great in themselves. Howlin’ Rain combine it all in a sound that fills a space with soulful authenticity.
Howlin’ Rain’s new album The Alligator Bride is a return to form and their best since the aptly titled Magnificent Fiend from a decade ago. My favorite song on their latest album happens to be one they made a video for. Check out this thunderous track called “Missouri.”
Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 6
Once again, it’s time to fight trucks!!!
Concert night is here. This time it’s the band Truckfighters, from Örebro, Sweden. One of my favorite bands. They lay down one of the thickest fuzziest grooves you’ve ever heard. Here’s the video for “Mind Control,” one of their very best songs.
Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 5
Concert night is here. Concert week is here. Four of them in the next 8 days.
Tonight is Archers of Loaf at Terminal West. Looking forward to it. I’ve never seen them before. I like this band but I love one of their albums, White Trash Heroes, their fourth and final full length album. If you’ve not heard it, check it out. It’s super solid from start to finish. My favorite song form that album is a noisy groove called “One Slight Wrong Move.”
This song kicks so much ass in just a few short minutes.
“A hundred million people could be wrong,
A hundred million people have been wrong before,
A hundred million people could be wrong”
Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 4
Good God – I love the old school Funk Soul!
So much amazing music from that genre and time. I’m talking around 1965-75, before the horn sections were replaced by synthesizers. Even though I didn’t take a deep dive into the genre until my late 30’s. I always loved this music. The deep diving has revealed so much. Songs with great soulful vocal melodies, exciting rhythms and a little psychedelic rock, all mixed together. Now I feel like I found a treasure of rock and soul golden nuggets. I highly recommend you take this musical journey. Things may sound a little familiar and that would be because this musical genre is easily the most sampled of all time.
Today I’m listening to Baby Huey. He was based out of my hometown of Chicago. Produced by Curtis Mayfield, Baby Huey’s sole album “Living Legend” is really fantastic. Unfortunately, Baby Huey died of a drug-related heart attack at age 26. “Living Legend” was posthumously released a few months later.
Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 3
Fifty years ago today, Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut was unleashed and released to the world. I’ve read many times that Black Sabbath set out to create a sense of horror with their songs. Something mysterious and sinister, like a scary movie but with rock and roll. Just look at the album cover art. Just listen the first notes of the first track, the song Black Sabbath and you’ll see they not only successfully reached this goal, they defined it. They defined that sound for everyone, everywhere, forever.
Millions of words have already been written about the impact of this album (and other early Black Sabbath albums) on rock and roll and the greater culture as a whole. Therefore, I’ll just mention a couple of personal anecdotes.
As an art professor I have an introduction to design project where I have students use their imaginations and create the shapes of sound. I let them choose their own songs but I play about a dozen songs that vary in mood and tempo in class as examples. The song “Black Sabbath” is always one of my choices because of how effective it is at stimulating the imagination of the listener.
I love Sabbath, especially the early stuff. However, I am (and always will be) a Led Zeppelin guy. That said, I will argue that Black Sabbath had a GREATER overall impact on rock and roll than Led Zeppelin. Black Sabbath in many ways started the engine of the heavy metal machine. Thousands of bands worldwide have taken this as their template. Led Zeppelin, despite all their success and influence, cannot say that. I believe Black Sabbath’s impact on rock and roll is second to only the Beatles.
My favorite song on this album is N. I. B. simply for it’s overall sound. I’m a sucker for a funky fat riff. It’s so easy to groove to. Interestingly though, the song has a couple of good stories about it too. Good music misunderstanding stories.
It’s always on the list of banned songs because it mentions the name Lucifer blah, blah, blah. If you actually understand the song, you’ll learn it’s written from the perspective of Lucifer as he falls in love and transforms into a good person.
The title has it’s own misunderstanding as well that I find pretty funny. Most think “N. I. B.” stands for “Nativity In Black.” It doesn’t, it’s basically an inside joke about Bill Ward’s facial hair. You can read about it here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath_(album), (then click on the link for the song, don’t know why the direct link isn’t working). Basically, that name has been imposed on the song by just about everyone. So today, it un-officially does stand for “Nativity In Black,” because this is what the world wants.
So here you are. Presented in honor of the fifty year anniversary of the release of Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut (and the birth of heavy metal).
Crass with cash defeats class in all forms. Money over morality IS the American Way. Don’t let the thoughts and prayers, especially the prayers, fool you. In the two photos below class is placed above crass as it should be.
Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 2
I’m surprised at how many people have NOT heard this song. Kids! Give it a spin! Adults, revisit this song and its message. It’s sounds like 2020 doesn’t it? We’re living through the Cult Of Ugly Personality.
Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (aka ARE) Post: 1
My first ARE post is my second favorite David Bowie song. It came up on shuffle today (Golden Years is my favorite) and reminded me why it’s such a good song. Its got so much. Played it a few times in a row. Give it a listen.
I plan to make more Artist as Rock & Roll Enthusiast (ARE) posts here on this blog and more posts about other topics in general. Things I might normally post to Facebook. Hopefully I will live up to this proclamation. My mixed feelings about Facebook have helped me come to this conclusion. Post more of what I want on my own blog and post the links to that on Facebook instead of directly posting there.
My next post will be the first of many “song of the day” type of posts. There’s no agenda to these songs, just things I encounter within the soundtrack of my daily life.
Brett Callero: Visual Artist 