Stress Songs

The last couple weeks I’ve been incredibly stressed. Graduation is impending, which would be great if it weren’t for all the company and fretting over my Spanish grade. There are several celebrations, reunions and networking mixers coming up, and I’m taking antibiotics that won’t allow me to drink. Hanging out with drunk people when you are sober is like babysitting. Add on an apartment search, a job hunt and a serious relationship, and you’ve got a stressed-out woman.

When my boyfriend is unavailable for backrubs, I have to do something to kill the tension headache. My solution is my music collection. I had the perfect music to defuse my anger, wallow in my sorrow and cheer me up. Of course, I’m not the first person to do this. Actually, music therapy has become a staple in the holistic medicine community. Doubt the holistic folk’s playlists include Slayer, but I’m tougher than them.

So, if you’re anti-Enya, here is a selection of the tunes that worked for me during this downer of a month.

To get the anger out, try: “Raining Blood” by Slayer, “Redneck Stomp” by Obituary, “I Should Have Sent Flowers” by Nora, “How Quickly We Forget (Again)” by Blacklisted and “I Love Living in the City” by Fear.

To wallow, check: “Fond Farewell” by Elliott Smith, “My Best Girl” by Lucero, “God Called in Sick Today” by A.F.I., “Hate Me” by Blue October and “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division.

Ready to cheer up? Download these: “Danger! (High Voltage)” by Electric Six, “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, “We Drink So You Don’t Have To” by the Blackout Pact, “I Wanna Be A Homosexual” by Screeching Weasel and “Ruby Soho” by Rancid.

I’m finally on the mend mentally. I scored a job, and that’s a step in the right direction. Now, if you know of a sweet apartment complex with reasonable rent, let me know.

Covering embarrassment

Before we get to the meat of this post, I need to admit something to you. I have some embarrassing mp3s on my hard-drive.

My friends mock me. My boyfriend gives me a “you’re lucky I love you” look each time a John Cougar Mellencamp tune comes across the speakers. But, the majority of my guilty pleasure tunes aren’t in the same vein as “Jack and Diane,” they’re covers.

I get a kick out of pop-punk bands like New Found Glory and Pennywise performing anything from “Stand By Me” to “You Give Love a Bad Name” to “Gin and Juice.” Embarrassing? Yes. Fun? Oh, hell yes.

But, as you know, I really love to pick on people. And Def Leppard deserves my wrath. Why? Because the members just won’t give up. Tenacity is an admirable quality, usually. However, I’m positive the British band knows that it’s time to throw in the towel, because they’re releasing a record of covers. (Yahoo!)

The band members must have had enough friends say, “You will never top ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me,’ dude.” So, they’ve opted to put out a record of their renditions of famous songs by The Kinks, David Bowie and Thin Lizzy.

Covers are about fun, which is why they’re usually found as B-sides or as a part of a live recording. A group of has-beens making an all-cover-song record as a last ditch effort to make money isn’t fun. It’s lame.

Of course, who am I to talk about lame? I’m rocking “Walk Like an Egyptian” as done by Against All Authority.

Hilton Mafia? Maybe.

When I read the headline “Three 6 Mafia Collaborating with Paris Hilton” (Billboard), I thought it was a joke. I double-checked the date – is it April Fool’s Day? Nope. It’s March 30. Not that I find “It’s hard to be a pimp” the most enlightened of songs, but still … Paris Hilton?

Apparently, even after you win an Academy Award for best song in a feature film, you still have to buy into easy press. It worked. I looked at the article, but what kind of horrible drivel will they make with the young Hilton?

The heiress to the Hilton hotel empire has already tried her hand at making movies. Remember the reports of people cheering at her character’s death in “House of Wax” (she wasn’t a villain)? As much as everyone loved watching her be murdered (note: I’m not advocating the murder of ANYONE!), the theaters were still full that first weekend. After that, everyone realized that it was a terrible film.

The truth is star power counts for something when it comes to selling anything – cosmetics, clothes, movies and music. It makes sense that celebrities may want to cash in, but why would a band that has already formed such a solid reputation need to use Hilton?

Simple: they can.

'Plasticky'? Not Beastie Boys

Concert films are usually 40 percent about the music and 60 percent about the band. Sure, the record company makes it sound like it’s all about the music, but really the folks buying these videos are usually die-hard and want to know the people behind it. Or they’re just pissed the band never plays their city and have accepted this may be the only way they’ll ever know what Favorite Band X is like live.

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (MCA) has one word for this type of music film: “plasticky.”

Plasticky, eh? That about sums it up. Well, Yauch doesn’t just bitch about things, he does something about it. He and his bandmates in the Beastie Boys – Adam Horovitz (Adrock) and Michael Diamond (Mike D) – handed out video cameras to fans in line before their show at Madison Square Garden and let those who love the band make the film. (Reuters)

What resulted (after hours of editing by Yauch) premiered across the country tonight: “Awesome; I fucking shot that.”

All the footage in the movie is shot by fans. They’re dancing, they’re sneaking backstage, they're doing what people do at concerts – and the viewer is along for the ride.

Basically, Yauch gets it. He knows those who adore his band and want the live feeling at home need the atmosphere. They need to be a part of the pandemonium, and the only true way to get that is by going to the source. If the Beasties had hired professionals there would have been flow charts and storyboards and lots of planning for what should be chaos.

This film doesn’t come out of left field. The Beastie Boys have being doing things their own way for years. They were the first white rap group to become successful. They make rap into rock 'n' roll. They apologized for misogynistic lyrics when they grew up – something I wish more rap artists would do. These guys are innovators, and “Awesome; I fucking shot that” is just one more notch on the band’s collective belt.

Busta Busted

The problem with fame is sooner or later you forget where you came from and say something ridiculous – like “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus” (John Lennon’s infamous foot-in-mouth incident).

But these days fans are doing more about it than just boycotting albums. When Creed frontman Scott Stapp performed a set drunk, fans sued him (E! Online). They lost, but at least they tried. Well, it’s one thing to think you’re good enough to put on a show intoxicated (Actually, lots of people can pull it off – shit, Sid Vicious had NO talent.) or to say something asinine to the media, but it’s another to assault your fans. That’s what rapper Busta Rhymes is accused of doing. (MSNBC)

Melvin Smith, 37, said he approached Rhymes after a show to get an autograph. This happens at every show for every (decent) artist. It’s part of the job to sign autographs – but when you get famous, sometimes you forget it is those people standing outside for hours who helped you afford that million-dollar mansion. Apparently Busta Rhymes is one of those people. Smith told police that Rhymes and his bodyguard punched him in the face repeatedly for asking for his John Hancock.

Wow. How do you get to the point where you assault someone who respects you, buys your albums and pays to see your perform? Music listeners are the ones who make and break artists, and those who don’t respect their fans aren’t going to make it. All that money can disappear over night – just ask MC Hammer.

Brits don't sell out

Maybe the Brits know something we don’t. Thousands of music fans in the United Kingdom voted for the NME (New Musical Express) awards earlier this year, and who made it out on top at Thursday’s ceremony? The Arctic Monkeys. (Reuters)

The band is just starting to get mainstream attention here, but the indie rock group is huge on the other side of the Atlantic. What makes this so notable is that the Arctic Monkeys haven’t had to compromise their style – the sincerity and subtlety of the Smiths
blended with the charisma and attitude of the Clash – to sell records. British fans don’t expect them to.

Here in the States it’s much harder to make it big without cashing in on a trend or caving to the big-wigs at the label. So, the eternal question – which one of you posed in a comment to last week’s post – is if being a musician is a job, is it wrong to want to make money?

Of course, musicians should be paid (some more than others) for their craft. The controversy lies within the fact that music is art. I don’t want to hear music that doesn’t have soul, integrity or honesty to it – so I expect music that is art. I’ll pay for that art, but it can be difficult for any artist to remain starving.

The reason people hate bands that “sell out” (or “buy in,” depending on how you look at it) is because they are no longer making something honest. If a group changes its sound simply to capitalize on what’s hot or to sound like the one serenade on the last disc (i.e. Nickelback, Goo Goo Dolls), that band is no longer an “artist” but simply a business.

Bands don’t have to change who they are to make good money. Sticking to your sound, respecting your fans and touring like crazy can keep a band in nice digs for years. Some, like Green Day, even get huge. That band has never sold out. The members of Green Day never changed their images, faked personalities or wrote music to please some record executive. They’re just three punk rock dudes who love punk rock. More than 10 years after they made their debut, these guys are skill keeping it punk rock – check this video for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”

Britain gets punk rock. Now it’s our turn.

(Scope the Arctic Monkeys video for “I bet you look good on the dance floor” here.)

The Hope Conspiracy proves credibility

Influential hardcore band the Hope Conspiracy has inked a contract with premier underground label Deathwish, Inc. (Lambgoat)

The Boston band assembled a solid fan base through its efforts on Equal Vision (Cold Blue and Endnote) and the positive hardcore label Bridge Nine (File 03).

This decision to move to Deathwish was crucial to the band’s success. The members of the Hope Conspiracy have built a reputation of credibility, sincere love of hardcore and respect for their fans. If the band had chosen a major label — or a large indie like Victory Records — that is out only to make money, the fans would have booked it.

But you can’t get more credible than Deathwish, Inc. The label is owned and run by Converge’s Jake Bannan. This isn’t a label where his name is used to sell records. Bannan only signs bands he loves, and he has input on each album released on Deathwish.

Plus, Bannan’s bandmate Kurt Ballou has signed on to produce the Hope Conspiracy record for Deathwish. The Hope Conspiracy’s Death Knows Your Name will be released later this year.