Be Kind - Rewind: The Story of Twelve Songs

I was driving to work the other day and found myself skipping over tracks in order to listen to  standout songs from the Everclear record, "Sparkle and Fade."  I don't know about you, but most of my revelations come to me when I am driving somewhere.  

So as I reached toward the skip button, I caught myself, and stopped.  Why in the world am I skipping through the record to merely listen to the radio hits?  Some of you, myself included, have come to know these non-radio songs as "album filler."  But why?  Is the rest of the record garbage?  Certainly, as a former artist, my band didn't write hits and say, "eh, lets just throw this other shit in as filler."  No.  Every song, on every one of our records contained 115% of the best we could do as a collective unit.  Every song was as relevant as the next.

I felt a little disgusted in myself.  And for the first time in over fifteen years, I reached toward my disc player, started the CD from the beginning, and listened to the album all the way through.

SOMA - San Diego

 

When I was a kid, I'd go to shows throughout San Diego and Los Angeles.  I'd be at SOMA, the Roxy, the Epicentre, the Troubadour, the Whiskey, the Che Cafe, soaking it all in.  The bands would be up there on stage pouring their souls out for everyone to see and hear.  If I liked what I saw, I bought the vinyl or the tape, and I'd go home and listen to the entire record a hundred times.  There weren't any "hit" songs within the underground scene.  There were just punk rock/rock n' roll bands and a thriving community of music lovers who found their identity within those San Diego/Los Angeles back street music venues.  The energy and effort is what mattered.

I can't pinpoint the exact time when I fell into the habit of skipping through records to find the "best" songs.  Were the bands writing music that wasn't as good?  Or was I merely becoming selfish and ultra picky?  I don't know.  Maybe a bit of both?  Maybe I'm getting old?
  

You know who helped kick me back into my old mind set?  Dave Grohl.  I've never met Dave, but whenever someone asks, "If you could meet anyone, who would it be," my first answer is always Dave Grohl.  Not only because I was a massive Nirvana fan, and certainly a fan of his work in the Foo Fighters, but he comes across as being very approachable.  A dude who makes music for the working class.  Middle finger to the industry kinda guy.  You know what I mean?

Anyhow, those guys put out the "Wasting Light" record a little while back.  Then, they toured regular American garages, for folks like you and me, to kick off support for the record.  That floored me.  I'd say that it got those old rock n' roll wheels turning in my head all over again.  I've been watching interviews with Dave and the rest of the band lately.  As I watched the excitement, clearly evident in the bands' eyes as they spoke of recording in a natural setting, on reel-to-reel tape, I found my own motivation to pull out records with the sole intent of listening to every song on every album.  Not just the hits.  Guess what?  The records are really good.  I mean, really good!

I think that in the age of digital music media, we have become lost in a sea of singles.  Don't get me wrong.  There's nothing wrong with enjoying a single song.  And God bless you for purchasing the song in order to support the artist.  I simply think that we have forgotten that there is an album attached to those singles.  There are ten to however many more songs on the record from which that song was born.  And the artists poured out their soul in order to put that record into the hands of the public.  

I suppose I have written here today to encourage you to revisit your records and give every song an equal shot.  If you're like me, you own records that you haven't even heard.  Show those records some love.  Fall in love with music all over again.


Post Script:  This entry is dedicated to any musician/band that have enough talent to write their own music, and play their own instruments.  And to every band who truly pay their dues.  Cheers!

Appetite for a Soundtrack: Nevermind. Your Playlist is Your Legacy.

There is a scene in one of my top favorite movies, High Fidelity, where Dick walks into Rob’s apartment as Rob is rearranging his record collection.  Dick asks Rob how he is organizing the records.  Chronologically?  No.  Alphabetically?  Nope.

Autobiographically.

Profound.  Maybe even genius.  Why?  Because Rob must remember that in order to find the song “Landslide,” by Fleetwood Mac, he would have to recall that he bought the record for someone else in the Summer of 1983 and he didn’t give it to them for personal reasons [loosely quoted – High Fidelity].  Eat your heart out, Scrabble. 

Some might say that this peculiar way of organizing one small section of life is ridiculous.  I would argue that our memories, whether you are an avid music connoisseur or not, are tied up in songs.  For those of us who live and breathe music, there are songs in existence that are essentially the soundtrack for life-changing moments.  So the sentimentality wrapped into these tunes are scrapbook-like.  Smothered in memories.  And I’ll be honest with you.  I love it, whether the memories were good, or bad.

I posted a Richard Marx song on a social media account the other day, and a good friend of mine, Jeff, was able to rattle off exactly where he was and what he was doing when that song [Should’ve Known Better] was big on the radio.  This reveals the true power of music.  Who needs time travel when you’ve got your record collection? 

I have always felt the presence of great memories [and BAD] when the stylus touches wax.  I wanted to share an example, so I meandered down to my record collection to peruse for a moment or two.  

Example 1:  Bloodshed – “The Soft Spoken Words of Fallbrook”  -  7”

There was a kid named Justice who I hung out with on the planter in front of the principal’s office at Fallbrook High during my sophomore year of high school.  I was really starting to get into the idea of forming my own band.  I remember Justice used to say that he was in a band called Bloodshed and they were signed with Tooth and Nail records.  At the time, I had no idea who they were.  And I had no idea who the label was.  Very soon thereafter, I discovered that Tooth and Nail held several of my favorite bands on their roster.  This 7” reminds me of those times hangin’ out on the planter at school.  Justice:  If you’re reading this, I hope you are well!

Example 2:  Petra – “On Fire” -  12” 

I had to find Christian alternatives to Guns N’ Roses/Metallica [metal and rock n’ roll in general] because my parents didn’t want me to listen to vulgar lyrics.  Petra was about the closest Christian alternative there was at the time [that I knew of].  I owned the cassette.  I used to lay on the floor in my bedroom where I would play the song “Fired Up” over and over and over.  As corny as this music was, I can still play this record all they way through and mysteriously enjoy it.

Example 3/4:  Guns N’ Roses – “Welcome to the Jungle” + “Nightrain” -  7”

            Nirvana -  “Nevermind” -  12”

I owned everything that Guns N’ Roses [and Nirvana] put out.  I used to have to hide the cassettes because mom would find them and I’d have to throw them in the garbage.  I remember that I used to hide them on my wooden bed frame along-side the mattress.  I used to listen to the cassette singles on my Walkman before falling asleep at my grandma’s house.  I always rendered the tapes useless over a short period of time.  This habit continued into the Use Your Illusion records.  Additionally, the two records, seen in the photo (above - GnR & Nirvana), were both purchased in Europe during one of our tours.  Memories on top of memories.

Final Example 5:  New Found Glory – “Sticks and Stones” – 12”

I remember sitting in a hotel room in Australia [Warped Tour Australia] with all the guys from NFG when the label sent them the edits for the “My Friends Over You” video.  The NFG guys were trying to decide which edit would be appropriate for MTV.  There was a scene in the video where the music stops and Ian farts.  The decision revolved around whether or not the video containing the fart would run on-air.  So whenever I see this album or hear “My Friends Over You,” I am reminded of this particular night and all the fun we had trying to figure it all out.

I know you get the point.  There are songs that transport me back to Homecoming and others that sit me down in the hospital room where Ivy [my daughter] was born.  There are songs that put me in the middle of a SOMA mosh pit and others that put me on a stage in front of 35,000 people.  There are songs from bands who I have met that were pricks, and others from bands who were as down to earth as the next guy.  There are songs that blew the speakers out of the first truck I owned, and others that fueled some great times with the best of friends.

I wish I had the time to stop and write it all down.  I know I’d fill the pages of a thousand Moleskins. 

Give the gift of music to your children.  Make it so their playlist is nothing but a massive compilation of scrapbook pages filled with the best memories you could muster.

Thanks for sharing a little time with me here today.

Steven

Tell All Your Friends

Heather and I attended Taking Back Sunday’s ten-year album anniversary show for Tell All Your Friends at the Ogden last night. I have seen Taking Back Sunday on several occasions, but last night held a special place in my heart.

In 2002, my band had just finished the final leg of the U.S. Warped Tour.  Rob and Darin flew home.  Allen and I decided to drive the van up to New York City to play a couple of acoustic shows for our label and distributor.  We spent a few days in New York City and then headed west, back to San Diego.

Taking Back Sunday had just released Tell All Your Friends and Allen had become an instant fan. The record grew on me quickly.  We listened to Tell All Your Friends all the way home.  I remember Allen and I screaming those lyrics at the top of our lungs for hours at a time. The record was so good.  It is still a great record.

Oasis’ Heathen Chemistry was also a popular record in the CD player for that trip.

The guys from Taking Back Sunday have gotten a little older and have lost a little steam.  Granted, they have been touring forever.  I give them some credit.  Last night’s show was good.  It brought back a lot of memories.  I am really glad I was there to be with Heather as she saw them for the first time.

Steven

Tell All Your Friends - # 1185 of 2000